An interview with Jim Kwik about how his childhood brain injury serves as his motivation, what his superpower and kryptonite are, what he’s learned from Will Smith, how to accelerate our learning, and his best career advice.

Welcome to the 80th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions.

This episodes guest:

My guest today is the CEO of Kwik Learning, Jim Kwik. Born in Westchester, New York, Jim suffered a brain injury when he was five, which hurt his brain performance and motivated him to study the power of the brain. He’s spent the past few decades training his brain for speed-reading and memory improvement. Jim has used his talents to coach clients including Google, Virgin, Nike, Harvard, and some of the most celebrated entertainers of our time like Will Smith and Hugh Jackman. He hosts the “Kwik Brain” podcast and his online training courses have impacted students in over 180 different countries. His advice and experiences have been captured in his new book “Limitless”, which teaches us how to learn so we can dramatically improve our performance. I first connected with Jim through Instagram, have since met him in person and I was excited to speak with him for this podcast episode.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

How did your childhood brain injury motivate you to master your own brain and then help others do the same?
You and I both love superheroes and you talk a lot about superpowers when you communicate to audiences or through your content. What would you say your superpower is and what is your kryptonite?
What’s fascinating about your life story is that you actually work with the actors behind the most beloved superheroes, helping them speed read their scripts so they can perform better. While it’s clear that you helped them become better actors, what did you learn from spending time with them that has furthered your education and brain performance?
We both believe in lifelong learning. We aren’t students for 4-years, we are students for life. Can you tell me the most effective technique that can accelerate our learning so that we can become smarter as we age?
What is your best piece of career advice?

Follow Jim’s journey:

Exit Path: Winning the Startup Game