Over the holidays I had the fortune of catching up with an old friend and basketball teammate, Derek King. Expect to hear about how he first came across Bitcoin and why it has stuck with him since, the potential outcomes of a Bitcoin ETF and the upcoming halving, his basketball journey from JUCO to UC Berkely to playing professionally throughout Asia, and why individual sovereignty and controlling your own destiny is so important to him. Expect a follow up post ETF news and probably post halving...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr
Expect to hear my thoughts on the recent trend around the Roman Empire, how I've used ChatGPT to help me with a variety of tasks, the inflation phenomena that is happening in our country and abroad, the failures of Establishment Democrats and why they've dramatically lost support over the years and how that has led to the emergence of legitamate presidential candidates like RFK Jr. or Vivek Ramaswamy, and why I think the concept of The Network State coined by Balaji Srinivasan is really interest...
Sep 20, 2023•55 min
Expect to hear what the month of August was like, my critiques of the DEI space and framework, my critiques of the mainstream response to Covid, why self-censorship is harmful, why hubris and the inability to acknowledge where you were wrong will destroy your credibility, and the importance of speaking openly when solving problems - especially in times of crisis. Clearly some sensitive topics, but as mentioned before I strongly believe people should be able to speak openly without being called t...
Aug 31, 2023•54 min
Expect to hear what having a summer break has been like, how all things basketball related have been going, getting a Golden Retriever puppy, mentally preparing to get back to teaching, quality family time, and my continued appreciation for the Stoicism philosophy.
Aug 05, 2023•34 min
Wes is a close friend I met in our time together at UCLA and someone I've learned a lot from over the years. We covered a lot and still had plenty to discuss for another time. Expect to hear about the roots of his ambitious nature, what it was like growing up around Sacramento, why the city and its sports team - the Sacramento Kings - instilled a sense of loyalty in him, his experience at UCLA, the arc and lessons of his career in his twenties, the passion he has for staying active, navigating t...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Mr. Gabriel is another colleague I've gotten to know over the past year through many interesting conversations. In this conversation we get into his upbringing in Peru, how studying linguistics led him into his teaching career, what he appreciates about travel and different cultures, and his relationship with conservatism. Limited on time, we were just getting started so I hope to have Mr. Gabriel back on sometime in the future.
Jun 14, 2023•51 min
Expect to hear how I try to conduct myself when I'm feeling both tired and moody, why the teacher memes/videos out there are so relatable, the challenge and importance of sticking to my principles in turbulent times, and the difficulty I have answering the question "How are you?"
May 31, 2023•39 min
Expect to hear why I look forward to having more free time after work in these next few weeks, why I think having a complete skill set in your sport is essential to playing at a high level, the joy I get from playing against the best, my thoughts on the latest around the NBA playoffs, and the gratitude I've felt for the opportunities I've had.
May 24, 2023•28 min
Expect to hear what its been like learning about World War I & II with my class, some brief thoughts on Elon Musk, the story of Jeffery Epstein, my thoughts on the potential lack of presidential primary debates on the Democratic side, my thoughts on a four minute compilation of public figures demonizing the unvaccinated, and taking breaks.
May 17, 2023•34 min
Expect to hear what the past two months have been like, what it's been like playing in organized basketball games, why I relate playing formidable opponents in basketball to the boss fights in video games, why I think having fun is essential to remember, my relationship with leadership, and a reminder to myself about the concept of "Amor Fati" aka loving your fate.
May 10, 2023•31 min
In this conversation I sat down with a fellow teacher, Ms. Williams, who I had the pleasure of meeting when she subbed for my class. Since then we've had many interesting conversations and she was kind enough to sit down with me for a pod. Expect to hear what it was like being born and raised in Bermuda, what she learned from people watching, what it's like wearing different masks in different settings, why it's essential to hold onself accountable, what it means to be authentic, the process of ...
May 03, 2023•56 min
Expect to hear my recent struggles with teaching, what it's been like working at full capacity, what it's been like coaching a new 12u team to play competitive basketball, the willingness and humility to lose, and thoughts on the description about my recent personality test result (INTJ-T).
Apr 19, 2023•37 min
I treated this episode as a brief check-in. Expect to hear why saying no is hard for me, why spontaneity is usually a cool experience, why gratitude has been essential recently, two small gestures that lifted me up in rough moments, why tipping the hat to strangers can help spread love, my thoughts on public education, why my stress management strategies have been put to the test recently. (00:01:25) Watching my basketball trainee play and hanging out with the family (00:02:59) Why saying no is ...
Apr 12, 2023•30 min
The following is a conversation with a good friend I met through basketball at the park. Xzavier Crittendon. Expect to hear about why being on his own as a young person catalyzed his maturation, what it was like to live and play basketball in New York, the soul searching that comes after sports end, his interest in history and learning in general, the art of trash talk, the therapeutic benefits cannabis has offered, and the confidence to be a good shooter and person in general. (00:01:28) Intro ...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 28 min
Expect to hear some additional thoughts on Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky that I didn't get to last time, the way I process human interaction of all kinds, small but meaningful wins I've had recently, the recent news around Silicon Valley Bank, the FDIC, and why it adds to my stance on Bitcoin, and how I try to persevere through times of feeling low. (00:00:53) How podcasts have become therapeutic for me (00:02:50) My spring break and superstitions (00:07:53) Maintaining a positive ...
Mar 29, 2023•50 min
The following is a conversation with someone I work with and have coached alongside, Shannon Garrett. Expect to hear about his experience growing up in Berkeley, moving to Stockton and his journey to working in education, how he ended up working with SPED students, the opportunities to have an impact in Stockton, and his experience coaching our middle school basketball team. (00:00:26) Golden State Warriors picking Joe Smith #1 in 1995 (00:02:40) Missing free throws (00:04:48) Intro (00:05:34) G...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Expect to hear what the idea of getting the most out of life has meant to me recently, why the character depicted in Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky resonates with me, my tendencies to overthink and how I've tried to overcome that and develop courage through action.
Mar 15, 2023•54 min
In this episode I sat down with my dad, Linh Tran to walk through different parts of his life. Expect to hear what it was like growing up in Saigon, Vietnam. The process and journey to the United States. Where his interest in engineering, handy work, and aviation came from. How he came across basketball and shared it with me. And his thoughts on family, parenting, and discipline. (00:01:05) Growing up in Saigon (00:08:18) What it was like as a kid and going to school (00:18:05) The relationship ...
Mar 08, 2023•2 hr 48 min
Expect to hear what it's felt like putting myself out there via podcasts, why I find a beginner's mind important, the hubris that can come with being considered an "expert", why humility about what you don't know is vital, what it was like reading Animal Farm by George Orwell with my 6th graders, and why silence has been therapeutic for me recently. (00:01:11) Putting yourself out there (00:05:03) Taking your time vs. going for it (00:11:31) Beginner's Mind (00:17:22) Experts, hubris, our covid ...
Mar 01, 2023•43 min
Expect to hear about the Stockdale Paradox and how it's influenced the way I view life, human tendencies to be cynical, the political and ideological division in society is very frustrating for me, the learning challenges I've observed in my students, and how the book The White Pill by Michael Malice might offer some hope for the future despite the current circumstances. (00:01:11) The Stockdale Paradox (00:06:48) Cynicism and hope (00:09:36) Scrolling Twitter, polarity, and partisanship (00:15:...
Feb 24, 2023•30 min
This is an interview style conversation with a close friend of mine, Thieu Ngo-Phan aka Derek. Expect to about how we met, what high school was like for Derek, why he was a loud trouble maker, how independence at university helped him develop, why he spent so much time in office hours, why he chose to study math, some advice for young people to learn math and the role of family in his life. (00:05:19) Intro, Derek's full name and the story of how he got called Derek (00:11:02) How we met and how...
Feb 22, 2023•2 hr 37 min
Expect to hear some reflections on recording the first 10 podcasts, key takeaways I've had from losing, the drive to compete and bounce back, the frenzy that was the NBA trade deadline, and Albert Camus. (00:01:00) Reflecting on the first 10 podcasts (00:10:00) Losing (00:13:39) Competing (00:16:25) Bouncing back (00:19:21) NBA Trade Deadline (00:26:42) Albert Camus
Feb 15, 2023•31 min
Expect to hear about different situations where telling the truth can be hard, snitching, the social pressures to go along with the group, and being okay with thinking for yourself.
Feb 11, 2023•1 hr 41 min
Expect to hear about my journey with money and how I started taking it seriously, how I came across Bitcoin, what we understand money to be, different stores of values available to us, the concept of being in full control and possession of your money and why Bitcoin is the innovation to enable that. (00:02:01) - Caveats, disclaimers, and due diligence (00:03:52) - The start to my journey with money (00:15:39) - How I came across Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies broadly (00:22:09) - Learning from Mic...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 55 min
Expect to hear about my relationship with death, how I learned about Stoicism through Viktor Frankl, why 2019 might have been the lowest point of my life, what I love about playing basketball with my friends, and some quality family time I've had recently. (00:00:20) - The start to my 2023 (00:03:55) - Memento Mori (00:04:32) - How I learned about Stoicism through Viktor Frankl and my own struggles (00:11:22) - Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl (00:15:25) - Marcus Aurelius quote, Lex Fri...
Feb 01, 2023•35 min
Expect to hear about how my basketball training business has been going, my experience doing scary things to grow, some thoughts on the FTX bankruptcy, why I believe in Bitcoin, being comfortable with iterating as I go, my thoughts on the Twitter Files, transparency, critiques and alignments with the left, and independent thinking. This was recorded on December 17, 2022. Timestamps below: (00:00:50) - recapping the day and the week (00:06:02) - cold therapy and morning sunlight (00:08:38) - wrap...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Expect to hear how my first round of parent-teacher conferences went, what I learned about the fragility of routines many of us do on a day-to-day basis, how I feel about daring to be great, taking the big shots in basketball and in life, my little sister's championship game, leadership in sports, and how I feel about people in Congress, like Nancy Pelosi, trading stocks.
Jan 18, 2023•56 min
Expect to hear my thoughts on the Kyrie Irving situation, how the NBA and its figures responded to it, another example of virtue signaling, the concept of guilt by association and how it leads people to self-censor, and an overview of how a situation I experienced in my junior year of high school relates to what's happening with Kyrie.
Jan 11, 2023•41 min
In this episode, expect to hear about why I find it important to stay patient in both business and life, my drive to push the limits of my capabilities, my experience reading The Brothers Karamazov (150 pages at the time of recording) and why I appreciate Fyodor Dostoevsky, acknowledging Lex Fridman's and Kanye 'Ye' West's podcast, and what I learned about the book called Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Dr. Carole Hooven.
Jan 04, 2023•35 min
Expect to hear about how my winter break has been, why good conversations are so rejuvenating and special to me, how the trivial inconveniences add up in my life, reminding myself to be in and relish the moments, and my wish for people to have a good 2023 but also the fortitude to endure whatever comes up.
Jan 01, 2023•36 min
