John Mackey: From LSD trip to The Whole Story
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Release Date: 05/21/2024
Ravin Jesuthasan: AI And Your Job
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal comes across a survey that indicates that six out of every 10 workers will require AI training before 2027. And that only half of those workers may have access to the necessary training opportunities. Which leads him to seek out global thought leader Ravin Jesuthasan to get a gauge on the future of the workplace. Increased productivity? Certainly. Human fears of losing jobs? Of course. But the author of The Skills-Powered Organization takes Cal and the conversation much deeper. Listen up. It’s important.
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Sabaa Quao: The Power of 1 Minute
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Some of Cal’s favorite conversations have come after a friend of his has started a sentence with these four words: “You’ve got to meet . . .” The trust behind an introduction like that always leads to special moments. And this week’s episode is no exception. Cal’s friend Monique Mardinian set up a meeting with Sabaa Quao, the Chief Creative Officer at Cossette, Canada’s largest marketing and communications company. Sabaa has also co-founded Filminute, the festival known around the world for being limited to films that are only 60 seconds long. This conversation shows the power in...
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Michael Wright: Surviving 9/11
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal replays one of the most amazing conversations he’s ever had -- with a man who was in the bathroom on the 81 st Floor of the World Trade Center before starting work on the morning of 9/11/2001 when the hijacked plane hit. Michael Wright, a 30-year-old account executive at the time, got down to the ground only to look up and see the other tower falling on his head. Cal listens to the story every year to never forget the day and to focus on the power of resilience. But also for another reason this year – to remember how connected the United States was right after 9/11. The most connected...
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The US Open: A Player To Root For
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal continues a summer of storytelling by passing on one about a player you might like to root for in this year’s U.S. Open. The backstory of Taylor Townsend shows us how there are winds in life that hold us back and winds that push us forward. And the value of perseverance in between.
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Creating A Life Of Deep Connections
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal gets an unexpected e-mail asking about the feeling behind making a deep connection. It compels him to think back through a career of experiences with Muhammad Ali and Mikhael Gorbachev, bonds with people who took him in when he traveled around the world, friendships, and even ties with people who connected with his words and voice without ever having met him. But now, in a digital world where people can get a thousand likes while having no real friends, he finds great purpose giving workshops that connect others so they can get the most out of one another.
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NFL Rule Change Will Do You Good
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
The change in the opening kickoff of National Football League games may seem inconsequential when compared to other developments in the world. As Cal wonders about the emotion and spirit that will be lost from the game, he realizes that the way he’s reacting to the new rule is a metaphor for the way many of us see change. It’s worth thinking about for a moment at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming the biggest change humanity has ever seen.
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Santana’s Michael Shrieve: Acid to AI
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
The Hall of Fame drummer looks back at the band’s iconic performance at Woodstock in 1969 when Carlos Santana dropped some LSD shortly before being summoned to go on stage. Michael had ingested mescaline. Carlos believed his guitar turned into a snake during the rendition of Soul Sacrifice and at the same time Michael was transported to heaven. Video that captured the group’s dynamic is a living testament to human connection with music. It also makes us consider the place of the latest landmark in music: artificial intelligence.
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The Tie That Binds
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal finds out lots of things he never knew about someone he thought he knew . . . at that person’s funeral. It got him to think about how well we know each other, and how well we connect . . . which sparked him to figure out a way that will enable you to connect better. This short podcast could change your life.
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The Olympics And The Great Race
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal looks at the word inclusion through the controversy at the Olympics opening ceremony last week. And what a diverse message really looks like through the most exciting race he ever saw – one that was won by three hundredths of a second at the Olympics more than 50 years ago. The lessons in those two experiences give us all something to think about.
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Election Of The Ages
Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Cal describes how listener reaction to last week’s podcast about the attempted assassination on Donald Trump influenced his decision to speak out on Big Questions and tell the world what he’s learned through his meetings with the people who’ve shaped the last 75 years of world history. The timing of his recording of this week’s message on the upcoming election is an eerie confirmation that it’s the right way to go.
info_outlineCal talks with the co-founder and former CEO of Whole Foods about the journey he took from shirtless 22-year-old hippie hitchhiking in Austin on acid to creating and running the health food empire. And what a wild trip it’s been – as evidenced in his new book: The Whole Story, Adventures in Love, Life and Capitalism. Plenty of takeaways for all of us in this conversation – especially on artificial intelligence.