William Zabka on Managing Success, Choosing Opportunities, Staying Creative, Balancing Fatherhood

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✎ SHOW NOTES ✎

Ep220: William Zabka on Managing Overnight Success, Choosing the Right Opportunities (to Avoid Being Pigeonholed), Staying Creative, and Balancing Fatherhood with Hollywood

https://optimizeyourself.me/managing-...

My guest today is William Zabka who is best known for his portrayal of Johnny Lawrence both in Cobra Kai and the Karate Kid movies. While Johnny is the quintessential 80's bully, William is the complete polar opposite of that character. The bully you love to hate is actually a passionate filmmaker and dedicated family man who has overcome the challenges and obstacles of the wildly fickle entertainment industry.

We discuss his commitment to sticking to his values and what he did during the seemingly big gap in his career from Karate Kid to more than 30 years later resurfacing in Cobra Kai. He talks openly about the tough decisions to turn down jobs that weren’t a good fit while struggling with feelings of doubt.

Throughout our conversation, William shares his first hand experiences on some of the principles I teach in the Optimizer Coaching and Mentorship program like shifting your mindset to work in your favor, staying authentic to your values, facing your fears head on. And having said that, I hope this conversation will leave you inspired to pursue your biggest dreams.

[CHAPTERS]
00:02:51 | How William keeps himself grounded after playing Johnny
00:15:29 | Never letting go of who you are
00:21:06 | Billy's Oscar nominated short film
00:31:01 | The giant gap in Billy's life between Karate Kid and Cobra Kai
00:35:29 | Setting aside egos and letting the best idea win
00:48:45 | Billy's work-life balance strategies
00:54:31 | Is an opportunity worth the costs that come with it?

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Thank you for watching - I really appreciate it :)
Be well,
Zack Arnold, ACE
Founder & Coach at Optimize Yourself, inc.