
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
A Note from James:
We kept recording because the conversation wasn’t done. Part 1 was about writing and honesty. Part 2? It’s about consequences—what happens when people believe their own hype, when we confuse being loud with being right, and when storytelling gets weaponized. Ryan Holiday has written about ego, stillness, and obstacles. But this part of the conversation gets at something deeper: what happens when power and narrative collide. And how do we live with integrity when the tools we use to create can just as easily be used to manipulate?
Episode Description:
In Part 2 of their conversation, James Altucher and Ryan Holiday explore the darker side of influence—how public figures lose their grounding, how movements become cults, and how audience validation can steer creators away from their original purpose.
They discuss RFK Jr., Jordan Peterson, and Tucker Carlson—not as political figures, but as case studies in how public personas evolve under the pressure of attention. Along the way, they wrestle with their own roles as communicators: when to speak, when to hold back, and what it really means to be useful in a world full of noise.
What You’ll Learn:
Timestamped Chapters:
Additional Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
4.6
24702,470 ratings
A Note from James:
We kept recording because the conversation wasn’t done. Part 1 was about writing and honesty. Part 2? It’s about consequences—what happens when people believe their own hype, when we confuse being loud with being right, and when storytelling gets weaponized. Ryan Holiday has written about ego, stillness, and obstacles. But this part of the conversation gets at something deeper: what happens when power and narrative collide. And how do we live with integrity when the tools we use to create can just as easily be used to manipulate?
Episode Description:
In Part 2 of their conversation, James Altucher and Ryan Holiday explore the darker side of influence—how public figures lose their grounding, how movements become cults, and how audience validation can steer creators away from their original purpose.
They discuss RFK Jr., Jordan Peterson, and Tucker Carlson—not as political figures, but as case studies in how public personas evolve under the pressure of attention. Along the way, they wrestle with their own roles as communicators: when to speak, when to hold back, and what it really means to be useful in a world full of noise.
What You’ll Learn:
Timestamped Chapters:
Additional Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
1,279 Listeners
3,364 Listeners
2,659 Listeners
1,943 Listeners
2,290 Listeners
901 Listeners
4,692 Listeners
680 Listeners
3,787 Listeners
2,625 Listeners
173 Listeners
9,264 Listeners
172 Listeners
504 Listeners
644 Listeners