Steven Bartlett is a British entrepreneur, investor, and author. He’s the founder of Flight Story – a media company – and Flight Fund, an investment fund backing the next generation of category-defining businesses.
He created The Diary Of A CEO to share the unfiltered pages of the personal diaries of the world’s most fascinating CEOs, experts, therapists, and leaders – with the hope that their lessons will help both you and him live better lives.
DOAC is a double acronym: Diary Of A CEO, but also Dreamers, Open-minded, Awareness, and Connection.This is your corner of the internet to dream boldly, think openly, expand your awareness, and feel more connected.
My New Book: https://g2ul0.app.link/DOAC
IG: https://www.instagram.com/steven
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbartlett-123
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Is the cup of life half full or half empty? Would you call yourself an optimist or a pessimist? What if you weren’t actually in control of this, but instead through the process of evolution your brain had been hardwired to be optimistic? Neuroscientist Dr. Tali Sharot calls this the ‘Optimism Bias’, it’s the belief that the future will be better, much better, than what has come before or even your current situation. This trick of the brain can effect how you remember the past and how you predict...
Imagine being different and self conscious of this difference, then think of how it would feel to be reminded of this every single day of your life. In this moment Richard Osman discusses how he has been body shamed for over 30 years of his life. Ever since the impressionable age of 17 Richard has been made to feel small for his above average height. This changed his behaviour and meant that he held himself back from living the life he wanted to lead. Being ‘different’ has taught Richard about h...
Davina McCall has been an icon of television for 40 years. The host of Big Brother for over a decade, tens of millions of people looked to Davina to bring a national obsession into their homes. But few know the real story of Davina. From a heartbreaking childhood that saw her take drugs with her mother to hosting one of the biggest shows in the world, she’s come a long way. At every step along her journey, no one was going to define her but herself. No matter how many times she got hurt no one c...
What if everything that you knew about health was wrong, if calories didn’t count and food labels lied? That is exactly what Tim Spector OBE says in his multiple books, innumerable articles and TV appearances. Following the ancient greek belief that food is medicine, Tim has made it his mission to let people know how central gut health is to overall health, affecting your immune system, energy and even mental health. In this essential conversation, Tim discusses everything you need to know for y...
What is real vulnerability? So often when we say that we are being vulnerable we are still giving a version of ourselves that we want and choose to show to the world. In this moment Matthey Hussey discuses the difference between a curated social media style vulnerability where you still have control, and genuine vulnerability. To be truly vulnerable means taking the risk of opening up to the world a part of yourself that you never wanted anyone to see and you cannot know if people will like. But...
In this episode I wanted to do something that I haven't done in a while. It's been too long since it was just me, the microphone, and you. If there's one request I get over and over again, it's for more episodes of DOAC like in our early years, just me what's front of my mind - an authentic 'Diary of a CEO'. It's been an incredible 2022, our level of guest and conversation has only got higher and higher, but I wanted to look forward to 2023. Specifically, something that's been on my mind lately,...
If you have a social media account you’ve seen Gary Vee, but this is a version of Gary Vaynerchuk that you’ve never seen before. You probably know him as the fast talking business sage who has industry leaders and CEO’s hanging on his every word, now see him speechless. A Belarusian immigrant to America, Gary has always been driven and hungry for the next big opportunity. Using the burgeoning young internet he transformed his families wine business and fortunes and hasn’t stopped since. In this ...
Marie Forleo lives her life by mantras. In this moment she shares one of her most powerful; “clarity comes from engagement not thought”. You have interests and aspirations but too often they seem more like impossible dreams than achievable goals, to this Marie says ignore the excuses and “get off the couch”, as you’re never going to figure it out there. Combined with this, Marie believes you have to uproot your fear of quitting and instead give yourself permission to experiment and start before ...
There is love for the beautiful game and then there is the all consuming passion that Jamie Carragher has for football. From a top class player to one its best television pundits, Jamie has devoted his life and career to the sport. From a working class upbringing as a Bootle boy to “Mr Liverpool”, Jamie has always stayed loyal to his roots and to the city that nurtured and supported him in reaching the heights that his career soared to. However, the sense of duty Jamie felt for his city and its ...
For a lot of people black holes and string theory were topics that were filed in the mental box labelled ‘things I will never be able to get my head around”. However, all changed when Neil deGrasse Tyson began appearing on TV screens. Neil’s passion and energy for science is infectious and the reason why he is one of the world’s greatest science communicators. This fascination has lasted ever since childhood where he felt the universe reach out to him at the same planetarium he is now the direct...
What are the habits and hacks that can make sure that you are as efficient as possible in all areas of your life? In this moment Will Ahmed the founder and CEO of Whoop, the wearable technology that measures Strain, Recovery, and Sleep, discusses his daily routine that embodies his companies values and mission: to unlock human performance. It’s not alway easy, from morning workouts to ice cold showers, but by investing in himself everyday, it turns into huge dividends. Listen to the full episode...
As the original Shark of all 13 seasons of the Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran has never stopped swimming or hustling. Ever since 1973 when she borrowed $1000 to start her own real estate firm, Barbara’s relentless drive and spirit turned The Corcoran Group into $6 billion dollar business. Coming from a poor neighbourhood and the second of ten children, Barbara always knew how to scrap and stand out from the crowd. She also knew how to use any setbacks as fuel for success, whether that was being la...
In a revealing conversation, Sir Richard Branson shares insights from his extraordinary life, detailing how his dyslexia fueled a relentless drive to prove himself and disrupt industries. He discusses the critical role of his entrepreneurial mother, his unconventional "education by risk" after leaving school at 15, and how delegating weaknesses allowed Virgin to diversify into a vast empire. Branson also opens up about the emotional challenges of near-fatal adventures, the "Dirty Tricks" campaign against Virgin Atlantic, and the personal cost and ultimate triumph of achieving his lifelong dream of space travel, all while emphasizing the importance of instinct, people, and creating something to be proud of.
How do you recover from one of the most life shattering experiences that can happen to a person? Not only that, how do you face it calmly and with grace? In this moment Dr Aria discusses how to find and cultivate stillness in the eye of the hurricane that life can sometimes be. While it’s impossible to escape the suffering that is a part of life, Dr Aria says that it is crucial to not ask why you are suffering, but have a self belief that all will be well and see it ass a temporary part of journ...
The co-creator of the infamous Fyre festival, Billy McFarland spent 4 years behind bars for lying to investors and using the mythical tropical island festival as a way to pay off his debts. You have probably heard of him from the 2 massively popular documentaries that blew up on social media. However, what you haven’t heard is the story of Billy as a childhood entrepreneur, creating and selling companies before he was even able to cash the cheques in his own bank account. A college dropout who m...
To call Stephen Fry a national treasure would be underselling him. One of the hardest working names in British media, you name it and Stephen has done it; writer, actor, director and comedian. The size of his contribution to British culture in over four decades as a public figure is staggering. However, behind this mountain of work and out of the spotlight is a side of Stephen Fry that many people will be completely unaware of, from a childhood of crime and loneliness, to severe mental health st...
In these ‘Moment’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favourite moments from previous episodes of The Diary Of A CEO. Rather than looking for shallow reasons to change your life, in this moment James Smith asks you to examine your ‘pain points’. Whether it is in fitness or business, James believes that we should draw on our deep rooted problems or fears and transform them into lasting motivation that will fuel us through the difficult improvements we have always wanted to make in our li...
Annie Macmanus is a voice we’ve been hearing for twenty years. First as a presenter and tastemaker for the UK’s biggest dance music radio show, as a festival headlining DJ, as host of her podcast ‘Changes with Annie Macmanus’, and now as an author of her best-selling novel ‘Mother Mother’. Reaching the pinnacle of success with a relentless schedule headlining a 2am show in Ibiza every week before flying back in the morning to present her daily radio show, it took the pandemic lockdowns for Annie...
Charlie Sloth is a radio presenter on Apple Music One, and previously on Radio One. The creator of “Fire in the Booth”, he is known as a adept and visionary patron of new artists worldwide. Appearing on Sloth's show is the moment many rappers and musical artists ‘make it’. Charlie wouldn’t have it any other way. As he reveals in this episode, he has never deviated from his dream of bringing new talent to the fore. Even when he was living in a shed as a single father with a young son, he knew whe...
In these ‘Moment’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favourite moments from previous episodes of The Diary Of A CEO. In this moment Julian Treasure opens up his vocal toolbox and talks about the importance of paying attention to your voice. While people focus on the content of their speeches and talks, their voice is just as important for every aspect of their life, considering that it is used to inspired, lead, communicate and build relationships. Julian believes that the voice should...
From his recent global TikTok fame to his BAFTA award-winning documentaries Louis Theroux has delighted audiences and grown a cult following with his distinctive brand of personality. Best know for his documentary series ‘Weird Weekends’, and ‘When Louis Met……’ Louis has explored the most controversial subjects with wide eyed curiosity and openness. In this conversation Louis discusses how his childhood and upbringing affected his career, channeling his anxiety and social awkwardness into his wo...
Labrinth is a singer, rapper, producer, and composer behind HBO’s Euphoria. Achieving success at a young age, he gave it all up to go to America and start from the bottom all over again. This is his story. A true independent spirit, after getting frustrated with the corporate demands of Simon Cowell’s record label, he gave up his life in the UK where he had number one albums and an A list life to move to LA, where he was totally unknown. Labrinth: Instagram - http://bit.ly/3AvQyfI Twitter - http...
In these ‘Moment’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favourite moments from previous episodes of The Diary Of A CEO. In this moment, Nicola Mendelsohn CBE talks about the need to bring your whole self to work. Allowing the space and culture within companies for people to be who they are and know what matters to them leads people to becoming higher performers. She discusses the importance of understanding your core skills and strengths and having an informal ‘board of advisers’ to help ...
Peter Crouch is a legend both on and off the football pitch. Capped 42 times for England, he is one of the few players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals. Since retirement he has further cemented his role as a cheeky national treasure with his role as a football pundit and host of That Peter Crouch Podcast. But few up to now have seen the man behind the persona. It was childhood bullying and taunts about his height that helped to shape the down to earth man that audiences love today...
Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder of Bumble and the first self-made female billionaire on the planet. In this episode, she reveals after leaving Tinder in explosive circumstances, the injustices she faced drove her on to build a better kind of dating app. A firm believer that the way to connect with people is by being authentic and being vulnerable, Whitney reveals she routinely shares with her staff her struggles with anxiety and when she’s not feeling on top of things. The only path to human c...
In these ‘Moment’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favourite moments from previous episodes of The Diary Of A CEO. In this moment, Jay Shetty gives his 4 key pillars for long lasting relationships. Jay found these pillars after he says that one of the biggest mistake he has made, and humanity still makes, is chasing what he calls “divinity in humanity”. But the search for a non-existent perfect person with all the answers can lead to insecurity and anxiety. Instead, Jay talks about h...
Raphael Rowe is the host of Worlds Toughest Prisons on Netflix, the worldwide-hit show that takes us inside the toughest penitentiaries on the planet. It’s a world he knows well, wrongfully convicted of murder, he spent twelve years in maximum security prisons before he proved his innocence and was released. In a conversation that goes into more depth about how he survived twelve years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit than he ever has before, Raphael bares all about the son he’s never spok...
Gabor Mate is a multi-bestselling author and a world leading expert on trauma and how it effects us throughout our whole lives. A holocaust survivor and a first generation immigrant, Gabor’s knowledge and wisdom on the scars trauma leaves behind is deep and drawn from personal experience. In a conversation that unlocks the answers to people’s most burning questions about trauma, mental health, ADHD, and the hidden hardwire of our brain, Gabor brings us one step closer to really knowing ourselves...
In these ‘Moment’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favourite moments from previous episodes of The Diary Of A CEO. In this moment, Tim Glover talks about the tiny differences that make the difference between winning and losing. There’s one thing that seperates the very best from the rest, and it is sweating every single tiny detail. Tim Glover is the man who was in charge of performance for both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He sums up Kobe Bryant’s attitude to winning the NBA with...
Dame Dash is the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella records and the producer who discovered Jay-Z and Kanye West. A legend of hip hop and rap who changed not only the dominant sound within the genre, he totally upended the way it operated as a business. In this conversation, he tells his story. Always knowing that he could never work for anyone else, nor could he sell out his business to ‘corporates’, his has been the life of a true ‘independent’, going from one start up venture to the next with only one...
