A Note from James: Man, what a fascinating career Robert Rosenkranz has had—multi-billionaire, involved in virtually every part of finance and American industry. He wrote a book called The Stoic Capitalist , and what really stands out is how he's actively applied stoic principles to achieve immense success throughout his career. Even from a young age, stoicism played a crucial role, guiding him through critical business decisions. It's a real pleasure speaking with Robert—an American icon. Episo...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 1335
Notes from James: When I turned 40, I was depressed. I checked the top 50 chess players and saw only one person around my age: Viswanathan Anand. That moment gave me hope. Episode Description: I met one of my lifelong heroes—five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand—and got to sit down with him at the Norway Summit to unpack what it really takes to stay at the top… for four decades. We didn’t just talk about chess—we talked about life, legacy, improvement, and how to overcome self-doubt a...
Jun 22, 2025•32 min•Ep. 1334
A Note from James: So I’ve been doing this podcast for a long time—over 1500 episodes—and I’ve spoken to everyone from billionaires to best-selling authors, athletes to entrepreneurs. But there are a handful of episodes that still ring in my ears years later. One of them was Episode 156 with Gary Vaynerchuk. I was just re-listening to it while pulling together notes for a potential book, and I realized this conversation is timeless. It’s not about hype. It’s about freedom. Gary’s blueprint—learn...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1333
A Note from James: So the question is, I really feel that in order to get not good at something, but great at something, you have to be obsessed. You can't just wake up and decide to be obsessed—it has to be deep, almost irrational. Obsession is like addiction. It throws your life off balance, and yet... there’s this insane joy when you enter the subculture of your obsession and get better at it. I’ve seen this recently in crypto. I saw it in chess in Norway, commenting on what might’ve been the...
Jun 15, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1332
A Note from James: Michael Dell. Founder of Dell. I remember in college, hearing about this kid who was building computers in his dorm and making millions. I thought it was a myth. It wasn’t. He’s the real thing—and he just kept going. I wanted to understand what drove him, what it felt like to deal with Carl Icahn trying to wrestle his company from him, and what success feels like after decades of being in the game. Also: I had to ask why Dell didn’t invent Google. That, plus how he’s now think...
Jun 12, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1331
Notes from James: Most people get stuck at the idea stage. That’s why I’m sharing frameworks—so you’re not staring at a blank screen. These techniques have helped hundreds of people (including me) go from idea to published book in just 30 days. Episode Descriptions: In Part 5 of my 30-day writing series, I unveil four of the most powerful book-writing frameworks I’ve ever used or taught—and they’ve helped hundreds of people write their first book in just a month. These aren’t theoretical. They’r...
Jun 05, 2025•35 min•Ep. 1330
Episode Description: James reconnects with entrepreneurs Michael and Kass Lazerow, whose journey spans selling Golf.com for $24 million, launching and pivoting Buddy Media into a $700 million Salesforce acquisition, and now investing in breakout brands like Liquid Death. This episode isn’t about startup clichés—it’s about emotional resilience, firing with kindness, how marriage can (barely) survive co-founding, and how to spot a trend before the world does. They break down their “Go Gauge,” the ...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1329
Notes from James: Let’s be honest: most people who write a book never make money from it. Why? Because they stop at the last page. I want you to go further. In this episode, I show you how I turned my books into speaking gigs, consulting work, investment deals, and more. You don’t need a big publisher or a massive budget—just the right strategy. Episode Descriptions: In Part 4 of my 30-day writing series, I tackle one of the biggest questions aspiring authors face: Should you self-publish or go ...
May 30, 2025•40 min•Ep. 1328
A Note from James: Well, you can't get more information about tariffs and the economy than what I just got and you're about to listen to. Wilbur Ross, who was Secretary of Commerce under the first administration of Trump, just came on the podcast. I got to ask any question I wanted—about tariffs, the economy, everything. Don't forget, in Trump’s first administration, we saw steel and aluminum tariffs, and there were all the same concerns—about the economy, inflation, political blowback. Wilbur R...
May 28, 2025•47 min•Ep. 1327
A Note from James: So I’ve been podcasting for, gosh, 11 years—over 1500 episodes. And through that whole journey, PodcastOne always stood out to me. They recently went public, and today I’ve got Rob Ellin and Kit Gray joining me. What’s the future of podcasting? If you're thinking about starting a podcast—or wondering how to grow one you already have—this episode's for you. These guys helped shape the entire industry, and they're sharing what works now, what doesn't, and how creators and networ...
May 24, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1326
Notes from James: This is where a lot of people quit—but you won’t. This episode is about pushing through the dip that comes when writing gets tough. I give you tools I’ve used across 25+ books to keep going, stay motivated, and write better. Episode Descriptions: This is Part 3 of my 30-day writing series—and we’re getting into the real tools that will make your writing not just better, but publishable. If you’ve ever stared at a blank page and felt overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of where to go ...
May 22, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1325
Notes from James: The biggest lie about writing is that it takes years. I’ve written multiple books in less than a month—including bestsellers. With the right system, anyone can do this. In this episode, I break down how to structure your first book and why your life experience, not your grammar, is your superpower. You’ll also hear my take on AI writing, and why your personal story is something no algorithm can ever replicate. Episode Highlights: Yes, you really can write and publish a great bo...
May 18, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1324
Notes from James: I’ve written 25 books—some huge hits, some total flops—and what I’ve learned is this: anyone can write a book, but not everyone gives themselves permission to start. This episode is the foundation. I break down the mindset, motivation, and structure you need to go from blank page to published book—even if you’ve never written a word before. So you want to write a book. Where do you even start? In this kickoff to my new series on writing and publishing a book in just 30 days, I ...
May 16, 2025•39 min•Ep. 1323
A Note from James: Sunny Ray is working on an incredible project involving Bitcoin and his company, Matador. They’re digitizing gold—turning it into crypto—and he’s a Bitcoin maximalist. That’s different from my stance: I think there are many crypto tokens that are useful for specific purposes. But Sonny’s view is clear—Bitcoin is the foundation. We talk about what digital gold really means, why tokenization is so important, and how the biggest institutions in the world—like BlackRock—are embrac...
May 09, 2025•58 min•Ep. 1322
A Note from James: So Dr. Oz—television personality turned government official—this is such an interesting thing. He's going to be the new administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS. He’s going to be in charge of all Medicare and Medicaid. What does he know or think about these parts of our government? Medicare and Medicaid, combined with Social Security, make up the biggest part of government spending. So it'd be interesting to know what he thinks. On his show, he’d tal...
May 07, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1321
A Note from James: Marty Makary is the new head of the FDA, but he is also an old friend of the podcast. He's been on several times, and it's really important to know how this is going to be a new and different FDA, and it's going to be molded by Marty's very specific opinions about healthcare and the medical industry—and here they are. Episode Description: In this episode, James reconnects with Dr. Marty Makary, now heading the FDA, to discuss what’s broken in the American healthcare system—and...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 1320
A Note from James: The Data Republican —it almost sounds like a superhero name. And in a way, she is. She’s been single-handedly uncovering massive amounts of government waste and inefficiency. It’s honestly unbelievable. And regardless of whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or anything else, I think we can all agree: there shouldn’t be waste or fraud in the government. You’ve heard the old stories—like the military buying a pencil for $6 million. Those weren’t urban legends. The...
Apr 30, 2025•39 min•Ep. 1319
A Note from James: So I gave a little talk at the Full Stack Business Builder Conference. Basically, a conference for entrepreneurs, VCs, technologists, aspiring entrepreneurs. It was more of a Q&A, where the moderator, Peter Satton, asked me questions, but also took questions from the audience. A big concern for many people was, what if I have no qualifications at what I'm interested in doing? And I have to admit, I've probably never been qualified for anything I've ever done. I described h...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1318
A Note from James: Oh my gosh. This guy was thrown in jail for 65 years—and he deserved it. You'll hear about his crimes and misdemeanors. He started as a superstar quarterback, high school and college hero turned meth addict, and eventually became a hardcore RICO gang criminal. Sentenced to essentially life in prison, Damon's story is genuinely one of the most inspirational I've heard. He's got a bunch of books out—his latest, Six Dimes and a Nickel: Life Lessons to Empower Change , just came o...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 1317
Notes from James: I don’t care if you’ve never written a word before—if you’ve lived, you have a story worth telling. The people who write the most impactful books aren’t the most famous or the best trained. They’re the ones who tell the truth with clarity and heart. In this episode, I show you how to do exactly that. You’ll learn how to structure your life story for emotional and commercial impact, and how to weave in other stories, research, and personal growth without losing the power of your...
Apr 18, 2025•43 min•Ep. 1316
Notes from James: Here’s the truth: if my great-great-great grandfather had written anything —just 10 pages about his daily life—I’d treasure it like gold. And I promise, your great-grandkids will feel the same about your story. You don’t need to be a celebrity to write something that matters. You just need to be honest. Whether you're sharing how you survived grief, learned to say no, built new habits, or rebuilt your life after failure—your story could help someone else. And it could help you ...
Apr 16, 2025•47 min•Ep. 1315
A Note from James: I can't think of anything more boring to talk about than tariffs, but right now, I can't think of anything more interesting either. Tariffs are dominating the news, stock markets are crashing, and everyone is scared. Are tariffs good or bad? Is Trump wrecking the economy or saving it? I'm going to address these questions, looking at what tariffs aim to achieve, their impact on the economy, the stock market, inflation, and even Bitcoin. Let's set aside politics and try to under...
Apr 09, 2025•42 min•Ep. 1314
A Note from James: Jay, remind me, I've gotta send this episode to my kids because I cannot believe what that guy just told us. Chris Hutchins, he has the "All the Hacks" podcast and so many interesting things at his website, allthehacks.com. But I don't like the word life hack. A lot of that stuff is just BS. But this was legit—from buying gold bars at Costco to making money off gift cards. He has so many weird, interesting financial and life hacks that can genuinely help you make a living and ...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 1313
A Note from James: Sahil Bloom is one of probably the wisest people I've had on the podcast. Young guy just wrote the book, The Five Types of Wealth , and he's talking about time wealth, social wealth, mental wealth, physical wealth, and of course, financial wealth. He’s developed content and techniques he's shared in his newsletter and on Twitter, offering concise, easy-to-understand ways for increasing your wealth in each of these categories. This episode has immense value—one I definitely pla...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 1312
A Note from James: Is it possible to travel around the world, live around the world, do remote work anywhere you want, and spend just $75 a day or less? When I was younger, I wish I'd tried this. Back then, you probably could have done it for even less, maybe $30 a day! Today's guest, Matt Kepnes—better known as Nomadic Matt—has spent decades traveling the globe on a budget. Ten years ago, he wrote How to Travel the World on $50 a Day , and he's just updated it with How to Travel the World on $7...
Mar 27, 2025•58 min•Ep. 1311
A Note from James: As you listen to this episode, ask yourself: would you do what my guest Scott Payne did for 28 years? He’s a retired undercover FBI agent who spent nearly three decades infiltrating some of the most dangerous groups in America—white supremacist organizations, outlaw biker gangs, and domestic terror cells. His new book, Code Name: Pale Horse , reveals the harrowing details of his undercover life, including moments where he was seconds away from being exposed and killed. Scott s...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 1310
A Note from James I had such a great conversation with my good friend, Sun Yi on his podcast, called Authentic as F*ck , and I felt like I had to say the full name of the podcast because I wanna be authentic. Authenticity is complex, and being yourself isn't always straightforward. With friends, I'm different than when giving a talk or doing a podcast. But authenticity involves knowing who you are in different contexts and what you value. Sun Yi and I explored this in-depth, discussing why being...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 51 min
Notes from James: I’ve been seeing a ton of misinformation lately about tariffs and inflation, so I had to set the record straight. People assume tariffs drive prices up across the board, but that’s just not how economics works. Inflation happens when money is printed, not when certain goods have price adjustments due to trade policies. I explain why the current tariffs aren’t a repeat of the Great Depression-era Smoot-Hawley Tariff, how Trump is using them more strategically, and what it all me...
Mar 06, 2025•25 min
Notes from James: What if I told you that we could eliminate the IRS, get rid of personal income taxes completely, and still keep the government funded? Sounds impossible, right? Well, not only is it possible, but historical precedent shows it has been done before. I know what you’re thinking—this sounds insane. But bear with me. The IRS collects $2.5 trillion in personal income taxes each year. But what if we could replace that with a national sales tax that adjusts based on what you buy ? Unde...
Feb 26, 2025•27 min
A note from James: I love digging into topics that make us question everything we thought we knew. Fort Knox is one of those legendary places we just assume is full of gold, but has anyone really checked? The fact that Musk even brought this up made me wonder—why does the U.S. still hold onto all that gold when our money isn’t backed by it anymore? And what if the answer is: it’s not there at all? This episode is a deep dive into the myths and realities of money, gold, and how the economy really...
Feb 21, 2025•31 min
