Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Cal speaks with the German artist who won the Sony World Photography award with a fake photo – one he generated through artificial intelligence with prompts. Boris did not tell the judges the photo was fake, and then refused to accept the award to get out the truth. We soon will live in an age when we will not know whether we can believe our own eyes. Prepare for a deep conversation about what is going to happen to the concept of trust in the future.

After starting out on a Ford Assembly line, Joe made a fortune starting and selling a digital marketing agency and serving as CEO of an automotive tech company. When he decided to stop drinking alcohol for 75 days to improve his health, Joe came up with the idea to create a new business. A non-alcoholic brewery with a mission to create the best non-alcoholic beers on the planet. That covers many styles and flavors. It’s called Go Brewing. And it arrives at your door at a time when many people are beginning to change their drinking habits to support a healthier lifestyle. Cal lifted the Jab Jab Grapefruit IPA and can tell that Joe’s instincts and timing are right on. Listen up, and check it out!

Cal brings in the New Year with a conversation that takes his friend Natalie Baird-King from hell to heaven. After getting overwhelmed by patterns of abuse that stemmed from her childhood, Natalie became a lawyer to defend similar victims. But it was her medicinal use of ayahuasca that, she says, actually took her to heaven, taught her how to forgive and how to teach others to make peace with the past. It’s a great way to start a new year! Cheers!

The host reflects on his favorite takeaways from previous conversations, including the ideas of incremental improvements, imperfection in art, and protopia. They discuss creating 1% more good, practicing gratitude, meditation, making amends, balancing mind and emotions, and improving the hiring process through elite interviewing skills.

Discover how meditation and awareness can improve performance and increase self-awareness. Learn about focusing on breath, connecting with the body, and the benefits of sitting meditation and cold plunges. Connect with the speaker and hear their appreciation for a previous interview with Kobe. Get insights on expressing gratitude and promoting the Thrivex cold immersion system for improved focus, mood, recovery, stress relief, and mental toughness.

Goose McGrath shares his incredible life journey from adversity to success, including a broken spine, addiction struggles, travel adventures, and finding love. The chapter emphasizes creating a life worth living and inspiring others, while also discussing starting a passion for organizing festivals, the power of friendship and trust, making an impact in Ethiopia, experiencing extreme hardships to gain perspective, and the transformative journey in real estate investing.

Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer of Delta, shares how she became one of the most influential CMOs. Topics include the importance of cross-department collaboration, unifying a company through marketing, career progression and transforming big companies, and unlocking specialness and gratitude.

Cal gets some takeaways from the author of Four Billionaires and Parking Attendant. The book has been reviewed as, “a blueprint for building a career and a life.” Chris has worked in the communications department at the White House, run the public affairs office at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and worked with billionaires as Director of Global Communications at the Carlyle Group. The 80-20 rule can change your life – and there’s a lot more!

The podcast discusses how the pandemic has changed Thanksgiving gatherings and explores the evolving dynamics of the holiday. The speakers reflect on filling empty seats at the table, creating new traditions, and honoring lost loved ones. They also discuss the universal nature of the nickname 'pops' and delve into the significance of Thanksgiving, appreciating moments with loved ones. The chapter concludes with a Thanksgiving message expressing gratitude and introducing Unwritten, a service to record life stories.

How do you know if your good idea is a good idea? What’s the secret sauce behind turning a good idea into an innovative company? Why are roughly only 10 percent of startups successful? Furst, a beloved Professor and director of the Center for Deliberate Innovation at George Tech, has answers that we can all apply to the way we think about innovation. He’s founded companies and his book, The Heart of Innovation, was recently published. Cal set up a creative way to look at the topic, bringing in his pal, Adam McGraw, to join the conversation. McGraw recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of his startup – CREW -- which uses authentic connections to enable CEOs and senior executives to get the most out of themselves. Cal has seen CREW in action and come away Impressed. He wants to know what Furst thinks. Check it out . . . and apply the takeaways to your own life.