Nicholas Thompson - CEO of The Atlantic (50k American Record Holder) | The Simple Sport That Reveals Everything About You

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Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, where he has led one of the most successful turnarounds in American media—achieving profitability, record subscriptions, and three Pulitzer Prizes since 2021. Previously editor-in-chief of Wired (where he boosted digital subscriptions nearly 300%) and editor of NewYorker.com, Thompson co-founded two tech ventures sold to WordPress and Amplica Labs, edited stories that became the Oscar-winning film Argo, and authored The Hawk and the Dove, hailed as "brilliant" by The Washington Post. An American record holder in the 50K run with 2 million social media followers, he embodies the intersection of editorial excellence, entrepreneurial vision, and athletic discipline—bringing the same relentless drive to building media companies as he does to distance running.

 

➡️ Show Links

https://www.instagram.com/nxthompson/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasxthompson/ 

https://www.nickthompson.com 

 

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➡️ Talking Points

00:00 – Intro

01:31 – Why Running Is the Purest Sport

02:28 – The Challenge of Being Alone with Your Thoughts

04:44 – Discovering the Need for Solitude

11:52 – Running with Awareness, Not Just Discipline

14:42 – Living with Conflicting Personalities

16:42 – Sponsor Break

19:27 – The Double-Edged Sword of Obsession

21:14 – How Cancer Changed His Perspective

31:50 – Sponsor Break

43:29 – When Simplicity Becomes Profound

48:40 – Running as a High-Performer’s Edge

49:30 – Nicholas’ Wildest Running Story

53:22 – Running as a Multifaceted Tool

54:43 – The One Takeaway for Readers

55:11 – Advice to His 20-Year-Old Self