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Steven Pressfield returns to the podcast to discuss his newest book, Govt Cheese: A Memoir. He recounts his decades-long journey in "the wilderness",  working as a truck driver, apple picker, and struggling  screenwriter, before discovering his true calling. Joe and Steven discuss the stories we tell ourselves when faced with failure and how hard work can be our saving grace.

About Steven (@SPressfield)

Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion’s Gate, The War of Art, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, The Knowledge, The Artist’s Journey, and A Man at Arms

His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was adapted for screen. A film of the same title was released in 2000, directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith and Charlize Theron.

His struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in The War of Art, Turning Pro, The Authentic Swing, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and The Knowledge.

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Jesse and Emily Cole, the owners of the the world famous Savannah Bananas, share how they bet on their vision and themselves to create one of the most popular teams in sports history. In this special Bananas takeover of the podcast, the Coles talk about how they revolutionized the game of baseball by pulling in lessons outside their industry, reframing their concept of failure, and placing fans first in everything they do. They also share their approach to parenting and the fulfillment they've gained though being foster parents.

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships (2016, 2021, and 2022). The team has sold out every game since the first season in Savannah and every city on the Banana Ball World Tour. The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, and Sports Illustrated because of its on-field hijinks and viral videos.

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Bestselling author James Patterson joins Joe to discuss his memoir, James Patterson by James Patterson: Stories of My Life.  In the interview they discuss how James walked away from a successful first career in advertising to pursue his love for telling stories. Patterson also shares lessons he learned coauthoring books with President Clinton and Dolly Parton. Finally, he shares the approach he used to get his son into reading books and offers advice to parents on getting kids to put down their devices and pick up a book. 

James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 375 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers.

James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books for young readers including the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, Dog Diaries and Max Einstein series. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed author of adult fiction in UK libraries for the past eleven years in a row. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

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Bestselling author Ryan Holiday discusses his newest book Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control. He makes the case that in a world where most things are literally at our fingertips, discipline becomes a virtue of great importance. It’s what helps us remain in check and avoid ruin, imbalance, dysfunction, or dependency.

Ryan Holiday is one of the world's bestselling living philosophers. His books like The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness Is the Key appear in more than 40 languages and have sold more than 5 million copies. Together, they've spent over 300 weeks on the bestseller lists. He lives outside Austin with his wife and two boys...and a small herd of cows and donkeys and goats. His bookstore, The Painted Porch, sits on historic Main St in Bastrop, Texas.

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Juliet Funt, the author of A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work discusses the need for leaders and organizations to embrace white space on their calendars.  Juliet and Joe also talk about the reasons why people feel the need to fill schedules  with activity and how that can actually become a road block to success. 

Featured in top media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, and Fast Company, Juliet Funt is a globally renowned keynote speaker, tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500, founder and CEO of the efficiency training firm, Juliet Funt Group.

Juliet is the author of A Minute to Think, nominated for the Next Big Idea Club curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Susan Cain and Adam Grant. She is an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busywork, and she has brought her powerful concepts to Spotify, National Geographic, Anthem, Vans, Abbott, Costco, Pepsi, Nike, Wells Fargo, Sephora, Sysco, and ESPN.

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Hollywood Producer Andrew Muscatto and military advisor Hans Bush join the show to discuss The Greatest Beer Run Ever, a new movie starring Zac Efron and Russel Crowe that tells the story of Chickie Donahue and his mission to deliver beer to all of his neighborhood friends serving in Vietnam. Based on a true story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever recounts Chickie's unlikely but true story of his trip to the front lines in 1967 and the lessons he learned along the way.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is currently in theaters and available on Apple TV+. Also, check out Andrew's short documentary on Chickie and his friends.  

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Retired Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni joins the show to share the lessons he learned from over four decades of public service. He provides leadership insights and stories that range from his experiences in the jungles of Vietnam to the headquarters of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and years of working in the private sector. 

Anthony Zinni is a retired Marine Corps 4-star General. He joined the Marine Corps’ Platoon Leader Class program in 1961 and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant in 1965 upon graduation from Villanova University. He held numerous command and staff assignments that included platoon, company, battalion, regimental, Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Marine Expeditionary Force command. His staff assignments included service in operations, training, special operations, counter-terrorism, and manpower billets. He has been a tactics and operations instructor at several Marine Corps schools and was selected as a fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. General Zinni’s joint assignments included command of a joint task force and a unified command. He has also had several joint and combined staff billets at task force and unified command levels.

His military service has taken him to over 70 countries and includes deployments to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Western Pacific, Northern Europe, and Korea. He has also served tours of duty in Okinawa and Germany. His operational experiences included two tours in Vietnam, where he was severely wounded; emergency relief and security operations in the Philippines; Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey and northern Iraq; Operation Provide Hope in the former Soviet Union; Operations Restore Hope, Continue Hope, and United Shield in Somalia; Operations Resolute Response and Noble Response in Kenya; Operations Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Desert Viper, Desert Spring, Southern Watch, and Maritime Intercept Operations in Iraq and the Persian Gulf; and Operation Infinite Reach against terrorist targets in the Central Region. He was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Proven Force and Operation Patriot Defender during the Gulf War and noncombatant evacuation operations in Liberia, Zaire, Sierra Leone, and Eritrea.

He has attended numerous military schools and courses including the Army Special Warfare School, the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.

General Zinni has held academic positions that include the Stanley Chair in Ethics at the Virginia Military Institute; the Nimitz Chair at the University of California-Berkeley; the Hofheimer Chair at the Joint Forces Staff College; the Weissberg Chair at Beloit College; the Harriman Professor of Government Chair and membership on the Reves Center for International Studies at the College of William and Mary; membership on the board of Villanova University’s Center for Responsible Leadership and Governance; and selection as a Carter O. Lowance Fellow in Law and Public Policy at the William and Mary Law School. He has also lectured at numerous colleges and universities in the US and abroad.

General Zinni retired from the military in 2000 after commanding the US Central Command.

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Dr. Cassie Holmes, an expert on time and happiness, joins Joe to discuss her recently published book, Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most.  She provides useful advice for those who find themselves feeling like they spend all their time working and don't have any time or energy left for the things that bring them happiness. 

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Sanyin Siang's mission in life is to enable greatness in others. In this episode, Sanyin and Joe discuss  how each of us has a unique set of superpowers that are waiting to be unleashed. She believes that  once we understand our superpowers, we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us.

If you want to learn more, check out Sanyin's biweekly newsletter, The Leadership Playbook: Unleashing Your Superpowers

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Many of us are success addicts and we don't even know it. Arthur C. Brooks, author of From Strength to Strength, joins the show to discuss why our brains are wired to chase achievement and how it can negatively impact our overall happiness.  He also shares where we should focus our lives to find more fulfillment.