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Magic Minds

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Jun 3, 2021 • 1h 11min

#105 — Doing The Work — Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield is a best selling famed author that has influenced many creator's mindsets. in this episode of Below The Line, James and Steven talk about how the "The War of Art" and resistance has had a huge effect on both of their journeys. Steven sold his first book at 53 years old, James and Steven dive into the process and why it took many years before he had a book that was worth publishing. Steven also gives his advice into overcoming resistance and how he has mastered it. To conclude the conversation, Steven talks about how the Bhagavad Gita influenced him to write an American novel about golf.    Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine   Find Steven Pressfield: https://www.stevenpressfield.com/ https://www.twitter.com/spressfield https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield   Steven's new book "A Man at Arms": https://www.amazon.com/Man-at-Arms-Novel/dp/0393540979/   00:00 Intro 02:57 Moments that change your life 08:00 3 stories that have shaped Steven   20:14 All of us live 2 lives   30:49 Connection of Entrepreneur vs Artist   40:23 Knowing your limits 56:45 Do the work 59:47 Surrendering to resistance   1:04:50 Writing an American novel about golf based off Bhagavad Gita    Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co NetSuite by Oracle: https://netsuite.com/BTL    bout your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 31, 2021 • 13min

Fear Of Failure— Below the (Hot)Line #10

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Fear is essentially a prerequisite at the start of any creative journey. On this week's episode, James explains how allowing yourself to become at peace w/ "the worst case scenario" can allow you to manage that fear & avoid the self sabotage that often follows Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co   About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 25, 2021 • 1h 53min

#104 — Putting a Dent in Mental Illness: The Promising Results of Psychedelics — Rick Doblin

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Rick Doblin is the founder of MAPS - the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He created this non-profit to help bring psychedelics to the public. MAPS was created in 1986 during "The War on Drugs." In this episode, Rick talks about his journey with creating MAPS and also his personal experiences with psychedelics. Rick also reveals the Phase 3 studies that were just released by the FDA for medical MDMA for PTSD. He also spoke about mental illness and how MDMA could improve many people's everyday life. To conclude the episode, Rick gives his thoughts on the future of our world with psychedelics becoming legal.    For more info on MAPS visit:  https://maps.org/(Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)   Where to find Rick Doblin: https://www.instagram.com/rickdoblinmaps/ https://www.twitter.com/rickdoblin/ About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 24, 2021 • 13min

Your New Favorite Productivity Tip: No Meetings — Below the (Hot)Line #9

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    In June of 2020, James Beshara wrote a popular essay on the subject of "Mental Wealth", or the concept of investing in your mental well being. Caller Williams adds what James would add as a 6th pillar to his 5 existing pillars of diet, exercise, stress management, and exogenous compounds. James talks about the surprising discovery he has made over the past year is the value of asynchronous work and limiting meetings with regards to his 6th pillar — blocking off thinking time.   Show Notes. “Asynchronous” Working In 2021 https://jjbeshara.com/2021/03/14/asynchronous-working-in-2021/ Orignal Mental Wealth Essay https://jjbeshara.com/2020/06/04/mental-wealth/ Past Below the Hotlines: #8 — The *Actual* Environmental Impact of Bitcoin https://youtu.be/ToQgBlAr8-Q #7 — What to Look for in a an Employee https://youtu.be/_24E05m1WKE #6 — What is BitClout https://youtu.be/AceOhj3S1Kg #5 — The Craziest (Plausible) Idea I've Ever Heard https://youtu.be/a7_J8STPmbY #4 — Setting Boundaries: The Key to Work Life Balance https://youtu.be/dqnCpDLQLRk #3 — Why I Invested in Clubhouse (And is it worth $4 Billion???) https://youtu.be/gnLbeMxoWhM #2 — The Number 1 Piece of Advice for Creators https://youtu.be/o8VYr_YxLL0​ #1 — What are NFTs? https://youtu.be/AEf6ZCP5Y1I​ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 19, 2021 • 2h

#103 — Thinking Deeply — Adam Robinson (Part 2)

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Adam Robinson is a famed best-selling author, the founder of Princeton Review, a leading advisor to some of the largest financial institutions in the world, and a rated chess master, among many other titles. He also one of the clearest thinkers James has ever come across.    In Part 2 of this wide ranging conversation, Adam talks about his friendship with Bobby Fischer and the fame level Bobby reached during the World Championships of Chess. Adam also spoke about how he makes life "simple" everyday and tries to eliminate mistakes by routine. To conclude the episode, Adam and James talk about how to avoid stupidity and the 7 factors that occur when someone makes a mistake.    Where to find Adam: https://twitter.com/IAmAdamRobinson https://iamadamrobinson.com/ 00:00 Intro 1:51 Views of Advising Investors during COVID-19 21:45 Why Conjectures are dangerous   27:01 Confirmation Basis 39:36 Coordinates around investing 49:55 Don't indulge in negative emotions   56:42 Bobby Fischer   1:29:18 Avoiding stupidity   1:51:35 Adam’s final thoughts    Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co/ Dover: https://dover.com NetSuite by Oracle https://netsuite.com/BTL About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 15, 2021 • 17min

The *Actual* Bitcoin Environmental Impact — Below the (Hot)Line #8

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    James addresses the two biggest critiques against Bitcoin in the world right now.   Article Referenced https://coinshares.com/insights/beware-of-lazy-research-bitcoin-mining-update Bill Maher on Bitcoin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaJpYjO136o Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Check out previous Below the HotLines: #7 — What to Look for in a an Employee https://youtu.be/_24E05m1WKE #6 — What is BitClout   #5 — The Craziest (Plausible) Idea I've Ever Heard https://youtu.be/a7_J8STPmbY #4 — Setting Boundaries: The Key to Work Life Balance https://youtu.be/dqnCpDLQLRk #3 — Why I Invested in Clubhouse (And is it worth $4 Billion???) https://youtu.be/gnLbeMxoWhM #2 — The Number 1 Piece of Advice for Creators https://youtu.be/o8VYr_YxLL0 #1 — What are NFTs? https://youtu.be/AEf6ZCP5Y1I   Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 13, 2021 • 2h 15min

#102 — Thinking Deeply — Adam Robinson (Part 1)

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Adam Robinson is a famed best-selling author, the founder of Princeton Review, a leading advisor to some of the largest financial institutions in the world, and a rated chess master, among other things. He also one of the clearest thinkers James has ever come across. In part 1 of their wide ranging conversation, James & Adam talk about the concept of "red-teaming" an idea, the right mindset when approaching a task, and places where logic fails. Where to find Adam: https://twitter.com/IAmAdamRobinson https://iamadamrobinson.com/  Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Dover https://dover.com NetSuite by Oracle https://netsuite.com/BTL  About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 6, 2021 • 10min

What to Look for in a New Hire (Qualities of a 10x Employee) —Below the (Hot)Line #7

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Hiring new employees can be nerve-racking, but having hired 170+ employees, James gives 3 essential traits you should look for before adding the next member of your team.   Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Check out previous Below the HotLines: #1 — What are NFTs? https://youtu.be/AEf6ZCP5Y1I #2 — The Number 1 Piece of Advice for Creators https://youtu.be/o8VYr_YxLL0 #3 — Why I Invested in Clubhouse (And is it worth $4 Billion???) https://youtu.be/gnLbeMxoWhM   #4 — Setting Boundaries: The Key to Work Life Balance https://youtu.be/dqnCpDLQLRk   #5 — The Craziest (Plausible) Idea I've Ever Heard   #6 — What is BitClout   Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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May 4, 2021 • 1h 55min

#101​ — The Mindset of a Grandmaster — Maurice Ashley

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Maurice Ashley is a Jamaican-American chess grandmaster, author, and commentator. In 1999 he earned the grandmaster title, making him the first black person to attain the title of grandmaster. This heavy hitting conversation focuses on honing the ability to maintain attention, the skill of being able to deal with uncertainty, and a devastating moment in Maurice's life 2 years before winning the title of Grandmaster that led him to doubt his path.    Where to find Maurice:   Website: https://Mauriceashley.com Twitter: @MauriceAshley Instagram: @Mauriceashleychess   Watch Maurice Ashley Play Chess Live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gmashley 00:00 Intro 02:37 Movies about chess masters 09:11 Performance enhancing compounds with chess 12:11 What is a Grandmaster in chess   20:03 Maurice’s college experience 26:18 What is risk?   29:45 Mental superpowers 35:42 Maurice in his 20’s 41:07 Moments of doubt 47:15 Invest in yourself before helping others 56:24 Choosing different paths in chess   1:04:01 Chess teaches you to be more interested in the other 1:09:37 Understanding your opponent’s next move 1:14:19 Comparing patience in chess to other sports 1:20:16 Maintaining complexity and tension   1:32:10 Intentionally leaving your comfort zone 1:38:02 Grandmaster vs Beginner 1:48:43 Three Stories that shaped Maurice   Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline   Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co  About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.
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Apr 29, 2021 • 12min

What is BitClout?— Below the Hotline #6

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine The rise of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have familiarized many with the concept of decentralized money, but can BitClout become the first main stream decentralized social networking platform? James Beshara explains the benefits of the crypto based platform, and spells out just why it might end up being so revolutionary. More from James on BitClout: https://jjbeshara.com/2021/04/19/i-have-seen-the-future-and-its-bitclout/ Follow James on BitClout: bitclout.com/u/jamesbeshara Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

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