Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger

At 23 years-old, Michael Brody-Waite drank a fifth of vodka and a 12-pack of beer everyday. He smoked tons of weed and cigarettes, and would “do any drug he could get his hands on.” When he wasn’t throwing up blood, he was mooching off--or just stealing from--his friends.  After finally getting clean, Michael achieved tremendous success in technology sales and eventually became the CEO of a health-tech start-up that sold for many millions of dollars. In his new book, Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts: How to Lead like Your Life Depends on It, Michael discusses the importance of living "mask-free" (he acknowledges the irony of advocating not wearing a mask during the pandemic), i.e. to live and lead with honesty and vulnerability. While this podcast isn’t really about leadership or entrepreneurship, I wanted to talk to Michael because the lessons he shares in his book are worth implementing in all of our daily lives. Speaking of the book, when I started reading it, I had my antennae out for self-help or motivational B.S., but I really didn’t find any. What I found was Michael being very matter-of-fact about his life had going off the rails, and how living a life of openness had not only gotten him back on track, but taken him to new heights of accomplishment.  In this week’s episode of Crazy Money, we talk addiction, recovery, accountability, authenticity, money, careers, and gratitude. And we get into a real discussion over whether or not it's realistic for people to “bring their true selves” to work. If you like this conversation, check out Micheal's TED talk, which has been viewed over 1.6 mm times by people in over 25 countries. Also, on Michael’s website, you can learn more about him, buy his book, or check out the Mask-Free Program. Thanks to my podcast Uncle, Joe Saul-Sehy of Stacking Benjamins podcast for introducing me to Michael.Connect with Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger

In 2013, Julie Saxon’s career was rocking along. The mother of two young girls had just gotten a big promotion, and was managing the work-life balance quite nicely. Later that year, everything changed when her husband, Joel, was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer cancer. Thus began a six-year journey trek through chemo, surgeries, hospital bills, insurance hell, and trying to keep the train on the tracks at work and at home.  After 6 years, 87 rounds of chemo, ten rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, and two clinical trials, Joel’s valiant fight against cancer ended in his death. He lived longer than 99% of patients with his diagnosis. While I was listening to her tell the story, I couldn’t help but think how much Julie’s strength, support, and raw will had to do with his relative longevity. Julie and I met when we both worked in ad sales at Yahoo! in the early 2000’s. She was in the Atlanta office where I would visit from the West Coast when I was home seeing my parents. Her story reminded me of how lucky we both were to work at a company staffed by so many incredible human beings. To this day, her Atlanta co-workers remain some of her closest friends. Not only did one introduce her to Joel, but he and the others were there to support her throughout marriage and its sad conclusion. Many of their names come up in our chat. While I wanted to explain the relevance of each one, I didn’t want to stop the flow of conversation. Trust me, they’re all great. Julie is now VP/Group director of sales for a large digital media company. She and her two beautiful daughters live in Atlanta.  I want to thank Julie for trusting me with this conversation. Connect with Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/ 

Why are some millionaires miserable while many in poverty are happy?  Does a rapidly-improving economy always lead to more well-being? How does optimism affect our economic futures? These are some of the big questions Carol Graham has tackled in decades of extensive research into the economics of happiness. A Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy, Carol’s books include Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires and The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being, both of which have been published in several languages.The economic factors that lead to happiness are often not what we humans believe them to be. Carol has spent her career challenging assumptions about how hope, uncertainty, optimism, inequality, and rapidly developing economies contribute to well-being. Her results, which are often counter-intuitive, are a great reminder of what we should keep in mind when trying to optimize both our personal happiness and that of the societies in which we live (hint: the two are connected).Carol earned her A.B. at Princeton, an M.A. at Johns Hopkins and a Ph.D. at Oxford. (In other words, she’s real smart.)Learn more about Carol on the Brookings Institution website. Give to YEAR UP.For books by Dr. Graham and other authors who have appeared on the show, shop the Crazy Money list on Bookshop.org. (CM gets a small commission.)Sign up for Paul Ollinger ’s newsletter on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/paul_ollinger/• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/PaulOllinger/• LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/paulollinger/Please rate and review Crazy Money. Stay gold.

Paul Sullivan writes the Wealth Matters column for The New York Times and is the author of The Thin Green Line: The Money Secrets of The Super Wealthy. In his book, he discusses the important difference between being rich and being wealthy. Hint: One means that you have a lot of money, the other means that you have control over your financial life. Paul grew up in a working-class family but won a scholarship to attend an elite boarding school, an experience that changed his life. After earning degrees at Trinity College and University of Chicago, he began a journalism career, reporting for Bloomberg, The Financial Times, and other top publications. In this conversation, Paul shares how his experience growing up in a cash-strapped home both drove his fascination with people of means and molded his personal financial values. Through his reporting on and interaction with the wealthy, Paul has garnered insights into their hopes, dreams, and anxieties. He understands their spending, saving, and investing habits. He knows how they work, play, and parent in the hopes that their children will grow up to be motivated and hard-working.  His latest book was called “...welcome antidote to the idea that wealth is a number on a bank statement” and it is far more interesting and readable than the other 99% of personal finance books out there. Most importantly, it will help you identify what kind of a earner and spender you are, and help you find a path to the good side of The Thin Green Line. Oh I almost forgot, Paul also writes the Money Game column for Golf Magazine. So you should check that out too.  Paul lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with his family. Learn more about him on https://pauljsullivan.com/. For books by authors who have appeared on the show, shop the Crazy Money list on Bookshop.org. (CM gets a small commission.) Read Paul O’s latest essay, Your Only Goal is to Arrive: To Survive the Quarantine, Change Your Metrics on Medium:Forge. Sign up for Paul Ollinger ’s newsletter on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

Wealthy families have huge advantages when it comes to playing the college admissions game, and it’s not just more AP classes and $400/hour SAT/ACT tutors. That’s the conclusion of Paul Tough in his most recent book, The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us, which Ira Glass describes the book as, “Gorgeously reported. Vividly written. Utterly lucid.” (such an "Ira Glass" way to say it.) Tough reveals that Cash-strapped universities actively seek out prospective students whose parents can pay full tuition. Thus, despite the ongoing discussion about preferential treatment for minorities and underprivileged families, schools’ thirst for cash flow results in far more lenient criteria for the children of affluent parents. In other words, it’s better to be a dumb, rich kid than a smart, poor kid, even though less well-off students at good schools have very similar outcomes than their more affluent classmates. Said one admissions counselor of the struggle to meet her school’s tuition (i.e. revenue) goals, “It’s not a matter of turning down kids we’d like to admit. It’s a matter of admitting students we’d like to turn down.” OUCH. Paul Tough is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine; his writing has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, GQ, and Esquire, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times. He is a speaker on topics including education, parenting, equity, and student success. Among Paul’s previous books is How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, which was translated into 27 languages and spent more than a year on the New York Times hardcover and paperback best-seller lists. For books by authors who have appeared on the show, shop the Crazy Money list on Bookshop.org. (CM gets a small commission.) Read Paul O’s latest essay, Your Only Goal is to Arrive: To Survive the Quarantine, Change Your Metrics on Medium:Forge. Sign up for Paul Ollinger ’s newsletter on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

Rabbi Daniel Lapin believes that money is the reward we get when we serve another one of God’s children. Therefore, doing business is doing God’s work. In his videos, courses, and books, Thou Shall Prosper and Business Secrets from the Bible, Rabbi Lapin leverages scripture to weave a passionate and refreshing defense of capitalism. In short: God wants man and woman to be together, to serve one other, and to prosper as a result.  In addition to capitalism, Rabbi Lapin and I discuss Evangelicalism, the Prosperity Gospel (which he completely disavows), the respective financial attitudes of Protestants v. Catholics, and—yes—why Jews are disproportionately good with money. Full-disclosure: I may be a biased participant in this conversation because the two best financial days of my life were the days I met the late Dave Goldberg and the day I met Mark Zuckerberg. Suffice to say that I have benefitted tremendously from my association with The Tribe, even if I once made a tragic sartorial decisions at a Bat Mitzvah (listen for the details. It mortifies me to this day.) So if you have an idea for a potential guest or just want to say hi, please email me at Paul@CrazyMoneyPodcast.com. I read every email. Learn more about Rabbi Lapin on https://YouNeedaRabbi.com. To find books by Rabbi Lapin and other authors who have been on Crazy Money, shop our store on BOOKSHOP. (CM earns a small commission.) Find out more about Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

Laura Delizonna, PhD is a Stanford University instructor, international speaker, author, and expert on the science of happiness. Her mission is to help others thrive in life and work. She delivers practical, interactive, science-based trainings and inspiring keynotes. She consults with top corporations like Google and Facebook to help optimize team performance. On today’s episode, we talk about happiness, being yourself at work, the relative importance of income, and how to find joy in the everyday. If you don’t know about the human negativity bias (you have one), you owe it to yourself to listen...lest you succumb to your fear, anxiety and disappointment. You don’t want to do that, do you? No, of course not. So listen, and share with all your friends.  Learn more about Laura on https://delizonna.com/. To find books by Laura and other authors who have been on Crazy Money, shop our store on BOOKSHOP. (CM earns a small commission.) Find out more about Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

James H. Lowry grew up in Jim Crow era Chicago. After graduating from Grinnell College and spending time in the Peace Corps, Jim became McKinsey & Company's first African-American consultant in 1968 and, years later, the first black senior partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Jim worked with mayors, the federal government and leading corporations to implement ground-breaking and historic workforce and supplier diversity programs. Lowry continues to serve as a senior advisor to BCG, while heading his own private consulting firm, James H. Lowry & Associates. His new memoir, Change Agent, chronicles Jim's amazing life. As impressive as his professional resume is, the stories he has about his youth, college years and his work in the Peace Corps will blow your mind. Jim’s not only smart, incredibly accomplished, and networked out the wazoo, but he is just one cool guy. Special thanks to my friend and former Facebook colleague, Kay Madati for the introduction to Jim.  Buy Jim’s book, Change Agent,here.  To find books by other authors who have been on Crazy Money, shop our store on BOOKSHOP. (CM earns a small commission.) Paul has lost 8 lbs in 12 days using the NOOM app (No kidding!). Get started eating right with a free NOOM two-week trial by clicking here.  Find out more about Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times best-selling author of I Can’t Date Jesus and his new collection of essays, I Don’t Want to Die Poor, in which he chronicles the debilitating nature of his student debt. A graduate of Howard University who is known for his biting wit and cultural insights, Michael’s writing appears regularly in top publications, including NYT, Washington Post, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Wired, The Atlantic, and many more. We spoke over Zoom from his apartment in Harlem where he is sheltering in-place. Buy his new book here. Read Paul Ollinger’s latest essay, Your Only Goal is to Arrive: To Survive the Quarantine, Change Your Metrics on Medium:Forge. Find out more about Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and author of the best-selling (and excellent) book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, which is being developed into a series for ABC by Eva Longoria. Lori pens the weekly "Dear Therapist" column for The Atlantic, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time, People, Slate, Salon, and many other top periodicals.  Lori and I discuss resilience and the need for self-care during quarantine. We’ll also talk about what it’s like to be a therapist in therapy, and—of course—money and how she sees it showing up with some of her most successful clients. Buy Maybe You Should Talk to Someone here. Read Paul’s latest article, Your Only Goal is to Arrive: To Survive the Quarantine, Change Your Metrics on Medium:Forge Find out more about Paul Ollinger on his website and/or follow him on the socials: • Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Paul_Ollinger • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulOllinger/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulollinger/