The Idea of Manufacturing a Crisis

What happens when you’re forced to face your biggest fear? In this solo episode, David Weisburd shares a deeply personal reflection on how moments of crisis can become the crucible that forges strength, resilience, and clarity. Drawing inspiration from Lloyd Blankfein’s reflections on the 2008 financial crisis, David explores why confronting your greatest fears—rather than avoiding them—can transform you into a more powerful, anti-fragile version of yourself. From Joe Rogan’s public reckoning to founders who rebuilt stronger after near-death moments, this episode unpacks the paradox of hardship: how the moments that almost break you often become the foundation for your greatest breakthroughs.

Highlights:

• Why your greatest fear may hold the key to your personal and professional growth
• What Lloyd Blankfein learned from leading Goldman Sachs through the 2008 crisis
• How Joe Rogan turned public backlash into renewed influence and clarity
• Why “manufacturing crisis” might reveal what truly limits you
• How top founders come back stronger from near-death experiences
• The mindset shift that turns fear into fuel for anti-fragility and leadership growth

Host Bio:

David Weisburd is the founder of Weisburd Capital and the host of the How I Invest podcast. Previously, Mr. Weisburd was a Partner and Head of Venture Capital at 10X Capital, where he led notable firm investments into Robinhood, Honeybook, Palantir, and DraftKings. Mr. Weisburd founded Growth Technology Partners, a solo-GP venture firm, which was acquired by 10X Capital.

Prior to his venture capital career, Mr. Weisburd was on the founding teams of two venture-backed technology startups, iSocket (acquired by Rubicon Project (NYSE: RUBI)) and RoomHunt (acquired by RentLingo).

Mr. Weisburd served as a member of the board of directors of 3 publicly-traded companies.

Mr. Weisburd received an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and a master’s in psychology from Harvard University.

Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com.

#VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #AssetManagement

Stay Connected:

X / Twitter:@dweisburd LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Weisburd Capital: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weisburd-capital How I Invest: https://howiinvestpodcast.com/episodes

Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@weisburdcapital.com.

(0:00) Introduction (0:30) Reflection on Lloyd Blankfein's career, antifragility, and confronting challenges (2:42) Closing remarks