E243: The Gift Hidden Inside The Biggest Crisis

Nov 16, 2025

Facing your greatest fears can unlock personal growth and resilience. Discover how Lloyd Blankfein navigated the 2008 crisis and emerged more robust. Explore Joe Rogan's ability to turn public backlash into strength. The concept of 'manufacturing a crisis' raises questions about self-discovery. Learn how founders bounce back stronger from setbacks. Embrace the idea that confronting fear can forge an anti-fragile leader. Reflect on the importance of tackling personal trials head-on for empowerment and clarity.

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INSIGHT

Pride From Leading Through Crisis

Major crises can become the moments leaders are most proud of in their careers.
Lloyd Blankfein cited navigating Goldman Sachs through 2008 as his proudest accomplishment despite its difficulty.

ANECDOTE

Facing Personal Fears Head-On

David Weisburd shares that his biggest fears were realized and he feels more empowered through the trials.
He describes being attacked in his primary fear as revealing and strengthening.

INSIGHT

Crisis Reveals Hidden Limits

Manufacturing a crisis in your greatest fear can reveal what truly limits you, but it's risky.
The real lesson is to embrace unavoidable crises as opportunities for growth instead of avoiding them.

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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