I've interviewed 500 of the smartest people in the world. Many of them have discovered major problems in society. And when there are problems that also means there are opportunities for businesses. So Steve and I break down five problems, how they could(potentially) be solved if you tried. 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 Sho...
Mar 28, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Tero Isokauppila is the CEO and founder of Four Sigmatic, a company specialized in helping people reach optimal human performance through superfoods, functional mushrooms and adaptogenic herbs. It's an odd business. And that's why it works. Because Tero doubled down on everything he loves. This episode walks you through the health and business of mushrooms. And teaches you how someone combines interest and skill to successfully build a business. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full ...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 18 min
Steve and I were going to do this podcast on "The 10 Commandments of the American Religion." Which is an article I wrote (and got tons of hate mail about) back in 2016. But we only got through #1 and #2. Which happen to be about 2 worst financial risks you could take. Listen to find out what they are, how to avoid them, and why. Plus I'll show you all the money you COULD save if you avoid these two mistakes. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at james...
Mar 21, 2019•49 min
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is on the US Supreme Court. I went to Washington for this interview. And asked her what makes someone persuasive and convincing? Is it voice? Is it confidence? And what makes a winning case? And how does someone become the type of person who gets recognized as true and good? I could tell why people look at Justice Sotomayor and say, "Ah, yes, I believe in you." She told me about her beginning. And the dead-ends she hit before making it to the top. She also told me about h...
Mar 19, 2019•42 min
I get a lot of questions on Twitter and Instagram. So this is an episode to scroll through and give out answers. Send me questions for the next episode @jaltucher. 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: ...
Mar 14, 2019•37 min
Steven Pressfield was a cab driver for years before becoming a best-seller author. He's taught me about following your gut and not letting time get in the way of who you're supposed to become. Listen to Steven talk about the hero's journey and how you can become the hero of your life (even if you feel like it's too late, it's not.) 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, ...
Mar 12, 2019•1 hr 31 min
We did this whole podcast off of my idea list for the day. I was in a Facebook group. And someone asked "What does entrepreneurship mean to you?" People had these corny answers like "value, freedom..." But when I started my first company in the 90's, I cried everyday for 15 years. It's stressful. Your business follows you everywhere. And eventually your employees are going to start having sex with each other. And a million things can take your dream down. That's not to say entrepreneurship is al...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Gretchen Rubin is the bestselling author of "The Happiness Project" and "Better Than Before." She just wrote a new book "Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness." Gretchen will make you think about what happiness means to you, why it's individual and how to take steps that really make a difference in your life. And she'll give you new ideas. Which is always a good way to declutter old ways and make room for new. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr 26 min
Eddie Ibanez is the biggest cyber security hacker I know. He used to be contracted by the US government to find patters that could help identify various threats (terrorist threats, security threats, etc.) He tried to tell me what he could without going past the line. (He holds a lot of secrets). He'll tell you how you're being hacked, how to protect yourself, what threats are out there for individuals and countries, and more. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what ...
Feb 28, 2019•52 min
Brad Meltzer gets to call up the CIA and the secret service whenever he needs a new story. He's written 11 best selling novels. They're all history thriller novels. And now he's written his first non-fiction book about the plot to kill George Washington. Which leads to the invention of the CIA, spies, and other conspiracies. Brad's fascination with history also leads to self-history. He did a TED talk on "How To Write Your Own Obituary." Which made me think, what history will I leave behind? I w...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 2 min
John Maxwell changed my life in 2001. I read his book "Failing Forward" and then read all his books ever since. He's the #1 go-to guy for leadership and personal growth. And he's sold over 30 million copies of his books worldwide. His newest book is "Leader Shift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace." I asked him how he found his passion so early in life, what leaders need to do differently, how to find a mentor, make friends in your industry and more. I write about all my podcast...
Feb 21, 2019•57 min
Todd Herman coaches CEOs, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs (etc.) on how to reach their peak performance using 1 key trick... an alter ego. He says, "We're all super multi-layered people." But we block ourselves. We constantly use old narratives that we've outgrown or hold us back. And we force ourselves to be somebody we don't want to be anymore. But if you use an alter ego, you can get out of your head. And perform the way you want to (at work, in negotiations, on the field, while networking, i...
Feb 19, 2019•58 min
Roger McNamee was Steve Jobs' mentor. And Bill Gates. And Mark Zuckerberg. Why is Roger so valuable to these people? What does he know that we don't? What did he have to offer the world's future billionaire visionaries? I also wanted to hear stories. What is Steve Jobs like? And Mark Zuckerberg? "When I met Mark he was different from everybody. But in a kind of cool, interesting way. I mean a little creepy too. But you have to keep in mind, tech entrepreneurs aren't like you and me." They're obs...
Feb 14, 2019•50 min
Stephen Merchant is 2x GoldenGlobe-winning actor, writer and director. I'm a fan of everything he's worked on (The Office, Office Space, Extras, Hello Ladies, etc.). And now he has a brand new movie coming out that I highly recommend called "Fighting With Family." The Rock is in it. Stephen wrote and directed it. It's based off of a real-life family who raised their kids to be professional wrestlers. And it tackles all of these real-life human experiences like the fear of not making it, the pres...
Feb 12, 2019•1 hr 13 min
People don't talk about this enough... the life hacks that answer the bigger questions: "How can I make time for things I really love and enjoy?" "How do I get the most out of a day, a week, a year, ten years?" There are a lot of life hacks out there. But I wanted to do something different. I wanted to talk about the little tweaks I do personally to optimize my life and make it a little better bit by bit. Just 1% improvement a day compounds. And adds up to 3780% a year. So here are 6 more things...
Feb 07, 2019•48 min
"You're the most disappointing guest ever," I said. "You've done everything you've ever wanted to do, you rose to the top..." Will Shortz is the crossword puzzle editor for "The New York Times." And he took probably the strangest path I've ever heard to get there... he figured out how to be in control of his career, do what he loves and make it all up as he goes along. This episode is going to give you tips to keep your brain young, smart and it'll also give you ideas about out the box careers. ...
Feb 05, 2019•1 hr 2 min
The first time Gary Gulman came on my podcast, he was totally depressed. He had difficulty speaking. He was hunched over. I almost felt bad for inviting him. But he was really candid. And I wanted to be his friend. He's likable and his comedy always makes me laugh. This is his third time on the show. And he's not suffering from depression anymore. He told me about the medical changes he's made, the support of his loved one, and (best of all) finding his way back to feeling normal. "I wasn't myse...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 35 min
One time I was on a plane with an CIA officer. He told me a lot of stories. One thing he said stood out. It was a life hack that I adopted right away. And I've been doing it for years ever since. I try to collect one takeaway from every person I interview. But sometimes I get takeaways from my friends and even myself. And now they're all recorded in this podcast. Oh and one more thing. You can let me know your favorite by tweeting @jaltucher. Thanks. - James I write about all my podcasts! Check ...
Jan 29, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Garry Kasparov is the best chess player in history. He was ranked #1 in the world for 20 years. And in 2007, he ran for president of Russia. Now he lives in exile. Going back to Russia is not an option for him. When I asked him, "Would you be in trouble?" he said, "Trouble is an understatement." He'd be arrested or worse because of his outspokenness and belief in democracy. He believes in America. And he's noticed a lot of young people don't seem to believe in America or its ideals. They don't r...
Jan 24, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Evan Carmichael has a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers. He didn't have a master plan. He built it up from scratch. And just followed a few simple rules (which you'll hear in this podcast). My favorite rule out of all of them is this: "Follow your momentum." Evan didn't know he'd be a huge success on YouTube. He just tried it and felt the momentum and followed it forward. Now he has 16 employees and gets letters from people who say "You believe in me more than anybody else in my li...
Jan 17, 2019•1 hr 39 min
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and the author of an upcoming book called "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." She also writes a column in The Atlantic called "Dear Therapist." This episode is sort of a behind-the-scenes. Because Lori tells me what therapists really think about their patients, how they might deal with situation X vs. situation Y. And she also talked to me about things she's noticed about people in general. Like how we don't set high enough standards for ourselves. And what we ...
Jan 15, 2019•58 min
Gilbert Gottfried started doing stand-up comedy when he was 15 years old. He dropped out of high school and within 10 years he was on Saturday Night Live. And he built his career up from there. But he's also been the center of a lot of controversies. People get upset at comedians for "going too far." But Gilbert does it for a reason... He said, "I remember, I did this show that was a tribute to Joan Rivers. It was right after there was that shooting at a gay nightclub. I started doing jokes abou...
Jan 10, 2019•1 hr 14 min
I got nervous because David Rubenstein is the co-founder and co-chariman of The Carlyle Group, which is the biggest private equity firm maybe in the world. They own hundreds of companies and have $200 billion in assets. He's also the chairman of a lot of other things: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Smithsonian and he also has his on show, "The David Rubenstein show," where he's interviewed so many brilliant people. His success could be intimating. But he doesn't want it ...
Jan 08, 2019•56 min
Bryon Allen has 3 rules in business: "Don't let anyone come between you and the customer. Don't run out of money. And don't break rules #2 and #3." But he didn't know these rules when he got started. He says people weren't betting on the young black boy born in Detroit... in the 60's... to a 17-year-old teenage mother. But he defied the odds. And found his passion early on (age 12). This episode walks you through Byron's success from comedian to writer to TV producer and distributor... all the w...
Jan 03, 2019•1 hr 51 min
John Paul DeJoria is a self-made billionaire and philanthropist who co-founded the Paul Mitchell hair line. 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 Instagram ------------...
Jan 01, 2019•1 hr 12 min
George Gilder is a 79 year old super futurist. He's the author of #2 book in China, "Life after Google The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy." I had him on the podcast because he's somehow been able to predict the future for decades. Steve Jobs read his book in 1990 and passed it around to friends. "So I believe I had some vague influence on the evolution of iPhone," George said. Now he's investigating the future of blockchain, bitcoin and more. And in this episode, I ask h...
Dec 27, 2018•1 hr 33 min
David Goggins went from being 300 lbs to becoming a Navy SEAL. He also ran a 100-mile race AND he set the world pull-up record at 4,030 pull-ups in 24 hours. I told him I don't want to do any of that. But... I do want to learn the mindset he developed to achieve all of this and get out of his comfort zone. 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 J...
Dec 25, 2018•1 hr 55 min
This is part 2 of my interview with Amy Morin where we talk about 10 mental health strategies that will make you stronger. In part 1 of the interview, we talked about her article "5 Ways to Simplify Your Life to Make Room for Things that Matter Most." Both parts have really great tips. Part 1 focusses on what not to do. And part 2 takes it into the positive because it shows you actionable steps you can start implementing today to be more mentally strong. I write about all my podcasts! Check out ...
Dec 20, 2018•55 min
Amy Morin in a mental strength trainer. She started out a therapist. And then her husband passed away. And her mom. She was grieving. And tortured by the pain. Then she realized she had the power to strengthen her own mind. She wrote about this in her internationally bestselling book, "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do." Now, she's back on the podcast to talk about an article she just wrote called, "5 Ways to Simplify Your Life So You Can Make Room for Things That Matter Most." I write a...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 10 min
TJ Miller is a comedian and actor. You've seen him in Silicon Valley, Deadpool, Ready Player One, and more. I kept asking him about his success. And how he got there. He told me to stop trying "manufacture" it. I laughed. He kept cracking jokes. He'll make you laugh. And think. Because he studies a lot of philosophy. That's where a lot of his comedy comes from. Absurdism + philosophy + storytelling. This episode will probably make you laugh and question at the same time. One other thing... Even ...
Dec 13, 2018•1 hr 5 min
