Turning Adversity To Advantage: Ryan Holiday on Why The Obstacle Is The Way

Replace ego with the eternal. Trade selfishness for service—and self-absorption for unity. Together, let’s explore the spark of divinity that resides within us all. Meet Raghunath Cappo. Punk rock icon. Spiritual warrior. Bhakti yoga devotee. A teen in search of meaning, Ray Cappo fled his suburban Connecticut enclave for New York City—and found community among the misfits of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He fell in love with punk rock, so he started a band and a record label. Success soon followed. By the late 1980’s, Youth of Today had thousands of fans, cementing Ray as a leading voice and trendsetter at the bullseye of hardcore culture. However, a growing existential itch led Ray to call it quits. At just 22, he walked away from his band and label and decamped for India—a spiritual pilgrimage that led him to the holy village of Vrindavan. It was there that Ray fell in love with the wisdom and traditions of Bhakti yoga. It was there that he would remain for the next six years, living as a monk. It was there that Ray became Raghunath. This is the incredible story of a modern day yogi. But it’s also about the search we all go on. The journey for personal meaning beyond the ego. And the quest for universal consequence beyond the material. It’s about the timeless that lives and breathes within all of us—that which is eternal, and past our limited senses. It’s about transcending the illusions that hold us back. What it means to truly devote oneself to greater truth. And the modern day challenges of trudging the path towards higher consciousness. All told, it’s about what it really means to be a spiritual being having a human experience. If you’ve enjoyed my conversations with musicians John Joseph & Toby Morse, spiritual leaders Guru Singh & Radhanath Swami, or modern seekers Andy Puddicombe, Jason Garner & Russell Brand, then I’m confident this will be your jam. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll583 YouTube: bit.ly/raghunathcappo583 Thank you to Robert Sturman, Perry Julien, Sherry Sutton & Davy Greenberg for the portraits & photo use permission. Let the Jedi Warrior training begin. Peace + Plants, Rich

25 Helmi 20212h 28min

Today we get esoteric on the things that matter most—ego, family, friendship, love, work, death, and the soul. The value of living an examined life. And how sharing our uniqueness gives glimpse into the universal. Returning for his third appearance on the podcast, our cipher for said exploration is one of my very favorite humans—a former social entrepreneur, human rights activist, and lawyer turned world adventurer, magazine publisher & mystic memoirist. Meet Jedidiah Jenkins. Several years ago, I stumbled across Jedidiah’s Instagram feed. His photos are always great, but it was his prose that altered my state. Enamored by his unique lens on the human condition, he quickly become my favorite follow. Determined to learn more, I invited Jedidiah on the show (RRP #186), wherein he shared insights gleaned from an epic sixteen-month, 10,000-mile bike journey pedaling from Oregon to Patagonia. This conversation remains one of my favorites to date. I then made him promise to return (RRP #395) upon completion of his first book, To Shake The Sleeping Self. A coming-of-age memoir set against the technicolor backdrop of his bicycle adventure, the book went on to become a New York Times bestseller, crowning Jedidiah as a new and compelling literary voice. An exquisite storyteller with an elegant gift for exploring the interior landscape, Jedidiah has continued to mature as a writer. His latest New York Times bestselling flex, Like Streams To The Ocean, is a touching and immersive deconstruction of the things that make us who we are and the decisions that shape our one and only life.  His best work to date, it’s a masterclass on leveraging the specifics of one’s experience as a vehicle to better connect with the universal the resides within us all. So here we are again. Me wanting to know more. This conversation isn’t about any one thing. It’s kind of about everything. We discuss the writing process. How to find a voice. And what it means to be an observer of both nature and people. We talk Enneagrams, the commodification of ‘authenticity’, and how to cultivate focus in a distracted world. It’s also about identity. Belonging. Finding meaning in work. And what it means to live a creative life. It’s about the empathy required to find common ground with people of divergent world views. And why cultivating community is critical. But more than anything, this is a meditation on who we are. Why we’re here. And the struggle to glean truth from the intangible. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll582 YouTube: bit.ly/jedidiahjenkins582 As brilliant in conversation as he is on the page, I relish our conversations. And this one does not disappoint. Let your love affair with Jedidiah begin! Peace + Plants, Rich

22 Helmi 20212h 12min

How does one best prepare for a fitness challenge? What is the real value of testing one’s outer limits? And what constitutes true endurance? These are but a few of the questions explored in today’s edition of Roll On, wherein Adam Skolnick and I blather on matters both pertinent and possibly irrelevant. We share good news and bad. We perform some show and tell. And as always, we answer listener questions. For those new to the podcast, Adam Skolnick is an activist and veteran journalist best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, co-author. Adam has written about adventure sports, environmental issues, and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently hard at work on a novel. Some of the many topics explored in today’s conversation include: David Goggins’ 4 x 4 x 48 challenge; proper endurance training; what endurance teaches us about ourselves; Rich’s Instagram mask controversy; the rise of Clubhouse and the future of audio talk shows; and World Surf League’s ‘We Are One Ocean’ campaign In addition, we answer the following listener questions: How do you release anger and resentment? How do you find a partner with a similar lifestyle and goals (within a pandemic)? What is your leadership philosophy? How do you show up for your team? Thank you to Adam from Santa Monica, Madeleine from Redondo Beach, and Elizabeth from Nanaimo British Columbia for your questions. If you want your query discussed, drop it on our Facebook Page, or better yet leave a voicemail at (424) 235-4626. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll581 YouTube: bit.ly/rollon581 Peace + Plants, Rich

18 Helmi 20212h 5min

Meet Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist who specializes in how we can find motivation and meaning in work, and live more generous and creative lives. After graduating from Harvard magna cum laude, Adam completed his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in just three years. At 28 he became Wharton’s youngest-ever tenured professor, where he has been recognized as the top-rated professor for seven straight years, named one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and listed among Fortune‘s 40 under 40. One of the world’s most-cited, prolific and significant researchers in business and economics, Adam is the author of several New York Times bestselling books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 35 languages, including Give and Take, Originals, and Option B. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal and praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Kahneman, and Malala Yousafzai.  Certain to be another culture-tilting bestseller, Adam’s new book, and the focus of today’s conversation, is  Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. In addition, Adam’s TED Talks on original thinkers and givers and takers have garnered over 20 million views. And when he’s not writing, teaching, parenting, or consulting on behalf of organizations like Google, the NBA, or the Gates Foundation, he hosts WorkLife, a chart-topping TED original podcast. Equal parts fun and powerful, this conversation is about the importance and power of interpersonal and collective rethinking.  We discuss strategies for engaging with others who see the world differently. And what we can learn when we lead not with argumentation but rather with curiosity and humility. In a time of entrenched polarization, Adam creates space for nuance. He teaches us to think critically and carefully. To ask questions. And to hold our views flexibly.  He also offers sage advice on work in the time of COVID, when so many people’s professional ecosystems have been turned upside down.  My hope is that this exchange encourages you to identify your own biases. Emboldens you to connect more meaningfully with those who see things differently. And inspires you to relish in being wrong. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll580 YouTube: bit.ly/adamgrant580 It was an honor to hold space with a luminary I have greatly respected from afar. And to make a new friend along the way. May this conversation leave you thinking more critically about your own beliefs—and more empathetically about others’. Peace + Plants, Rich

15 Helmi 20212h 3min

What happens when you have two very big but different dreams vying for your focus? Do you choose one? Or do you risk it all to pursue both? This was the dilemma faced by today’s guest—a woman who knows a thing or two about what it takes to execute at the highest level. Meet Alexi Pappas—Olympic athlete. Award-winning writer. Filmmaker. And so much more. An extraordinary runner, Alexi set the Greek national record in the 10,000-meters and competed for Greece at the 2016 Olympic Games. An equally noteworthy artist, her words have graced the pages of The New York Times, Runner’s World, Women’s Running Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and Outside. Not enough? In the exact same year she competed in the Olympics, she also co-wrote, co-directed, and starred alongside Rachel Dratch in Tracktown, her first feature film. Executing on just one of these goals is an exceptional accomplishment. Doing both in parallel is downright superhuman. More recently, Alexi co-wrote and starred alongside Nick Kroll in Olympic Dreams, the first non-documentary-style movie to ever be filmed at the actual Olympic Games. Profiled in every major publication from Sports Illustrated to Rolling Stone, my interest was recently piqued by an amazing New York Times OpDoc (produced by friend of the pod Lindsay Crouse), which poignantly portrays the emotional toll of chasing an Olympic dream. In her excellent new memoir Bravey, Alexi dives deeper. An exuberant and unflinching primer on the struggle of self-actualization, it’s the beautiful story of surviving trauma and navigating disparate dreams—filmmaking and athletics—in competition for her attention. Why she refused to pick just one lane. And how, setbacks and deep lows aside, Alexi ultimately succeeds at both. How is possible that this human is so good at so many things simultaneously? And what is the cost (if any) of setting the bar so high? I needed to know more. This is a conversation about the courage required to blaze your own path. It’s about self-belief. And it’s about setting audacious goals and how to work towards them. It’s also about depression, loss and sacrifice. It’s about the intersection of athletics and art. And how to prioritize synergy over balance. But more than anything, this is about what Alexi calls being bravey. In Alexi’s case, trauma helped fuel her success. But it was in healing that trauma that she learned to thrive—and find the joy in the journey. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll579 YouTube: bit.ly/alexipappas579 This one’s for all the Braveys and soon-to-become Braveys seeking to replace can’t with maybe. Alexi is my new favorite person. Tune in and discover why. Peace + Plants, Rich

8 Helmi 20212h 38min

Perhaps you thought 2021 might bring some return to normalcy. So far we have the Capitol insurrection, GameStonk and Jewish Laser Beams. We need to talk. After a much-needed break, Roll On returns with my hype man Adam Skolnick, an activist and veteran journalist perhaps best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me co-author. Adam has written about adventure sports, environmental issues and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently hard at work on a novel. We are also mixing up the format with two special guests, Arthur Jones & Giorgio Angelini, the filmmakers behind Feels Good Man (and RRP 576). Serving as our internet culture decoder ring, the lads join the show to help make sense of recent events insanity. Some of the many topics explored in today’s conversation include: the importance of taking a sabbatical; the Capitol insurrection & the impact on the GOP; how Reddit turned the stock market upside down; the future of stock market democratization; David Lynch’s absurd yet wonderfully soothing weather reports; Ultra-runner Jim Walmsley’s 100k American record; and How Nepalese climbers reached the summit of K2 in the winter for the first time. In addition, we answer the following listener questions: How do I focus & contribute when I’m so consumed by current events? How do I deal with colossal failure and set myself up for success? How did overcoming substance abuse change your mindset on fitness & life? Thank you to Kevin from St. Louis, John from the Sierra Nevada, and Sarah from Phoenix for your questions. If you want your query discussed, drop it on our Facebook Page, or better yet leave a voicemail at (424) 235-4626. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll578 YouTube: bit.ly/rollon578 It’s good to be back! Peace + Plants, Rich

4 Helmi 20212h 18min

How might your life be better with less? Not so many years ago, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus were mired in the corporate grind, banking six-figure salaries in pursuit of the American Dream. Expiating for the satisfaction their careers failed to provide, they did what most humans would: They bought stuff. Lots of stuff. When that didn’t work, they bought more. And when that didn’t work, they hit bottom. What came next was a search for meaning that would forever alter the trajectory of their lives—and ignite the spread of minimalism across the world. Known today as The Minimalists, Joshua and Ryan advocate for the pursuit of living less materially and more deliberately. Through their website, books, podcasts and films, they share practical, experience-based insights on how minimalism can lead to freedom—providing the foundation for a life built not on consumption, but instead on conscious purpose and mindful intention. With a devoted readership in the millions, they’ve written several books, given TED Talks and spoken at places like SXSW and Harvard Business School. They’ve been featured on every major television network and profiled in major publications like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and TIME. In 2016, Ryan and Joshua made an unexpected splash when their Netflix documentary Minimalism enervated audiences around the world. Now they’re back with a brand new, must-see follow up, Less Is Now. Given what these fine young gentlemen represent, I will restrain inclinations verbose to simply say that this is a conversation about how to live with greater intention and purpose. It’s about creating more by consuming less. It’s about prioritizing experience over accumulation. It’s about growth, contentment and love. And it’s about the deep personal satisfaction that comes with contributing beyond ourselves. In other words, minimalism isn’t martyrdom—it’s freedom. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll577 YouTube: bit.ly/theminimalists577 Joshua, Ryan and their message is a gift. Receive it graciously. Then put it to work. Peace + Plants, Rich

1 Helmi 20211h 47min

In a spark of creativity, cartoonist Matt Furie created an innocent, loving frog he named Pepe. What came next is so insane, it literally bent reality. Filmmakers Arthur Jones & Giorgio Angelini wanted to understand how this sweet and relatively obscure indie comic book character morphed into an infamous symbol of hate—and a meme that changed the world. The result is Feels Good Man—a filmmaking triumph and one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in years. Premiering at last year’s Sundance, where it picked up the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker, it’s the surreal story of Pepe The Frog. How it migrated across the internet, evolving into an unwitting avatar of chaos and a lever for radicalization. It’s about its creator Matt Furie’s efforts to reclaim his creation. And Pepe’s slow transmogrification back into a hieroglyph of positivity. But beneath the surface, Feels Good Man is about artistic agency. It’s about the journey from passivity to participation. A sociological excavation of how culture spreads from mind to mind, it’s also an archeological dig into the indelible power of an idea. How a meme adopted by a regressive internet subculture spilled into the real world, shifted the political landscape, and ultimately tipped a presidential election. The film is an absolute must-see. I wanted to know more. So today Arthur and Giorgio take us behind the looking glass on Pepe’s Frankenstein-meets-Alice-In-Wonderland journey. This is a conversation about the complicated relationship between internet culture and the real world. It’s about the strange relationship between comic book artists, arch druids, data scientists, intellectual property lawyers, and alt-right mouthpieces. It’s about memetics—how memes drive cultural evolution in parallel with how genes influence human evolution. And, in this case, how one meme was perniciously coopted to democratize electoral engagement, enervating passive supporters into active participants. But more than anything, this is about the war between cynicism and hope. And why, to coin Matt Furie, you gotta go hardcore happy. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll576 YouTube: bit.ly/feelsgoodman576 I don’t understand why everyone isn’t talking about this movie and the ideas it presents. This conversation is my attempt to change that. Peace + Plants, Rich

25 Tammi 20211h 57min