Olly Sholotan Knows What’s For You Is For You

In this episode of If You Knew Better , Amber Grimes sits down with Bel-Air actor and musician Olly Sholotan to talk patience, ambition, and learning to focus on what you can control [00:00] . Olly recalls the reality check of having his first All American scenes cut [00:11] , meeting the actor who would later play Carlton on Bel-Air [00:41] , and navigating patience and pressure while pursuing success [01:59] .

He reflects on his ambitious goal of achieving an EGOT by 30 [02:47] , lessons from Forbes 30 Under 30 [03:59] , and learning that “what’s for you is for you” [06:02] after losing out on another series that never aired while Bel-Air became life-changing [07:29] . That experience helped shift his mindset from chasing excitement to chasing peace [10:03] , staying grounded in the work [14:12] , and valuing the process over results [15:39] .

Amber and Olly also unpack the balance between ambition and burnout [20:16] , developing self-awareness around what you can control [22:20] , and the value of supportive parents and a strong foundation [24:44] . They discuss choosing work that feeds you [25:15] , recognizing when to stop before burnout hits [26:06] , treating rest as fuel [27:32] , surrendering to creative ideas [28:26] , and detaching from other people’s approval [29:32] .

Olly explains how focusing on what’s within his control [32:14] , pairing ambition with self-care [33:46] , and making room for hobbies [36:27] help him stay balanced. He closes with the power of gratitude [38:59] , allowing dreams to expand beyond acting [41:19] , and practicing specific gratitude to stay grounded [42:24] , leaving listeners with encouragement to trust their process and protect their peace [46:45] .

Ask or Share with Amber: withambergrimes@ Follow Amber Grimes on Instagram: @ambergrimes Follow Olly Sholotan @ollysho Get Amber's Newsletter on Substack Watch This Episode on Youtube Thursday at 6pm ET Follow Amber's Book Club Get Amber's Book Club Merch Read Amber's Favorite Books See for privacy information.