Zac Palmer: Why Success Without Fulfillment is Failure | Ep 71

What if everything you’ve been told about success is wrong? You’re crushing your goals, hitting your targets—maybe even making more money than ever. So why does it still feel like something’s missing?

In this episode of Scaling the Gap, host Madeleine MacRae sits down with Zac Palmer, renowned sales and persuasion strategist, who’s personally driven over $150 million in sales and worked alongside icons like Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi. But Zac’s story didn’t start on stage—it started in a telemarketing cubicle and took him through deep entrepreneurial trenches, personal reinvention, and eventually, total freedom.

From turning around an $800,000-in-debt business at age 19 to launching high-performance sales teams and a transformative podcast, Zac shares how his love for communication, commitment to growth, and deep self-awareness became the foundation for sustained impact. Zac’s journey reveals that success isn't just about the numbers—it's about finding fulfillment, freedom, and balance in all areas of life.

Key Takeaways

• You don't need formal education to lead—you need hunger, humility, and hustle
• Communication is a superpower that shapes both stage presence and team success
• Success means nothing without fulfillment and presence with those who matter most
• Personal growth fuels professional growth—and often comes from surprising sources
• Celebrate your wins: train your nervous system to seek joy and reward

In This Episode

• [00:00:00] Introduction to Zac Palmer
• [00:04:48] Pivotal moments in Zac’s journey
• [00:08:14] Balancing desire and reality
• [00:12:59] Lessons from parenthood
• [00:14:40] Perpetual Growth Podcast overview
• [00:17:31] Navigating life’s balance
• [00:20:19] Awareness of life changes
• [00:22:08] Does Zac consider himself successful?
• [00:28:11] Zac’s success algorithm
• [00:30:58] Where to find Zac Palmer

Notable Quotes

• [00:02:48] "I realized at a very early age that I had a knack for communication and, you know, a passion for connecting with people. Just something I enjoyed." — Zac Palmer
• [00:10:43] "You might find or create a new passion at 40. Maybe it's 60, maybe it's 80 years old. And it's giving yourself the permission to pursue that thing and pivot and change." — Zac Palmer
• [00:14:49] "If something's not growing, it's dying." — Zac Palmer
• [00:24:44] "Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure." — Zac Palmer
• [00:26:31] "When you're in a moment of delight, of an achievement, when even if it wasn't on your list of hot lists of things you wanted to do, but it feels delightful to you… linger in that moment.” — Madeleine MacRae

Our Guest

Zac Palmer is a high-performance sales and persuasion strategist who has grossed over $150 million in sales. From his humble beginnings in telemarketing to consulting for Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, and other major names in personal development, Zac now focuses on building elite sales teams and helping business owners develop sustainable, people-first strategies. He also hosts the Perpetual Growth Podcast, where he explores holistic success across business, relationships, health, and life.

Resources and Links

Zac Palmer

• Website - https://www.thezacpalmer.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thezacpalmer
• Podcast - .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}