Austin grew up in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, attending a small high school where opportunities could be limited. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived during his high school years. Remote learning, isolation, uncertainty, fear for his frontline-worker parents, and spending most of his time at home left Austin feeling increasingly complacent and unsure about what came next.

A seemingly ordinary moment with his father changed his perspective.

While watching ESPN together, Austin's father told him he could imagine his son working in television. Austin didn't immediately believe him. At the time, he considered himself shy and struggled to imagine speaking comfortably into a microphone, much less appearing on camera.

But Austin tried.

He started looking for opportunities wherever he could find them. His first announcing experience came introducing his high school's marching band during football halftime. That small opportunity connected him with his first mentor in broadcasting and eventually led to announcing more school sports.

Austin also began creating his own practice. He muted television broadcasts and attempted play-by-play himself. He practiced wrestling commentary. He cut mock promos. He recorded his voice and listened back, even when hearing himself made him cringe.

That discomfort became part of the education.

Jim and Austin discuss the importance of repetition, getting outside the comfort zone, learning through failure, and being willing to ask, “How can I improve this?”

Austin also reflects on the people who helped him move forward, including his family and Pittsburgh broadcasting mentor Alby Oxenreiter. A relationship that began with Austin listening closely to an experienced broadcaster eventually developed into a moment where Austin was asked to take the lead himself.

Underlying the entire conversation is something central to Fishing Without Bait: we don't have to wait until we feel completely ready before taking action.

Sometimes the first step is simply trying.

Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player and follow the conversation as Austin Cairns continues sharing how he got here from there.

Support the podcast and receive ad-free episodes on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait

Continue your own mindfulness practice with “Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book”:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

We discuss the WWE Raw to Netflix deal and what it’s going to mean for internatioonal WWE Network, how WWE got here and it’s value. We discuss how WWE is leveraging content across platforms such as TikTok, blogs, and YouTube, emphasizing the importance of multi-platform presence for wrestling shows​​.

THE ROCK Dwayne Johnson is now on the Board of Directors at TKO!

Betting odds for Royal Rumble for various wrestlers like The Rock and Gunther in the context of wrestling events, highlighting the excitement of gambling in professional wrestling​​.

The Fourth Line join us! KC Warr and Brandon St James discuss recognition of how the original members of the 880 and T2T wrestling groups have become popular with the audience over time​​.

We Play MAYHEM MANIA! An interactive game for viewers to predict winners in different categories for an upcoming wrestling event, with correct predictions leading to 'tickets to Space Jail'​​.

Check out the Indy Wrestling US Network at www.indywrestling.network. For a short time, get a 7-day FREE trial to access a growing collection of content.

**A special shout out to our Manager Level Patreon supporter Bradley Ruthers (@HeelBradley)

Join us LIVE at 10 PM ET (after WWE NXT) on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch!

You can support the show at Patreon.com/wrestlingmayhemshow! Go to wrestlingmayhemshow.com for more entertainment!

Thanks to Basick Sickness (@basicksickness) for the awesome intro for the show