Ep. 270 - David Litt: Obama’s Former Speechwriter: How to Write Speeches for the People of America

Today James goes through therapy. As a father of two young children, he felt he was going to ruin his kids by going through a divorce. He felt he was a loser, believing that divorce is a personal failure and that married people are better than divorced people. Astro and Danielle call this The Holy Cow. In their book, Sacred Cows, and on today's podcast they talk about the promise we all make when we get married. "I'll love you forever" We make this unreasonable promise to each other, yet we can't know how we're going to feel in the future. No one can know. This is a fascinating interview as they dive into the effects on the children, the social norms of today, and the reasons people get married in the first place. Invest in yourself and listen here today.     I promise you, you won't be disappointed ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8 Jan 201549min

James asks Tucker Max back to talk about the book publishing business and his new hugely successful new venture, Book in a Box. Almost everyone would love to write and publish a book but the amount of work involved is daunting. So it just never happens. Until now... Tucker and his team have come up with the perfect solution and he's willing to give away all his secrets on today's show. This is a fascinating interview and the ideas fly fast. It's destined to be a must-listen-to episode. Invest in yourself and listen here today.   I promise you, you won't be disappointed ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 Jan 201553min

"Online dating doesn't seem to be working. Is there anything wrong with me?" James says there's nothing wrong with the woman who asks this question. Online dating has reduced the value of a relationship just due to the sheer volume and the unlimited supply. Claudia mentions how you have to be clear and set a few parameters and preferences, but you also have to be flexible. Don't only rely on online dating to meet your match. Take dance lessons, go to entrepreneur meet-ups or whatever interests you.   But don't rely solely on online dating clubs. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Jan 201510min

Pennsylvania brewer Dick Yuengling, president of D.G. Yuengling & Son, has seen a lot of change since its founding in 1829. One of the most amazing things is that after five generations, it's still family-owned and two of his daughters are being groomed to take it over. Dick has always wanted to be involved in the brewery business and from an early age had the desire to modernize it. He left the company in 1973 because he couldn't get his father to modernize operations. He returned in 1984 as the company was beginning to rebound and took over the next year. He's rewritten the family storyline from one of surviving to one of thriving. James asks Dick how the company could survive for so long. The brewery survived prohibition by opening an ice cream manufacturing company that survives today. Dick says you branch out and do what you have to do to survive.   Listening to Dick, you'll soon realize why he's been so successful. He knows who he is, where he wants to take the company, and most importantly, what the company isn't ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Jan 201537min

Sam Shank originally thought he wanted to be a Hollywood film director so he moved out to California to find his fame. He managed to get a job with the legendary director Wes Craven and worked on the now famous movie Scream. Quickly he learned that his reality wasn't anything like his dream. He spent most of his time running errands just like 99% of the others with the same dream. His entrepreneurial spirit kicked in quickly and he decided to create his own destiny so he moved to the center of the dot-com world, San Francisco. Sam knew he wanted to start a technology business, but knew he wasn't ready yet. So he decided to try to learn everything he could. He knew he was ready when, as he says, "You're ready when it feels just uncomfortable enough that you can bear starting a company because it's hard, it's intimidating, it's going to be a total grind, it's brutal, it's the hardest thing you're ever going to do. So you have to go in knowing that." He says, "The best way to learn about starting a business is to start a business" and he's an advocate of starting early in your career. He knew he wasn't ready until about 10 years ago when he started TravelPost, which wasn't a great business model so he pivoted and broadened the business model. He suddenly found success. It wasn't perfect, and he learned a lot from this move that he would use for his next company, Dealbase.com. Running Dealbase gave him the knowledge he needed to create HotelTonight. He has raised over $80 million so far and they're opening offices around the world. Listen in as James asks Sam about a few ideas he has for HotelTonight. Sam loves them, and offers James a job as a product consultant. It's a great interview and a great app. If you need a last minute room for the holidays, why don't you give HotelTonight a try? ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Des 201443min

The world of startups is extremely exciting. One of the few people who has been able to put himself right in the middle of it is James' longtime friend Jason Calacanis. He knows everyone... Today, James and Jason talk about Jason's early startups, Silicon Alley, Mahalo, his podcast This Week in Startups, and his newest venture, Inside.com They talk about the past, present, and future of technology.   Tune in, and you'll get the inside track into Silicon Valley's best ideas. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

26 Des 201451min

How do people perceive you? Sally Hogshead, CEO of Fascinate, Inc. discovered a new way to measure how people perceive your communication. "You're either adding value or your taking up space." Sally tells James, that if you're nervous or uncomfortable in a conversation then you'll make your listener feel nervous and uncomfortable. When you feel relaxed and confident than your listener is more likely to feel confident in you. Find out what's really authentic about you and let that part of you stand out. How are you different than everyone else? Sally doesn't recommend trying to change who you are. Instead, you should become more of who you are. Sally explains to James her - 7 ADVANTAGES OF FASCINATION *Innovation *Passion *Power *Prestige *Trust *Mystique *Alert   And tells him where he falls within these triggers. Think about those times when you've had great success. What was similar about them and how can you use it to you advantage. To get a free assessment Sally has set up a special page for all our linters. Just go here and type in the promo code: James. Sally can help you unlearn how to boring.   It's a fascinating conversation. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Des 201458min

Jay Jay French, guitarist, manager, and producer is most famous for his role as the founding member and one of the guitarists of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister  Long: Jay Jay French explains Twisted Sisters long-term success like it's an iceberg. What you see on the surface is only 10% of what's really there. They've continually reinvested in themselves. Whenever they'd make a little money, instead of just spending it, they'd roll the dice and plow it right back into the group. As Jay has written, "Whether you are an artist or an entrepreneur, your story usually begins with passion, a moment that goes something like this: 'The first time I either witnessed, touched, smelled, felt, heard [this object of passion], I just knew that I would do anything, risk anything to be a part of this life...'" That Big Bang moment truly defines you. Most people can tell you the exact date and time that this tsunami of inspiration and passion washed over their brain cells, rendering them helpless to the immutable forces that drive the human spirit. My Big Bang happened on February 9, 1964 at 8:03 p.m. That night, I (and 73 million other Americans) saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. I was 11 years old, but I emphatically told my mother that I wanted to be a rock 'n' roll star on that very night. Over the next couple of weeks, after reading every Beatle magazine that appeared magically the day after the Sullivan show, my actual goal started to crystallize: I wanted to make great rock 'n' roll music, play to screaming girls, get a gold record, and be a millionaire! Like many entrepreneurs who are first starting out, I had no idea how any of this was going to happen. I just knew that it had to happen. But achieving your goals not only takes passion, it takes patience. I did finally get that gold record. It happened in July of 1984, 20 years and five months after I set my goal. It was a long journey, but it taught me every lesson that I ever wanted (and didn't want) to learn, including how to market a brand, how to negotiate deals, how to handle a crisis, and how to manage some big personalities. But without passion, without that Big Bang, I would have never had the drive to get started - or to keep going. Not only is he the lead and rhythm guitar player for Twisted Sister, but he backs up Dee Snider's lead vocals and is the owner of the Twisted Sister trademark. He is the manager of the band's affairs and recently celebrated 40 years as a member.  Listening to this interview, you'll understand why they've lasted so long. "Do what you say you're going to do." If you follow that commandment, you stand a good chance of succeeding. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Des 201457min