0:01
stay, which is a great choice, Sam. What's up?
stay, which is a great choice, Sam. What's up?
>> I tell you [laughter] a Let me tell you a story about this sweater.
So, it's a very very strange. This is from 2002.
I think Can you see it here?
It says Ralph Lauren 2002.
This is a memorial sweater for 9/11, which begs the question, is a sweater really the right form to memorialize a terrorist attack? [laughter] Yeah.
I guess like if we could if Ralph Lauren could pay tribute on a sweater, then I guess like we can >> [laughter] >> pay tribute on a variety of things.
>> got You got to love that marketing meeting where they're like, this is a tragedy in America and there are no words.
>> [laughter] >> There are sweaters.
But in America, we celebrate capitalism.
>> [laughter] >> So, that's what I'm wearing.
I'm wearing my 9/11 memorial sweater for Christmas. What a choice.
Ethan in the chat, never forget, Sam. Never forget. That's [laughter] right.
You won't because I'll be reminding you, but it'll be on my my sweater.
>> [laughter] >> Uh that's amazing.
All right, so Steph, welcome back.
You've been on >> Thank you.
I don't know, a dozen times or so.
You're a great friend of the pod.
We wanted to to do this with you.
So, we have a categories, a bunch of categories for the year and we're going to go rapid fire through them uh and and we'll do it do it that way.
Okay, so Steph, you've been given the categories, but we don't know what you said.
Sam, I don't know what you said.
This will be a surprise for all of us.
Okay, so category number one.
Unless Sam, did you have any other preamble?
Did I I feel like I'm rushing. You're You're rushing.
Um I put my hand on the thigh, but like forgot to introduce myself. Yeah.
We've done this >> [laughter] >> We've We've done this We've done this a few years now.
I wish actually we would have recapped some of the numbers, but over the last 12 months, Sean, I don't know if you've known this, but we've had something like 90 million uh views if across everything, downloads and views. Amazing. So, pretty wild.
I that always that always I believe I think we're close to 2 million subscribers across YouTube, Spotify, and and and Apple or whatever, which is bananas.
I mean, that number 90 million, that's a lot of That's a lot of view time, a lot of views.
It's a lot and like there's definitely like one or two shorts that got like 10 million.
I think last year I think we had last year there was one where we told the story maybe you told the story of Elon Musk.
I think it got 30 million.
So, like some go really heavy, but it's been been pretty crazy.
So, we've reached tens of millions of people in the last 12 months, which is astounding.
And now we do this at the end of every year and it's one of my favorite things.
We do mostly the same categories each year, but it's always like so fun to go through your phone and like look at old photos and see what's going on from your trail in 12 months.
So, I'm excited to do this.
So, uh category number one.
The best investment that you made this year. Is that right?
>> Best investment you made this year.
So, uh Sam, you want to kick this off?
Yeah, so my if this just says investment, it doesn't say best money investment.
My best money investment is always boring cuz I just do S&P 500 bonds, but my best real investment uh that I made was I moved to New York City and let me tell you the story.
So, I was living in the suburbs, I decided to move to New York City.
I moved here and I found an apartment that I loved.
It was furnished amazingly and I go to the previous tenants, I go, "I want to move into this apartment.
Um do you guys just want to sell me all your furniture?"
And so, I had them itemize all of their furniture and it added up to be very expensive, 80,000 or 90,000 dollars worth of stuff.
I said, "I'll give you 10%." They took it.
So, I ended up moving to the city in a furnished apartment where I get to see my in-laws four days a week.
I go to my office five days a week and it's made me so happy.
So, that's been my best investment was moving to a furnished place. I sold all my cars.
I don't own basically anything and I love it.
Owning less stuff, moving to the city, being near your family, working in person in office.
That's actually a pretty big change overall.
Huge change and it's definitely made me a lot happier.
>> Questionable if it's an investment, but it is a huge change. I I will give you that.
It's an emotional investment.
I'm emotionally invested in this city now.
See, this is why I don't do index funds and bonds because imagine if I'm one day on a podcast and they ask me about best investment of the year and I can't so I have to start talking about seeing my mother-in-law.
Like that's just That's why I don't That's why I pick stocks, baby. That's why I do it.
>> Yeah, like what am I going to say?
I My net worth went up by 30% this year for through boring stuff.
>> [laughter] >> Steph, what do you got?
Best Best investment of the year.
Tell me it's an actual investment and not like a Best investment is myself.
>> I'm about to disappoint you, man.
The only time I check the S&P is to gauge my husband's mood for the day.
So, he invests all our money and so I got to I got to come up with something else.
My investment is also not really an investment, but it's Accutane.
You guys know what Accutane is? What? Yes. Yeah.
[laughter] >> that like acne medicine? What is that? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Um so, backstory real quick.
I've had acne my whole life, like truly since I was 13.
I'm 32 now, so what is that?
That's nearly two decades of just unnecessary pain, time applied, just the worst.
Anyone who's had acne knows it sucks.
So, I spent forever just being like, it'll go away, I'm getting older.
And then, and then I was influenced by the the king influencer Mr. Beast.
He was on I can't even remember what podcast, but he just slipped it in.
One day he was like, yeah, I took Accutane a few years ago, didn't really tell anyone, but like one day my acne just disappeared overnight.
I don't know why more people don't talk about this.
And I was like, first of all, yes, why don't more people talk about this?
And second of all, I'm going to call up my dermatologist and ask why [laughter] I'm not on Accutane.
And I took it for 6 months this year and I'm clear and I think it's like, you know, obviously your mileage may vary, go talk to a doctor, but I'm just like, this is the best thing ever.
I don't >> just zooming in on your face, Sam.
know why more people don't take this.
I'm zooming in on your face with the camera.
>> [laughter] >> People the the internet can do the comparison.
I mean, I always wear makeup, [snorts] so take right now, go back to like V1 of me on My First Million, it's going to look different.
You should post a tweet of a true before and after.
Well, I mean, I think that's the thing.
People are so embarrassed to like, you know, if I were to actually take, I'm sure I've got some images of me no makeup during those periods, it's it's embarrassing.
So, >> have another category called biggest personal L you took and maybe maybe >> [laughter] >> there will be some photos >> I'll pick up a picture just for you.
I'll be sharing during that time.
Um, okay, so you also didn't do the category.
We're off to a a rough start here.
Chat's saying Sean better have a real investment.
I have a real investment.
The people know I am here for you.
I am here to actually provide the information that you guys pay nothing to have.
Um, all right, so my investment.
So, this is actually kind of funny.
A year ago to the to the day, so this December 17th today, I tweeted out on December 16th this tweet.
So, I said, I'm going Christmas shopping this morning.
I'm Christmas shopping assets this morning. And I tweeted out.
So, basically what I did was that day I took um, I something like 1.
5 million dollars and I spread it across these stocks and I tweeted it out that day.
I said I'm putting 20% into Shopify, 20% into Tesla, 20% into Eli Lilly, 20% into Bitcoin, 20% into Coinbase.
The one I forgot to put on here is I also put 20% Google.
And um, oh, sorry, not 20% Google.
I put basically I put 250K into each one.
So, I think the total was 1. 25 um, million invested.
On the same day, on December 16th, no dollar cost averaging, no research, no nothing.
I was just feeling like these are things I would like to gift myself for long-term ownership.
And um, if I look, so the results of these now are what?
I just looked this morning cuz I haven't really been checking too aggressively.
So, I had a couple that were flat.
So, Coinbase and Bitcoin are essentially flat.
Coinbase is up 1%, Bitcoin's down 8% uh in that total year span.
But everything else, Shopify's up 53%, Tesla's up 16, 17%, Eli Lilly's up 35%, Google's up 50%.
And so my public stock bet that I put out there is my best investment of the year because uh you know, I think the blended average here is something What is that?
Uh let me I thought I pulled it up somewhere.
I think it's something like 35% for the year.
Um, and so that was a that was a good return on a one-day shopping spree.
I >> [laughter] >> You use these words like shopping spree and things like that as if they apply here, which is hilarious.
I was supposed to be Christmas shopping gifts for others and instead I bought stocks for myself.
I thought you committed to the index path last year.
I I distinctly remember you saying that.
If I did, these are false promises.
I'm I am part of this degenerate lifestyle for now and for always.
So, Sean, what do you do?
Do you keep those five or do you pick five new ones?
>> but the one the one part that's not as I'm not trading these.
These are like, what companies do I what companies are assets do I want to own for like a 10-year period?
10 years my sort of default hold period.
And that's what I've I graduated in college in 2010 and it's basically what I've been doing since then.
So, I held I had one thing that I bought for, you know, 2010 to 2020 and then 2020 I bought a bunch of stuff which wasn't so great cuz that's when COVID was happening and it was like a really crazy time.
Um, but in general, when I buy things I try to hold them for 10 years. That's the goal. Why Eli Lilly? Cuz they do Ozempic?
>> Cuz you told me that they had some drug that was incredible and you were like, Retrutide, what is it?
You texted me something and I was like, listen, I didn't listen when Sam said the Ozempic thing.
Um, but literally it was one it was literally the only that.
It was just you telling me that this drug is incredible and it puts Ozempic to shame and it wasn't fully out yet or something.
I don't know what I I don't know you had some early thing going on with this. >> got a guy. Yeah, I had a guy.
Basically, so I like to biohack, so I test all types of crazy stuff.
A lot of times it's like compound stuff, meaning like it's like stuff from China, and >> [laughter] >> I don't know like what I'm allowed to admit to right now.
I don't want to like go to jail.
But, uh yeah, it Your friend does all this. Yeah.
[laughter] Your friend also named Sam does what?
>> It It It did all of the stuff that Ozempic does other than make your stomach feel sick.
Uh and I started taking it, and it's amazing. It's so good.
I mean, I don't take this stuff like regularly.
It's just anytime something new comes out.
It's sort of like, "Oh, what's a DVD player? I got to buy one."
Uh you know, that's what I do with drugs.
It's like you learn about new technology, and uh it was amazing.
So, you told me this, and then since then the stock >> you research it, though? No. No. No.
Dude, you told me it I think that day, and I was like, "You know what?
I'm putting Lilly in here." >> It's up 34%. It's up 34%.
[laughter] Um I didn't say I research these, by the way.
I operate on gut and swagger, okay?
Um and so the the the diff- Since then, the the CEO of Eli Lilly has come on, and um cuz Lilly has turned into like a trillion-dollar company.
It's like the first pharmaceutical company to do that, and he's explained all the incredible things that they do differently than the others, and how they're using AI, and I I I feel better about it now. There's more to like.
But, I can't say that any of those were the reasons why I did it.
Like, yeah, they do seem to operate like more of a tech company now, but uh I don't know.
It just seemed like people were going to want I I just sort of was like, "People are going to Ozempic is like the best product ever."
And um Sam says they have a better Ozempic coming. All right, great. That's enough. I don't need to know.
>> Sean's investment thesis just says, "Sam tried some drug." That's it.
Historically, that's been all right.
Sam's other ones, and so I thought, "Well, for once, I'll I'll do this."
Like, for example, like do you remember when we uh invested in the uh mobility trend on Instagram? No payoff, but yeah. Yeah.
Like like there has been a few things.
We invested in Andrew Huberman earlier on.
We've We've gotten a couple investments, uh right?
It just turns out this one was financial. Um that's cool. Well, congratulations. Those are great.
What about the biggest L?
Or sorry, the worst investment?
Chat, give us some uh some feedback here on on uh round one.
Whose Whose answers did you like?
I think I might might take those on cuz I might be the only one who actually qualifies for the answer to this. Um wait, so Oh, yeah.
I I violated no public math. I'm sorry about that.
Uh okay, so does that mean that worst investment of the year is also going to have no answers for you guys? Are we in trouble here? >> No, I have one. Okay.
Uh my boy uh said that I was the best on here.
So, I got a few good ones. Um people voting for me.
Um my worst one was uh >> [laughter] >> What? It's what you said. I don't know. Uh It's amazing.
I um I uh I You know, when I sold my company, I got a bunch of HubSpot stock, and I held on to a lot of it, and then I saw how multiples were getting crazy, and I had to like even out cuz it was making up too high of a percentage of my net worth, but I still kept some of it.
And it's been obliterated this year.
It just became totally HubSpot stock got obliterated this year.
Did your stuff you owned or do you still own yours? Oh, man. >> don't know how much. Cal does.
She She looks like she's about to go put on the 9/11 sweater thinking about it right now.
The HubSpot stock just got totally obliterated this year.
So, I lost uh a lot there.
And for, you know, Ari's listening, basically, I think it this year it's down um it it was at 800 this year.
Today, it's $370 or something like that.
So, I I I got uh my ass kicked on that one. How about you, Steph?
Sean's not going to like my answer, but it's it's not financial.
I did um get >> a vitamin?
Is it a vitamin or like a >> No. >> supplement?
>> A supplement of some kind?
>> [laughter] >> Worst investment, a vitamin.
Uh no, I uh I did get a notice that a bubble tea company I invested in a few years ago during peak serf went under, unsurprisingly.
Oh, dude, I've got like 20 of those this this year.
Oh, it was lit- It was literally these founders who were on one of those like crowdfunding sites who was like just had no no real evidence that they would make a great bubble tea company, but I was like, "Bubble tea's great." And invested in that.
But, my actual answer for worst investment that is not financial is just uh networking events.
I feel like you guys already know this, but like it's taken me way too long to Name names.
Which conferences do you regret this year?
Let's Let's put them [laughter] out there. All of them.
Uh yeah, I think that's that's my worst investment, going to all these things that you just like you know beforehand are going to suck.
You're not going to like them, but there's some sliver of you that thinks like there might be something good there.
Were you required to go, or it was an optional attend, and then you regretted it?
>> It was It was an optional attend.
It was a lack of judgment. Got you. What about you, Sean? I like it.
Um Sam, anything you want to add to her uh her networking event answer? No. No.
I mean, what am I going to No, I agree with you, but yeah. I'm I'm on board. What about yours, Sean? What's your biggest L?
Or sorry, your biggest >> I went I went to one networking event loss?
with you and uh I thought you did great.
I was like, "Wow, she's such a natural at these events."
Not cuz you cuz you weren't trying.
And I was like, "Oh, people just seem to gravitate towards staff.
They want to hang out with her.
She seems like a safe space for everybody who's exhausted from the networking part of this event."
And uh I just remember thinking, "I don't know how she did that, but I like that. That was good."
>> By the way, I had a great year at networking events.
I went to an email newsletter conference.
We went to uh Sean's basketball thing.
Uh I went to the HubSpot conference like somewhat recently. I had a great year.
Did you have Like I guess I only Much better than the others.
What what um So So you had a great uh Like you What you >> like going to networking events.
>> What you mean you had a good time?
>> Yeah, like if I [snorts] pick it Yeah, cuz I like seeing old friends.
I've been in the industry for long enough that it's the only time that I see old buddies. That's fair. Yeah, that's true.
Like did you go >> didn't really go to >> Did you like going to HubSpot?
>> I didn't really go to I didn't really go to anything this year. You went to INBOUND.
Well, that was in San Francisco.
I just showed up and gave my talk and I left.
So it was like, you know, a very quick thing.
Um Or I I hung out with Dharmesh actually at the event.
That was like kind of the only thing I did. Yeah, that's awesome.
>> But um okay, I'll give you my worst investment of the year.
Um once again, I took these literally.
So here's my This wasn't Okay, so I guess it's a little less literal.
I didn't lose money much in any investments this year, which was nice cuz in prior years, if you go back and watch these awards, it's like, "Hey, invested in this crypto Ponzi scheme. What's up with that?"
Uh you know, that was that was pretty bad.
You know, I've I've run into some trouble along the way.
This year I didn't have any But I will say this.
I realized I found out this year that I had I passed on three different $10 billion startup investments that were right in my wheelhouse. And uh unbelievable.
So the first one was Polymarket.
I was one of the early users.
Probably in the first 5,000 users of Polymarket.
I'm a degenerate gambler.
I you know my college GPA is like half a point lower than it should be because I used to go gamble on riverboats in international waters and stuff instead of going to class.
Like I'm a degenerate gambler. I was using Polymarket.
I was VPNing to pretend I'm in Morocco to place bets uh allegedly.
And so you know, I'm using Polymarket. I love the thing.
The founder is in my DMs.
He's He's screenshotted his phone and posted one of my blog posts as the background of his phone.
He's like, "I thought you'd like this.
This is my background of my phone this week."
And I was like the ultimate in and didn't somehow end up making an investment.
Just like didn't didn't go actively try to do it uh until it was too late. Kalshi, same thing.
Another prediction market. Same product.
If I didn't hit the winner, you know, the first winner, Polymarket, maybe I could have hit the second winner.
I go back, I check my DMs.
They've been DMing me since 2020.
"Hey, huge fans of the pod.
Would love to do something with you."
Uh you know, all I needed to do was uh answer. And guess what? I did answer.
Here's my Here's what my great answer was.
Uh so pretty similar to Polymarket then, huh?
>> [laughter] >> That was my son of a gun answer.
And so >> Son of a gun you have made.
The valuations of those were probably sub $100 million for sure at that stage.
Um And now they're both above $10 billion. Mhm.
So no public math, but somebody at the chat can tell me how much money I lost.
And the last one was Whatnot.
So I get acquired by Twitch, the number one live streaming platform.
When I'm at Twitch, guess what I do?
I tell Twitch "Hey, we're losing the the battlefield on mobile."
I become the leader of mobile at Twitch to do mobile live streaming.
>> Dude, we talked about these guys on the pod, too.
You had a great spiel on them. >> about on the pod.
I actually meet with them. I try I ask to invest.
I'm like, "Guys, I can help you.
I know this space inside and out.
I know all the talent you need to recruit.
I know the best people from Twitch. We'll go poach them. We'll raid the pantry.
This is going to be amazing."
And they were like He was like, "Yeah, you know, we're pretty oversubscribed."
And I was like, "But it's me! Make some space."
And he's like, "All right, let me get back to you."
He did not get back to me.
And I did not get back to him.
And I did not invest in Whatnot's first round um and I and now it's a $10 billion company also.
And it was literally the thing I had was doing.
The thing I know probably, you know there's not there's not 100 people on Earth that know that space better than I do. That's right. And missed it.
Yeah, how many of your investments went under this year?
Cuz I This was the year where I probably got 10 emails of different angel companies that I angel investments that I made that they went under. It took about 3 years.
>> it's it's the worst phase, right?
So we're I we're probably both, since we started like angel investing, you you had a syndicate, I had a fund. Like 21.
>> worst phase is going to be like year three, year four because the only companies that are exiting are either small exits or just shutdowns at this stage.
Your winners are going to ride for another five years.
So it's like, "AngelList, you got a distribution."
And you get a check and it's like $3. 41 from this company.
And then the founder's bragging about their acquisition on Twitter and you're like, just shoot me now.
Would you going back, how many angel investments have you done, Steph? I don't know, like 15.
Okay, so going back and okay, so first of all, look over forward in the future, 5 years from now, let's say you invested $100, what do you think that $100 is going to turn into for both of you?
Or what what IRR, I don't know how you want to measure it, but Hard to say.
I think it'll three three to four X basically over the 10-year period.
So it'll be something like a It's a guess.
You know, if I was my personal guess would be like something like a something like a three to four X over that over the 10-year lifespan of >> That does not seem worth it. Right?
That doesn't even seem worth it for the K-1s I have to deal with.
Honestly, I don't know if you guys are different.
My learning from Peak Zarp was I never want to angel invest again.
I unless it's a company that I want to be involved with actively. It depends.
So like I use a conservative estimate just to keep that like get my hopes up or just like false promise myself.
But the thing with these is it depends on basically your like I did 100 and 110 deals.
It just it depends on your top four deals.
So it's like I have these four companies.
Right now, they're doing amazing.
They're you know, like whatever 100 X returns on each of them or 50 to 100 X, but like will they will they last? Will they exit?
Are they going to go up another order of magnitude from here?
Like that's what you need in angel investing is to get like this one like multi 100 X or 1,000 X type of return.
And then you look like a genius, but you don't really know for a while to be honest.
Like even the companies that are kicking ass right now, the breakouts they were, you know it's it's hard to know. Can they sustain it?
Will they get the will they time the exit? Will they actually IPO?
What was what's going to happen?
You know, it's it's hard to know. I did I've done 56.
My first two or three were pretty great, like you know, maybe 10 X or plus and then my last two were like 100 X or something like crazy like that.
And so basically I had to go through 50 of them to get like the one or two winners, which is pretty pretty wild.
And so it will be >> the normal it's the normal hit rate. >> It's normal.
It but it but it doesn't feel good when you're on number 48.
The the trick isn't even um out of 100 can you get 12 instead of six, it's are your six as big as the the the big winners are in any given cohort of companies, right?
Like And it's also hard to know.
I invested in Replit and it had like 2 million in revenue.
It now has 250 million in revenue annual revenue. It's growing like crazy.
Like it's unbelievable, but like where does this all go?
It's hard to it's hard to know, you know, if that's sustainable to to keep to keep growing as fast as they've been growing.
All right, so next category is the biggest personal L that we took, okay?
I'm going to tell you what mine is and it's going to make you guys all just like uh cringe.
So basically I was at a party, this is about six months ago and I overhear this group of people talking about being pregnant and this one lady I I can't even tell tell you I asked her when she was due. I've done that one. She wasn't due. She wasn't due.
And I I said I said, what do you do?
Dude, I spent >> are you looking at me like that?
I spent 30 seconds looking for an out.
Oh, I thought I I and then in front of five other people I just apologized.
I [laughter] said, sorry. And I walked away. I said, I'm so sorry.
I >> [laughter] >> I I tried I was like a guy falling off a cliff grabbing for trees >> [laughter] >> and I couldn't grab a branch and I was like I I I thought you said you were pregnant.
I didn't see your kid with you, but so I didn't know like you had a kid and you left him behind.
And then eventually it just was I'm sorry.
It's just I really Yeah, I just apologized.
It's funny cuz on podcasts, you know, self-deprecating [clears throat] is good.
But like what's >> [laughter] >> full deprecating?
Don't go full deprecating you went full deprecating there.
I I just like I I'm not joking and then my nanny was with me.
Like we went to a party and she was like, you really blew that one.
I was like >> I could tell I did that at a Christmas party in 2013.
I could tell you the exact place and date Everyone can.
And then it was like I've just never it's never left me how how bad >> I knew not to do that.
I knew not to do that, but I just like I told you about when I did it and then you did >> knew not to do it, >> it again.
>> but it's sort of like I don't know, like when you you instinctively stop at a red light.
Like I just thought I heard her say that she was pregnant and I just said, wait, what do you do? I don't know.
It was horrible and like it's one of these things that I'm going to remember for the next 50 years.
>> [laughter] >> Wait, I'm so curious, what do these women say when you apologize?
Are they like, oh, it's okay, like people do this to me all the time or are they like, you're an [ __ ] No, she ripped it in my face.
She basically just smiled like smugly.
You know, screw this lady actually because [laughter] it's her fault.
No, she She like looked at me and just like She like acted disappointed in me.
>> [laughter] >> Which she was.
So, I don't know I'm She was acting.
She looked pregnant She looked like a normal person just had a big belly.
Doubling [laughter] down.
She looked Wow, that's outrageous. Amazing.
We should We should segment it with a HubSpot ad in it.
>> [laughter] >> What's your What's your Sean, you got to All right.
So, I have a I have a bad one, too.
Um so, I got jury duty this year in April.
And I was like I've never got I've never had to go.
Like they call you know, sometimes you call in uh cuz it's a every year thing, but it's like Russian roulette.
So, you know, you call in they're like you don't need to come in.
Or you go in and right away they're like, "Hey, you're good to go."
Um I used a hardship thing like I got to be at work. I got out before.
So, this year I expect it's going to go swimmingly again.
And I show up and all of a sudden it's like, "No, no, you're definitely going to be needed.
You're definitely going to be seen.
There's a really big case." And I'm like, "What?
Uh I don't want a big case. This is bad."
Um and so, I get into the to the jury duty like where they're like vetting people, right?
And the judge gives this big speech about civic duty.
And like there's a presentation like not even a presentation. Remember Prezi?
The judge had a The judge had a Prezi going on.
>> [laughter] >> And it was like zooming >> judge was like proud of his animations. >> in and >> Exactly.
Like everybody is the first time they use Prezi, they're like, "Holy [ __ ] Uh this is [laughter] better than Avatar."
Like And so, so the judge is doing a Prezi about like the Founding Fathers and how this is the Jury Duty is the bedrock of society and all the [ __ ] As you might guess, I'm I'm completely unmoved.
I'm completely unpatriotic in this way. I do I do not care.
And so, I'm like just formulating my idea of like how I'm going to get out of this.
I'm like, "Oh, I'll just say I have a work trip." Easy. Uh they gave the dates.
Funny enough, I got a work trip. So, uh I'm in the row.
So, there's like seven people ahead of me.
First person stands up and says, uh "Your Honor, I have a I have a work trip.
I'm not going to be able to attend."
And he says, um "Do you have the booking information?
Can you please show it to me?" And I'm like, "What?"
And so, that guy starts to So, I go on my phone and I'm >> book a flight? So, I book a flight.
And like person number two goes, I don't hear him. I'm booking a flight.
Person three goes, I'm booking a flight.
Uh the judge has reviewed that person's booking and says, um "This was booked today and the you got your All right, this was booked in the like the window after you were were served notice.
The flight needed to be booked before that."
So, now I've got a booking and my lie is gone.
So, I'm like, "Okay, what am I going to do next?"
So, I the next person goes and they say like, "I'm really important at work."
And so, I'm like, "I have this podcast."
And I'm like, "That's not going to work."
So, I'm like, "That's not going to work. What do I do next?"
So, eventually it comes to me.
And I'm like, uh I have a I do have a baby at home.
So, I was like, "I have a baby at home.
I need to be there to take care of the baby. My wife works."
And so, judge is like, "Does your wife work at home?"
And I'm like, "It's a personal question, but uh So, I'm like, "Do I lie? Do I not lie?"
I'm like, "She is at home, but but but I'm like trying to figure out like how do I like Can I can I muddy the waters a little bit?"
So, I was like, "But, you know, she's And basically the only idea that comes to my mind is to I'm like I'm like >> going to insult her?
Yeah, I'm like, "Do I just say she's a bad mom?"
Like that's not going to work.
Or you say like she's she's a drunk, sir.
So, I'm like, "I'm the primary caretaker of this baby."
And then like, you know, like I don't remember the baby's middle name at this point.
And then she's like she's like, "So, could your wife take care of the baby?" And I'm like, "Oh god."
Like I'm going way deeper in than I thought I was going to go.
And so, I'm like "Yeah, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable with it."
And then she's like, "Why?"
You're like, "Look, Your Honor, it's What is it? Noon?
She's already about eight Xanax deep. Okay."
>> like I basically made my wife sound like either a bad mom or like a drug addict or something. I like she's a drunk.
And so, I was like, "You know what? I'll be fine. I'll be here.
Can't wait to Can't wait. I'll be I'll be there."
And so, I just let it pass.
Girl next to me, she goes the lady asks, she's like, "Can you do it?" Um and she's like, "No."
And the judge goes, "Why not?"
She goes, "It's against my religion.
I don't believe you should judge anyone."
And she's like, "What religion is that?"
She goes And she cited a Bible passage, which was like like basically about like don't don't judge anyone.
There you know, because they don't judge you or something.
And the judge was like, "Okay, thank you. You're dismissed."
And I was like Yeah, couldn't you have What? What religion is it?
Couldn't you have just told them you're racist or something?
Yeah, I thought about that, but I was like I was in a very diverse crowd.
I was like, "I still have to like In case I don't get off with that, I don't want to be around these people where I'm saying a lie that I'm racist."
So, I you know, it was a tough in the in the moment.
But it was a big The biggest lie I had was uh just embarrassing myself.
And by the way, it was so fun.
Jury duty was a great time and I'm glad I got to do it.
It was a great opportunity.
>> [laughter] >> Uh what Did you make them guilty or innocent?
I didn't get picked in the end for the actual eight in the box or whatever that like the people who actually go sit there.
I just didn't get dismissed early.
So I I So you spent the day?
I spent 3 days there uh listening to >> should wear purple heart, man. You Look at you.
You really just taking one for the country. It was true. Um what's yours, Steph?
Guys, I swear my answers get better from here.
My biggest personal L um was staying in a job too long.
No shade to my previous employer, but I think Sounds like a lot of shade. No, no, I promise. I I promise.
>> [laughter] >> I just I You guys know I was working on a podcast for 3 years.
Um it was a really cool opportunity, but I think the epitome of when other people think you should be good at something and you think therefore you should be good at something and that you should figure it out versus like driving full force towards a thing that you love doing. So.
And it was a pretty prestigious job.
I think a lot of people would have been drunk off that as well. Yeah.
And so now I'm at Grok um working on growth and it's just for me way more fun.
And Steph, did we not have a conversation about this?
Did I not tell you this was the case?
Did I not try to tell you to don't carry this this guilt or this feeling like you need to to prove whatever and that you're a superstar and you should be doing superstar things.
I think I gave you that you're a superstar you should be doing superstar things talk.
You 100% did about a year in and it took me 2 more years to make it on my own. >> didn't land. Yeah.
[laughter] I'm not very persuasive. All right.
Um next category we have is coolest moment.
Coolest moment of the year. I've got a good one.
>> Actually, can we Can we skip to Let's do a couple of the the non-personal stories?
We'll come back to that one.
So let's do um Do you want to do Billy of the year or favorite guest?
Which one do you want to do?
Let's do um uh Billy of the year. Okay.
Billy of the year um Sam, you go first.
>> Yes, I I did this podcast with this guy named Steve Houton.
Steve Houton is a billionaire via real estate and oil and gas, which is very vague, but I can explain.
But at the end of the pod, I like made like a a joke because we had talked about this whole podcast about how he was a billionaire, but it seemed like his kids really loved him.
And I like made an offhand comment like, "Yeah, man, I should I got to come out and see how you manage your family sometimes. It's an inspiration."
And without skipping a beat, he was like, "How about in 4 weeks?
We're going to be at our ski house.
Um we have a room for you."
And I was like, "All right." And I just said, "Yes."
And then I had to go downstairs to my wife.
I go, "Pack your bags, Sarah. We're going to Utah."
And she's like, "With who?"
I was like, "I met this guy.
I just did a podcast with him.
I've only known him for 60 minutes.
I don't know anything about him, but we're going to his house."
>> [laughter] >> And I got to his house and it was amazing.
And it was amazing for a bunch of reasons cuz I got to see how he like worked with his family and it was really amazing. But it was pretty funny.
They say money doesn't buy happiness, but I was very happy being in the 17,000 square foot home with his entire family.
And I I mean, this sounds like I'm being a a d-bag, but this is the truth.
I do think that wealthy people see their grown kids more than non-wealthy people simply for the fact that there was room for all of us to be there and be comfortable. And it was amazing.
And I've since like stayed in touch with his kids and he had another family there as well.
And it was such a fun experience.
And so Steve Houton was my Billy of the week. Billy of the year. Billy of the year. Love it. Steph, who you got? Billy of the year? All right.
So I tried to start from the perspective of what is a piece of technology that I think is just incredible and mattered this year.
That piece of technology for me was Waymo.
Um a lot of people are familiar with it.
I got to interview their chief chief product officer a few years ago in a Waymo.
And it's kind of crazy when you actually think about it.
I think that was max 2 years ago, maybe 3.
And when we were riding in that car in San Francisco, people at that time were still like peering into the windows like, "Oh my god, look at that crazy thing."
And in the last few years, at least in in San Francisco, Phoenix, a few other cities, it is so normal.
There's Waymos upon Waymos upon Like there's I've been at intersections where there was eight Waymos at that intersection.
It's become >> it make traffic faster?
so No, not necessarily, but I think if you could have all the cars on the road, it would make traffic faster for sure.
Um but the person I chose, the Billy, I don't know if he's actually a billionaire, so I'm cheating a little bit, but he's for sure a hundreds of millionaire is Sebastian Thrun.
He was um one of the early He's like the father godfather of self-driving. Exactly.
So let me throw out a few different pieces of his timeline.
So he was motivated by personal tragedy.
His childhood friend was killed in a car accident when he was 18.
That got him invested in trying to figure out this self-driving equation in to 2005.
So, 20 years ago DARPA had a grand challenge funded by the US government. His team won.
Then, 2007, he goes and he joins Google.
And he didn't just create Waymo, he also co-founded and led Google X, their moonshot factory.
He co-developed Google Street View.
And of course, he was one of the creators of Waymo way back when.
But here's the thing, he left in 2014 and he's also gone on to do some really cool [ __ ] So, in 2011, he put out this introduction to artificial intelligence course online for free.
160,000 students enrolled.
Um because he saw how people could learn online, you don't need to be at Stanford to learn about AI.
He created Udacity in 2011.
And then since then, he's also um led the Kitty Hawk Corporation.
They were building electric flying cars.
Didn't ultimately end up working out, but that's another thing that he's been like super early to.
We're now seeing these EV tool companies, you know, get off the ground.
I just think this guy is super cool.
Like he's been early to all of these trends and um is just like continuing to build even though he's already, you know, he was early to Waymo, he's rich, and he's just continuing to dabble. This guy's prolific. Good find.
There's a There's like a lineage I think of people under him.
Like he had his initial lab, maybe at Stanford or whatever.
And somebody who was doing self-driving was describing like, you know, basically all the modern self-driving kind of like leaders, if you just trace their kind of lineage, it's like he had six people or seven people under him.
It was that school of thought that sort of like branched out and created like all the different people in the industry today.
Um so, he's very much like a what was was a good sort of grandfather or godfather to that to the industry. Yeah.
>> He's also um he's got some range because like he created a uh you know, these cars things which is like the most brilliant thing on Earth.
But then also he has a course business. And as he >> Mhm.
It's It's I'm being silly a little bit, but that's like not in my opinion in the same category of of of flying cars.
But it Udacity to me is a very respectable like amazing thing.
And so, it's pretty cool how much range he has.
Yeah, so all of us who create courses, we're just like these self-driving car guys, right?
>> have to do the other half. >> have the same range.
Usually range is like [laughter] wide.
His is almost like up and down.
Yeah, our barbell doesn't have the weight on the other side yet.
So, it's a little awkward to hold.
So, we definitely have to go do that, but that's pretty cool though.
All right, mine um came down to a coin flip between Jon Morgan and Jesse Cole. I went with Jesse Cole.
So, uh we did an episode with him on the podcast and I was incredibly inspired by this guy.
So, he's done what I think is basically impossible.
Um if somebody had told me that like 10 years ago, like, "Hey, there's going to be somebody who is going to make a minor league baseball team have, you know, more followers on social media than the Yankees and by the way, and all other MLB teams combined.
They're going to have like a 3 million person waitlist and be selling out 80,000 person stadiums."
And that he bootstrapped the business with his wife to, you know, 100 million plus.
I just think that is like that is playing business on like such hard mode.
That is like the equivalent, if you're non-technical, that's the equivalent of rockets that land themselves.
It's to take a minor league baseball team that nobody gives a [ __ ] about in a league that nobody gives a [ __ ] about with players that nobody's ever heard of and turn it into this incredible entertainment thing.
And the way he did it was just so like I don't know, from the soul and passionate, right?
Like there's a lot of creativity in in the in the you know, being basically a modern-day like P. T. Barnum.
There was a lot of just like passion and soul to like the hustle to do this.
Like, you know, he's on the pod, he's written four books behind him.
They do a show every weekend, you know, like they're traveling the world.
He's just doing everything.
It's just like that man, I would I would never ever ever be able to do something like that.
And then the last thing was like I don't know, he was just a sweetheart when he was on the pod.
He's such a nice guy, so genuine.
I think Sam told me like they foster like kids as well.
I was just like, "Geez, how good like how good is this human being?"
And I just feel like we are lucky that there's somebody as kind of creative and such a like force of creativity and um as this guy like walking the Earth.
I think I even told him that on the pod.
Like, "I'm glad you are walking the Earth."
Which I've never like felt the need to say to another man, but I I did that day.
We We used to joke and have this concept of like the total man.
And it was like, "What does it mean to be like a great man?"
And he is one of the maybe three people we've had on the podcast that I would go in that category where he's like I I felt I was like, "You are You are a very special human being and you are the epitome of what it means to be a man."
We should have just been like, "Can you lift your shirt up?
If you've got a visible ab, you are If you have visible abs, you are in the club, my friend."
Like that's the only thing that we is like the fitness side is the only other part of the total man franchise that that we don't know about him yet.
I think that um you know, we've talked about this podcast on living a rich life, which means like there's business, there's family, there's there's having a good life, there's treating people wonderfully.
I think that he is one of the richest people that we've ever had in the podcast in terms of a holistic rich life.
He felt like a very special person.
If you look through his Instagram, like he like pays tribute to his wife. He talks about his team.
You see him like giving these inspirational talks to his to the players.
I was just like this guy's got no flaws.
It almost was kind of intimidating.
The the the one little nugget that just kind of showed a lot was they they don't charge they eat the sales tax on ticket prices.
So they're like it's $25 for a ticket flat.
And it's like okay, so but you know, there's always tax plus tax.
He's like no no no, we we we pay that.
We eat the we eat the cost of that.
we eat the cost of that. It's like at the scale that they operate at that's just millions and millions of a year just so that the average customer when they're checking out feels like they were kind of taken care of versus
you know, being stuck at two and which is how you know, Ticketmaster and these these these other you know, things Live Nation like you do when you go buy from them you just feel like you're just being you know, mugged basically at the checkout counter, right? It's like oh
It's like oh and then here's the service fee convenience fee parking fee and this fee and like it's now triple the cost and I just thought like that little nugget of like how they they don't just leave money on the table, but they put money back on the table.
I thought tell told a lot about like you know, actions versus words.
Everybody says they're customer friendly.
Who actually who actually does that? Very few people.
We made it we talked to him.
We were like he made a comment where he was like whatever you see that you've seen for predictions on how big our business is it's much bigger.
And so like I thought that was really cool too.
And he didn't even say it as a flex.
I think we like teased it out of him.
But he didn't talk about numbers at all other than that one comment and I thought that was really cool. Yeah, that was amazing.
Um all right, next category we'll do is um we'll do the one we were about to do which was uh what was the biggest personal >> Coolest moment in life. Coolest moment. I've got one. I've got one.
So Sean organizes this thing where we go to Mr.
Beast's house and or his town and we like tour his property and play basketball with a bunch of successful people.
Last year he had someone that who was like the 90th richest person in the world.
He had all these powerful people. He he had Mr. Beast and Mr.
Beast was giving us a tour of his campus.
So it felt like a movie studio and all of these guys there were trying to kind of be cool a little bit and posture and not and like Mr.
Beast was was was saying the most ridiculous things that you could imagine.
Like where you have this guy living in this home for one whole year and he can't leave the home until he loses 100 lb and he's like I spent this much money on this studio and like we're doing this and he's just saying like ridiculous stuff and everyone was trying to be cool like yep, this is what it takes to be the best. Totally get it.
And justly Jesse Itzler who was there was in the back and he was like this is the craziest thing.
He's like why isn't anyone calling this guy out?
This is the most ridiculous stuff I've ever seen. I can't believe this.
How does one person live this way? This is just insane.
And Jesse Itzler was like the most sane person there which he wasn't like insulting Mr.
Beast, but he was like he and he was like a very reasonable person and Jesse Itzler I think him and his family are billionaires or near billionaires and he's very successful and we've met Sean a lot of people on the internet who appear a certain way.
We've met them in real life and there's some often times there's a gap or if you do meet them in real life you think I don't want to be like you.
Jesse Itzler it was one of the coolest moments in my life to meet that guy cuz he was exact he was better than he appears on the internet and he was very inspirational to me.
I I felt you are someone I aspire to be very similar to.
And he was like when he was there I totally agree, but I don't think you did it justice of like he wasn't saying like this is bad what Jimmy was doing. No, I sorry.
I don't like say the thing again about what actually stood out cuz I don't think No, he wasn't saying it bad.
He was like he was like in awe and he was like Can we acknowledge that this is just insane and ridiculous?
It's cool, but it's just like this is insane.
And then like there was a funny thing where Mr.
Beast like he parks his car like in front of the entrance of the of the building like he drives his car over the parking lot and and [laughter] then Jesse made fun of him.
He's like dude, there's an open spot right there. What are you doing?
And I just thought it was funny that he was like a teasing him and b the He didn't get swept up in it like the rest of us.
>> No, no and it was so funny and we were talking about some ridiculous stuff.
Like we had a billionaire there who was talking about how aliens are real and he knows this because he hangs out with like White House people.
Like it was like pretty funny stuff.
It felt like Did you see that new documentary by the way?
About that topic in particular?
>> been wanting to ask this.
Yeah, there's like a there's like a documentary. What is it called?
Do you remember the name? Is Uh let me pull it up.
When we were there it was it was I don't know if I won't say who it was, but it was a very powerful person who goes tomorrow you're going to see a news story about aliens.
I know all about it and they're real.
Like he was talking about it.
Yeah, it's called the age of disclosure. I watched it.
Color me not fully convinced, but you know, you should watch it. Partially convinced.
Did you agree that Jesse Itzler is just the man?
Yeah, so so my coolest moment is also a Jesse Itzler moment.
We didn't plan this, but Sam, I don't know if you know this, I was at his house yesterday. I flew to his house.
I spent the I spent all yesterday with him.
Um and my coolest moment uh has to do with that.
So What were you doing with him? Recording a podcast? Sam's Sam's jealous.
You just Sam's coolest moment was meeting the guy and you just dunked on him being like, I hung out with him yesterday.
Well, he did a he did a talk in Manhattan just the other day, but I already had plans, so I didn't even get to go.
So it just shows how much I really care, but no, he was [laughter] a So uh So I just flew to his house and so uh so the coolest moment of the year uh All right, so last year this time last year Jesse came on the podcast and he explained his New Year's planning uh process and philosophy, how he attacks the New Year.
And Sam, I don't know if you remember, but you know, we were both pretty inspired by it and one of his core concept is this concept of a Misogi.
So he says, you know, the years fly by.
You know, if you ask me right now, what did you do in 2018? I I don't know.
I'd have to really think. How old was I? Where was I living? What was I doing?
Whereas what he does is he picks a Misogi, which is a Japanese ritual of a a challenge, a hard year-defining thing.
So you'll always remember, oh, that was the year I hiked, you know, this I hiked that.
That was the year I did my first Ironman.
That was the year I did XYZ.
And he could tell you 2015, 2016, 2017, you know, 2015, that's the year that David Goggins lived in my house and I trained with Goggins.
2016, that was the year I lived with the monks.
2017, that was the year I did my first whatever.
And so after the pod I was trying to I was like pretty inspired.
I was like, what am I going to do?
And um you know, Jesse's really adventurous.
He's big into these like endurance races.
That's never something I've been like drawn to.
So I had the I had the will, but I didn't have the idea.
And that night I'm before I went to bed, I was watching I was on YouTube and I saw this recommended video of this I don't even know why I clicked it.
It was like this dude playing the piano.
And it was this guy who's he's this Italian composer.
He's basically the most famous piano player in the world at this point.
Um he's like a modern-day composer and he was playing the song and he was playing it a performance he did at the Steve Jobs Theater, which was like 10 minutes away from where I was I was at my sister's house, 10 minutes away from her house, where I was that night.
And I saw it and I was like, what if I did this this year?
Like forget business, forget I was like, what if I what if this was the year I learned, you know, I can't dance, I can't sing, I've never played a musical instrument.
Like I don't have that innate talent.
But like what if this was what if that's a thing I picked up?
What if I could just jam out on the piano?
Specifically, what if I could play this song?
And so, as you know, Sam, I've been practicing all year and I've I love the Instagram stuff.
>> I've been learning to play.
And uh but you know, the one thing I didn't do was like he the way Jesse's philosophy is is that they you when you decide you're going to do something, you don't just make it a wish or a like a goal, you plan a date.
It's like, I'm going to run this race on this day.
I'm going to take my kids here on this day. It's on the calendar.
It's a thing I'm working towards.
So that was the one part I never did.
I was like, I don't know, what am I going to do? A piano recital?
Like I'm not like 7 years old. I don't know what to do.
So yesterday I'm at his house and he's giving us a tour and I'm there to do a podcast with him the the another annual planning thing.
And he's we're walking by he's like, oh, this is my favorite thing in the house.
It's a piano my mother gave me before she died.
And I was like, do you play?
He's like, no, I've never nobody's ever played this piano.
Like you know, since we we got it.
It's just it's here, but I love it.
And I'm like in my head I'm like, oh, this might be the perfect thing.
Like that was my Misogi last year when we did our annual planning.
We're doing it this year.
He doesn't know that he kind of triggered me to actually like go do something.
So I was like, I'm going to do this.
So when we were talking about it I go, can I show you mine? My Misogi?
And he's like, well, what what do you mean?
I was like, let's walk over here.
And so we go and I play this song.
Now I uh I'm playing this song. >> it a singing thing?
No, no, it's not a singing thing.
It's just a it's just a piano song.
I'm playing this song and just the context here is like I've been playing this every day in my house.
I play upstairs in my room.
And honestly like nobody particularly gives a [ __ ] Like my wife is like, good for you, but can you come help with dinner?
Like, you know, like you know, she's like in the middle of three little kids.
Like, you know, I'm it's not like I'm getting a pat on the back for this thing.
My kids don't really care about classical piano music.
My wife doesn't really care.
I have never really played for anybody else.
And so uh this is my first time ever playing for anybody.
And I turn when I was done and it was like the craziest thing.
So Jesse's there, he's crying.
His head of strategy there, she's crying holding the phone.
Sara, his wife, who I'd never met, she's the founder of Spanx, had come downstairs cuz she she heard somebody playing the piano.
She's she's like weeping.
We have this all It's going to be crazy. It's all on camera, too.
I happen to have a camera guy there cuz we're recording the podcast.
So, basically, like there's this full circle moment of last year he planted the seed.
I worked hard on it all year.
No There was no real like payoff for it.
There's no like purpose for doing I just wanted to do it.
And then there was like this amazing payoff moment where they actually gave a [ __ ] about like what I was doing and they like appreciated They were like, "That was amazing."
And um I never felt that like ever.
And so it was For me it was not only the coolest moment of the year, it's one of the coolest moments of my life, if I'm being perfectly honest.
I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but it really was this like incredible like high.
This And it was totally serendipitous.
I didn't plan for any of this to happen.
It's this um song called I don't even know how you say it properly.
It's an Italian but it's Nuvole Bianche.
I don't know I don't know how you spell the It's pronounced the second word, but I'll I'll put it in the description or whatever. >> that's awesome. It's this great song.
And I was like, "This I was like, I don't know what's happening.
I don't know why everyone's crying.
I don't know what's going on, but like I feel like my parking pass just got extremely validated just now.
Thank you guys for that."
>> [laughter] >> That is so cool.
What did they say afterwards?
Dude, he couldn't even continue the pod for like 20 He's like, "Dude, I'm blown away."
He's like, "I He's like, I have I need like a minute."
And he's like He was like, "That is so cool."
He's like, "You know, you're 37 years old.
You pick up an instrument like you can do that in a year?"
He's like, "If you could do that in a year."
And his son had come down to listen while we were doing it.
And um he's like, "I'm just so happy my son saw and heard that because I hope it planted a seed with him of like, 'Yo, you can if he can do that in a in 11 months or whatever, like dude dude, you could do anything.
Like anything is on the table for you.'"
And he was just like very inspired by it.
And I was like, "Here's a guy who I admire."
Like you and I have both talked about this.
Like he's our kind of like entrepreneurial North Star.
Like a guy who lives a a life well lived all around, you know, four kids, beautiful relationship with his wife, does all these adventurous trips with his friends. He's in great shape.
He runs 100-mile marathons.
He's had incredible business success.
He's a great, you know, content creator.
You know, he he's just a prolific guy.
You know, he's built brands like Zico Coconut Water and sold a company to Warren Buffett.
It's like, "What more do you want out of life, right?" Like this guy's done.
He's played a game in a way that I would love to play the game the game of life.
Um and so to kind of get like that moment with somebody who I kind of admire, that was that was definitely my coolest moment of the year. That's really great. Yeah, Sean.
I got to say, I when I first saw that you were learning piano, I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever heard about you.
So, I think there's something No, genuinely.
Like that's not to dismiss any of the other stuff, but I was just like you know, when you're a creator online, as we talked about earlier, people make these assumptions about you.
They kind of sometimes dictate what is in your orbit.
And for you to be like, "No, no, no, this is this is something I want to learn.
I might not even be sure exactly why, but I'm going to go do it.
It's not what people expect."
Um and then to do what you just did.
Like I I actually think that is so cool.
Yeah, I commented on this podcast.
I was like, you know, all this business stuff is great, but the piano thing it's for some reason oddly inspiring.
Well, the funny thing is like in the moment it never feels that way, right?
Cuz like I'm walking out of my piano teacher's class.
There's only It's like, "All right, Brandon, good luck, buddy."
You know, there's only 7-year-olds there.
You know, their parents are there.
They're looking around like, "Where's your kid?"
I'm like, "No, no, it was me."
Like I was the one getting the lesson the piano lesson.
And it's just like kind of a odd thing to be doing, you know, pretty regularly, but you know, again, trusted my gut went with it.
Just like leaned into it.
You know, it's like, "All right, I'm having fun. So, what?
I'm not forcing myself to do something I don't want to do.
Why does everything have to be like with an agenda?"
And um you know, this kind of like validated like, "Yeah, just keep doing that.
Good things do happen when you as you keep doing that. Don't worry.
Like you'll also get the rewards you you seek in life even when you're doing the stuff that seems like it has, you know, no rewards.
You're just doing it because you like it."
Next podcast I want to know all all all of what it was about hanging out with him. Yeah, I will we'll do. What about you, Steph?
By the way, there's a bunch of people in the chat who don't think we're live. We're live, for sure.
So, keep keep posting your messages.
But um my coolest moment I was in between two I did a big trip to Africa.
And if you haven't done gorilla trekking, it is one of the most incredible things I've ever done. Gorilla trekking? What did you say? Trekking. Yes.
Yeah, trekking Trekking You do both.
Basically, there are >> you tracking down a gorilla or are you doing something What you're tracking?
>> families of gorillas that live We did it in Rwanda. They have it in Uganda.
Not many countries other than that. And um they're wild.
So, every night What does that say? This was a the date. We are live.
There's people in the chat who think this is uh fake. No, we're not.
Um so, yeah, they live in the wild and they move every night.
So, they have these trackers who go out every day and try to locate them and then you trek through the rainforest, truly, like you're there's mud up to your knees at points and try to find them. In Rwanda.
Um But, super cool experience, but my actual answer is going to see the World Series with my dad.
He's been a Blue Jays fan since I before I was born.
The last time they won the World Series was in '93.
They had a double year, '92 '93 and then I was born and ruined it all and so he he kind of makes fun of me for that every year and is like also the person who goes and is like, "Is there year? Is there year?"
They made these trades, watches every game, you know, 160 plus and he's also where I get every ounce of my cheapness from and so he would never ever buy tickets for himself and so yeah, you know, once they hit the World Series, I flew home, bought them tickets for game six when they had their first chance to win, didn't win, then yelled at for game seven, totally worth it.
Like can't really think of a better way Yeah, I mean, I wish they had won either of them cuz they lost, but yeah. That's amazing.
That's a That's a great thing to do.
That's a really great thing to do.
I could see why all NBA players like their first thing is like, "I bought my mama a house."
It's like I think there's probably like very few things you could do that will like, you know, feel as good as like taking your dad or your mom to like to do something that that they would love to do, they'd never do for themselves and like, you know, get to do that with them when you're a grownup.
Do you guys Do you guys want to combine frame breaking person and favorite guest? Okay, what you got?
So, well, do you have a favorite guest?
Well, let's explain what frame breaking is. Dude, go for it.
Okay, so me and Sam use this term a lot.
Frame breaking, everybody walks around with some frame and frame is like a border, right?
And everything that's inside the border is what you sort of I'm used to that. I've seen that. I expect that.
That's what's in the picture.
That's how wide my lens goes.
And then occasionally you'll meet these people who will just completely break your frame and it's like, "Oh, I didn't Like it's like imagine a painting where somebody just starts drawing past the frame onto the wall." You're like, "What? You can't go out there."
And so this is maybe somebody with like extreme ambition or they live life to the fullest in this way that you don't really do or they're really you know, really intentional about their time or you know, there's these things that people do that you thought you knew what level 10 looked like in that category and then you realize, "Oh, what I thought was a 10 is a seven."
And now I know what a 10 looks like.
I actually like somebody's broken my frame.
They've turned the volume knob up further than I thought it could go in that aspect of their life. So, that's the setup.
Who who is your frame breaking person?
So, there's this Aristotle quote that I've been thinking about for like a year now.
I think last last time when we did this, I was saying I was trying to use my phone less.
And this Aristotle quote it says uh "Excellence is never an accident.
It's always the result of high intentions, sincere effort, and intelligent execution."
And the reason I think about that all the time is because I don't know about you guys, but like if I'm on a Zoom meeting, I'm probably browsing the internet.
If I'm watching TV, I probably have my phone up and I'm doing something.
Like there's this constant pattern of >> [snorts] >> interruption and never focusing on something and it's kind of been tearing me apart.
It's kind of making me gone mad.
And so I've been working so hard on being intentional about my attention and focusing on excellence, but in a very few amount of things.
So, just picking a couple things and being great.
And we had this guy I don't think you were here, Sean, but we had this guy named Will Guidara who wrote this book called Unreasonable Hospitality.
And the story is if you guys have seen The Bear, he it's one of the inspirations for The Bear, the TV show, but basically the story is that he owned this very famous restaurant in New York called Eleven Madison and they are famous for going above and beyond.
For example, someone was trapped >> it the top rated restaurant in the country or what what's like the claim to fame, right?
It was the top rated restaurant in the country in part because the food was was special.
It was a Michelin star place, so it was like fancy.
But the other part was that they were known for being unreasonably hospitable.
So, I'll give you an example.
They had this couple or family from Europe come to the restaurant that they'd planned for months to attend and Will or waiter overheard them say, "We're leaving tomorrow, but the one thing we didn't get to experience was a New York street hot dog."
And so Will has this guy at his company who they called him the Dream Weaver and his only job was to make dreams come true to their customers.
And so this guy ran outside and he bought a street hot dog or a couple of them and they chopped them up and put like a cute garnish on it, so it sort of looked like it was a fancy restaurant food, but it was actually a street hot dog and they said, "We heard you talk about you wanting a hot dog. Here you go.
Your dreams have come become a reality."
And that's rooted in like unreasonable hospitality, but in the reality is it's about being excellent.
And he gave this amazing spiel and it's crazy.
amazing spiel and it's crazy. This did not I think this hit on Spotify, but it did not hit on YouTube, but this was the best podcast I'd ever recorded based just of what he told me of the idea of just he was like we are going to go above and beyond and we are going to be
excellent and I found that to be kind of overfilling my cup not just in the business category, but in life of just pursuing excellence for the sake of just trying to be great at a couple things and I found that to be a very inspirational book and I find him to be a very inspirational person and he kind of broke my frame. That was awesome. That was an awesome That was awesome.
That was an awesome rant and summary of it, too. I love that. Thank you. It was awesome.
>> That scene in The Bear is the best.
They they recreated that that idea in The Bear and it was like peak peak television.
It was the best and then um my favorite guest sleeper of a guest Sean Frank.
So Sean Frank is this guy who's the CEO of Ridge Wallet which is a popular wallet company.
He I wanted Guys, this guy is so funny and so interesting Sean because he's kind of like you and I like he can he's silly and everything, but his silliness is I think he's actually a very serious person and I found this blog that he wrote last year. Listen to this.
He said, "My goal is to sell Ridge for a billion dollars in the next 3 years.
I have to time it right because we're coming out of a bubble and interest rates are going to go up and then they're going to come back down hopefully by 2025 and then by 2026 or 27 I'm going to sell this company."
And I just thought it was hilarious that this guy like called his shot like that and if you listen to the podcast that we had with him, he was a very direct person and I find that to be incredibly refreshing.
So I think Sean Frank was my favorite guest.
He's a great follow on Twitter as well.
Dude, he's like a wholesome guy, but he's very blunt and I find that to be a very cool combination. >> Yeah. Yeah, he's funny.
So that's my favorite guest and my favorite frame breaking people. How about you?
Steph, you want to go next or Sure.
Um have you guys heard of Fiona Oaks? No. Who is that? Frame breaking person.
Okay, so I discovered her because I've gotten into running lately and I watched this documentary. >> you spell her name? Fiona Oaks O A K E S.
This documentary was about her.
It's called Running for Good The Fiona Oaks documentary. Okay, so get this.
She has been a vegan since she was six.
She lost her kneecap at age 17 due to an injury and medical complications.
Yet she is this crazy marathon woman.
She lives some in some like farm area in England.
She just runs a crazy number of miles.
Doctors to other patients who have lost their kneecaps are like, "You can't even walk downhill."
She's running these marathons.
She has multiple world records and the craziest part is she does all of this because she just loves animals so much.
She didn't grow up running and like you know enter competitions.
She wasn't on cross country.
She just one day realized, "Oh, I'm pretty fast."
And then started entering marathons to win money so that she could go fund her farm business and take care of her animals better.
So this woman was just like the most frame breaking cuz I'm just like who is this and how is she running 248 marathons?
That's like 624 minutes per mile and she just does it like no one knows who she is until you know someone discovered her and they're making documentaries about her, but she just just the craziest combination of things and she's just like she's a world record holder.
>> She ran marathons before she lost her kneecap also or she started this hobby after?
I don't know how much running she was doing before the kneecap, but all of the records all of the She lost the knee at the age of 16.
post yeah post kneecap And she's 56 now and she's doing this [ __ ] It's pretty wild. >> Yeah. It's crazy.
The the documentary is funny, too because they start out and they don't share any of her times.
They're kind of hyping her up and you see her she looks kind of old and you're like, "Okay, sure, you know, like she might be fast for a 50-year-old, but she's not no way she can be that fast."
And then you actually look up her times and you're like, "Holy [ __ ] This woman is a legend."
I don't know how these guys run so much.
The more I run, the more hurt I get.
Like I She doesn't have the kneecap.
>> [laughter] >> That's the trick.
Are you are you not are you not willing?
>> Dude, remember that guy with the fake legs who ran the 400 meter in the Olympics? Yes. Oscar Yeah.
He also went to jail for like killing his >> Yeah, he killed his wife. Yeah.
I always thought that was nonsense.
Why do these >> broke a frame or two.
Well, [laughter] guys yeah.
Like why do they get to be in the Olympics?
Like they don't like they don't have any >> normal Olympics or the world >> Yes.
He was in the normal Olympics which is nonsense.
He he doesn't have any like legs that can get full of lactic acid. They're like metal legs.
Like why does he get to go?
Like you know what I mean? It seems ridiculous. That is ridiculous. It's ridiculous. >> I'm enraged. Yeah. It's ridiculous.
Um Fiona Oaks, what's the documentary called?
It is called Running for Good The Fiona Oaks documentary.
Really >> Did you have a favorite guest also or you do you want to just use her for both?
No, I've got a favorite guest.
You mentioned him before, so maybe he's your favorite guest.
He's uh recent, John Morgan.
I listened to a bunch of the episodes and there were people like there was the exploding kittens guy, there was Eric Ryan, there was Shiel.
Like all of those people I went into the episode expecting to like I went into this episode expecting to not like John Morgan.
And he just was incredible.
The The number of businesses that he's gone into, whether it's his attraction stuff, apartments, ad agency, tech company is insane, but it was his one-liners that I was just like, "Dude, this guy simplifies the all of this like [ __ ] that us tech company people overcomplicate into just the best lines.
He's like, "I don't hunt deer, I hunt money."
When he's talking about his URL, he's like, "I went for um just >> Justice for all.
[laughter] Yeah, he he was like, "Basically, I was worried people couldn't spell justice, so for the people or Yeah, he went with for the people.
Um he also like had this line where he's like, "I'm good at sharing the profits."
And I was like, "You know what?
There's actually something to that."
Like so many people are so bad at spreading the wealth and he's just like, "Look, I treat my people good.
You know, I share the profits."
Bullets before bombs, crazy number.
He got on and Shod and I I think I don't know who booked him, but we didn't know I don't think we entirely knew what we were getting into because he's now he's on this tour, but like there wasn't a lot of information about him.
And we I don't think we knew what we were getting into.
I know I was going into it like, "Eh, we'll see."
The first sentence he goes, "I got these attractions, this upside down museum."
And he goes, "And let me tell you, it [ __ ] prints money."
>> [laughter] >> They [ __ ] print.
Yeah, he goes, "They [ __ ] print."
He said the F word so hard and we don't say the F word that really on the show.
And we both like eyes went open and we were like, "Buckle up, baby.
We are going on a on a roller coaster." This was something.
And there was 20 lines and I showed it to my dad because Morgan and Morgan I think is they have an office in Missouri, so that's where the commercials.
And he was like, "You can't air this.
This is going to ruin this guy's reputation."
And I was like, "I don't know, man.
I think he knows what he was doing because he I showed him I go, "He said the F word literally 15 times."
And another time he goes, "Do you know why we win?
Our competitors, their lawyers, they're shit."
And like >> [laughter] >> And then he goes and then he goes and then and then when we win, we go into a case and they don't want to settle, but 6 weeks in they see how serious they are and they want to settle and I go, "Fuck you."
>> [laughter] >> And I take them for everything they're worth.
Like he's like it's this he was a very vulgar guy, but it like If your boss was like a Netflix showrunner, I'd just be like, "I need to follow him around cuz I'm going to build like, you know, Ari Gold-like characters around, you know, this guy's personality and the way he rolls."
And we go, "Why are you even we said, "Why are you doing this?"
He goes, "Because it's good for business."
>> [laughter] >> I also love that he's not I mean he built a tech company, but he's not in our tech world, so he'd be like, "I was on The Business Insider."
Or he'd be like, "Sean, have you are you aware of this thing called first principles thinking?"
And I was like, >> [laughter] >> "This guy's a G."
Like >> He said my whole philosophy was what would Google do?
>> [laughter] [laughter] >> So that was awesome. Sean, what about yours?
Yeah, he I mean he was amazing.
Also, I would say one other thing about him, which is I had this opinion, I don't know from where it came from, but just my default never even thought about it again was personal injury lawyers, sleazy ambulance chaser, blah blah blah.
And it's like, "Wait a minute.
So what's his actual story?"
His brother gets basically paralyzed on the job, has poor representation.
He gets mad about that, decides, "I'm going to go to law school, become a personal injury lawyer to fight for, you know, fight for that."
And it's like, "Wait, yes, it's basically people who are, you know, it's you're fighting for the common man against large corporations for the most part."
And it's like, "I wonder why this isn't seen as a more as a more noble profession."
Like obviously there's aspects to it, I get why it gets that bad rep, but like I don't know.
I I think it's I think it's over I think the the public opinion is far overrated on on negativity towards towards this profession in this way. I totally agree, man.
Have you ever like known someone who got hurt at work and you're like, "This is a travesty.
These insurance companies should be paying you this much more."
Like there's nothing you could do.
You know, have you ever like tried Have you ever gotten a I've been like a car my car got messed up and I was like, "This car is worth way more than you guys are telling me, but I just got to take it."
Now imagine if this was like your mom who got hurt. You know what I mean?
Yeah, I think most of his cases are against companies like insurance companies, right?
So it's it's a little weird that they have that reputation.
Um all right, I have a frame-breaking person that you guys probably don't know.
Her name is Kristen Berman.
And Kristen is somebody I met at an event.
I went to one of I I That's I lied.
I did go to one event this year.
I went to um the Dialogue conference.
And honestly, didn't love the conference overall, but there was one conversation I thought was really great.
And it was this conversation um where Kristen was there.
She is partners with Dan Ariely.
So, if you've ever read the book Predictably Irrational, he's like one of the famous behavioral economists in the world.
Like she runs business partners or like married?
>> They run Irrational Labs, which I think is like a consulting So, companies come to them and you know, like Panda Express will come to them and be like, "Hey, we want to provide healthy options, but like how do we frame this in a way that will be like, you know, people make the choices that they want?
Or how do we get people to choose to insulate How do we get people to choose to insulate their water heater cuz it's good for the environment, it'll save them money, but we can't seem to get them to do it.
What are What are ways we could do that?"
So, they'll go to them and try to say, "You guys understand how people's consumer brains works?
What are ways to do this?"
So, anyway, she's telling the story.
And um if the reason it's a frame-breaking story is she she made some money.
So, let's just I don't know.
I'll just make up some numbers.
Well, she made a couple million bucks, let's say.
And at the time her and her husband um and I think maybe kid, but her and her husband were living in, let's call it a two-bedroom, like a two-bed, uh you know, apartment.
And what everybody I know does is you make money and then you upgrade your lifestyle.
So, you go from a two-bed to a three-bed to a four-bed to a five-bed, whatever.
And then soon you're at the Sam you talk about like a 17,000-sq-ft mansion.
And you know, the the more you keep going.
And that's how they use their money to improve their life.
She, being a behavioral economist, had a very different perspective and it was not out of like trying to be a good person or do something different.
She was just like, "Well, this is what the data tells us matters."
And so, she was like um what she did was she kept the same apartment she was in, but she bought the three or four units right around her created a basically a compound.
And then invited people who they really liked.
So, you know, people that they they basically built their own little micro community.
So, it's like, "Who would be an amazing neighbor with us?"
>> Like they rented she rented it at a below >> rented it at a below-market rent. Yeah.
And she's like, you know, I just you know, it didn't even matter.
We're not trying to make a rental property and get this cash flow.
I'm not trying to upgrade my own lifestyle and live in this baller place.
No, like basically, the data says that like the people you have around you, your close-knit community, is the number one thing that will improve your happiness. So, we did that.
So, we bought these other units.
We now have people, you know, like kind of like who are friends or friends adjacent like apply to come in.
We're really rigorous about who gets in.
And then when they're in, you know, they're a part of our life, you know, like they we we see them all the time and it's been amazing.
And she wasn't even really like preaching about this, but I was kind of like, "Wait a minute.
Like this is I like that sounds simple. Sounds simple to do.
I don't know anyone who's done that.
Like do you know anybody?
We know a lot of rich people.
Do you know anybody who's actually done that?"
Well, I kind of did that.
Me and Neville bought homes together. >> you moved away.
>> [laughter] >> I had Yeah, I moved away to I moved away to be closer to to family, but I would say we we were intentional about it and it was freaking awesome.
Yeah, you you you might be the only person I know who's also kind of like been like, "I'm going to live on the same block as this person."
And that's more important than getting the bathrooms with the marble and like the way we want, you know, how most people I think pick and choose what they're going to do.
In fact, most people I know who make money, they isolate themselves.
They they move into more private communities, bigger and bigger places with bigger and bigger lots.
And they basically like create a pocket of loneliness because maybe their family they can't afford to live right next to them.
Or their friends aren't also in in the same, you know, either category or looking to move at the same time.
And they move into a place where other people are used to not talking to each other.
And they they it's like isolationist.
So, I just thought this was amazing.
It kind of broke my frame, but it was very inspiring cuz as much as I'm inspired to learn how to make money, I think Morgan Housel said it best like you can either use money in one of two ways.
Number one, as a tool to improve your life.
Or number two, as a measuring stick to measure your yourself worth.
And I, you know, it's so easy to get caught in the money as a measuring stick thing, but money as a tool to improve your life, that means you got to learn how to spend it just as much as you got to learn how to make it.
And so, he's this this was an example of like how to actually spend money to improve the quality of your life. We should have her on. That sounds great. Yeah, we totally should. She was awesome. That's cool. That's a great one.
Uh I've never heard of this uh this person. That sounds badass.
Does she have a book or anything?
Or is her Well, I think Predictably Irrational was kind of like part of their thing. I don't know.
I don't know I don't know too much, but um yeah, let's have her on. She's going to be great.
Um and what's your favorite guest?
Favorite guest was Nick Mowbray.
So, this is basically the the closest person to Elon Musk that I've ever met.
Um not like closest as in like friends, but like closest like, "Oh wow, you're basically like Elon."
He just, you know, Elon was born in South Africa, this guy's in New Zealand.
And he went into the toy industry.
And if you haven't heard it, the pod he did he he does very few podcasts.
I think when I was doing research, it was like one interview from like 15 years ago is the only thing I could find.
And um it took like 30 emails to get him to come on and he was amazing.
Such a good dude and his story is like like a movie.
Um you know literally like sleeping in a bush uh you know in China trying to trying to make it happen like it it it was just unbelievable.
Like the sort of sleeping on the factory floor mentality, the level of grit, living off a dollar a day until they made it.
And now you know the brothers are the wealthiest men in New Zealand.
They're built self-made billionaires, own the whole thing, not only built one of the biggest toy probably a top three toy company in the world sitting in New Zealand, but also built like you know a top three diaper company, also built a top shampoo company. Like this guy is insane.
this guy is insane. Like you know he was saying how when he he got like uh you know that living off a dollar a day in China eating McDonald's you know like kind of off the dollar menu type of thing got you know caught up to him and he had to like get his like small
intestine removed or something and he's like you know when I was in recovery sitting in the like hospital I decided like I was watching TikTok and I decided like I'm going to build one of the biggest brands on TikTok and he built like the biggest diaper brand as a side quest using TikTok and I'm like this guy is an animal. To the point where after
To the point where after the pod I don't think we caught this on the pod, but he said something like I asked him I was like dude you're like Elon. Have you ever met Elon?
He's like no I've never met him I would I would love to have met him.
He's like you know at one point me and my brother we were the largest shareholders in the world of Tesla stock. He's like I'm a big fan.
And I was like what do you mean?
He's like yeah I think we owned I think they owned like I forget if he said 1% or 4% of of Tesla.
Just personally they owned it.
And he's like yeah we you know but then when COVID hit and like the world stopped and the factories had to shut down we didn't know.
We were at such a huge position.
We you know we reduced during that time. He's like huge mistake.
We left like 15 billion dollars on the table by not holding for the next five years.
And he's like um but to the point where his brother like flew to California and installed cameras on buildings that had an angle at the Fremont factory cuz they were like this is such a huge position we should monitor the factory production.
And I was like this is the most high agency person I've ever met in my life.
Um I was very very inspired by Nick Mowbray.
It says on Wikipedia that they're both they're worth collectively 20 billion dollars.
I didn't realize I I thought that he was a billionaire like 1 billion. That's incredible.
>> And now they're like 3D printing houses.
Like they it's it's cra- they're they're doing crazy crazy crazy stuff.
And the base is just the toy company?
Like that was the foundation of the wealth? Yeah. That is so insane.
When you hear these people who have side quests that are like orders of magnitude bigger and better than anything you've ever built. Yeah it's it's wow. Wow. That was awesome.
You um I knew the story, but I didn't realize how successful they were. That's really amazing.
Um okay we probably only have a couple more that we're going to do.
Do you want >> one do you want to do?
to do >> which one do you want to do?
>> We do biggest change of the making and then the the meme of the year maybe? Yeah what's yours?
What's your biggest change? All right.
So uh after hanging out with Jesse I was like what's my new Misogi going to be?
And we were both talking about um he he was he's written a lot of books, but he was like dude honestly he's like I feel bad.
He's like I don't read that many books.
He's like I I don't even read five books in a year.
He's like I can't believe it.
Every- something I really feel like I should change.
And I was thinking about this I've thought about it very similarly and I was like you know what? All right.
And so I was like took my phone and I just deleted X, deleted Twitter, deleted uh deleted uh YouTube, deleted Reddit.
And I was basically like I think I can give myself back 10 to 15 hours a week of time and mind space and I'm just going to not consume any social this year.
I'm just going to get off social completely. I'll still post.
I'll have my team like post stuff.
Like I can create for social. I just can't consume.
And I'm going to sw- I I call this the Luka Dončić trade.
It's like what if I could get the best thing back you know and which would be like reading some of the best books of all time and I'll give up some crappy assets.
You know I'll give up uh you know some some problem riddled assets like you know all the all these different social media apps.
And so that's my trade I'm making uh for this year. Damn.
How when did you make the change? Delete the apps? On the flight back. So how many days ago? Yesterday.
[laughter] I was like I was like how's it going so far? Too early.
>> can't wait till next year. Yeah yeah. I started early.
It's not like I did >> Shuts like I do I used to use social media just like you guys yesterday.
I know exactly how you feel.
>> [laughter] >> Oh I can't wait to look down upon people who use social media.
>> [laughter] >> Imagine how self-righteous I can be. That's a great move.
Uh I used last year I used the brick for it or I think it's called brick or the brick.
Uh it was really helpful.
And I don't actually don't have social media on my phone um but I do use it on my computer.
So which is not good either. But that's a good move. Yeah. Um You already do this.
You read like 25 books a year and I think you're very like I read a lot of books.
Lately I >> your phone Putting your phone in a box.
I think you you're very self-actualized in that whereas I'm still like the the mouse or the rat like pushing the pedal trying to get a pellet of cocaine out of the thing, you know?
Having a second kid has reduced my reading to like close to nothing cuz like I get up extra early and I go to bed and I'm like >> makes me feel better. I have to go to sleep.
No, so I haven't read a full book in months.
Um I don't like I I'll get through something It's taking me a month to read this thing because I I like I basically have to get up at 6:00 and I'm like at 10:00 I have to go to sleep. I'm so exhausted.
So yeah, having kids has basically ruined a second kid has ruined my reading.
Um the What Wait, what are we doing? Habit or change? Change for next year.
I You're not going to see this, Sean, but lately I've been going a lot harder on Instagram and Hampton is going to be We have this like YouTube channel called MoneyWise and we're going to rebrand it and call it Hampton.
And we just rented a new office down the street from my current office and it has seats for 60 people and a big studio.
So I'll be recording this from that new studio and we're going to be creating a new YouTube channel and I'm going to be doing a lot more Instagram content.
And I feel like the other day I did a video and I was like recording and I'm like, So I talk about this on my page.
And I'm like, Oh my god, that's like such a like a boomer.
I can't believe I just said that.
>> [laughter] >> Uh but I I I'm going to be going a lot harder on um content and it's going to start with me writing >> you doing this to grow Hampton or are you doing this because you're like, I want to be influential or I love creating content?
What's What's the What's the true why on this one?
Well, I started my career because I enjoyed creating content.
And then when it became a little bit of a job, I disliked it uh as much and so I put it away for a while.
And then I was like, Look, the best way to grow my company is just to do this thing and I started like doing it as a job and lately I've been doing it and I'm like, I love this.
I love writing and figuring this out.
And so um I've been doing this stuff on Instagram now for only about three or four weeks and I've got millions of views and I'm like, This is actually a fun little uh game to figure out and I enjoy like Can I Can I grow Hampton via content that isn't slop?
And uh I've enjoyed that.
So that's what I'm That's my big change uh this year.
Another simple change is I've been doing it the past month to prepare for the new year.
I get my workout My workout is finished at 7:00 a. m. I'm uh done by 7:00 a. m.
And I know that again, we're doing like self-righteous stuff here, but uh I hate getting up early, but I love having gotten up early and it's been a huge difference in just my time.
Yeah, Sahil had this great quote.
He's like, "I don't know any loser who wakes up at 5:00 a. m. to work out."
And it's like That's kind of true, right?
Like >> [laughter] >> Have you Have you ever met a loser who does that?
No, like being at the gym at 6:00 a. m. and done at 7:00 a. m.
You're like it feels amazing and it's so hard to do though.
>> you think you can sustain that one?
Well, I have to because it's my job to My eldest kid, I get her out of bed at 7:30.
So if I'm going to exercise, it has to be done by 7:00 or 7:10.
And so I've been doing it now for 30 days and I think I can say You know, the the the secret is very dumb.
The secret is you have to go to bed at 10:00. Yeah.
If you're in bed by 10:00, this is easy.
That's That's challenging to do, but you have to be in bed by 10:00. Right.
Every time I wake up at 5:00 a. m.
, I'm like, This is amazing. I I get so much done.
Like why don't I do this every day?
And then, you know, a year later, it happens again.
Um my biggest change is maybe kids. We'll see.
Um I'm feeling nervous about it.
Do you guys have any >> this an announce bit? Are you announcing it? >> No, no, no, no.
Sam, are you going to ask me if I'm Are you pregnant, Steph?
>> [laughter] >> No, to be clear, I am not currently pregnant.
We have not started trying, but it's on the radar.
Do you want us to give you um Tips?
Like tips Like how to be a How to be a pregnant woman? No, not tips.
More like >> [laughter] >> What What What do you feel great about with kids?
What makes you like I don't know.
I think there's a lot of especially when you're a woman and you have to like actually, you know, grow the kid and then you have to like provide for the kid for the first few years in ways that men don't.
It's a little daunting, but I love hearing from both men and women like the best parts of having kids cuz I feel like I don't hear those.
>> Sean, how do you talk about this without saying the most cheesy like advice?
It's every cliché, everything you've already heard, but it's actually true.
So uh that's why it's hard to you know, it's like you feel lame even saying it cuz it's so and it's so obvious to you when you're in it that like you know, there like Whatever I thought life was before this was just like, you know, pregame material for for the real game and that's that's kind of how it feels um in in many ways.
Like level of intensity, level of like, you know, like love, like all like a sense of purpose, like But I would say like the good thing about little kids is me and Sam both have little kids.
Sam's are a little younger than mine, so he might not even be fully in this phase yet, but like >> Yeah, my eldest is two.
By the time your kids are kind of like three, four, they're talking, they're walking, they're like they have a personality, like they're all it's a whole deal.
And um they're just like a little joy machine.
So imagine having like a jukebox in your house and every time you go, you push the button and like your mood lifts.
And the the reason why is because kids are experiencing everything for the first time, so you get to experience everything for the first time with them being the excuse for you to like actually indulge it and actually care and and be like your own version of like a little kid.
And then there's also like these incredibly satisfying moments cuz it's like they are you know, like whatever you feel about like building a company or building a product, the truth is like the ultimate product is this little kid you made.
And you get to shape it and you get to see it grow and you get to see like all the amazing things that happen.
So take any of the feelings you've had out of like entrepreneurship or creativity or creating, and now like add some like 3,000 years of biological, you know, hardwiring to love all those aspects, you know, at a at a much higher level.
At this stage, when I see like Instagram stuff of like the dad coming home from the military and hugging the kid or whatever, like things like that, I cry.
I I get so like emotional by it.
I was I hold my I I put my eldest to bed at night um and like she lays on my my stomach and I'm like I this is you know, like you you you ever think about like when your parents die, like how like if they go to heaven or if like you like think about them, like what age will you remember them?
And I with my little girl every night, I'm like this is perfect.
I will remember this for forever and it's so important to be present uh because this is I was like I when I feel her stomach on my like my chest, I'm like this is peak happiness.
I have never felt this good and I get to experience it every single day. And it's very special.
I think that for a lot of men, you don't love your kid right away and it takes a little warming up to.
And I'm at the phase of my life now where I'm like I like I I say this as a joke, but it's sort of real where I was like when I got married, I felt like I'll kill someone to protect you.
And then when I had a kid, it was like I will die for you.
And that's a very like weird way to think of it, but it is so fun to be like or not fun, I don't know, fun.
It feels so great to just know I'm willing to dedicate everything I can to this thing and it feels really good to feel that way.
Um And and the downside and the upside are both the same.
The downside is like, "Oh my god, this is a lot of work and I don't have control over my time or my schedule the way I used to."
And for people like us who are like, "Wow, there's always more projects I want to do and things I want to learn and stuff I want to go do."
And all of a sudden, it's like, "Oh, I can't. I don't get to."
You know, like I don't get to do that.
It's not my schedule anymore.
That's the worst part of it for me at least.
Uh like unless like there's like a health issue or whatever, like that's the worst part of it on just like normal life.
But also the best part of it is like it's not about you anymore.
It's like actually all the problems in your life, all the bad feelings you had was like over like just an overimportance of the self.
And so the thing with kids that's great is like it's about them now.
And so you get like the highs from that, but you don't really get the same amount of lows because um you don't have that sort of self-rumination, self-like indulgence of like all the little things that bother you in your world because it's really not about you anymore, you know? Totally.
Yeah, I had a friend who had a kid recently and I visited her and she was just like, "Your emotional spectrum is just stretched, but in the most beautiful ways cuz you just Yeah, you're responsible for this being when she was like walking out with her kids for the first time, she was like, "I've never felt more stressed cuz I just saw all the things that could, you know, maybe harm my child."
But at the same time, like you're saying, it's more of like a it's like a new set of emotions.
It's maybe not as self-centered.
It's it's just like a more interesting aspect of life that like if you don't have kids, you're never going to get to experience is my sense.
I haven't had them, but like that's I I find that >> a good good way of putting it.
Like oh, there's like three new colors you didn't know about.
>> [laughter] >> You know, there's like there's like a whole other thing you get to see. Um Okay. >> I hate saying that. I agree with you.
I hate saying that because when people don't have children, it's like it's an not a reversible decision, so I don't ever want to make someone feel bad and you know, so I don't love talking about that.
But um I do feel like it's sort of like the first time I've ever felt like my my purpose in life has is being fulfilled.
Like you think that way about work sometimes and then and then we had it and I don't I hate being high and mighty and [ __ ] Uh but you like have a kid and you're like, "Oh, this is like this is the like cuz this is why I've tried to impress a girl and be so she would like me and then I could reproduce with her and now I have this thing."
And it's like >> [laughter] >> I am now connected to the 20 50 billion people before me and it feels kind of special.
Feels very strange, but it's special.
>> Yeah, it is hard to talk about it cuz it's just you feel you feel lame and cheesy and you don't want to like it's just your personal experience.
You don't want to influence others, but like when you ask, you're like, "Ah, like I think I want it.
I'm kind of on the fence.
I want to hear about it." then like, okay. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
>> Permission to be to permission to cheese. Well, thank you.
And sorry for forcing you guys to do that.
Someone in the chat was like, "Well, this just got serious."
So, >> [laughter] >> we can move on.
Well, we'll end on a light note.
We have favorite tweet {slash} meme of the year. What do you have? Let's start with Steph.
Guys, mine is boring, but I just loved the may I meet you meme. It was so good. It was so good.
Like, what is this activist investor doing giving dating advice?
And just the just the versatility.
>> you give me your whole thought process?
You as a woman who's also in business and tech, you get on Twitter, you see this happening.
What was going through your mind?
Give me the random >> just thought it was a >> cycle you went through.
>> I thought it was truly hilarious because I think also, I don't know.
Like, as a woman, there's so many times when like men think that they know what women want.
And like, I'm sure Bill Ackman is a catch.
Like, I'm sure he's also like six plus feet, right?
Like, he's got a bunch of money and like, you know, he's going up to these women saying like, "May I meet you?"
And he's gathering that that is what is you know, the defining action that the women are are liking, but I don't know.
I just thought it was so funny cuz of the the memes that came from that.
Like, all of >> you get hit on a lot, Steph?
Like, in them work events? Um not too explicitly.
I mean, if you kind of get the >> maybe occasionally?
Occasionally, but I think I've I've been able to stay I don't know if it's just my vibe, if I'm like not that much of a catch, but I've definitely heard I've No, no, I'm saying like I've heard many women who have it way worse where like basically anywhere they go, you know, they just can't live normally. That's crazy.
Um Steph, so you saw that advice.
What would your advice have been?
If Bill Ackman he meant well, right?
He was like "I heard that it's tough out there for young guys.
Here's a little bit of advice."
If if may I meet you was wrong, what's the right advice?
I feel like Well, I mean, he's right that you just got to approach a girl, right?
Cuz girls like confidence.
But I also think girls like humor and like you knowing you being authentic.
And so, even just going up to a girl and just being like, "Hey, like I'm really nervous, but like, I got to talk to you.
This is like not the best pick up line, but I just feel like you just walking up to to a girl is like what probably nine out of 10 guys will not do.
If you happen to say, "May I meet you?"
it's probably fine, but >> [laughter] >> I don't know. Just be be natural.
Um Sean, are you sharing right now? Is that your screen? Uh no, that's not me.
But there's I forgot what it is, but Lil Dicky has one that I it's great.
I wish I I wish I had this back when I was single. It would have helped me.
But he's like he's like, "Oh, I have the perfect pick up line."
>> [laughter] >> We can play the video to cuz I to get it right, but uh the summary of it was he was like uh he would go up to a woman and he'd be like, "What's your What's your availability as far as being hit on right now?"
>> [laughter] >> He's like, "She would laugh and she would know my intentions and then like I gave her an out and I gave her an in.
And I like, you know, he's like he's like, 'It works every time.'"
That's pretty >> Someone in the chat just says, "Hey, I need you."
>> [laughter] >> Oh, he's I need you.
A higher intensity version of "I need you." Yes.
Do you remember when you guys Sean or whoever um was screen sharing?
I just sent one an example of one, but the the best content on social that I'm following this year.
Do you remember Sean when we talked about cinematic content?
I think we talked about um Creator Camp.
Is that what we talked about? >> Yeah.
So, like here's just one example of a podcast, but I can I'll send you a few more examples, but that's just one example of a podcast. Uh who is this? Mark Brazil?
Have you got Have you seen this guy's podcast?
>> seen I've seen this cuz it it stands out, right? In the feed.
It's like a hostage negotiation situation.
And so, we've talked about cinematic content.
So, we talked about this company called Creator Camp.
And I'm noticing that like if you guys follow like these there's a bunch of 22, 23, 24, 25-year-old kids making like content that is not just like the talking head videos and it's beautiful.
And it's starting to transfer over into like podcasting, which is you know, normally they don't do this.
And like Chris Williamson has done this with his set for Matthew McConaughey.
And I'm noticing that this type of cinematic content where it's like a beautiful background and it's not just I don't know.
your phone, it's way more popular and I love it. I love this stuff.
I'm loving internet content at the moment because of this trend.
So, not a tweet or a meme.
You said >> [laughter] >> Yeah, you're right.
You did say meme of the year.
But I think it's cool and you're right. Dude, I don't know.
You pay attention to memes?
I don't pay attention to memes.
>> [laughter] >> Anything's a meme these days, guys.
>> But it's always like a meme, it's not like a long-lasting thing.
It's just like whatever was like the Drake video, like the Drake video, or like all the trends on Instagram that like yeah, it's cool for a week, and I love it, and then it's like move on.
I'll give you uh I'll give you two.
The first I'll give you a funny one first.
All right, can you put that put it by a funny one?
Uh this one's just it wasn't the most funny thing, but I got to say it's affected every day of my life.
So, the tweet is a reminder that tapping your credit card is a spiritually passive and feminine that and men should pave with a confident and a penetrative thrust into the chip reader.
And I read this, I laughed, and now every time I pay for something [laughter] I can't help but think about this, and I've been thrusting, my friends. I've been thrusting.
You got to walk around with that wad of cash.
That's the most manly thing you can do.
>> Oh, that was She's right. John Morgan. You do need a lot.
>> be John Morgan right there. You know what I mean?
Well, I have a pulling out a wad >> give a finger lick before I start folding some bills? Dude.
>> [laughter] >> Just That's how you pick up girls. Just count your bills. Just sit in the corner. They'll come.
>> My father-in-law he did that.
He had like a he had a thousand dollars in twenties, and it was in a one one time he had it in a rubber band, and I was like, "I'm in."
So, like >> [laughter] >> when I bring a wallet, I definitely like to have five hundred dollars or a thousand dollars of like tens and twenties that it's just Looks weird in the pocket, though. They know.
>> [laughter] >> They know something. They know.
And then I have a have a wholesome tweet, and this is from uh Jay Yang.
Young young guy, Jay Yang, who said something very wise.
Um Is that the you could just do things guy?
He's the you could just do things guy, and he said, "Here's the hill I'm willing to die on."
He says, "Real success is how many people thank you for theirs."
And I thought, "Wow, that was actually really profound."
And I think I'm going to steal that as like what's the point of all of this kind of like what what is the North Star as far as success goes?
And I was like, "I think that's the best metric."
Can I say something that I've noticed, Sean, with you and me is and I'm wondering if this is true for everyone or a lot of people.
So, inspirational motivational cheesy content, there's like It's so back.
It's I don't know if it's called a bell curve.
It's like an upside down bell will where you're in the middle Yes, you're in the middle of your or you're in the beginning of your career, and you use it like crazy.
So, I read so many self-help books, and I would listen to Tony Robbins audiobooks constantly.
Then you start getting in the thick of it, and you're like, "I just got to get this thing done.
I got to spend five or ten years doing it."
Then you get past that, and you're a little bit on Maslow's high highest hierarchy of needs, and it's so back.
I listen to so many like Jordan Peterson or how Alex Hormozi like compilation clips where it's just like yelling at me, or like reading inspirational stuff.
Are you guys doing that same thing right now? Love me a good quote.
>> Love me a good little like I don't know. Give me some italics.
I need some italics in my life.
You know, that's how I feel. I love a good quote.
I've actually realized that most smart people uh like look down upon classic quotes or clichés or motivation or inspiration. Good. More for me. More for me. I'm I'm all in on that.
That is the the index funds of of content for me. I I put me in. I want it all. Same. I'm on board with that.
>> You're the You guys are into live, laugh, love. Yeah. Yeah. >> Exactly. I was going to say that.
This is the live, laugh, love version, but you know what, Steph?
There's a reason why millions of of of basic Oklahoma and Missouri women have this on their on their walls. Oh, I know. I know. I'm just two years away. I see it coming. Yeah.
>> you Steph, are you like I don't like fortune cookie stuff right now?
You're like, "I want Yeah, I spent years reading personal development books, and now I'm at that point where I'm like, "I know it all."
I read a new personal development book, I've seen it before. But, I know.
I hear what you're saying.
In a few years, it's going to come back, and I'm going to be like, "These people were so wise."
>> [laughter] >> Look, Steph.
I'm going to be I'm going to be patronizing you. You're young. You'll figure it out.
[laughter] You'll get there.
>> never thought that way. Yeah. Two years older than me? Something like that? You'll get there.
>> [laughter] >> You'll understand what you have some few kids, Steph.
How old are you now, Steph?
And then when you have one kid And then when you have one kid when you have one kid, we're going to say when you have two.
>> [laughter] >> That's That's the most patronizing thing.
Wait, Sean, you've got Well, somebody's in in like in the deep. Sean's got a gaggle. I got three. You going for more?
So, I get to do it to Sam.
Sam's got two, so I'm like, "Oh, two."
I don't You're on vacation, huh? Oh, that must be nice.
I'm not going to blow up her spot.
I'll let you decide, Sean, but Sean's wife on Instagram is a great follow right now.
She does some wild Elf on the Shelf stuff, and it is a great fi- find.
Me and Sarah will like be like, "Look at what she did today." It's incredible.
We went to like like a kids' school performance today, and this mom came over to her and she was like, I just got to say I live for your story right now.
She's like, every day I'm checking, when is she going to post it?
She's like I'm not going to do any of that stuff, but I love that you do it.
And I was like, oh god, you never want to be in that position.
The other day, she took a huge wall, like imagine a one bedroom wall, and using Post-it notes, I think they're Post-it notes, she outlined the Grinch.
So, imagine the Grinch's face, but the art is like Post-it notes.
I'm [snorts] going to show you a time lapse >> that's so sick. It was like a Monet. It's still up.
We're not taking it down.
Yeah, I don't think you can.
That looks like I like I like she must have like used string to like put the like make like the the grid, right?
Like it looks like a pretty like intense project.
>> this is hilarious cuz this is the there's the only one of the season I did with her cuz it was like such a big one to do, and um we needed some like bonding time.
And so I was like, okay, let's do this.
But she's a perfectionist and is good like good at things, and I'm a good enough is good enough kind of guy, and so it was just an awful experience for both of us >> [laughter] >> to try to do that together cuz she's trying to like create a grid, and if something was off, she'd have to go back >> like putting together furniture with your girlfriend.
It just like it doesn't end well.
>> I'm like, they're 4 years old.
They're not going to know.
They can't even see this high.
And so like it's like they will never know that there was this like 1 mm gap.
And you know, she had to fix it.
She must have listened to the Will Gaddara pod that I did.
>> [laughter] >> That was her inspiration, for sure. She must be a listener.
>> [laughter] >> Wait, I want to hear you guys we didn't do best new habit.
Did you guys have a good one for that one?
I also partially just want to brag.
What is you're you're a runner now, Steph. We get it. Yes, we missed that one.
You're you're a runner and you're fast. We get it.
>> Sam's like, we we missed it intentionally.
No, I have I think you're running you're been running really I I assume you're going to say running, right?
Cuz your times are actually incredibly fast. She's cuz yes.
Yes, I'm like Now we can finally talk about it. Go for it.
What am I running all these miles for?
No, yeah, my best life hack {slash} new habit, that was the category, was running.
And I just wanted to say that I started running about 14 to 16 months ago, and I've run two marathons, and I'm mentioning it because I feel like everyone runs now, but also there's a ton of people that have never done it cuz they they think it sucks, and it's awesome.
And I think anyone can like get to the point where they're running marathons, running 3 miles a day, that's how I started.
Um and yeah, I feel pretty good about it.
>> What was your wasn't your time like sub 8-minute miles?
Yeah, I just ran my second marathon 3:30. So, just under 8. >> That's incredible. Sean, that's fast. Why?
Yeah, I just said it there.
>> [laughter] >> Why do people do this?
Why do all of you who are doing this do this?
That's how I feel about >> is >> running marathons. >> It is awesome. It It is awesome.
Like I I like to run, I'm horrible at it.
I get more joy out of running than any type of weight lifting or any other exercise.
I think that it's less good for you than the other stuff, but it's the most enjoyable when it hits.
It's cuz you can I mean, you can do this with weight lifting, but you can measure your progress so clearly, and you can also progress really quickly, I think, compared to other sports or I think it's just going to be one of those things for me.
Mustard, pickles, running, just things I don't like [laughter] that other people seem to love. I I just can't do it. I don't know, man.
20 minutes into like a 50-minute run, like you go into like a little bit of a cave, and it is like a special It is kind of special. It is cool. You should try it. Here's my pitch.
Everyone talks about this running high.
Don't chase the running high cuz it's far away.
Think about Do you like walking? Love walking. Huge walker. Great.
So, the feeling you get when you're walking is not I can't wait for this to end. It's like, I'm outside.
Look at this beautiful thing. My body feels good.
There is a spectrum, not like a binary difference between walking and running, right?
So, people talk about them like they're two separate things.
But there is some version of running, it might be really slow right now, where you feel like you're walking.
And so, if you start there, which is not where we're taught to start, and you just run at that pace for a mile a day, and then 2 miles a day, and then, you know, do that for a while, you will get to a point where your body you know, becomes more efficient, and over time you're going to be running 10-minute miles at that walking feeling pace, and you're going to love running. I'm telling you. [laughter] Okay. Nice try. Yeah.
The jury will consider what you said, and uh And he might be out for a flight. I don't know. >> Guilty.
>> [laughter] >> All right.
Um Steph, did you have a habit you wanted to do or no? No, waking up early. All right.
Well, Steph, I hope um um you got that in. That's great.
Uh Steph, you have some offer for people who are listening.
What is the What is the offer?
What is the thing that you're giving people if they go in the comments or the description and click? What is it? Oh, yeah.
HubSpot and you guys at My First Million were very kind and generous to offer um Internet Pipes is a project I've worked on for the last 2 years.
Probably heard about it on the pod before.
So, if you go to the link, I guess in the show notes, you can enter and get one of 10 copies.
There's also a MFM code you can use if you don't want to wait for that.
If you end up winning, we'll refund you.
Um and if you enter, you get my digits database.
So, it's like 100 plus um digits.
So, these like generation-defining trends that hopefully will mean something meaningful in the future.
Things like Like we talked about some of these really impressive people before, right?
But like what did Elon see?
He saw that it was possible to exponentially decrease the cost to send to space. What does that mean?
Well, it means like completely rethinking our communication system, Starlink.
So, they go in and they definitely get the database and then then 10 people will also get uh free access to pipes. Exactly. All right. Go get it. All right, guys. What a year. >> Peace. God bless America.
God bless this podcast, Sean. Good uh good year.
Another one >> also, >> for the books, brother.
>> you guys didn't even I can't see What does it say? I'm on a small screen.
>> it Is it um backwards? How about them noodles? them noodles. That's a wrap.