The James Altucher Show

If you slept on the floor last night, you're off to a great start. Ryan Holiday started on the floor. I guess that's where we all start. The difference is we want to stand on the floor, not sleep on it. But maybe you should stop thinking that way. Maybe you should sleep on the floor. Ryan Holiday didn't even sleep on his own floor. He slept on someone else's floor. Even better, it was his boss's floor. Maybe give that a try tonight. Sleep on your boss's floor. That's how you choose for yourself. Work with people whose floor you want to sleep on. Ryan went from the floor to director of marketing of American Apparel. Now he runs his own creative consulting firm. He landed five clients on the New York Times bestseller list in one week. I'm one of Ryan's clients. He does great work. That's why I interviewed him a second time. Tucker Max and Tim Ferris are his clients, too. And because no one is born a New York Times bestselling author (or maybe they are, I don't know), listen to Ryan's tips for aspiring authors.

Rich Roll was having a heart attack on his staircase. He was fat. He hated his work. He was unhappy. A few years later, he ran, swam, and biked 703 miles in seven days when he was 45 years old. When he was 40, he had a job he hated, but he was still trying to live the American dream: the two cars, the beautiful family, the partnership at a law firm. "I thought I was having a heart attack on the staircase," he said. "I was 50 pounds overweight. I was working 80 hours a week. I wasn't happy. I was going to die." That moment on the staircase was one of three or four turning points in Rich Roll's life that forced him to say: "I have a small window to change for the better." And then he did it. But what's interesting to me is that Rich Roll is an addict. I'm an addict. Many people I know are addicts. Many addictions are bad for you. When I was younger, I was addicted to just about everything that could possibly be harmful to me. Rich Roll, when he was 31 years old and a high-priced lawyer, had to check himself int

Jon Acuff, the author of five books, writes from the trenches. Today he talks with James about a few of the self-sabotage practices he used to follow. Jon also talks about the fear he had of creating an email list, instead using Twitter to make believe he was communicating with his readers, and his fear of self-promoting his books while not wanting to be one of those "extreme self-promoters." Jon wrote his first book while working at AutoTrader.com, doing interviews from his car during lunch and giving talks on weekends when he could slip away. He'd get up early before work to write his blog, and he'd read everything he could find about becoming a better writer. James and Jon also talk about the negative feedback you will get when you put yourself out there, and that no one is really trying to eat you (you'll have to listen here to understand). Jon spent a few years working with Dave Ramsey and his organization, and wrote his best seller, Do Over,after he left. He knew he needed to find his dream job and that

Dan Buettner ruined James' life, and in today's podcast, you'll find out why. Today, they talk about The Blue Zones, Dan's new book. It's a fascinating topic completed in conjunction with a 10-year project with National Geographic. It's not about just making it to 100; it's all about being healthy and active at 100, still enjoying life, and contributing. As Dan says, "they are repositories of wisdom and human experience, and that's an asset that is frequently diminished in our society and really celebrated in Blue Zones." If you want to live to 100, you should really learn the lessons of those who have lived to that age. Is it biology? Is it the environment, diet, attitude, or something else, or is it a combination of all of the above? "A long, healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits. If you adopt the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are you may live up to a decade longer. "The recipe for longevity, Buettner has found, is deeply intertwined with communit

What an interview... This one will go down in the archives as one of our best. Nick Megalis is a true artist in every sense of the word And he moves to the beat of his own crazy drum. Today Nick allows James to ask him anything. He's willing to tell us why his work is so important to him. It's a very funny interview but it goes deep. Nick says he's extremely fortunate that people like what he does and that Vine came along when it did. His Vine loops have been played more than 500 million times and he has made about a "trillion dollars" because of them (you'll have to listen to get the joke). When James asks him about his fans, he gets serious. He believes that anyone who watches his videos deserves a personal reply. And while he can't reply to all of them, he tries to every day. James asks him what's next... he lets us in on what's new and exciting and just may be the next big thing. Listen here. Regards, David Newman Senior Producer of Stansberry Radio   P.S. Hi, James here... My new book is finally out! It

We sent you Part 1 of this amazing interview with Mark Ford on Tuesday and today we're releasing Part 2. If you've not listened to Part 1 click here to start there. Make sure you go to markfordbook.com and learn how you can claim your free copy of Mark's book, Living Rich: How to Live as Well as a Billionaire on a Middle-Class Budget. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I wri

Today, we have a very special show for you. I recently hopped on a plane and headed to Palm Beach, Florida, where I recorded this two-part show from this gentleman's waterfront mansion. The man is a true legend in the field of entrepreneurship and investing, having started more than 100 companies, most of which have been successful. My guest today is New York Times best-selling author Mark Ford. You might recognize Mark by his pen name, "Michael Masterson," but I also wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of him. Unlike other business and financial "gurus," Mark is intensely private and has deliberately kept a low profile over the past 30 years. He has been a silent force behind the careers and ideas of many of the smartest people in investing and entrepreneurship. Mark's accomplishments are as impressive as they are varied: he has built more than 100 businesses... amassed a fortune in the high eight-figure range... climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, speaks four languages... is a best-selling author of nearly 2

As James and Moisés dive into this conversation, they talk about a shift in power from West to East and North to South, from presidential palaces to public squares, from corporate giants like Microsoft to Google, to today's unknown startups. In The End of Power, Moisés argues that power is not merely shifting and dispersing, it is also decaying. Those in power today are consistently at risk of losing it faster and easier than ever before. Populations are shifting to cities... This is the youngest population in the history of the earth and more people than ever have joined the middle class. Because of this, Moisés explains to James today what he calls the three revolutions that we are currently going through. The More, the Mentality, and the Mobility. When you listen to today's podcast, you'll understand why Mark Zuckerberg chose this as his first book on his new project to read one book a week in 2015. Regards, David Newman Senior Producer of Stansberry Radio   P.S. Hi, James here... My new book is finally ou

We all have what Eker calls your "money blueprint." You've been taught to think the thoughts you think. If you were taught bad habits, then you may be programmed to continue to follow with bad habits throughout your life. And when you realize this, you can make a profound change in your life. From a very early age, Eker wanted nothing more than to become a millionaire. He tried so many different businesses to try to get there. Every one of them failed. What he eventually realized was that he had to focus on what he loved. He borrowed $2,000 on his credit card and started one of the first retail fitness stores. His vision wasn't one store; it was a chain of stores. "Create a model, systemize it, and then duplicate it." He finally found success and sold this business to a much larger company. But as fate often has it, the skill set that he had to grow the business was not the same skill set he needed to manage his millions. He realized he still needed to grow. There was something missing. So the research began

Note: I want to apologize up front for the sound quality on this episode. We tried everything we could to get it as clear as possible but we thought this interview was so good we didn't want to discard it. Thanks in advance for struggling though - I promise it will be worth it. Dave McClure has taken a slightly different path towards the funding of startups. He gets in early in a lot of company's and expects about a third to fail. He didn't start investing as a venture capitalist until a little later in life and wasn't sure if he was already too old. Dave's story runs through some of Silicon Valley's best companies Facebook, PayPal, Mint.com, Simply Hired and others. So how did he deal with the fact that many of the people he worked side by side with wound up becoming billionaires? By being so well connected and knowing so many people opens the door to a lot of opportunities but that doesn't always mean your smart enough to pick the right ones.  Dave tells James the story of how he passed on being one of the

Brian Koppelman joins James again today to answer all those questions that James was kicking himself for not asking during their first interview back in November. Writing the super hit, Solitary Man, was a challenge different than any other Brian had yet taken on. And he tells James that he "got stuck." Fear would set in; he would see his limitations and get sidetracked. Up until that time, Brian had been able to lean on his creative partner, David Levien, to help him find the way to power through the moment after his initial creativity wore off. But when he was writing Solitary Man and showed it to Dave, he told him that it was clear Brian had to write this one himself. He had the character right, he had the voice right, and he had the tone down. This was really the first time Brian had to complete a major work himself. Growing up with ADHD made this a real challenge for Brian. Dave had always been there in the past to push them through, but not this time. So to help him move past his fears, Brian decided to

Gretchen Rubin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project. After reading her book and applying some of her practical ideas, James was hooked. For example, he discovered that after six seconds of continuous hugging, the body releases oxytocin - the feel-good juice. He decided to try this on Claudia the other day during a little argument they were having, and it totally worked. The Happiness Project was born out of a realization that disregarding happiness can lead to a lack of appreciation for life. Gretchen dedicated an entire year to being happy and she talks with James about how the results of that decision have completely changed her life One of the ways Gretchen and James are similar is that they both like to make lists. For him, it was about becoming an idea machine - by coming up with 10 new  ideas every day and for Gretchen, is was about finding happiness by figuring what made her happy and unhappy. Start your own happiness project right now by making a list from these two questi

Performance coach and bestselling author of Live It, Jairek Robbins, talks about his journey in the life coaching business and how he and James met through an ongoing competition on Amazon.   Jairek reveals how his father, Tony Robbins (Tony Robbins podcast), encouraged him to find his life calling through a simple process of learning, living, and giving. He explains how his father's one rule about money gave him the opportunity of a life time.   Jairek now owns and operates his own performance coaching firm (jairekrobbins.com) where he thrives on helping clients reach their full potential. He believes so deeply in the message ofLive It that he waited 10 years to publish the book so that he could first live out the principles of the text.   This episode is full of great tips and practical examples that explain why performance coaching is a hot topic in today's culture. Find out how a good life coach can identify small changes that yield big results.   In this episode:   Alkalizing your body Five questions tha

Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its executive editor from its inception until 1999. He is also editor and publisher of the Cool Tools website, which gets half a million unique visitors per month. From 1984-1990, Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a journal of unorthodox technical news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers' Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. He authored the best-selling New Rules for the New Economy and the classic book on decentralized emergent systems, Out of Control. Kevin dropped out of college to pursue his real interests, and they are varied. James and Kevin talk about Kevin's idea that "if you have 1000 True Fans then you have a business." This is a wide-ranging conversation about the past, the present, and the future. Kevin's extremely bullish on the future of artificial intelligence, yet he says there is no extinct technology... none. And

A.J. Jacobs is creating the world's largest family reunion. You may remember A.J. from his first interview on The James Altucher Show a year ago. If you know A.J., you'll know why this is the one event you don't want to miss. He's a master at creating a huge media splash. The Global Family Reunion is set for June 6, 2015 at The New York Hall of Science, on the grounds of the World's Fair. James is a featured speaker along with George H.W. Bush, Dr. Oz, and too many others to list here... plus Morgan Spurlock ("Supersize Me") will be creating a featured documentary of the entire event. James and A.J. talk today about world peace and why when someone is part of your family, you tend to be much more tolerant of them. "Delusional opportunism is a wonderful thing and sometimes it pays off." A.J. is a master at marketing and he tells James some of the hacks he's using to get the word out. This entire experiment will eventually become a book. They talk about their personal writing styles and techniques. AJ says that

Peter Diamandis, CEO of the XPRIZE and co-chairman of Planetary Resources and Steven Kotler, the cofounder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project aswell as being author of "The Rise of Superman," a New York Times bestseller, and previous guest on The James Altucher Show, came together to co-write Bold, about building companies using exponentially growing technologies like 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and synthetic engineering. They join James today to talk about the prevalent doom-and-gloom media that saturates us with negative news over and over again. Peter says he believes that people need an alternative and hear the good news. They go through the six D's outlined in the book: Digitalization, Disruption, Deception, Demonetization, Dematerialization, and Democratization Peter says, "Bold was written as the roadmap for entrepreneurs to get us to this abundant future with the realization that the world's biggest problems are the biggest business opportunities."   It's a great story... -

Andy Weir followed his dream. Ever since he was a small boy he wanted to be a writer, but it took him a long time to find success. His first short story, The Egg brought him a bit of notoriety. This thousand-word story got passed around on blog sites and people began to follow him. The Martian, Andy's new hit book was first published as a serial, one chapter at a time on his website. He had just a only few thousand readers.  He eventually self published this as a book and it sold about 35,000 copies on Amazon. Suddenly Random House came calling with a big pile of money. They talk about his daily writing habits and the books and authors Andy is a fan of and James digs in a bit to find out what's next. He tells James that he's still afraid of being a one hit wonder. James asks him what advice he would give to aspiring writers 1.Write.  It's easy to daydream about your story but you have to sit down and write. 2.Resist the urge to tell your story to your friends and family 3.This is the best time in history

ames and Claudia talk with Ari Whitten, author of the book The Low Carb Myth,to talk aboutwhy people get fat and get unhealthy. Do carbohydrates make you fat? His conclusions are surprising. He disagrees strongly that we get fat because we are lazy and eat too much. Rather than being due simply to gluttony, sloth, and conscious decisions around how much we eat or move. If you've been on a low- or no-carb diet or are just looking for an alternative to eating healthy, listen here. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy where

Brad Feld, an extremely successful early stage investor and serial entrepreneur, opens up to James about the struggles he has faced, both physical and mental. He has struggled with depression and being an introvert in an extroverts' world. And he has learned the best ways to deal with it. "Understanding yourself is extremely important." Today, physical interaction is not nearly as important as it used to be. Today, you can interact in a meaningful way without having to go to a prospect's location. As a venture capitalist, a partner at Foundry Group, and as someone having to deal with numerous businesses at the same time, Brad realized that just physically being somewhere does not solve the problem. He understands that he's not able to just fly in like a hero and solve a problem. That takes a team of people. James asks Brad what he looks for in an ideal entrepreneur and Brad tells him that he and his partners at Foundry Group have gone back to their original methods from the mid-'90s. They stay focused on the

Chicken Soup for the Soul, his first book, consisted of inspirational, true stories about ordinary people's lives. As a high school teacher in an inner-city school, Jack Canfield was looking for a way to motivate his students. Asking them what they wanted to be and how they could get there seemed to resonate. He helped them set goals; understand the importance of taking action, how to visualize their dreams, and how not to be afraid of rejection. Life's not fair, it's just life... "Most people to get through life before death happens." These techniques, combined with his ability to tell a great story, eventually became the Chicken Soup Series. After a tough divorce, Jack had to completely rebuild himself and his career. From that low point came his new book series, The Success Principles. They talk about mentors, mastermind groups, fear, and The Rule of Five. As Jack tells James... Just never forget to follow your joy.   You'll love the stories. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAlt