About this episode
Most people want to know how Post Malone got made. Rich Post's answer is that nothing about it was a trick. He was a dad who coached, drove, showed up, and kept the same rules for both of his boys. When Austin left college to chase music, Rich did not ask him to be safe. He asked him to be the best at whatever he chose.
Jeremy and Rich cover the difference between a mistake and a bad decision, why empathy helps a kid more than sympathy, how four parents in two homes made co-parenting work by asking what was best for the kid, and why kids today never get a break from the pressure that used to stop at the school bell. Rich also puts the rumors to rest. There was no record-label insider and no bulk-buying scheme behind the early songs.
The conversation ends where it started. Being kind costs nothing, keeping your word costs a little more, and both are the job.
Key takeaways
- Mistakes and bad decisions are different 7:09
Rich draws a hard line between the two. A mistake is something you had no awareness of. A bad decision is knowing what is right and going against it. Kids get grace for the first and accountability for the second. - One standard for every kid 7:57
Rich raised both of his sons the same way. There were not two sets of rules, and that consistency mattered more than any single lesson. - Kindness is free, and it is not weakness 8:43
Being kind does not cost anything. It also does not mean letting people walk on you. - Be the dad, not the entourage 9:31
Rich knows which people are friends with Austin Post and which are friends with Post Malone. His job is to stay the dad. - Empathy over sympathy 12:36
Sympathy co-signs a pity party. Empathy understands the hurt and then helps the kid get back on track. - Co-parenting works when the kid is the agenda 18:05
With four parents across two homes, every decision came back to one question: what is best for the kid. - Their life is not your do-over 22:44
Rich did not use his sons to correct his own mistakes. They could skip a sport, but once they joined a team, they finished the season. - Pick anything, then be the best at it 26:37
When Austin dropped out of college to pursue music, Rich told him he did not care what he did with his life as long as he was the best at it. - Keep the hard promise 51:32
Rich told his sons they could always call for a ride with no punishment. When the call came, he kept that promise, and the silent drive home taught more than any lecture. - Same dirt, same hole 1:03:42
Hard times hand everyone the same dirt. You can use it to bury yourself or to climb out. Jeremy connects it to his own two bankruptcies. - Don't be late 1:06:08
Rich's advice for anyone with fans or customers: they do not work for you, you work for them. - The rumors are not true 1:07:45
There was no industry insider and no scheme to buy up early copies. Rich's whole role was to be supportive and believe in his son.
In their words
“It doesn't cost you anything to be kind. It doesn't mean you need to be a fool.”
“We can't all be the best. We can all be our best.”
“Don't be late. They don't work for you. You work for them.”
“All I did was be supportive.”
Quotes are taken from the episode audio and lightly trimmed for filler words.
Chapters
- 0:00 Intro: the man behind the man
- 4:48 Social media and kids
- 7:09 Mistakes versus bad decisions
- 9:31 Austin Post versus Post Malone
- 12:36 Empathy versus sympathy
- 18:05 Co-parenting with four parents
- 22:44 Letting kids choose, then finishing what they start
- 26:37 Dropping out of college to chase music
- 28:13 Why Rich is hard on people
- 44:17 Kids should be hungry
- 45:54 No more decompression time
- 51:32 The pickup promise
- 1:03:42 Same dirt, same hole
- 1:06:08 Don't be late
- 1:07:45 The rumors
- 1:11:44 Flip the M upside down: from me to we
Bring this conversation to your stage
Jeremy speaks to founders, operators, and first responders about building from zero, losing it, and building again. If this episode is the conversation your team needs, start with the speaking page.