Ramit Sethi is the bestselling author and coach of "I Will Teach You To Be Rich," a book that tells you the biggest money mistakes you make, the exact words you should use in a negotiation, how to spend money in a way that actually makes you happy and light up. And more. We also did a part 2 (coming out soon) where we have such heated debates over when to stop paying your credit card debt, when 401Ks become just evil scams, then we yell at each other about cryptocurrencies, etc. So tune in. Here...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 9 min
We've been lied to. All of our lives, we were told that the most successful people in the world started young. And focussed on just one thing. LIES! David Epstein just wrote about this in his book, "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World." This book is proof that there are shortcuts to mastery. (And I bet you're already doing at least one of the shortcuts). In this episode, you'll hear the formula for mastery, how to start something new at any age and you'll hear case studies of f...
Jul 04, 2019•1 hr 8 min
I'm jealous of Gabriel Weinberg. He wrote the book I WISH I wrote. It's called "Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models." This book has hundreds of mental models, cognitive biases, ect. This is a book I'm going to keep out and re-read pretty regularly. Because it explains why we think the way we think. Here are a few you'll hear about in this episode: how to force yourself into thinking critically, how to stop jumping to conclusions, how to end arguments with people you love, how to improv...
Jul 02, 2019•1 hr 21 min
Brad Thor used to work in the TV industry. Then he got married. And his wife asked him, "If you were on your death bed, what would you regret not doing?" He answered right away. Without thinking. "Write a novel," he said. Now he's written 19. And he's one of my all-time favorite thriller writers. He told me how he carved out time for his dream, what it's like to work on secret projects with the government, how he got his book deals, the beats of a thriller and more. I write about all my podcasts...
Jun 27, 2019•55 min
People are scared to be brave. Not Susie Essman. She puts her guts out there. It's how she became a successful comedian and actor. And this is a serious model of success in any situation. Because you can't half-ass your business, your book, your life, your career. So I asked Susie "How do you get to that level of bravery?" "What should someone listening practice?" And she told me. - You can see Susie on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Comedy Central's "Broad City," ABC's "Bless is Mess." And she h...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr 13 min
This is part 2 with Humble the Poet. In part 1 we talk about how he quit his teaching job. And became an artist. In part 2, Humble tells me how he became an artist who serves a community AND profits. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio...
Jun 20, 2019•50 min
Humble the Poet started out as someone who didn't know what he wanted to do in life. Then he became a teacher. He was good with kids. But there was too much bureaucracy in the job. So he quit. I asked him a bunch of "how" questions. "How did you quit?" "How did you start your side gig?" "How did you know you'd make money? or be successful." A lot of it was about following his intuition. And taking one step at a time. Which anyone can do. At any age. I'm going on a LIVE tour. Get your tickets! Lo...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 10 min
Scot Cohen has made millions from networking. But he used to have a hard time figuring out who was toxic and who was actually a good connection. So I asked him how what flipped the switch? He told me how he went from miserable job to millions off networking. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever ...
Jun 13, 2019•1 hr 24 min
I believe in bitcoin. But not everyone understands it. It's confusing. So Ben Mezrich wrote about it. But not in the boring way you've seen over and over again. Ben Mezrich is a thriller writer. So he found the drama. And shows you bitcoin's dark history and its bright future. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate a...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 12 min
Jeff Garlin is an actor, known for playing Jeff Green (Larry David's sidekick) on Curb Your Enthusiasm (my favorite show!). He's also on The Goldberg and he's been doing stand up comedy for 37 years. But he didn't start out knowing he'd be successful. He just gave himself no other choice. "Because I had nothing to fall back on," he said. "My dad always used to say, 'Have something to fall back on.' If I had something to fall back on and I liked it, I might've fallen back on it." I write about al...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Mike Reiss had a horrible boss. He'd call him up just to say, "XYZ sucks." He'd hold group meetings just to put his insults on display. "He was impossible," Mike said. But he dealt with it. Which seems like something a lot of people don't know how to handle. Mike gave me his tips and then also told me what life is like now. He's a co-founding writer of "The Simpsons." And he still flies to LA once a week to work on the show. "I can make jokes. I can't really do much else," he said. "And thank Go...
Jun 04, 2019•56 min
He's back! Roger McNamee is a Silicon Valley veteran who's mentored everyone from Steve Jobs to Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg. And more. But he's not here to talk about their success. He's here to talk about the ways their success is crippling our freedom. And how to change that. Before it's too late (also, I should say, I'm never a fan of "doom and gloom" marketing. This is not that. This is education. And knowledge. Which equals power.) This episode is the start of a privacy revolution. And yo...
May 30, 2019•47 min
Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, meditation advocate, he's the host of the "Making Sense" podcast and the New York Times bestselling author of "The End of Faith" "Waking Up," "The Moral Landscape" and more. This episode is long. But you can listen to it in piece if thats easier. Here are some of the subjects we talk about: irrational vs. rational thinking, expectations, anxiety, "the effort of an examined life," how cults think, how to win an argument, why no one likes to talk about ...
May 28, 2019•2 hr 7 min
Rich Karlgaard has done everything from dishwashing to running Forbes magazine. He was a late bloomer. And he wanted to hunt down other late bloomers. He gives a bunch of examples in this podcast. And wrote a book about this phenomenon titled, "Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement." I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please ...
May 23, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Bishop T.D Jakes has served millions of people all over the world. He listens to their stories. And has learned this: "Pain always leaves a gift behind." And he wants to teach you how to find that gift. "Sometimes things happen to us that we did not choose," he said. This episode and T.D.'s new book, "Crushing" will help you deal with that truth. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like...
May 21, 2019•45 min
Caroline Hirsch is the owner and founder of the iconic Caroline's comedy club in Time Square New York. She's worked with Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Tracy Morgan, Amy Schumer, and all the greats. She told me about the pattern that great performers go through. But we also talked about a new project: "Ask For Jane." It's a film about the activists who worked secretly to help women get safe abortions at a time when abortion was totally illegal. She said that even talking about abortion could be consi...
May 16, 2019•54 min
Pete Holmes wants to rearrange the molecular structure of your brain. NOT through science. He wants to do it through comedy. And masturbation jokes. "When my wife left me," he said, "I realized that comedy is noble. People are hurting and it's a good thing to do. I know I'm being a little bit high-hoped about stand-up, but good comedy can alchemize pain into pleasure. And I'm getting emotional, but that's f***ing beautiful." Don't let these quotes fool you, though. This episode is as hilarious a...
May 14, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Mark Manson is the best selling author of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck." And now, his new book is, "Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope." Mark started this book when he got depressed.He wanted to find out what hope is and how we can get more of it. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review whereve...
May 09, 2019•45 min
Eric Schmidt is the former CEO of Google. Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page hired him to gear Google up for the IPO. But something happened. They told him, "You need a coach." Eric disagreed. He thought "I'm so great! You just hired me." Arrogance kicked in. And he forgot about all the potential he had. We all do this. For different reasons: we're busy, we're tired, we think we know it all, ect. But there's no good reason to stop growing. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post ...
May 07, 2019•55 min
I get this question a lot: "Did you start coming up with ideas because you were already successful?" I'll tell you WHY they ask this. Because people think "I need to pay my bills and THEN I'll change my life." That's backwards. I was dead broke and dead lonely when I started writing 10 ideas a day. It changed my life. Even the bad ones. So I still do it. Every single day. In this episode, I sit with Steve Cohen and go over yesterday's idea list ("10 Reality TV Show Ideas"). You'll see why ideas ...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Mark Malkoff is a comedian who challenges himself to the impossible. And I don't mean medical miracles or anything like that. Everything he does is purely ridiculous. "I get super focussed when someone says I can't pull something off," he said. This episode will teach how to become persistent. And it will teach you that it's ok to not takes yourself so seriously all the time. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so m...
Apr 30, 2019•2 hr 1 min
When I wrote "How to Deal with Crappy People" it became the most popular post on my blog. Everyone is dealing with crappy people. Since that post came out, the most common question I am asked is "What if the crappy person is your boss?" "Or someone you work with?" "Or someone you live with?" In other words, what if the person who is actively trying to harm you, who probably hates you to the core of your being, is someone you or forced to deal with every day? Steve and I talk about the different ...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Chelsea Handler is a comedian and the author of "Life Will Be The Death Of Me." I interviewed her live at Stand Up New York (you can find out about upcoming live shows here). We talked a lot about trauma, comedy, death... and healing. Chelsea was only 9 years old when her oldest brother died. She felt abandoned. She thought "He went and got himself killed. He wasn't even careful!" No one taught her how to grieve. So it followed her. Until finally, something else triggered her. Now Chelsea is usi...
Apr 23, 2019•51 min
Dave Barry is a comedian and the author of "Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog." The book is really funny. I rarely laugh out loud while reading. I have Dave tell me about the inspiration for the book and some of the ways his life has changed (for the better) at age 70, including how to have more humor, more joy and feel an overall sense of satisfaction and goodness. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast....
Apr 18, 2019•58 min
Hal Elrod almost died twice. Actually, he did die. "I was clinically dead for 6 minutes," he said. He was hit by a car. And the doctors said he'd never walk again. Hal dealt with the news with a totally different mindset than most people. "I gave myself five minutes to upset about it," he said. "I accepted the worst case scenario. It has no power over me." Hal is a master at this. Over and over again, he decides what has power over him and what doesn't. In this interview, you'll hear how Hal cre...
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Sometimes our dreams hold us back from thinking about new possibilities. This is a 10-15 minute episode about why I don't believe in following your dreams. And why it's better to age with your interests. (Examples included!) I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podca...
Apr 11, 2019•13 min
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and the author "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." I asked her why therapists never tell you how to improve your life. Why won't they just give me the answers? And she said it's because people like to live where it's safe. Therapists know this. They know you won't take their advice. And that you have to figure out for yourself. In this episode, Lori says how talking to someone can help you see the changes you really need. Rather than living in the same decision...
Apr 09, 2019•44 min
Tim Ryan is running for president. He just announced it. I interviewed him five years ago. It was my 32nd podcast interview. I'm re-releasing it. Because it's evergreen. Tim talks about how he got into meditation, the science behind it, how it can help improve your personal health and how it can also impact the health of our country. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. I read all the reviews for my podcast. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I lear...
Apr 06, 2019•50 min
When I was broke, I thought my life was over. Then I made 4 changes. I talk about those 4 changes with Steve in this episode. But we also talk about investing, how to spot a scam (like Madoff), becoming an idea machine and more. Also, let us know what you think! I'm @jaltucher on Twitter. And if you've listened to the other episodes then you might have my phone number so you can text me, too. Thanks. - James I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at james...
Apr 04, 2019•21 min
This episode is from 2017. It's a beautiful conversation with lessons I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Rest in peace, Mike. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify Follow me on Social Media: YouTube Twitter Facebook Linkedin I...
Apr 02, 2019•1 hr 24 min