245: Plot Twist with Adam Roa
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245: Plot Twist with Adam Roa
Episode 245: Show Notes
In this bite-sized Plot Twist episode of The Light Watkins Show, Light Watkins revisits an inspiring conversation with spoken word poet and artist, Adam Roa. Adam shares a pivotal moment in his life when everything changed and he found his true path, leaving behind a comfortable career in advertising to pursue acting in Los Angeles. However, years of rejection and struggle in the acting world led him to hit rock bottom. This low point became the foundation of his spiritual awakening, ultimately setting him on a new journey as an artist and poet.
Adam describes how a chance encounter at a FRED Talks event in Santa Monica introduced him to spoken word poetry for the first time, sparking a powerful creative shift. Within days of seeing his first spoken word performance, Adam wrote his first poems, one of which would go viral and be viewed over 200 million times, launching his career in an entirely new direction.
Listeners will be inspired by Adam’s story of transformation and the powerful message that following your heart—even when it doesn’t make logical sense—can lead you to places you never imagined. Light and Adam also discuss the importance of taking leaps of faith, stepping away from fear, and embracing the unexpected plot twists that life throws your way.
This episode is perfect for anyone looking for inspiration to follow their passion, embrace change, or navigate through life’s challenges with purpose. Adam's journey is a reminder that sometimes the toughest moments are the ones that lead to the greatest breakthroughs.
And if you want to hear more about how discovering spoken word poetry led to his viral success and career shift, click here.
Key Points From This Episode:
Leaving Behind a Safe Career: Adam shares his decision to walk away from a promising job in advertising to pursue acting in LA.
Hitting Rock Bottom in the Acting World: After years of rejection, Adam hit rock bottom, leading to a life-changing spiritual awakening.
A Life-Changing Encounter with Poetry: Adam’s first exposure to spoken word poetry at a FRED Talks event ignites his passion for a new art form.
Writing a Viral Poem in 48 Hours: Adam’s second poem, You Are Who You’ve Been Looking For, went viral and launched his career as a poet.
The Power of Following Your Heart: Adam discusses how following his heart, despite fear, led to personal and professional breakthroughs.
Giving Away Everything for a Vision Quest: Adam recounts selling all his belongings to embark on an eight-month journey of self-discovery.
Quotes:
“Where the cracks are where the light gets in, I had had so much success at an early age in so many different things that I thought I had life figured out." —Adam Roa
"To say no to all of that, and going to live in my aunt and uncle's garage to pursue an acting career was the first time in my life that I made a decision that didn't make logical sense, but it was what my heart was calling me towards." —Adam Roa
“Just because you become aware of something, if you don't take action on it, nothing's going to change." —Adam Roa
“Even though it doesn't make sense, and I have no idea how I'm going to pay my anything next month... I'm going to give up my personal training business. I'm going to give away my items, and I'm going on the road here." —Adam Roa
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Follow Adam on social media: @Adam.Roa
Listen to Adam’s full episode here: https://www.lightwatkins.com/show/adam-roa