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].