Big Questions with Cal Fussman
As a bestselling author, speaker and one of the greatest interviewers of this generation, Cal Fussman has sat down with some of the world’s most influential individuals: Muhammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Serena Williams, Jeff Bezos, Jack Welch, John Wooden, Al Pacino and hundreds of others, digging deep into their hearts and delivering their wisdom to the rest of the world. Now, in Big Questions, Cal continues his journey. Uncovering the heart, head, and soul of his guests in thoughtful, deep and entertaining conversations.
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Simon Severino: How To Sell
04/30/2024
Simon Severino: How To Sell
When Cal was young, he was educated as a journalist not to sell. He was taught to interview and write and stay on the editorial side of the wall that separated the two sides of publishing. The selling was to be done on the other side of the wall by the sales department. Cal lived by the rules and could never see himself as a salesman even as the internet appeared, the rules began to change and the wall came down. Now, after all these years, he learns from a celebrated sales consultant that sales doesn’t have to be about selling. It can be about helping the customer buy. Cal can feel comfortable doing just that – and just in time. Could it be for you, too?
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Steve Dennis: Leaders Leap, And So Must You
04/23/2024
Steve Dennis: Leaders Leap, And So Must You
The world has never moved faster than it’s about to with the emergence of AI. What does this mean for all of us? So many businesses in the past didn’t jump into the future because they wanted to protect the present – and suffered for it. Many have gone out of business. Cal speaks with the author of Leaders Leap for advice on how we all should be thinking about our place in the working world. This is no time to be “sleepwalking through the revolution.” Check it out.
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Esco Eats: What A Mistake Can Do For You!
04/16/2024
Esco Eats: What A Mistake Can Do For You!
Cal learns about the creation of Esco’s World Famous Apple Cobbler Pie through a story that showcases how we can all get the most out of our errors. Esco’s backstory is a treasure trove of wisdom for any entrepreneur, and an inspiration for anyone with an impactful idea. Listen up, and you’ll soon be getting the most out of your own mistakes. And perhaps having a good time at Esco’s upcoming Virtual Wine and Pie Party.
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Eric Potterat: Your Learned Excellence Coach
04/09/2024
Eric Potterat: Your Learned Excellence Coach
Cal talks with a man who has worked to bring the best out of Navy Seals, neurosurgeons, Los Angeles Dodgers, U.S. Women’s Soccer Team players and Cirque du Soleil acrobats. This conversation gave Cal insights on how to get the most out of himself going forward. Listen up, and it will bring the best out of you.
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Alan Stein Jr.: Kobe, Steph Curry And Success Simplified
04/02/2024
Alan Stein Jr.: Kobe, Steph Curry And Success Simplified
Cal talks with a coach who has turned his love for basketball into guidance for all of us in our work and personal lives. After learning from, and coaching many NBA greats, Alan has concluded that sustained growth comes down to five factors: self-awareness passion, discipline, coachability and confidence. This boils down to staying curious about ourselves and our surroundings, and never getting bored with the fundamentals. Alan speaks to the world about it because we can never be reminded enough.
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Chester Elton: Improve Your Work Connections
03/26/2024
Chester Elton: Improve Your Work Connections
Cal sits down with Chester at a long table of Chief Human Resource Officers to explore the power of bonding at work. The author of Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results highlights a fascinating observation. That fire stations where firefighters dine together tend to outperform their counterparts who do not, showcasing the significant impact of social bonds on teamwork and efficiency. Cal also mentions a serendipitous moment at the dinner, solving a puzzle that had baffled him for years. This conversation serves as a tribute to the value of breaking bread together, underlining how a shared table can foster connection and spark revelations. Tune in and toast teamwork.
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Guy Kawasaki: Discipline Will Set You Free
03/19/2024
Guy Kawasaki: Discipline Will Set You Free
While speaking at a TEDx event in Sonoma, Cal meets the former Apple evangelist (and current Canva evangelist) and they immediately hit it off. Guy comes on Big Questions to talk about his latest book, Think Remarkable, 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference. He shows Cal a new way to infuse discipline into his writing and life, as well as offering an intriguing look at Steve Jobs. You’ll feel like you have a seat at the table. Enjoy.
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Breakfast with Jeremy Ryan Slate
03/12/2024
Breakfast with Jeremy Ryan Slate
As Cal speaks with the leading podcaster and marketer, he channels the 12 years that he had breakfast with CNN broadcast icon Larry King almost every day. It was a time when guests would drop in on the regulars and share their areas of expertise. In this case, Jeremy reveals his knowledge of Roman history. And the question becomes: Are there any parallels between Roman times and what we are seeing now in American politics? It’s proof that we can have civilized political conversations even when we disagree, and look forward to the next breakfast.
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Spartan’s Joe DeSena: Your Resilience Coach
03/05/2024
Spartan’s Joe DeSena: Your Resilience Coach
How can I guy who built an obstacle racing empire ever give up? That was the question when Spartan hovered near bankruptcy when its events were cancelled during the pandemic. Joe and Spartan trudged forward and last year Spartan rallied with a profit. After all the money borrowed during Covid, Joe says it seems like the profit is like giving a starving elephant a Tic-Tac. But the races go on, and Joe moves on his goal of making 100 million Americans healthy.
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Shane Balkowitsch: Protect Your Digital Photos
02/27/2024
Shane Balkowitsch: Protect Your Digital Photos
A series of connections leads Cal to a conversation with a master of wet plate photography – created around 1850. But the talk about photos that can last a thousand years leads to a very surprising place: that all of the photos on your iPhone or mobile device will disappear over the next 50 years unless you print them out and protect them. Listen up, and spread the word.
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Kevin Surace: 2050 & The End Of Work
02/20/2024
Kevin Surace: 2050 & The End Of Work
Cal speaks with the man who is the father of the virtual assistant and who predicted ten years ago that most work would be automated and out of human’s hands. Now, he is even more convinced this will be the case, and makes the case that it’s necessary for all of us. What this may mean for mankind doesn’t seem to matter. It’s all in the math. Everyone ought to listen to this.
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A Valentine’s Day Lesson
02/13/2024
A Valentine’s Day Lesson
Not many Valentine Day stories start with a line like: “When he first came out of prison . . .” This conversation brings you the full rollercoaster ride of James Arthur Ray – a personal development leader who established a huge following after appearing on Oprah nearly 20 years ago. As his popularity peaked, the fire in a sweat lodge at one of his retreats got too hot and three people perished. Obviously, Ray did not want this to happen, but he was charged with negligence and jailed for two years. He came out in tatters and $20 million in debt . . . and then he met the love of his life. The story cannot be told without offering condolences to the families of the victims. But for one couple, it is a Happy Valentine’s Day . . .
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Tom Kemp: Your Privacy Coach
02/06/2024
Tom Kemp: Your Privacy Coach
Cal has been told that privacy disappeared more than twenty years ago with the emergence of the internet. But the emergence of artificial intelligence is only going to exacerbate the problem. Kemp’s book: Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy and Democracy is filled with tools that anybody can use to safeguard their privacy. This conversation will make you feel safer.
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Andre Martin: Finding The Right Job Fit
01/30/2024
Andre Martin: Finding The Right Job Fit
Cal has an impactful talk with the author of the book: Wrong Fit, Right Fit: Why How We Work Matters More Than Ever. Martin points out a Gallup study that reveals an $8.8 TRILLION loss in productivity due to employee disengagement on the job. It’s a problem that Cal senses can be partially solved through better job interviewing by both companies and candidates. After interviewing the icons who’ve shaped the last 75 years of world history, Cal is inspired to teach his Heart, Head & Soul interviewing techniques to find right fits and improve lives. Anyone interested in learning Cal’s approach can reach out to him at calfussman.com. The best is yet to come.
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Peter McGraw: Benefits of Going Solo
01/23/2024
Peter McGraw: Benefits of Going Solo
Cal became very curious after reading that women in Japan were staging elaborate wedding ceremonies to marry themselves. Cal also heard projections that 1 out of 4 millennials in America will not marry. There is a societal shift going on. Behavioral psychologist Peter McGraw (and host of the podcast Solo) explains it all in a way that will make you see the world differently.
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Boris Eldegsan: Fake Images & Your Future
01/16/2024
Boris Eldegsan: Fake Images & Your Future
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.
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Joe Chura: Sensing Your Next Business Coach
01/09/2024
Joe Chura: Sensing Your Next Business Coach
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!
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Happy New Year Ayahuasca!
01/02/2024
Happy New Year Ayahuasca!
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!
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Best Takeaways of 2023
12/26/2023
Best Takeaways of 2023
Cal looks back on a year of conversations to highlight nuggets of wisdom, along with the advice that is changing his life. This episode could change yours, as well. So enjoy! Much health and happiness in the New Year. The Best Is Yet To Come!
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Dan Donachie: Your Awareness Coach
12/19/2023
Dan Donachie: Your Awareness Coach
Ever wonder how much more you could get out of life if you were more aware of everything going on around you? Cal has. Which led him to Dan Donachie. Dan brings the most out of world class athletes and people across a variety of fields through meditation and awareness. And he’ll get the most out of your sense of awareness if you follow the meditative suggestions he gives Cal. Want to be amazed what you can find out about yourself? It all starts at the tip of your nose.
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Your Crazy Life To $2 Million-A-Month Coach
12/12/2023
Your Crazy Life To $2 Million-A-Month Coach
This is one of the wildest episodes you’re ever going to hear. Goose McGrath has gone from breaking his spine as an adolescent in a motorbike accident to becoming addicted to morphine after it was overprescribed, then going cold turkey, to losing everything he had, to traveling with abandon around the world, to alcohol and drug abuse and waking up homeless on a floor with $50 to his name, to finding the love of his life and founding Dashdot, a real estate investment company that brings in more than $2 million a month. Goose is living proof that if you struggle, you can go far. Enjoy the rollercoaster ride!
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Delta’s Alicia Tillman: How To Approach Your Job
12/05/2023
Delta’s Alicia Tillman: How To Approach Your Job
Cal’s conversation with the Chief Marketing Officer of Delta looks at how she came to be named one of the most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes. A glance at her career trajectory shows how to get the most out of where you are, what you’re doing and lifting those around you.
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Chris Ullman: Your 80-20 Rule For Success
11/28/2023
Chris Ullman: Your 80-20 Rule For Success
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!
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Your Thanksgiving Table Coaches
11/21/2023
Your Thanksgiving Table Coaches
Quite a few people have recently told Cal how the Thanksgiving table has somehow changed since we were locked in by the pandemic. But air travel has returned to a high level during this holiday season. Cal’s conversation with Avery and Brian Baker reveals that the table has always been transforming over time. People who shape the holiday for decades pass on, leaving empty seats at the table. But Brian and Avery have learned how to fill them and continue to make the most out of Cal’s favorite day of the year. Pass the mashed potatoes and have a great holiday!
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Merrick Furst: Your Innovation Coach
11/14/2023
Merrick Furst: Your Innovation Coach
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.
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Michael Gervais: Your Mastery Coach
11/07/2023
Michael Gervais: Your Mastery Coach
Cal’s old pal has written a new book: The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worry About What People Think of You. And he shows Cal how to stop wasting time doing just that. But that’s not all. The psychologist for Super Bowl and Olympic champions tells Cal to triple down on visualizing a successful future, and teaches him exercises to achieve what he visualizes. Great anecdotes on self-awareness, clarity and conviction. A treasure trove of advice.
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Crew: The Power Of Authentic Connections
10/31/2023
Crew: The Power Of Authentic Connections
There were many company leaders tasked with holding together the people who worked for them during the pandemic. But who was there to support them? There’s a lot of loneliness at the top. Cal talks with the son and father combo, Adam and Andy McGraw, about the company they started to help executives from different companies support each other through authentic connection. The company is called Crew, and it completely aligns with Cal’s mission to bring people together through the right questions, focused listening and great storytelling. This episode also showcases the benefits of connecting with someone a generation older or younger for transformational growth.
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Jordan Shlain: Set Your Mind In The Future
10/24/2023
Jordan Shlain: Set Your Mind In The Future
When Cal finds himself dwelling on the past in a world filled with conflicts, he gets an unexpected phone call and advice from his friend, Dr. Shlain: Reduce the past to its essence, keep your feet in the present moment and put your mind 90 percent in the future – all at the same time. No need for psychedelics, here. It’s as simple as: If you can see far, you can think far. This mind-bending tactic is designed to allow anybody to move forward and get the clearest thinking of their lives. Give it a try!
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10/7 And The Days We Never Forget
10/17/2023
10/7 And The Days We Never Forget
The Hamas attack on Israel was like nothing anyone in that country had ever seen and it took the world to a new and very tense place. Cal was set to talk with the comedian Paul Ollinger as news of the barbarity of the attack broke, and their conversation veered toward the few days in history that are never forgotten -- and the unexpected ways they can impact us going forward.
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How Does ChatGPT Describe YOU?
10/10/2023
How Does ChatGPT Describe YOU?
Philip Shucet, a Big Questions listener, took the equivalent of a selfie on ChatGPT when he asked the artificial intelligence model to tell him who he is. ChatGPT offered a very different description of Philip Shucet than he would of himself – even though Philip is apparently the only one in the world by that name. Philip tried to correct the errant information produced by ChatGPT, -- which didn’t do much good, and only frustrated him further. We’re at an early stage of AI, and ChatGPT is sure to improve. But this episode leads to the question: Have you checked out how ChatGPT describes you to the world?
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