

The James Altucher Show
James Altucher
James Altucher interviews the world's leading peak performers in every area of life. But instead of giving you the typical success story, James digs deeper to find the "Choose Yourself" story - these are the moments we relate to... when someone rises up from personal struggle to reinvent themselves. The James Altucher Show brings you into the lives of peak-performers: billionaires, best-selling authors, rappers, astronauts, athletes, comedians, actors, and the world champions in every field, all who forged their own paths, found financial freedom and harnessed the power to create more meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 27, 2015 • 1h 6min
Ep. 138 - Lewis Howes: Lewis Howe's School of Greatness
Lewis Howes is great.
He has achieved Olympic level successful in many areas of his life and today with the launch of his brand new book, The School of Greatness, he adds Bestselling Author to the list.
On this episode, I ask Lewis what it takes to be great. Without hesitation, Lewis says that it all starts with a vision.
You have to visualize what it is you really want. You have to dream it.
Lewis says that before you can achieve greatness and success you have to understand what greatness and success looks like for you.
Take a notepad and a pen, go out into nature, lay there in silence and write down what your perfect day would look like.
Lewis says that everyone faces some type adversity in their life, but the ones who achieve greatness figure out a way to use the adversity to their advantage.
We discuss some amazing examples of people who have achieved greatness after adversity, like Kyle Maynard.
I hope you enjoy today's episode as much as I did.
I know you can be great.
Links and resources:
The School of Greatness - Lewis Howes book that releases today!
Lewis' website
Lewis' Twitter
"You need vision if you're going to reinvent yourself." - Lewis Howes - click to tweet
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
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Oct 22, 2015 • 60min
Ep. 137 - Bryan Johnson, Braintree: Everyone Has Pebble in Their Own Shoe
If you're running your own business, then you know by now that you have to care about what you're doing if you want to be successful.
Making money can be a goal, but it can't be your only goal. You have to work toward something greater than just turning a profit.
On today's podcast I talk with Bryan Johnson, someone who knows full well how much you have to care if you want your investments to pay off, and he's found the perfect balance between being financially successful and changing the world.
I talked with Bryan two years ago (and I actually put the interview in my book Choose Yourself!).
I invited him to that first interview because he had established Braintree, a payment platform for many online businesses and entrepreneurs, and it was immensely successful.
But I'm bringing him back this time around because a lot has changed in two years.
Bryan sold Braintree to Ebay for $800 million and has since used that money to start a venture capital fund for what he likes to call "save the world" sort of companies.
He's looking for engineers, creators, and financiers who are creating platforms, companies, and businesses that could benefit the lives of billions of people.
He talks about what kinds of fields and platforms he's interested in on today's show, and he explains the passion that's driving him.
"I have a burning desire to devote my life to improve the lives of people," he says when I ask him what inspired his approach to business. "But I didn't know what that meant at 21. So I decided I'd become an entrepreneur, retire by 30, and then spend the rest of my life with an abundance of time and money trying to do some good."
That definitely explains why he sold Braintree, but he also gives insight into what made this first business venture of his so successful and how he used it to kick start his true goal for helping people.
Combining business with philanthropy is Bryan's main focus, and he is actively seeking those who are creating the technologies people cannot find but desperately need, such as synthetic biology for combating diseases like Alzheimer's.
On today's podcast, Bryan goes into what it takes to get into what he calls the "ecosystem of contribution" and how you can contribute to his charitable cycle by:
Learning his unique three goals when it comes to running a successful business
Looking at our planet Earth as its own technological platform
Focusing on what makes you - and your business - happy and helpful
Leaning how to avoid snobbery in small business
If you've got a humanitarian approach to business like Bryan does and are actively looking to engage with the game changers of the world who are focusing their efforts on building a better world, then this podcast is geared at you.
Anyone can be successful for themselves, but being successful for the sake of others is truly admirable and Bryan's approach will no doubt help you build a better business for yourself and your clients.
Resources:
Bryan Johnson
The OS Fund
Braintree
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe...
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Oct 15, 2015 • 44min
Ep. 136 - Ev Williams: A Co-Founder of Twitter Speaks
Today's guest changed my life. Seeing as he helped to invent Blogger and Twitter, he probably changed your life too!
The Internet's last decade and a half of development as a forum for writing has taken place in large part on platforms built in part by Ev Williams.
Evan "Ev" Williams is on the show today to talk about his new blogging platform, Medium, and how he worked his way up to the top spot he is now.
"I worked my whole life basically broke and in debt," he tells me, and this may be a familiar situation for you.
Struggling to realize your dreams, working hard to create something new the public wants - we've all experienced these efforts in one way or another, and some of your attempts may have been more successful than others.
The hardest part about running your own business is not only having the confidence to take the risks, but also to pull yourself together if that risk should fail. Even success can come with its own stress.
Working to create Blogger and Twitter led Ev to a ton of success in media, but he talks about the strange kind of success Google brought him and how you don't always necessarily know what to do with it.
In fact, he didn't handle success very well at all the first time. As he said in an article in The New York Times "It wasn't obvious to me that I wanted to sell my business," he tells me when Google came asking for Blogger and absorbed him into the company. He was dedicated to seeing it become successful, but he did not know the rules and language of corporate success, and he ran into many roadblocks along the way.
Of course, we know from hindsight that whatever he did was right, but how can you be sure of the outcome when you're just starting on the path?
Ev shares his answers to this difficult question, and his insightful advice on today's podcast will teach you
- How to find product-market fit for your business
- How to monetize your web and media content in different ways
- How to use multiple media platforms to reach your audience
- How to use more than a website to get real interaction with your audience and clients
Evan Williams' new site Medium, www.medium.com, is up and running right now. Connect with Twitter, Facebook, or Google to get started, and see how you can use this new, larger platform to market yourself and interact with your clients.
Resources:
Ev Williams Twitter - @ev
Ev Williams Medium here and here
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 8, 2015 • 56min
Ep. 135 - Naveen Jain: The Billionaire Who Wants to Go To The Moon
Naveen Jain is the founder and CEO of one of the biggest companies from the dot-com boom era, and now he has set his sights on the moon.
His company, Moon Express, plans to send a rocket to the moon as a business venture to collect rare minerals and resources, and then bring them back to Earth. He also plans to make travel to the moon and other planets accessible to all of us at some point in the future.
Naveen is the founder of InfoSpace, the first company to develop services that were sold to other companies that then white-labeled those services on their own web sites. According to Naveen, InfoSpace was the first company to realize that people would eventually want to use the internet on mobile devices.
Naveen co-founded Intelius, the information commerce company that gives users access to basic information about people all on one site.
In 2010, Naveen started Moon Express with the goal of bringing rare minerals back to the Earth for use in a number of applications, such as energy uses. Going to the moon is not the only goal of Moon Express, and Naveen sees it as the start of developing a multi-planetary society.
Naveen explains how Moon Express will become both commercially viable and also sustainable as a company.
In addition to space, Naveen sees the medical diagnostics field as another big industry in which he sees potential large growth over the next five to ten years. Naveen says the biggest societal problems offer entrepreneurs the most opportunity.
Education is another field in which he sees a need to address training for current jobs that weren't around 20 years ago.
Also, another important area is looking for solutions for at-risk countries that do not have accessible, clean drinking water.
Naveen believes we need to first solve our own internal problems before we tackle the world's problems. He thinks being at peace with who we are, and finding our purpose and mission, are key factors to finding that solution.
He says the process of becoming more fluent in producing ideas lies in having intellectual curiosity, learning for the sake of learning, and getting basic fundamental knowledge in the areas that interest us.
As far as finding our own mission in life, Naveen says ask yourself "What would you do if you had a billion dollars?" He says do that career now, and you'll find a business around it.
Resources and Links
* Moon Express
* X Prize Foundation
* Singularity University
Thanks so much for listening!
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 4, 2015 • 38min
AA Ep 339 - Cassey Ho: YouTube's Biggest Fitness Instructor, Tells How She Did It Her Way
Are you willing to disobey your parents?
Cassey Ho came from a typical Asian family. They gave her three choices for her career... doctor, lawyer or engineer.
She had to bring honor to her family.
But that wasn't Cassey's calling. She had the entrepreneurial spirit, and she just had to follow her dream.
Fast-forward to today, and Cassey has almost 2.5 million subscribers to her YouTube channel Blogilates TV, with one of her videos now approaching 7.5 million views.
And that was just the beginning. She has created a whole line of products that's growing quickly.
Listen here today as she shares with James how she advertises her "brand."
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 29, 2015 • 56min
Ep. 134 - P. J. O'Rourke: Thrown Under the Omnibus!
This week I've got something important to say to every message board across the internet: "Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help mom with the dishes."
Sound familiar? That's PJ O'Rourke, world-renowned talking head and published author, whose political humor and commentary make him the butt of many an insult on message boards everywhere.
He's on the show today to talk about politics and why humor is always the best policy, especially if you want to really make a difference.
When it comes to being funny in politics, humor is your only option. "You really don't have a choice," PJ tells me. "To take it seriously is to indicate you're an idiot."
And the same applies to the way you run your business, so be careful! If you take yourself too seriously, you're only going to end up missing out on the important, finer details. Because even in business you are still involved in politics one way or the other.
Maybe you're the member of a committee, maybe you design your staff meetings as a form of democracy - either way, there is an election process, a conversation, and a show of hands that can represent your decision or point of view.
And you need to be educated in your field if you ever hope to find the humor in it. Because finding the humor in your point of view means you are much more likely to start the right kind of conversations to get people on your side.
Unlike politics though, comedy is hard. "I have more respect for comedians like Jay Leno and Chris Rock," PJ says, after I asked him if he respected them more than Joe Biden. And that's saying something.
Humor gives you the power to generate conversations, and PJ's quirky sense of humor lends this week's show some hilarious viewpoints on these conversation starters:
* The government's role in regulating capitalism and big businesses
* The time and place for politics
* How to find humor in high-stakes political situations
* How comedy can change the way the world sees a situation, especially through the lens of the internet
PJ's latest book, Thrown Under the Omnibus, comes out October 6
"Is that when it's coming out? No one told me!" says P.J.
The book touches on these themes, but his conversation with me on the show today is full of the kind of jokes you want to be able to tell at your next networking event.
So listen in and see how you can be the funny man (or woman) at your next business meeting.
To find out more about PJ and hear more of his work, head over to his column at The Weekly Standard.
Special Note: Both PJ and James will be presenting LIVE at next month's Stansberry Conference in Las Vegas. If you're interested in joining them and over 30 additional speakers for two full days click here.
This year's Conference will take place at one of the newest and most luxurious destinations on Las Vegas Boulevard -- the Aria Resort and Casino.
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 23, 2015 • 60min
Ep. 133 - Tucker Max: Mate: Become the Man Women Want
This is my first threesome on the show! Tucker Max, Nils Parker, and Dr. Jeff Miller are all here to discuss their new book Mate: Become the Man Women Want.
But what does dating have to do with business?
Believe it or not, marketing yourself for social relationships is related to marketing your business for success. In fact, from Tucker's point of view, they're almost one in the same. "Dating and sex is [seen as] a battle between men and women, and that's totally wrong."
He says, "You want to create win-win relationships," a relationship where you and your partner(s), whether they be professional or romantic, both come out on top is exactly what you should be seeking.
When Jeff and Tucker met over a steak dinner to discuss Jeff's recent social and evolutionary psychology talk at a conference, it wasn't necessarily a romantic meal.
Jeff's point of view is not trickling down to the young men and women who could truly benefit from his kind of information, and both authors were worried about the perceived misconceptions regarding their work.
"I was appalled at how they misunderstood and misapplied it," Jeff says of his first book. "I wrote The Mating Mind a long time ago, '98/'99, and the science has moved on."
But even with a modern point of view that speaks distinctively with that fratire tone of voice, Tucker Max still experienced the same problem. "I assumed when I wrote the stories that everyone got the subtext," Tucker says. "[But] the guys didn't even have a basic foundational set of knowledge about life or about women or about social relationships that they could put my stories into context."
And this is why a deep understanding of social relationships is nothing but beneficial for your business.
I'm not telling you to marry your job, because it will never satisfy you in a way a romantic relationship ever could. But when you're networking and looking to build that client base, understanding what makes your brand attractive and utilizing those tools to attract new people is key to your success.
Tucker, Geoffery, and Nils took the initiative to update our knowledge banks and give us these tools, along with a few pieces of eye-catching advice regarding:
* How to adapt yourself and your business to cultural change
* How to seek win-win relationships where cooperation, communication, and coordination reign supreme
* How to network effectively through all of your social relationships in order to increase presence and popularity
* How to recognize and embody the key traits and behaviors both women and clients seek out in romantic and professional relationships
If anything, this book will be the confidence boost you need to initiate new and better sales.
Sell yourself, sell your product, or sell your services by paying attention to the clients (or the woman) in your life.
You're going to meet new people and you're going to talk to them, which - in Tucker's mind - will make you the most popular guy in the room because you'll be the one having the most fun.
Links and Resources:
Tucker Max websites (here and here), Twitter and Facebook
Mate: Become the Man That Women Want
The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller
The Mating Grounds podcast
Dr. Geoffrey Miller
Nils Parker
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I...
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Sep 16, 2015 • 55min
Ep. 132 - John McAfee: The Most Interesting Man in the Universe
How do you summarize a highly colorful life of an inventor, billionaire and philanthropist?
In this episode of The James Altucher Show, our guest is John McAfee. James and John talk about the high and low points of John's life.
Just days after this interview, John announced he is running for President of the United States.
Listen to John and see if you can decide if he's going to get your vote.
He is probably best known for McAfee antivirus software, which he created while working as a programmer for Lockheed Martin.
Even with extraordinary success, John never measured his self-worth with his net-worth. Rather, he saved more than $30 million since he began McAfee. After a time, he turned the reins of of his successful antivirus company to Bill Larson, former VP of IBM.
John has had a controversial career. He's spent his life on the run, has admitted to using and selling illegal drugs and has been arrested for illegal possession of firearms in the U.S.
Despite this, he still remains ever-relevant decades later. He is still the most influential authority on information security in the world and a widely sought speaker on that topic. So it did not come as a surprise that just recently he's come under fire for writing about the real culprit behind the Ashley Madison data brouhaha.
Episode highlights:
How he created the McAfee antivirus out of curiosity, never expecting it take off.
His unhappiness with the administrative aspect of running an enterprise and why he stopped running the company.
His life on the run, after experiencing threat and extortion from the government of Belize.
Reinventing his business and reorganizing his life after losing all his money when forced to leave Belize.
Talking about his natural antibiotics venture in Quorum sensing. His foray into biohacking is touted to be 15 years advanced in terms of research.
Problems confronting the Internet landscape nowadays, the loss of privacy and what he does to stop it.
Being rich and famous never bothered John McAfee, he stays true to himself and does what he knows best: being unreasonable even if the world doesn't agree with his opinions.
And there was the matter of losing all of his money and investments, hiding like a fugitive and finally getting extradited to the U.S. Also not a problem; John just continued to find ways to start another internet-security firm called Future Tense Central, the technology of which is leaning toward consumer mobile-device apps, company privacy, and security-sharing software.
His purpose nowadays is more focused on preventing the loss of privacy and warning against the evil of using gadgets, downloading convenience apps and storing information on the cloud because there are ways to 'spy' and fish for personal information.
Links and References Mentioned in this show:
Ashley Madison write-up
Future Tense Central: his security firm after Belize
D-Vasive: a mobile-privacy app he devised for anti-spying
Spy TV Series
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you...
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 8, 2015 • 1h 5min
Ep. 131- Hank Green: Redefining the Meaning of Cool
Hank is one half of the popular YouTube duo VlogBrothers. The show is co-hosted with his brother John Green, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Fault in Our Stars. The show boasts a loyal group following, amounting to around 2.6 million viewers.
The brothers are also the brains behind a fundraising campaign called "Project For Awesome," through which they're organizing the community to take over YouTube with charity work for a day.
Hank is well-known for being an Internet entrepreneur, article writer/contributor to a variety of publications like the New York Times, Scientific American and Mental Floss.
In addition to the successful Brotherhood 2.0 project, he's also produced science-based videos like the popular "SciShow" and "Crash Course."
He is also the inventor of 2D-Glasses for those who have trouble watching 3-D movies; this is his least successful business venture to date, by the way. Speaking of merchandise, he also owns DFTBA records, an online store he co-founded with his friends. He's also an Emmy winner for his web-series "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries," a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Hank takes us into the creative process of producing a lot of successful video shows. The ideas and the content that he puts into each show shines with his dedication and passion for educating his followers and the deep relationships he has forged along the way.
He loves creating new things that encourage discourse and having fun and that simply entertain the audience until they learn something. The man does not want to stop giving back what he knows and he will continue to influence the next generation with new products or topics that liven up their lives.
Because of this, he is now redefining the meaning of cool by being 'on fleick' just the way he is.
Resources and Links
VlogBrothers YouTube videos
Crash Course
SciShow
VidCon
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Don't Forget To Be Awesome
Project For Awesome
Dear Hank & John Podcast
Hank Green's 2D-Glasses
Hank's Tumblr
Hank's Twitter
Hank's Facebook
Hank's Instagram
------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 1, 2015 • 33min
Ep. 130 - Penn Jillette: The Brilliant Idea Can Kill You
Penn Jillette is a famous magician - he's one half of the duo Penn and Teller. He has made a career out of sleight of hand and tricks. He credits Teller with getting him into magic. Penn's specialties are juggling, writing, and comedy. He suggests that when you choose a career you go into a field in which you know you can improve.
He continued his education at "clown college." He was "forced" into comedy, but he wanted to be a brooding French poet. While at clown college, he learned wire walking, juggling, and tumbling. Penn says card tricks are actually a form of juggling.
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Special Note: Both Penn and James will be presenting LIVE at next month's Stansberry Conference in Las Vegas. If you're interested in joining them and more than 30 additional speakers for two full days click here.
This year's conference will take place at one of the newest and most luxurious destinations on Las Vegas Boulevard - the Aria Resort & Casino.
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When he first began with Teller they went to bad magic shows and learned what they didn't want to do. They wanted to get away from illusions and focus more on tricks. All magic is about the perception of truth.
Penn says he didn't have a choice in magic. He was homeless when he started out, but Teller was from a very different background. The pair didn't like each other, but they felt they could do better together.
Other topics Penn discusses in this interview are:
*Find what you like and let it kill you.
*How dramatic weight loss has changed his act.
*His parenting skills.
*How journal writing has improved his daily routine.
*His biggest inspirations.
*The unwilling suspension of disbelief.
*Built-in biological love.
Resources and Links:
Kinky Freedman
Gary Panter and The ROZZ-TOX Manifesto
Clown College
Penn Jillette's books
The Cups and Ball Trick
Penn's Sunday School
Bob Dylan
Picasso
Miles Davis
If you want to learn more about Penn Jillette, check him out on Twitter: @pennjillette.
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