Episodes
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What did Ray Kroc, Maya Angelou, Margaret Thatcher, and Malcolm X all have in common? (Don’t worry - this isn’t a dirty joke!) They were all opsimaths, i.e. a person who blooms late in life. In his new book SECOND ACT: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Success and Reinventing Your Life, author Henry Oliver shares the stories of well-known people whose greatest accomplishments happened in or past middle age. In other words, there’s still hope for you! Maybe you’re 45 and haven’t written the great American Novel yet. There’s still time! You’re 55 and haven’t made your first million or billion? There’s still time! You’re 65 and havne’t gotten elected to political office? Well, let’s not push it, but you never know. If you are indeed an opsimath, you’ll keep working toward your goal for the sake of the thing and not in hope of any extrinsic rewards. In this informative and sometimes humorous conversation, Henry and I—two urbane gentleman that we are—discuss the following:
Fluid intelligence v. concrete intelligence
Why motivation is the closest thing we have to magic.
How and why to stay in the game as you get older
The commonalities among late bloomers include hard work, intrinsic motivation and a willingness to keep trying and learning.
The similarities between Ray Kroc’s relationship with the McDonald brothers and Mark Zuckerberg’s relationship with the Winklevoss twins.
How Katharine Graham’s family’s suffocating wealth both helped and hindered her development
Pre-order Henry's book here. Subscribe to his Substack here.
WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
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About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
This episodes Keywords:
late bloomers, success, age, intelligence, motivation, hard work, meandering path, passion, experience, network, late bloomers, success, reinventing life, Ray Kroc, McDonald's, Katharine Graham, Washington Post, David Duffield, Workday, internal motivation, careers, second careers, reinvention -
Nobody gets into poetry for fame and fortune. And yet, there might be a tiny bit of each happening for In-Q, my guest this week who is a renowned poet and spoken word artist. When he started freestyling (aka, “rapping" for you old people) with his friends at age 13, In-Q felt an empowerment that didn’t exist in the rest of his life. The words inside him took on a life of their own and, after he started writing poetry at 19, In-Q found himself in the embrace of L.A.’s slam poetry community. He never really considered poetry taking him to a place where could make a living, "let alone live in abundance.” But through dedication, perseverance, and perhaps, the sheer inability to quit, he’s now selling out theaters, writing hit songs, and publishing books and albums. In-Q has appeared on A&E, ESPN, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. His stand-up poetry special, 'Live at the Ace Theatre', is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. To top all that, Oprah (you know “Winfrey”) named him to her SuperSoul 100 list of the world’s most influential thought leaders.
On this week’s episode, In-Q and I discuss:
Why he has a tattoo with the Hebrew word he thought meant “forgiveness"
The perilous childhood moment that could have changed his life forever
How his learning disability contributes to his success
Why ‘Hamilton’ is a perfect work of art
The day he decided that Nas was God
His creative process
Watch his special, Live At the Ace Theater and listen to his album The Never Ending Now
WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
This episodes Keywords:
IN-Q, poet, spoken word, slam poetry, creativity, self-expression, learning disabilities, dyslexia, art, IN-Q, poetry, creativity, writing process, empowerment, tattoos, Amazon special, immersive experience, album, book, events, forgiveness
Paul loves you. -
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The spirit of the working class is crushed. So argues Batya Ungar-Sargon in her new book 'Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women’. Batya says that working men and women in the United States have been abandoned by both political parties and left to fend for themselves all while unchecked immigration makes an already challenging job market untenable. As her title suggests, she believes “elites” are causing this problem. And though you hear the word used more often and somewhat scornfully on Fox News, “elites” doesn’t just progressives. It’s alll of us who are educated, have stable jobs, and aren’t worried aobut making rent next month. But just because Batya uses the word doesn't mean her main argument—that unchecked immigration is making life untenable for working Americans—is wrong. At the very least, it is inarguable that immigration is putting a strain on our housing, educational and medical infrastructure. And all of us foot the bill for that. What’s really odd about this to me is, despite the fact that Batya defends Donald Trump as a friend of the working people, that the policies she recommends to fix the problem feel like Democratic policies from an earlier time. Unions, tarriffs - that sort of thing. Whichever side they’re from, she is passionate about the importance of a thriving middle class for a stable democracy. Batya is The Opinion Editor at Newsweek. She holds a BA from the University of Chicago and earned her PhD at UC, Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, The Daily Beast, and The Free Press. Buy ’Second Class’ here.
WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
This episodes Keywords:
elites, working class, income inequality, immigration, Trump, unions, working conditions, middle class, stable democracy, vice president, politics, kamalaharris, election, timwalz, joshshapiro
Paul loves you. -
**Hi friends - this is Paul writing to confess to an error in my introduction in this week's episode. The name of Angus Hervey's podcast is "Hope Is a Verb," not—as I called it—"Hope is NOT a Verb," which is kind of the opposite (insert winky emoticon). Unfortunately, I am unable to re-record the intro as we are traveling, but I can change these show notes, so that's what I'm doing. Sincere apologies to my most gracious guest for this ridiculous foul-up.**
The news is always bad, and that’s not an accident. “If it bleeds, it leads” has long been the theme that drives networks and newspapers to accentuate the negative because that’s how you earn ratings and pageviews, baby! This week, Dr. Angus Hervey, founder of 'Fix the News’ and the co-host of the podcast ‘Hope Is A Verb’ joins Paul to discuss the evolutionary and economic reasons behind this phenomenon and how it hurts us as a society. The dreadful headlines disguise the truth that we humans are making terrific progress fighting poverty, eradicating disease, finding alternatives to fossil fuels, and expanding human rights. But you wouldn’t know that reading the New York Times or scrolling your Facebook feed. Of course everything isn’t perfect. But thanks to technology and perhaps to the fact that—as Dr. King said—the arch of the moral universe bends toward justice, things are way better than they have ever been and they continue to improve. We ignore this to our peril and at the cost of our happiness. As Dr. Hervey cautions negative news is an addictive product that divides us as a society, "breeding cynicism, apathy, hopelessness, and even hate.” As if that weren’t bad enough, it also prevents us in believing that progress can be made, saying “If we want more people to devote themselves to making progress, maybe we should tell more people that it’s possible to make progress.” Further, he says that all these predictions of an AI apocalypse are highly-overblown. Angus earned his PhD in Political Econmomy at London School of Economics. His two TED Talks have generated millions of video views,
He lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia whence he spoke to Paul before his children woke up. Listen to Hope Is A Verb and read Fix The News today!
WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
This episodes Keywords:
News, good news, bad news, negative filtering, evolution, negative news, perception, progress, media, incentives, bias, optimism, technology, AI, biotechnology
Paul loves you. -
Stephanie Stuckey used her life’s savings to buy the company that is her family’s legacy. At it’s height in the1960’s and 70’s, there were hundreds of Stuckey’s stores selling gas, pecan candy, cold drinks, and quick meals near highway exits around the United States. But after her grandfather was bought out by a big corporation, the neglected enterprise and its stores fell into disrepair. Since buying what remained of the company five years ago, Stephanie—an attorney and former Georgia State Representative with no prior business experience—has been on a mission to restore the brand to its former glory. She relishes Stuckey’s history and philosophy of hospitality that welcomed *all* travelers during an era when segregation was the rule. Her inspiring story is that hopeless romantic who puts it all on the line to celebrate what’s good and authentic in the world. Stephanie lives in Atlanta. She loves sweet tea, R.E.M., and the Georgia Bulldogs. Follow Stephanie on Instagram and LinkedIn and getcha some Pecan Log Rolls on the Stuckey’s website. Oh, and buy her book here.
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible Substack newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here. -
Nicole Avant is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas and author of a new memoir, 'Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude’ which tells the story of her extraordinary family and her mother’s tragic death by murder. Her mom, Jacquie was a philanthropist and community activist whose example taught Nicole kindness, respect, and humility. Nicole’s father was Clarence Avant, a highly successful music executive who gathered in their Beverly Hills home a mélange* of the most prominent musicians, producers, actors, and politicians. Indicative of the environment in which she grew up, Nicole’s godfather is legendary producer, Quincy Jones. Speaking of godfathers, Nicole produced a documentary about her dad called 'The Black Godfather,’ which is available on Netflix and is totally amazing. After college, Nicole worked in the music business but got into politics, eventually becoming the Southern California finance co-chair for the 2008 Presidential campaign of Barack Obama who appointed her Ambassador. Nicole’s film about the contributions of Black servicewomen during WWII, 'The Six Triple Eight,’ was directed by Tyler Perry and comes out later this year. Check out The Black Godfather trailer here and learn more about Nicole’s book here. (So you understand the context, the “Ted” to which Nicole refers in this interview is her husband, Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix.)
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
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*I said it - mélange, baby!
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here. -
On this introspective episode of Crazy Money, Paul sits alone in his empty Atlanta house and talks openly about the thoughts and feelings that drew him back to Atlanta, and the head trauma that may or may not have initiated his desire to sell everything and move to New York City.
Oh, by the way, my name is Mike Carano and I’m writing these surely-to-be-deleted episode notes. Paul is occupied with the chaos of moving, but I suspect he’s more likely trying to get to the bottom of the, “which Ray’s Pizza is the REAL Ray’s Pizza.” In between mumbling, “miles to go before I sleep,” he asked if I could handle this writing task. Inspired by he and Stacey’s decision to embrace a big change and wring every drop out of this thing called life, I said uhh, okay.
In this intimate podcast Paul talks about how this move came about, how he, Stacey, and their two kids, kid #1, and kid #2, ended up in Atlanta, and his plan to put the pedal to the metal and maximize opportunity, expand horizons, and have coffee with the dude from TED.
I found this be be genuinely inspiring, and I’ve decided to do the same thing. Only I’m going to Barstow, because I’m broke.
Please enjoy this thoughtful episode.
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About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: Constitution, originalism, living constitutionalism, individual rights, common good, abortion rights, free speech, society, interpretation, democracy, government, people, age and health of the president, executive orders, Supreme Court, Constitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Yes, there was actually a guy named Rudolf Diesel who actually invented the diesel engine, which was incredibly revolutionary for its time. It earned Diesel a massive fortune and had huge implications for how war—especially maritime war in the early 1900’s—would be waged. As European countries scrambled for dominance just prior to WWI, Diesel disappeared, leading to speculation that he was murdered by either Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II or by America’s John D. Rockefeller whose young petroleum empire Diesel's motor threatened. Or maybe Diesel leapt to his own death. Or maybe...something else happened. Author Doug Brunt’s new book 'The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I’ tells the story of this incredible innovator and the impact his machine continues to have on the world. Doug Brunt grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Duke University. A former technology executive turned writer, his previous novels include 'Ghosts of Manhattan’ (which is f-in great!), 'The Means’, and 'Trophy Son'. He lives with his wife, journalist Megyn Kelly, in Connecticut. Check out Doug’s website here. 💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤About Paul Ollinger and Crazy MoneyAfter working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
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Charlie Wheelan is a professor of economics and public policy at Dartmouth College and the author of several books, including Naked Money, Naked Economics, (no nudity in either), and The Centrist Manifesto, all of which we discuss in this episode. The Chicago Sun-Times describes Charlie as someone who “combines a razor-sharp mind with a boatload of charm and impressive expertise in economics and foreign policy,” which might be why his students regularly pick him as one of Dartmouth's 10 best professors. Charlie is also the founder and Co-director of Unite America, a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working together to to put voters first by fostering more representative and functional government. In March, 2009, Charlie ran unsuccessfully for the Congressional seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel who went on to become President Obama’s Chief of Staff. Charlie is a graduate of Dartmouth and holds a Master’s from Princeton and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. In today’s conversation, we talk about:
Why our political process has become so polarized,
Why it’s near impossible to get reasonable candidates elected, and
What each party is either right or wrong about.
Most importantly, Charlie lays out some very practical ideas for how we can restore sanity to our governing bodies.
Check out Charlie’s website here.
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul.
In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals.
Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
This episodes Keywords:
Taxes, tax policy, inequality, infrastructure, Civics government, elections, voting, Dartmouth, federal debt. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Mike Posner is a Grammy-nominated rapper, singer, songwriter, and music producer from Detroit. His Spotify channel has generated over 3 billion plays and his song 'I Took a Pill in Ibiza' reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. Mike "had it all" at a young age and captured his lifestyle in the lyrics of his biggest hit: “A real big baller (who) made a million dollars and...spent it on girls and shoes.” But Mike wanted more—he wanted to live a life of meaning and purpose - to become the person he was supposed to be. As he shares in his recent TED Talk, '5 Lessons on Happiness – from Pop Fame to Poisonous Snakes,’ he began a 3,000 mile on-foot trek across the United States, starting in New Jersey and making it all the way to Colorado where he was waylaid by a rattlesnake bite. After a few weeks of recovery, he set back out on the road, completing his walk with a run into the Pacific Ocean at Venice Beach, CA. In this joyous conversation, Paul and Mike cover:
Mike's journey from pop star to becoming his own person
Mean things people said about him on social media
What he rapped about when he was 8 years old
Mike’s youthful collaboration with Big Sean
The duality of human nature and how we all have good and bad within us
Self-awareness and the importance of compassion
Following one's own path, rather than relying on external validation.
Why we must embrace our mortality, and the reason others want you to forget it
The importance of faith
Check out Mike’s TED Talk: 5 Lessons on Happiness and his Spotify profile.
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Daniel Tosh, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Norm Macdonald, Styx, and Collective Soul.
In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals.
Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here. -
Andrew Yang is a former Presidential and NYC mayoral candidate and the founder of Venture for America. He's also the founder of the Forward Party where he advocates for structural reform to safeguard our democracy. He lays all this out in his new book, ‘Forward,' which we discussed today. We also discuss Andrew's life as a teenager, his obsession with post-punk bands like The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails, why he didn’t do drugs as a teenager, and how his parents felt when he got his ear pierced. More to the point of his political career, we talk about how money is the tail that wags the dog and both the GOP and the Democratic Party. He mentions why we should pay our politicians more, how gerrymandering and primaries forment polarization, and we talk about entitlement reform and universal basic income. Even if you don't agree with all his policy ideas, I think you'll agree that Andrew’s efforts to fix the machine of politics are worthwhile and something we should all think about supporting because the current polarized political system is making everybody freaking miserable. Andrew is the son of immigrants from Taiwan. He attended Philips Exeter, Brown University, and Columbia Law School. This episode oraingally ran in August of 2022.
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Follow Andrew on Twitter. -
Jordan Harbinger is one of the most popular podcasters in North America, but it all started by accident. As a young University of Michigan grad, Jordan decided to go to law school because it was something to do after college and eventually ended up at a Wall Street firm. A multi-linguist, Jordan traveled and met new people all over the world. He eventually started teaching networking to other young adults. The tapes—compact discs, actually—of his presentations became so popular that he decided to upload them to a central server. Thus did he unintentionally become a very early podcaster. Today,"The Jordan Harbinger Show” generates over 10 million downloads per month and features conversations with huge guests like Ray Dialo, Simon Sinek, Mark Cuban, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Tony Hawk, and hundreds more. In this converation, Jordan and I discuss:
What job interviewers are really looking for
The thing he asked Kobe Bryant, just months before the basketball star’s death.
The difference between NY and London law firms
Why he won’t accept gambling ads on his show
The scandals other prominent podcasters have faced recently and what Jordan believes he owes his audience in terms of the ethics of his own behavior.
Learn more about Jordan / listen to the Jordan Harbinger Show here.
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: podcasting, Zoom, languages, law school, career paths, teaching, integrity.
Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Good morrow, chum! My guest this week is A.J. Jacobs, author of the new / amazing book 'The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning’, in which A.J. chronicles his year of living as an 18th Century citizen, including writing letters with quill and ink, carrying a musket around the Upper West Side of Manhattan while wearing colonial garb, and celebrating election days with cake and rum! It’s the latest of his year-long experiments in living for which A.J. is so well known. As his website describes him, "A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help.” He is also the only 3-time Crazy Money guest in history of the world! Huzzah! I’m such a fan of AJ’s becuase he is a true original. He is smart, funny, and just the right amount of kooky. He’s also on a misison to make the world smarter, more aware, and more grateful. So that’s cool. He lives in New York City, very near where Paul's family will soon be living. In this fabulous conversation, Paul and A.J. discuss:
Originalism v. Living Constitutionalists
The way the Constitution is like a Rorschach test
How elections used to be parties with beer and cake
The balance between individual rights and the common good
What are rights? And who decides which rights to prioritize?
The disproportionate power of the Executive Branch
HEY - want to help Paul grow this great podcast? DO THESE THINGS:
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About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: Constitution, originalism, living constitutionalism, individual rights, common good, abortion rights, free speech, society, interpretation, democracy, government, people, age and health of the president, executive orders, Supreme Court, Constitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
‘Radical Candor’ author Kim Scott once had to inform a colleague that they smelled bad….like, really bad. She was able to do so becuase she had created on her team a culture or radical candor. No, this doesn’t mean you can just walk up to colleagues and say, “you stink!” or “nice shirt, bozo!” On the contrary, radical candor is a culture where authentic personal caring co-exists with direct challenges. Lacking this combination, workplace communication falls into one of three meaningfully-less desirable buckets: 1. Obnoxious Aggression, 2. Ruinous Empathy, and 3. Manipulative Insincerity. In this conversation, Kim explains how radical candor can generate respect, collaboration, better relationships, and improved performance. Kim also addresses the challenges of perfectionism and the application of radical candor in marriages and parenting. She emphasizes the need for open communication, soliciting feedback, and expressing appreciation. See - that’s what you should be doing with your teenagers - expressing appreciation…before you tell them to put on deodorant! :-)
Kim also discusses:
What Sheryl Sandberg taught her about radical candor
The way culture affects communication styles
Whether you can bring your whole self to work in an increasingly politicized world.
Whether Google’s Gemini AI debacle would be less likely to happen in an environment of radical candor
Listen to the Radical Candor Podcast here and BUY Kim’s new book, 'Radical Respect' here.
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About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: radical candor, radical respect, workplace communication, feedback, culture, collaboration, respect, individuality, radical candor, radical respect, workplace culture, feedback, hierarchy, perfectionism, marriages, parenting. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Debbi Fields founded Mrs. Fields cookies brand when she was in her early 20s and built the company into a well-known global brand. Wade Shealy got his start selling Bibles door-to-door then went on to develop and sell > $3 billion in resort real estate over the next few decades, including Hampton Island, GA whose residents include Ben Affleck / Jennifer Lopez and Robert / Lydia Monday. He is now CEO of Third Home, a vacation home sharing platform that empowers its members to see the world. In this week’s epiosde, these two wildly accomplished humans share lessons about entrepreneurship, friendship, and raising stable kids in an atmosphere of affluence. Debbi tells the story of how she went from Oakland A’s ball girl to cookie kingpin and her commitment to quality over cost control. She also tells us how she kept a positive attitude when circumstances compelled her to give up control of the company. Wade emphasizes the importance of motivation, positive attitude, and controlling one's thoughts in achieving success. Both discuss their commitment to friendship. Learn more about ThirdHome here.
💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
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🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤
About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: entrepreneurship, customer experience, real estate, motivation, positive attitude, friendships, family, friendship. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Rabbi Steve Leder is the Senior Rabbi at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a very large and influential congregation in Los Angeles. He is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, including 'For You When I Am Gone’ and 'The Beauty of What Remains,’ both of which pertain to death and dying. I had planned on speaking with Steve primarily about death for an hour, but our conversation covered everything from regret to forgiveness to the life of a rabbi. He shares lessons about fund-raising, his thoughts about whether Scripture is based on fact or truth, and the conflict of conscience he experienced when counseling a temple member who had ALS about her assisted suicide. Finally, Rabbi Leder speaks frankly about what Israel means to him and the tragic complexity of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Follow Rabbi Leder on Instagram here.
• 💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
• 🔥Register for Paul’s thought-provoking newsletter here.🔥
About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers: regret, joy, sadness, forgiveness, fundraising, preaching, teaching, relationships, advice, conscience, ALS, end-of-life decisions, euthanasia, Jewish law, compassion, Israel, Middle East, Gaza, Hamas. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. -
Robin Sharma is a leadership expert, coach and author whose books have sold tens of millions of copies around the world. The author of The 5AM Club, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, The Everyday Hero Manifesto, and Who Will Cry When You Die?, Robin has a new book out called The Wealth Money Can’t Buy in which he examines the ways we can all develop happiness with and beyond financial wealth. In this conversation, Robin shares with me insights from the book, specifically:
The danger of focusing solely on money
How to find joy in your craft
What his work with billionaires has taught him about money and life
Why and how he started writing
Whether he believes in God
Where the word “coach” comes from
The benefits of mastery
And, the 8 forms of wealth: wellness, family, craft, money, community, adventure, service.
Learn more about Robin and his new book on his website.
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About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, mid-life crisis, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you.
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Takeaways
Find joy and fulfillment in your craft, no matter what you do
Don't focus solely on financial wealth; pursue all eight forms of wealth: growth, wellness, family, craft, money, community, adventure, and service
In difficult times, practice meditation, visualization, and prayer (MVP) to build resilience
Stay in the pain and learn from it; it can lead to personal growth and wisdom
Lead with kindness and generosity, and give gifts to others without expecting anything in return -
Sharon McMahon is living her purpose. Via her wildly popular Instagram account @SharonSaysSo, she is fighting political misinformation and guiding her audience through “the fascinating world of democracy, politics, and history.” In the process, she is proving that Americans—and other good people around the globe—are hungry for unbiased political context and analysis. "With a heart for education and a mission to clear up political confusion,” Sharon has become known as America’s Government Teacher. And she’s such a clear and compelling teacher that over a million people subscribe to see her reels and stories that offer in-depth and unbiased background to the most important politics issues of the day. Sharon leverages her passion for history and government to promote knowledge, understanding, and TRUTH. Her work is strengthening democracy during a time when it is most urgently need. For that, Crazy Money salutes her! In today’s episode, Paul and Sharon discuss:
The increasing politicization of the American classroom and the importance of critical thinking
The broken two-party system and electoral college
A purely hypothetical 2024 election between butter and olive oil, and the pros and cons of voting for a 3rd Party Candidate, I Can’t Believe It’s Not President
What it was like to interview the VPOTUS, Kamala Harris
Sharons' book, 'The Small and the Mighty,' which explores the stories of unsung Americans who changed the course of history.
Learn more about Sharon’s book and podcast here. -
Gary Stevenson grew up in tough, working class East London. Despite setbacks in high school (having to do with the distribution of illicit substances), his gift for mathematics landed him a spot at London School of Economics (alma mater of Mick Jagger, Margaret Thatcher, and George Soros) where he attended with the sons and daughters of the global elite. His skill at a card game won him a job on Citibank’s trading desk and he went on to earn multi-million dollar—er, pound sterling—bonuses in his early 20s. Gary eventually become Citi’s top trader but the game started to take a physical toll on him. The stress, pressure, and moral conflict of betting against poor people—at least that’s how he saw it—led him to leave trading and begin to address growing income inequality around the globe. In this fast-paced and insight-rich conversation, Gary and Paul discuss:
Gary's new memoir, The Trading Game: A Confession.
The risks of trading currency
How he felt when he got his first bonus of $750,000
Bias against working-class people
Why he knew it was time to quit the industry
The positive role of short-sellers in a market
His YouTube challenge, Gary’s Economics
Hot to tax billionaires more
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Dr. Ramani Durvasula is a clinical psychologist and author of the New York Times best-seller It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People. In this insight-rich conversation, Dr. Ramani explains the traits and behaviors of narcissistic individuals, how they hijack our well-being, and the motivations behind their attention-seeking behavior. She also relieves Paul of the sneaking suspicion that he might be a narcissist. Other topics include:
Gender and narcissism (ladies is narcissists too!)
The continuum and different types of narcissism, including: grandiose, malignant, neglectful and also self-righteous narcissism (Paul’s favorite!)
How social media has amplified narcissistic behaviors and their impact on society.
Gaslighting and other tools narcissists use to sow self-doubt.
Which cities has more narcissists, Los Angeles or Washington D.C.?
The Different roles that evolve in narcissistic family systems (the golden child, scapegoat, fixer, peacekeeper, invisible child, and truth seer)
The correlation between ADHD and narcissism
The process of healing from narcissistic abuse and moving towards a thriving life.
Learn More About Dr. Ramani Here:
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