#57: Choose Rich’s Nick O’Neill on Cancer, Crypto, Going Viral & Building a Million-Dollar Brand

Nick O’Neill is the entrepreneur, software developer, and creator behind Choose Rich, the provocative online character that transformed crypto commentary, luxury satire, and internet outrage into a media business generating millions of dollars a year. After one yacht post exploded to more than 45 million impressions, Nick discovered how attention spreads, how perception shapes reality, and how to build a business around internet culture.

In this episode with Derek Andersen, Nick opens up about his Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis after nearly two years of unexplained symptoms, the mindset helping him face chemotherapy, and why he believes, “I’m basically a statistic.” He also shares how he intentionally turned internet hate into viral growth, what most creators misunderstand about attention, and why optimism is ultimately a choice.

The conversation goes deeper into selling Bitcoin and Ethereum too early, engineering viral marketing stunts, overcoming panic attacks, separating real blockchain innovation from crypto speculation, and building a media company that generates millions. Nick shows that resilience is not pretending life is easy; it is choosing what defines you, making people smile, and making the most of every single day.

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Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
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Timestamps:
01:43 - Nick Opens Up About His Cancer Diagnosis
07:41 - “I’m Basically a Statistic”
14:11 - What It Means to Say, “I Ran a Good Race”
16:06 - How Choose Rich Became a Viral Business
18:27 - The Yacht Post That Reached 45 Million People
21:27 - The Viral Yacht Stunt That Fooled the Internet
26:12 - Selling Ethereum at $11 and Bitcoin at $150
32:26 - Why Crypto Adoption Is Happening Quietly
44:24 - The Failure That Sent Nick to the Hospital
48:45 - Why Cancer Did Not Define Him
59:21 - How Nick Measures a Successful Life

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#NickONeill #ChooseRich #CancerJourney #HodgkinLymphoma #Chemotherapy #Optimism #Resilience #Entrepreneurship #GoingViral #ViralMarketing #ContentCreator #CreatorEconomy #Crypto #Bitcoin #DivotPodcast