Episode 81: “Getting There” Author, Gillian Zoe Segal and Her Insights Into Amazing Mentors [PODCAST]

David’s guest on this episode of Crank It Up is a young author who had the tenacity and courage to push for interviews with some of the most influential and successful people in the world, and she got interviews with many, many of them. People profiled in her book include Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Kathy Ireland, and Anderson Cooper, among others. ON this episode, Gillian Zoe Segal talks about the journey of writing the book, the challenges of getting to see all of her subjects, and what she learned from doing it.

5 years interviewing 30 successful people.

Gillian Zoe Segal is a public speaker and the author of Getting There: A Book of Mentors for which she spent five years interviewing thirty of the most successful people alive (Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Anderson Cooper, etc.). She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. But her claim to fame is the fact that she was tenacious enough to pursue these influencers even when the odds seems stacked against her. She’s going to share her insights into the fact that sticking to it enables many things to happen that otherwise wouldn’t, on this episode.

If you have a connection, any connection, use it.

That’s Gillian Zoe Segal’s advice about getting in touch with influencers, prospects, or people who could help you move your project or career forward. In her mind, your main job at that point is simply trying to get on that person’s radar. Beyond that, it’s up to you. So use the connections you discover; their hairdresser, personal trainer, secretary, whoever it takes. You’ll find that your hustle and kind but persistent tenacity will pay off.

You can always tell them to go to Hell tomorrow.

That’s a quote Warren Buffett told Gillian as she was speaking to him, and his point was that you always need to be in control of yourself in the moment of a difficult situation. His advice is to wait 24 hours to ensure that you still feel as angry and upset about the situation as you did when it first happened. By waiting, you’re able to see if your anger was justified, misplaced, or something else. It’s a great piece of advice among many jewels in Gillian’s amazing book, and you can hear about all the fascinating people she profiled, on this episode.

If you never fail, it means you’re not trying hard enough.

One of the people interviewed for Gillian Zoe Segal’s book was Kathy Ireland, former swimsuit model and now CEO of a multi million dollar company. Kathy’s seen her share of ups and downs and has experienced failure on a number of levels throughout her long and varied career. Her main piece of advice was this: “If you never fail, it means you’re not trying hard enough.” Hear how Gillian took that as a personal challenge to finish her book and push away her own personal fears, on this episode of Crank It Up.

Outline of this great episode

[0:48] David’s introduction to this episode and his guest, Gillian Zoe Segal.

[1:20] How Gillian came to pursue her book project.

[7:05] Some of Gillian’s favorites in the project.

[7:48] How Gillian went about getting the interviews set up.

[14:07] Gillian’s interview with Warren Buffett.

[16:00] The mental state Gillian was in before meeting with Warren Buffett.

[17:13] The greatest takeaway Gillian got from her time with Warren.

[19:24] Other characters in the book.

[21:12] The benefits of being “real.”

[24:51] How Gillian connected with Anderson Cooper.

[27:00] An 8 to 1 rejection ratio, but she still went forward.

[31:41] Gillian’s experience with Michael Bloomberg.

[35:24] How did Gillian get in touch with Michael Boomberg?

[37:23] Common themes Gillian found among all the people she interviewed.

[41:48] What is next for Gillian?