HawkeTalk

He wanted to be the richest guy in the game. In 8th grade, it was trading phones. In 9th grade, it was negotiating sports contracts. Later, he founded an influencer company, started a cryptocurrency agency, and even did a gig at the White House.

And he says… you have to love it. You can't sustain misery for 25-30 years just to build an empire.

Michael Gruen, co-founder and vice president of TalentX Entertainment and an entrepreneur since the eighth grade, shares his path from Jewish school dropout to crypto co-founder and talent executive.

In this episode, Michael and Erik chat about...

- The time Michael's dad realized he wasn't built for the system

- Graduating college at 18

- How Michael got into crypto and his long-term predictions for the market

- Why you might not want to be an entrepreneur

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

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The world is small. If you stick with anything long enough, your world will get even smaller. Until everybody knows everybody else.

So watch how you treat people. Make your company's success your success.

Because in the future, that will be your calling card.

Xavier Kochhar, a senior executive at major corporations and a builder from scratch, shares his climb from the diverse neighborhoods of New York to the executive suites of top-brand enterprises.

In this episode, Xavier and Erik chat about...

- What Xavier learned as a kid in his dad's video store

- The value of bonding through a common crisis

- How a chance meeting with a senior agent at William Morris Agency became a hinge point

- Why giving back matters so much

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your life consists of a series of interconnected systems. And you get to design each one of them to propel you toward your ideal life. Rob Dyrdek, founder and CEO of Dyrdek Machine, a full-service venture studio, explores this idea in his upcoming book, The Machine Mindset.In this episode, Rob and Erik chat about...

• How his sister's boyfriend helped launch Rob's legendary skateboarding career
• The story behind how Rob founded Orion Trucks
• Pitching his way onto MTV
• How Rob learned to start at the end

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At 25 years old, he weighed just 130 lbs, had 70 stitches in his face, and was coping with one gigantic drug problem. Getting clean was the first step.

Growing rich was the second.

Grant Cardone, author, CEO of Cardone Capital, and founder of the 10X Movement, talks about his life from the day his dad died when he was 10 years old to his life now as an undercover billionaire.

In this episode, Grant and Erik chat about...

- How his dad's death changed Grant's life at 10 years old

- Grant's descent into drugs and what he learned on his way back up

- The evolution of Cardone Capital

- Mistakes Grant made along the way

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your time is today. You won't get it back. If you want to build something, do it now. And don't worry if you're scared. Do it anyway.

That's how great companies get built and top teams get their start.

Brian Lee, founder of ShoeDazzle, co-founder of LegalZoom, and co-founder of The Honest Company, shares his life journey from his second-grade hustle to a life of serial startups.

In this episode, Brian and Erik chat about...

- Brian's childhood ventures in Halloween resales

- How Brian snagged LegalZoom's first client (besides his mom)

- The ShoeDazzle saga with Kim Kardashian

- What it really means to love the startup life

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Test everything. That's the key to success in any field. Just look at your objective, develop solutions for other people, and see how well they work.

Metta Sandiford-Artest, rock-star basketball player and entrepreneur, talks about his storied (and controversial) NBA career along with his well-tested and not-so-well-tested entrepreneurial ventures in ecommerce.

In this episode, Metta and Erik chat about...

- How Metta pretty much started slam dunking right out of the womb

- The journey from college to the NBA

- Metta's adventures in online shoe sales

- Getting traded, getting humbled, and retiring from the NBA

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Known as "The Wolf of Wall Street," Jordan Belfort's life-story has been turned into a major motion picture by Warner Brothers starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese.

In this episode, Jordan and Erik chat about...

- How Jordan found his buying and selling superpowers as a kid

- Going from a degree in biochemistry to selling fish and meat

- Making every mistake you can make as a young business owner

- How Jordan emerged from his prison experience to earn back all his money

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From hiking the Grand Tetons in heels to becoming a world-renowned fashion designer, businesswoman, and writer, Rachel Zoe has lived a life most dream of.

In this episode, Rachel and Erick chat about... 

- How her degree and relationships shaped her career 

- Moving between the fashion industry, music industry, and freelance 

- Why moving to Hollywood was pivotal for her career

- Where she is today and where you can find her in the future 

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moving to America at 13 years old, having to learn English as a second language, and working almost every day in your parents’ store would be challenging for anybody.

But Toni Ko, founder of NYX Cosmetics and Bespoke Beauty Brands, used those experiences as opportunities to learn. She used the same flexibility and adaptability to turn a $250k check from her mom into $500m.

In this episode, Erik and Toni chat about… 

• The life lessons Toni learned from moving to the U.S. at 13
• How she started her cosmetology empire in her twenties
• Why it’s important to follow your passion and not overthink
• Advice for new entrepreneurs 

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you get excited by something cool you’ve learned, you want to tell everyone right?

You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to know that, if you have knowledge that could help others — or simply give them joy — you have to share it.

That’s why this neuroscientist, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has never stopped learning and never stopped teaching — both his students and the public.

In this episode of HawkeTalk, he and Erik chat about what a life spent pursuing a passion for knowledge looks like, including:

• The choices and scholastic path that led Dr. Huberman to neurobiology
• The joys of research and running your own lab
• How he found a calling for doing science in public (and why he disregards critics)
• Why the U.S. is at risk of losing its spot as the most effective lab systems in the world
• The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and his research

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.