Escape the Box You're In
World-renowned escape artist Danny Zzzz on fear, character development, and why self-accountability is a lie.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
I met Danny Zzzz at an airport bar.
I was exhausted. Emotionally drained. I had just finished MCing an event in Vegas and all I wanted to do was put my head down, drink my beer, and recharge my introvert batteries.
Then this guy turns to me and says,
“I don’t want to sit next to you and not network. We’re both strangers at a lobby going somewhere.”
What followed was one of the most profound conversations I’ve had in years.
We talked about loss, hardship, performance, and what it really means to live without limits. By the time I walked away, I knew I had to get him on the show.
Danny Zzzz is a world-renowned hypnotist and escape artist. He’s performed on 17 “Got Talent” stages across the globe, in over 50 countries.
His show in Niagara Falls became the #1 rated attraction on TripAdvisor—beating the actual falls. He’s been set on fire, suspended from cranes, and locked in boxes with one-minute timers.
But the real escape?
It’s not from the box. It’s from the comfortable life you’ve settled for…
Where to Find Danny Zzzz
Entertainment & Shows: dannyzzzz.com
Executive Coaching & Hypnotherapy: danielpaulin.com
Social Media: Search “Danny Zzzz” on all platforms
The 50-Minute Session That Changed Everything
Danny’s path to hypnosis wasn’t planned.
He was a morning radio broadcaster and a business owner running a chain of tattoo shops.
He worked brutal hours—starting at 3:30 AM for radio, then managing his businesses until late at night, catching sleep in fragmented chunks.
Then one day, he stopped sleeping. Completely.
For six weeks, he didn’t sleep a single minute. His skin turned grey. His hair started falling out. His fingernails discolored. His body was shutting down.
Doctors wanted to put him on pills for the rest of his life. But a friend suggested he try hypnotherapy. In 50 minutes, he was cured.
That single session changed the trajectory of his entire life. He quit radio, scaled back his businesses, and went back to school to become a hypnotherapist.
He poured himself into understanding the subconscious mind's neurological triggers.
Sometimes the door you never planned to walk through is the one that leads to everything.
The Character You Play
One of the most contrarian ideas Danny shared was about authenticity.
The common advice is “just be yourself.” Be authentic. Be genuine. Danny calls BS on that.
He argues that performers—speakers, entertainers, leaders—need to develop a character.
Danny Zzzz is a character he plays on stage. He’s brave, confident, and unshakeable. But when he steps off stage, he gets to be Daniel Paulin—a vulnerable father, a husband, a friend.
“If you don’t separate the two, I don’t think you really are doing the best that you can for both type of audiences.”
This isn’t about being fake. It’s about being intentional. It’s about choosing which version of yourself to bring to each situation.
When Danny’s father passed away, he still had 700 people in the audience who had bought tickets. They didn’t care that he was having a bad day. They traveled from all over the world to see a show.
He couldn’t walk out and say, “I’m not having a great day. We’re going to do a mediocre show today.”
So he put on the cape. He became Danny Zzzz.
…and when the show was over, he took the cape off and allowed himself to grieve.
We all do this to some degree. We “shave the sharp points off” depending on who we’re with. The version of you with your golf buddies is different from the version of you at a business dinner. That’s not inauthentic. That’s intelligent.
The question is: are you doing it consciously?
A Raging Ignorance to Doubt
When I asked Danny about his mindset, he gave me a phrase I haven’t been able to shake:
“I have a raging ignorance to doubt.”
He explained it like this: Life is a hallway full of doors. Most people peek through the crack to see if they like what’s on the other side. Danny kicks the door open and walks in.
He doesn’t miss the cracked door. If it’s a new restaurant, he orders something he’s never tried.
If it’s a country he’s never been to, he books the flight. If it’s a stranger at an airport bar, he starts a conversation.
At the end of his life, he doesn’t want to regret the things he didn’t try. And neither should you.
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The Box Metaphor
As an escape artist, Danny literally puts himself in boxes for a living. Boxes that are on fire. Boxes suspended 180 feet in the air. Boxes with one-minute automatic timers.
But here’s the insight that hit me hardest:
“Getting out of the box is easy. Stepping into the new box is what’s so fearful.”
We’re all in a box right now. A job. A relationship. A financial situation. A city. A mindset. And we get comfortable. We know the four walls. We know the routine. We exist.
The fear isn’t in leaving. The fear is in stepping into the unknown.
His daughter once asked him before a stunt, “Daddy, are you afraid to escape the box?” He told her no. He’s afraid to step into it. Because once you’re in, you have to perform. You have to execute. You have to escape.
But if you never step in, you’re safe.
…and you’re stuck.
Why Self-Accountability is a Lie
Danny was blunt about this one:
“Self-accountability is the easiest way to fail at anything.”
If you want to lose weight, don’t just tell yourself you’re going to the gym. Tell everyone on social media. Post every day. The first day you miss, ten friends will message you asking where you were.
Two people will always go to the gym. One person won’t.
His success didn’t happen alone.
It happened because he had a spouse who believed in him, children who were proud of him, and a team of people who held him accountable.
Find a coach. Find a mentor. Find a community.
Stop trying to do it all yourself.
The Rub
Danny Zzzz’s life is proof that the most uncomfortable moments are often the doorways to our greatest growth.
He was homeless at 13.
He was the first in his family to graduate from high school.
He built a business, became a radio star, nearly died from insomnia, and reinvented himself as a world-class entertainer.
None of it was planned. All of it required stepping into a new box.
✅ So here’s the question: What box are you afraid to step into?
Maybe it’s the conversation you’ve been avoiding.
The business you’ve been thinking about.
The relationship you know isn’t working.
The move you’ve been putting off.
The escape is easy.
The step is hard.
But on the other side of that fear is everything you’ve been looking for.
This is the way.
Hanley
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