In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have an eye-opening conversation with Tyler Cowen. Tyler is the Holbert L. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University and also Director of the Mercatus Center. He received his PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1987. He was recently named in an Economist poll as one of the most influential economists of the last decade and several years ago Bloomberg Businessweek dubbed him “America’s Hottest Economist.” Foreign Policy magazine named him as one of its “Top 100 Global Thinkers” of 2011. He also co-writes a blog called Marginal Revolution, runs a podcast series called Conversations with Tyler, and most recently authored, Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have an entertaining conversation with Bradley Tusk. Bradley is a venture capitalist, political strategist, and writer. He’s the founder and CEO of Tusk Holdings, which is the world’s first venture capital fund to work with and invest solely in high growth startups facing political and regulatory challenges. Previously, Bradley served as campaign manager for Mike Bloomberg, as Deputy Governor of Illinois and as Communications Director for Senator Charles Schumer. He’s also the author of the book, The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics and regularly writes a column for The Observer…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I’ll talk about how to thrive in times of uncertainty. Most people spend a lot of time and energy trying to “resolve” uncertain situations even though some of the best experiences and lessons come when we don’t know what’s just around the corner. It makes sense that we want to know what’s coming and try whatever we can to put ourselves in environments where we feel like we can predict the future. But in reality, that’s pretty much never actually possible. Sure, it’s scary not knowing what’s in store, but embracing the unknown can produce some of the best outcomes…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have a spiritual conversation with don Miguel Ruiz Jr. Miguel Jr is a teacher and author of the book don Miguel Ruiz’s Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings. Maybe the name sounds familiar. He is the son of don Miguel Ruiz, author of the iconic book, The Four Agreements, which has inspired and impacted millions of people around the world…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have a wide-ranging conversation with my first repeat guest, Annie Duke. Annie and I had so much fun during our first conversation (Episode #4) we decided to do it all over again. Annie is a retired poker professional, bestselling author, corporate speaker, and decision strategist. As a former professional poker player, she won more than $4 million in tournament poker. She has won a World Series of Poker bracelet, the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She’s written five books, four on poker and strategy, and most recently she published her first for general audiences, Thinking in Bets: How to Make Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts…

In today’s episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have an essential conversation with Greg Mckeown. Greg is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. He also collaborated on the writing and research of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. He has taught at companies that include Apple, Google, Facebook, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, and VMware. He was recently named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He’s a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I’ll talk about 12 things I do every single day that help me embrace my imperfections. The world wants us to blend in rather than stand out. The world is begging us to be relevant rather than remembered. This overwhelming pressure rests on the idea of perfection. From what I’ve seen though, the most successful and creative people in the world are remembered not because they achieved perfection, but instead because they’ve learned to embrace their imperfections in meaningful ways. They say, success leaves breadcrumbs. Well, success has many definitions. But it’s my hope these breadcrumbs will inspire you to embrace your imperfections, and take pride in doing things just a little differently…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have an entertaining conversation with Ryan Serhant. Ryan is the star of two hit Bravo TV shows. The two-time emmy nominated “Million Dollar Listing New York” and most recently he’s starring in and producing “Sell It Like Serhant.” He just launched his first ever book of the same title, Sell It Like Serhant: How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine. Oh, and he happens to be one of the most successful real estate brokers in the world…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have a compassionate conversation with Mark Goulston, MD. Mark is a psychiatrist, consultant, and the author of the international bestsellers Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone and Talking to Crazy: How to Deal with the Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life as well as five other books. He is a former UCLA professor of psychiatry, FBI hostage negotiation trainer, and currently works as an executive coach and an adviser to CEOs and founders of Fortune 100 companies. He’s been named one of America’s top psychiatrists 4 times by the Consumers’ Research Council of America…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I’ll talk about one crucial question business owners and professionals must consistently be asking themselves. Unfortunately, many rarely ever do. Not even once. Nevermind repeatedly. The “Information Age” has changed the way consumers interact with the businesses. Many companies and individuals are still stuck in stagnation with products and services that customers don’t even want. Naturally, this begs us to answer one key question and forces us to look a little deeper at the solutions we’re providing for customers…

In this episode of the It’s Not What It Seems podcast, I have a fun conversation with Annie Duke. Annie is a retired poker professional, bestselling author, corporate speaker, and decision strategist. As a former professional poker player, she won more than $4 million in tournament poker. She has won a World Series of Poker bracelet, the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She’s written five books, four on poker and strategy, and most recently she published her first for general audiences, Thinking in Bets: How to Make Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts. Annie’s been featured on shows like Good Morning America, The Late Show w/ David Letterman, and yes, even the Celebrity Apprentice. In 2014 she founded HowIDecide.org, a non-profit whose mission is to equip youth with skills to be better decision makers throughout their lives…