I went on Jamie Kilstein's podcast. And the conversation got intense. So I asked to publish it on my podcast, too. Here it is. I wanted to repost it because he told me what he does to make an impact in life. And how this has changed for him over time. I could relate. I used to waste energy on things that don't matter. Or stop me from progressing in a way that actually makes me feel better than I did yesterday. So we talk about that. But also, comedy, some books we like, Twitter Wars, why I'm bad...
Dec 11, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Phillip Stutts has been at the forefront of defining digital campaigning in politics. He has gotten presidents elected. He's gotten senators elected. He's gotten all sorts of political offices elected. I wanted to hear the strategy behind those wins. And how it can be applied to business. But I also wanted to ask Phillip about his rare, incurable disease. Because he set a goal to find the cure in 5 years. Even though he has absolutely zero experience in medical research or any of that, he felt i...
Dec 06, 2018•1 hr 23 min
First, Tom Bilyeu created one of the fastest growing companies. Sold it. And made millions. Now he's running a super successful media company. Here's a list of what we talked about: - WHY I'M TERRIBLE AT NETWORKING (AND WHAT MAKES TOM GREAT AT IT) - HOW TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT ONLINE - USEFUL TECHNIQUES FOR STORYTELLING - FINDING YOUR PERSONAL NARRATIVE / CHANGING IT AND IMPROVING YOUR SELF-TALK And more. In part one, we talk about: - THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR - HOW ...
Dec 04, 2018•49 min
Tom Bilyeu grew his company 57,000% in just two years. His company was the second fastest growing company that year. Then he sold it. And overnight, became massively wealthy. Now he runs a media company called Impact Theory. And has a podcast with the same name. This episode will teach you about massive growth in business and everyday life. Also Mentioned "The E Myth" by Michael E. Gerber's "Principles" by Ray Dalio My interview with Ray Dalio "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss "Mindset" by Ca...
Nov 29, 2018•48 min
Danica Patrick is a top-level, professional racing driver, entrepreneur and one of the most well recognized female athletes in history. She started racing when she was 10 years old. And knew she'd make a career out of it. I wanted to know what drove her. And how she uses that same drive to fuel her clothing line, wine business, speaking gigs and more today. 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! ...
Nov 27, 2018•1 hr
Kai-Fu Lee is an artificial intelligence expert, venture capitalist and he's probably the reason we have "Siri" and "Alexa." He ran all of Apple's speech recognition back in the 90's. Then went on to work with Google and Microsoft. He's neck deep in innovation. So I had him on to show me the future. And to tell me who the winners will be. 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 ep...
Nov 22, 2018•55 min
Wyclef Jean is one of my favorite artists/rappers/creators. He came from the worst ghettos in Brooklyn. And before that, he came from Haiti. I wanted to know how he took the leap... because so many people are afraid to try. He would imagine himself singing in front of audiences when he was just singing behind the counter at Burger King. And eventually, that vision was reality. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so ...
Nov 20, 2018•1 hr 17 min
AJ Jacobs traveled all around the world to say "thanks" to all the people involved in making his morning cup of coffee. Then he wrote about it in his new book "Thanks a Thousand." He thanked everyone from the farmers to the truckers and so on. Then I did my own gratitude experiment (during this podcast). I called the professor who signed the letter that got me thrown out of graduate school. And I said "thanks..." I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at ...
Nov 15, 2018•1 hr 32 min
Dan Schawbel has the ultimate life plan. He started as the youngest columnist at BusinessWeek, then he created his own personal branding blog, then he became an online contributor for Forbes, then Forbes Magazine (print edition)... He takes each thing he does and leverages it to get to the next level. Eventually, he'll be a coach for c-suite executives. But for now (in this interview) I had him break down his life plan, tell me how to leverage each micro step further and further so you can get t...
Nov 13, 2018•1 hr 13 min
James Frey is a controversial writer. On purpose. He wanted to be "the most notorious writer in the world." He ran off to Paris to be a writer when he was 21. He published a bestseller 12 years later ("A Million Little Pieces"). That's 12 years of failure. He told me about those 12 years, his writing style, how he developed a voice, rehab, addiction, depression... but mostly about learning how to become yourself again. Links and Resources: Read James' books: "A Million Little Pieces" "Katerina" ...
Nov 08, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Charlemagne got kicked out of two high schools. He was a class clown and his teachers said he was "disruptive." Now he gets paid to be disruptive and a class clown... on radio. "I took those so called flaws and made them my strength." And now he's the number one radio personality out there. He told me how he got there. And the anxiety he suffered from getting there. He just came out with a book about mental health called, "Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me." I write about all my podcasts! ...
Nov 06, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Howard Marks is #374 on the Forbes richest list. He co-founded Oaktree Capital Management and is worth $1.9 billion. I asked, "Do you hate being introduced as a billionaire?" He said, "I do. I don't think that how much money I have sums me up and I don't think it's the greatest thing about me." And he's right. He can't teach you how to be a billionaire. He can only teach you what he knows: investing strategies, market cycles, philosophy, psychology, and how he used all of this to create freedom ...
Nov 01, 2018•1 hr 2 min
John C. McGinley has been in 80+ movies, he's been in six Oliver Stone movies and all nine seasons of "Scrubs." And now, he's celebrating the 3rd season of "Stan Against Evil," where he's acting AND writing. We talked about acting, improving, auditioning. We talked about the pressure and who should not get into acting... But then about 45 minutes in, I asked him about his experience parenting a child with down syndrome. Four days into his son's life, John had to make life or death decisions abou...
Oct 30, 2018•1 hr 31 min
I talk to Noam Dworman, owner of the Comedy Cellar about censorship, starting and running a small family-owned business, freedom of information vs. freedom of speech (which is more important?) and... Louis C.K.'s return to the stage. Some background: a few weeks ago, Louis C.K. showed up at the Comedy Cellar. Noam wasn't there. He got a text. "Louis's here." He saw it the next morning. Now everyone is asking Noam, "Where do you draw the line?" He's gotten death threats. I told Noam "When we were...
Oct 25, 2018•55 min
Robert Greene is one of my all-time favorite authors and brilliant thinkers. He just came out with a new book, "The Laws of Human Nature." And I can already tell you this going to be one of my top recommended reads for the next 10, 20, 30 years. It's the type of book that makes me feel like my IQ is actually going up while reading it. It explains all of this hidden science behind human behavior. It explains why we see so much irrational behavior around us and in ourselves. Then he tells you ways...
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr 22 min
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are both Navy SEALS. They just came out with a new book "The Dichotomy of Leadership" where they break down all the mistakes leaders do, all the ways they get lost in ego, all the ways they forget to gain trust from their teams and lose. They do they so you can win. People fail at leadership everyday. I fail at leadership everyday. I needed this book because it showed me some of my nature. And how I can counteract it. So I can achieve more. And my team can too. I wri...
Oct 18, 2018•1 hr 30 min
Chip Conley is the Head of Hospitality for Airbnb. He started working there at age 52. And quickly realized he was double the age of everyone in the room, didn't understand the tech lingo, and was not there for the reasons he thought he was. "So I decided, 'Gosh the only way I'm going to survive here is to be as much of a curious learner as the wise sage," Chip said. And that's what he did. Six and a half years later he's still an advisor to the (now) billionaire founders of Airbnb. This podcast...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 1 min
400 episodes = 400 "yes's" from my heroes. "Yes's" from Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Tyra Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Garry Kasparov, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Tony Hawk, Arianna Huffington and the list goes on (by #392). But first, I had to say "yes." And I'm glad I did. I hope this episode helps you find your next "yes." --- Part 2 features clips from my interviews with Tony Rock, Sherrod Small, Jocko Willink, Maria Konnikova, Steve Cohen, Ken Langone, Amy Morin, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Rob Corddry, Seth ...
Oct 13, 2018•1 hr 39 min
I'm celebrating my 400th podcast episode. With a GIANT episode. I took clips from the last 100 podcasts and talk about what I learned from each one. It was so hard to pick which clips to do. There was over 12,000 hours of audio to pick from. So it was hard. But I got it down to 20-something clips. Thanks for celebrating 400 with me. And keep an eye out for when you start to see me get close to 500. I'll throw a party and invite you. Thanks for listening. - James One other thing. If want to go ba...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 39 min
"If the world ends it's because people in power didn't listen to the warnings of physicists," Neil deGrasse Tyson said. Neil is the world's window into physics. And he just came out with a new book "Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military." He told me how physicists think. And this kind of thinking can be used to make you a better communicator, help you to avoid conflict, make smart decisions, but he also told me odd stories. Like how Columbus used astrophys...
Oct 09, 2018•1 hr
Links and Resources Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living & The Daily Stoic Journal The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts by Ryan Holiday Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday Also ...
Oct 04, 2018•57 min
Links and Resources Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living & The Daily Stoic Journal The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts by Ryan Holiday Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday Also ...
Oct 02, 2018•43 min
My favorite movies wouldn't exist without Michael Ovitz. Think: Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Schindler's List! But he believes "great projects always surface." So I had him tell me about all the projects he worked with. And the talent (Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd and more). He told me how he left the mailroom of one talent agency to start his own. Which THEN became the biggest talent agency in Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Later on, Michael went on to become the #2 guy a...
Sep 29, 2018•55 min
Tucker Max sold 3 million books to people who don't read. He's the first to go from blog to book to screenplay. And now that method of publishing is dead. But Tucker knows so many people want to write a book. And get it out there. So he started Scribe Media. So in this special part 2 of my podcast with Tucker Max, I ask him for his top 3 Rules of Writing. Links and Resources Scribe Media - scribemedia.com Tucker's series of articles "Asshole to CEO" "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" by Tucker Max...
Sep 27, 2018•50 min
I've known Tucker Max for 2 decades now. 20 years ago, he emailed me for advice. I told him to quit his job. And he did. He's the bestselling author of "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell." And I always tell people that if they want to study good writing, go read 10 pages of Tucker's books. "My stuff blew up... All I did was stand up and use my real name and tell my real stories about my real life." So now Tucker wants to help other people get out there and tell their truth. This part 1 of my interv...
Sep 25, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Beth Comstock was the Vice President of General Electric. And before that, she was President of Integrated Media at NBC. Both of those titles are proof that she figured out how to rise up in the most competitive corporate environments. She had to figure out how to spot trends, generate ideas, speak up, and so on. And she recently wrote about it all in her book, "Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change." Links and Resources "Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and th...
Sep 22, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Captain Kirk has always been one of my heroes. So when Steve told me I'd get to interview the intergalactic legend, I immediately teleported back to my 11-year-old self. Star Trek made it possible for people to look up at the stars and wonder what else is out there. So I brought William Shatner on and asked him everything. He told me about the brief period in his career when he lived out of his truck, he told me what he's doing to live so long (he's 87), and then we had a BIG surprise. Michio Ka...
Sep 20, 2018•55 min
This interview is probably the most thought-provoking interview I've ever aired. Essentially, Yuval Harari is the expert on human evolution. I've recommended his book "Sapiens" more than any other book in the past 5 years. And not only me: Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg's say it's their favorite book, too. And now Yuval has a brand new book, "21 Lessons for The 21st Century," which covers so many topics: "the myth of free will," perception, mental health, the rise of robots, algorithms, hackers,...
Sep 18, 2018•58 min
"Right now, there is somebody out there who is trying to hack you. And not just one," Yuval said. "Amazon is trying to hack you, Google is trying to hack you, Coca-Cola is trying to hack you, and the Russians, and the American government, and the Chinese, they are all trying to hack you right now." In this clip, Yuval explains the threat and what he says is "the best defense." If you like this clip, then you'll also like my full interview with Yuval Noah Harari. I write about all my podcasts! Ch...
Sep 18, 2018•8 min
This is a clip from my full interview with Yuval Noah Harari, a brilliant author and expert in human evolution. In this clip, Yuval talks about the 3 major threats to humanity. But he also says it's not all bad. "I mean there are some very positive scenarios ahead of us..." I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Links & Resources: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind b...
Sep 18, 2018•5 min