"I WAS STRUGGLING TO PAY RENT!"

Kevin Hart’s journey began in a hallway he used to sleep in.

Nothing about his starting point looked like a path to where he is now, but that’s exactly why his story matters.

Kevin is one of the biggest entertainers in the world - a comedian, actor, producer, and entrepreneur who built his career from the ground up.

He grew up in one of Philadelphia’s most violent neighbourhoods. His dad was in and out of jail, his brother turned to the streets, and his mum raised him alone.

Instead of him letting that define him, he turned it into motivation to make something of himself.

There’s so much of Kevin that people don’t see the, charging $25 for his gigs, the 28-set weekends, and the constant grind just to pay rent.

We talked about what it took him to keep going when nothing was working, and why he believes consistency and hard work beats talent every time.

We get into:

- Why he never had a Plan B… - How he kept going when the money wasn’t coming in. - How he turned comedy into a global business. - Why discipline became his only real advantage. - How he handles pressure and public mistakes. - How his dad’s addiction shaped his idea of manhood.

Near the end, I asked Kevin if he ever feels that fear of being judged for being honest about what he’s dealing with.

The fear of opening up and saying you’re not okay.

He told me plainly that he doesn’t carry that fear, and that he doesn’t really care what people think of him. And that answer told me a lot about him.

Kevin isn’t pretending to be fearless. He’s just worked for years and been through a lot, and it’s taught him to be honest with himself.

Get access to exclusive Diary of a CEO content: https://bit.ly/circle-ytshorts