Deviate

Author Alex Banayan on seeking mentors for life (and writing) guidance


Listen Later

“You cannot change your reality until you see your reality.” – Alex Banayan

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Alex discuss mentorship (3:00); the genesis of Alex’s book The Third Door (10:00); “opportunity hurdles” (30:00); structural storytelling, and the art of learning (54:00); and the importance of thinking differently (1:11:00).

Alex Banayan (@AlexBanayan) is the bestselling business author of The Third Door, which chronicles his five-year quest to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Warren Buffett, Maya Angelou, Steven Spielberg, and dozens more of the world’s most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers. Alex has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, Business Insider’s Most Powerful People Under 30, and been featured in major media including Fortune, Forbes, and Businessweek. For more about Alex, check out https://thirddoorbook.com/.

Notable Links:

  • Tim Ferriss (entrepreneur)
  • Bill Gates (businessman)
  • Lady Gaga (singer)
  • Maya Angelou (poet)
  • Warren Buffett (businessman)
  • Steven Spielberg (filmmaker)
  • Elliott Bisnow (investor)
  • Cal Fussman (journalist)
  • Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferriss (book)
  • Tribe of Mentors, by Tim Ferriss (book)
  • The Odyssey, by Homer (epic poem)
  • Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter / director)
  • Elon Musk (entrepreneur)
  • Kurt Vonnegut (author)
  • Steve Jobs (businessman)
  • “Think Different” internal meeting (video)
  • Jerry Seinfeld (comedian)
  • Jane Goodall (anthropologist)
  • Macbeth (Shakespeare tragedy)
  • Hero’s journey (narrative template)
  • Pitbull (rapper)
  • Jessica Alba (actress)
  • Quincy Jones (producer)
  • Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (book)
  • Jiro Dreams of Sushi (movie)
  • This episode of Deviate is brought to you by the Paris Writing Workshop, which features a one-week Big Idea Book Bootcamp, which teaches people with expertise in a specific professional field — business, medicine, science, sports, finance, etc — to channel that expertise into a book-length narrative that inspires, enlightens, and transforms readers’ perspectives of the world, and of life. 

    This episode of Deviate is also brought to you by Tortuga Backpacks, which set the standard for the best, most durable, organized, and comfortable travel backpacks, and AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. The AirTreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, and can customize the route to fit your journey.

    The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

    Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at [email protected].

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    DeviateBy Rolf Potts

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    161 ratings


    More shows like Deviate

    View all
    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,778 Listeners

    Zero To Travel Podcast by Jason Moore

    Zero To Travel Podcast

    829 Listeners

    Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields / Acast

    Good Life Project

    3,326 Listeners

    Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

    Making Sense with Sam Harris

    26,365 Listeners

    The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance by Dave Asprey

    The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

    7,235 Listeners

    Ram Dass Here And Now by Ram Dass / Love Serve Remember

    Ram Dass Here And Now

    2,604 Listeners

    On Being with Krista Tippett by On Being Studios

    On Being with Krista Tippett

    10,156 Listeners

    The Science of Happiness by PRX and Greater Good Science Center

    The Science of Happiness

    1,903 Listeners

    The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

    The Peter Attia Drive

    9,128 Listeners

    The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures

    The Daily Stoic

    4,912 Listeners

    Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

    Deep Questions with Cal Newport

    1,314 Listeners

    Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

    Huberman Lab

    29,269 Listeners

    The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

    The Ezra Klein Show

    16,056 Listeners

    All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life by Chris Hutchins

    All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life

    1,613 Listeners

    Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin by Rick Rubin

    Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin

    1,066 Listeners