The Ambitious Generation

Episode 151 of The Grateful Podcast with Jack WagonerEvan Carmichael has 4.3 million subscribers, more than 8,000 videos, and a list of interviews that reads like a who's who of the last two decades. Ask him who he still wants to talk to and the answer is nobody. He says he wouldn't know what to ask. Twenty seconds later in this conversation he pulls out a camera, unprompted, and records a pitch on behalf of a 19-year-old he met the day before.This one is about access. How people with nothing get in front of people with everything. Evan gives the entire mechanism, the energy, the second ask, the convention center hack nobody uses, the Howard Schultz chase that almost worked, and then he proves it works live on the tape. If you have ever had a name on a list you were too afraid to reach out to, watch this.⏰ TIMESTAMPS0:00 — Number 21 in two days0:22 — How do you get people to say yes when you have nothing0:36 — He noticed the ask before he answered it1:31 — The one name on the list1:44 — Rain in France, 17 years old, burnt out2:39 — The question I'd ask if I ever got the room3:52 — "Why don't we make a video for Ed" (live on air)6:57 — The craziest thing he ever did for an introduction7:03 — 4.3M subscribers and nobody he wants to interview8:09 — Howard Schultz, no Instagram, no path in10:10 — The convention center hack nobody uses11:48 — "I'm an introvert"13:03 — The best question always comes after the recording stops14:16 — Ask selfishly15:59 — You will never be Steven Bartlett🔗 GUEST LINKSEvan CarmichaelYouTube: youtube.com/@evancarmichaelWebsite: evancarmichael.comSubscribe for more deep conversations with thinkers, seekers, and soulful creators. 🙏📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b☕ Magic Mind — My daily performance shot:→ https://magicmind.com/wagoner20Use code WAGONER20 for 20% off a package or 48% off a subscription.🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Episode 150 of The Grateful Podcast with Jack WagonerScott Clary hosts a Top 10 business podcast with over 100 million downloads. He's interviewed 700 founders. And he wrote publicly that advice is just other people's trauma dressed up as wisdom. So I asked him how he squares that with running an advice show every single week.His answer changed how I think about content, consumption, and the entire self-improvement industry my generation is drowning in. We go deep on the knowing-doing gap, why smart people fail, how to overcome shiny object syndrome, the real reason your parents don't understand what you're building, and the one reframe every ambitious 20-something needs to hear. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and still falling behind, this one is for you.⏱️ Chapters:0:00 — Cold open1:10 — "Advice is just other people's trauma dressed up as wisdom"4:50 — Why podcasts make you feel productive when you're not5:29 — "You feel accomplished without actually accomplishing anything"6:14 — The knowing-doing gap8:21 — "Then I failed" — Scott's own standard13:24 — How to overcome shiny object syndrome13:43 — Focus on one thing for an unreasonable amount of time35:31 — Why your parents don't understand what you're building36:19 — The world their playbook was built for doesn't exist anymore40:20 — You are winning every single day55:31 — Go back to what lit you up as a kid1:03:30 — Disrupt yourself even when you're winning1:05:53 — The friend who tells you your work is stupid1:06:44 — Get comfortable being uncomfortableThe Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner episode 145 guesting  @scottdclary  Subscribe for more deep conversations with thinkers, seekers, and soulful creators. 🙏Connect with Scott:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/scottdclaryInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottdclary/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdclary/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7erC37gNfA2UExnnx1IkboWebsite: https://www.scottdclary.com/🧠 InnerVue — a complete self-awareness tool:→ https://yourinnervue.comUse code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off a Tier 1 InnerVue, plus a complimentary coach-led debrief of your report.📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner Episode 149 with John LeeJohn Lee built a property portfolio in London, wrote a bestselling book, and has amassed 6 million followers teaching people how money actually works. He says he was self-made by 27. What he does not usually lead with is how it happened: he sold his car for $15,000, kept $5,000, and handed the other $10,000 to a stranger for two days of his time.We go deep on the tomato test that separates knowledge from wisdom, why everyone can go to the gym but almost nobody has 10% body fat, the badminton lesson that explains why you cannot fix what you cannot see, what he asks to know whether you are actually aligned with the life you are building, and the one trait he says every billionaire he knows shares. If you have ever worked as hard as you know how and watched it go nowhere, this one's for you.⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 — AI gave everyone the Ferrari. Almost nobody can drive it01:11 — The tomato test (knowledge vs. wisdom, in 30 seconds)02:06 — Everyone can go to the gym. So why doesn't everyone have 10% body fat?03:23 — The paradox keeping most people exactly where they are04:45 — A thousand levers in front of you. Here's where to start07:45 — He sold his car for $15,000. Here's what he did with the money08:36 — OPM: "Find the deal and the money will find you"09:48 — What wealth actually is (and the one question that tells you if you're aligned)10:43 — Why consistency alone will never be enough11:01 — The badminton thumb: you cannot see your own swing12:25 — Don't work to earn. Work to learn14:51 — The trait every billionaire he knows shares (nobody talks about this one)16:02 — Jack on having everything he wanted at 17 and feeling empty17:12 — The purpose triangle🔗 GUEST LINKSJohn LeeWebsite: https://johnlee.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlee888/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_lee_official/Book, Money Unlocked: [AMAZON LINK]💬 Who is the one person who could look at what you're building right now and tell you the thing you can't see? Have you asked them? 👇📩 SPONSORInnerVue - the software that closes your self-awareness gap through anonymous feedback from the people closest to you.→ https://yourinnervue.comUse code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off a Tier 1 assessment plus a complimentary coach-led debrief.📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner Episode 148 with Bob BurgBob Burg co-wrote The Go-Giver, a parable that's sold over a million copiesand reshaped how a generation thinks about success. But before he wrote it,he spent decades noticing something most people miss: the most sustainablysuccessful people he's ever met all had one trait in common, and it isn'tthe one Hollywood taught you to expect.We go deep on why Jack didn't want to be rich for most of his life, theSpider-Man line that taught a generation poor equals honest, who "Pindar"from The Go-Giver is really based on, and what Larry King told Bob in agreen room in the 90s. If you've ever caught yourself hesitating to wantmore, this one's for you.⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Why Bob writes parables instead of how-to books02:44 — The real person "Pindar" is based on (it's not who you'd guess)03:37 — Go-getter vs. go-giver vs. "just a go" (the entitled taker)06:38 — Why Jack didn't want to be rich for most of his life10:20 — The Spider-Man line that taught a generation poor equals honest14:26 — The exact point where good becomes great, and most people stop15:40 — What Larry King told Bob in a green room in the 90s21:04 — How to add value with zero dollars in your pocket28:38 — "Nobody buys from you because you have a quota"31:51 — The 1910 book Bob has read 60 times🔗 GUEST LINKSBob BurgWebsite: https://burg.comThe Go-Giver: https://thegogiver.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobburg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realbobburg/💬 What's a belief about money or success you're carrying that you neveractually chose? Where do you think it came from? 👇📩 SPONSORInnerVue - the software that closes your self-awareness gap through anonymous feedback from the people closest to you.→ https://yourinnervue.comUse code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off a Tier 1 assessment plus a complimentary coach-led debrief.📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Amberly Lago was T-boned by an SUV on Ventura Boulevard. Thrown thirty feet. Femoral artery severed. Induced coma. She woke up to doctors telling her they had to amputate. She had a 1% chance to save the leg. She took it. 34 surgeries later, they saved it.

Today she's a USA Today bestselling author, TED speaker, Today Show and Doctors guest, and host of True Grit and Grace.

She wrote 90% of her first book in a spiral notebook. She didn't own a computer. She had no connections in publishing, no social media, and every person who loved her told her she was out of her mind for trying.

She did it anyway.

And in this conversation she walked me through the actual practice that got her through it, starting with the scene almost no other interviewer asks about: the night she sat alone in the hospital, watching the clock, waiting for the nurses to come rip the bandages off a leg held together by steel bars. Three-hour intervals. No sleep. Then she reached for a notepad.

We go deep on gratitude as an actual daily practice, the difference between counsel and opinion (and why the people who love you most usually get this wrong), the elevator moment that got her published, how she landed Muhammad Ali's publicist, and her grandfather's line about the shovel that has stayed with me since the second she said it.

If you're carrying something heavy right now, or building something the people around you don't understand, this one's for you.⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Gratitude as medicine, even when you're hungry, angry, lonely, tired01:27 — The motorcycle, the SUV, and looking down at her leg02:55 — 1% chance, and why she took it03:45 — The night she watched the clock, waiting for them to rip the bandages off05:10 — The gratitude practice she still uses every day07:53 — What it actually took to become the author09:01 — Counsel vs opinion: the distinction most people never learn12:07 — The elevator, the publisher, and the leg she "sacrificed"12:33 — How she landed Muhammad Ali's publicist15:45 — Her grandfather's shovel rule for anyone waiting on luck🔗 GUEST LINKSAmberly LagoWebsite: amberlylago.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberlylagomotivation/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberlylago/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1PfuUb5fgT90e29aDKB6nQPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-amberly-lago-show-stories-of-true-grit-and-grace/id1488420537📩 SPONSORInnerVue — the reflection tool I use to think clearly when everything is moving fast.→ yourinnervue.comUse code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off Tier 1, plus a complimentary coach-led debrief.📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Nat Eliason left a decade of independent building to take his first job in over ten years. He is now running Founder School, a new private high school in New York City that promises every graduate a million dollar business, or the family gets their $600,000 tuition refunded in full. The refund pool is backed by a billionaire's personal capital, not insurance. If the model fails, he writes the check.We go deep on why grades don't matter at Founder School (and why straight-A students are getting rejected), the 80% of entrepreneurial success Nat believes is genetic, the McCarthy line about fathers he can't shake, the real reason Gen Z is starting more companies than any generation before them (it's not money, it's status), and the sentence that made me sit up in my chair: there is no such thing as intrinsic motivation.If you have an ambitious teenager in your life, or if you are one, this one's for you.⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Introduction00:17 — The $1M Guarantee (And Why He Might Be Underpromising)04:22 — The Three Kinds Of Pushback He Gets07:58 — Why Straight-A Students Get Rejected21:34 — 80% Of It Is Genetic (Cormac McCarthy's Answer To Parenting)27:36 — The Real Reason Gen Z Is Starting Companies (Not The Money)36:08 — Business School vs. 4,000 Hours At Founder School43:53 — Why Alpha Might Fix Education Before The Government Ever Will54:45 — "There Is No Such Thing As Intrinsic Motivation"1:00:28 — His First Job In Over A Decade (And Why He Took It)1:04:25 — What Every Entrepreneurial Kid Should Do First🔗 GUEST LINKSNat EliasonX: https://x.com/nateliasonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nat_eliason/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateliason/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nateliasonBlog: https://blog.nateliason.com/Founder School: https://founders.school/Website: https://www.nateliason.comThe Grateful Podcast with Jack WagonerSubscribe for more deep conversations with thinkers, seekers, and soulful creators. 🙏📺 Listen on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6bInnerVue - the software that closes your self-awareness gap through anonymous feedback from the people closest to you.→ https://yourinnervue.comUse code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off a Tier 1 assessment plus a complimentary coach-led debrief.🧠 More from Jack:► Website: https://jackwagoner.co► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner⸻🎙️ About Jack:I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.Stay grateful, stay hungry.

You don't get to choose what you believe. That's the standard line on confidence, stated as law by the biggest podcast in this space. Markus Kaulius disagrees, and he's got a $170M company to back it up.

I sat down with him right after his daughter closed out a room of authors at Book Thinkers 2026. Markus built Magnum Nutraceuticals from nothing and wrote the USA Today bestseller Play a Bigger Game. He decided he was a confident man before he had a single reason to believe it, then did the work that made it true.

We get into the mentor he chose before that mentor ever knew his name, the filter he uses to decide who's allowed to influence him, and the one rule he swears by for actually becoming who you say you want to be. If you've ever waited for proof before letting yourself believe something about who you are, this one's for you.

⏰ TIMESTAMPS

1:54 — Live at Book Thinkers, right after his daughter closed the room
3:02 — Why you have the lowest bar in history to get ahead
8:09 — The mentor who never even learned his name
8:25 — The cake analogy: how to actually choose who mentors you
10:22 — Zero confidence, 120 pounds, and the standard he set before he had one reason to believe it
12:57 — The Rule of Three
14:23 — I tell him about being 17, alone in France, and the emptiest I'd ever been
15:24 — The gratitude line I'm stealing for life

🔗 GUEST LINKS

Markus Kaulius
Website: playabiggergame.com
Instagram: @markuskaulius
Facebook: facebook.com/markus.kaulius
Book: Play a Bigger Game

Support the show

🧠 InnerVue — My go-to for tracking what's actually working in my own mindset practice:
→ https://yourinnervue.com
Use code GRATEFUL20 for 20% off Tier 1, plus a complimentary coach-led debrief.

🧠 More from Jack:

► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner

🎙️ About Jack:
I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking. My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.

Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Send us Fan Mail

The CEO of the largest positivity community on the internet says you're doing gratitude wrong.

I sat down with Kristen Butler at BookThinkers Live. Over 50 million people follow her work, and she'll tell you the gratitude journal on your nightstand is not doing what you think it's doing. Not a list. A somatic practice that regulates your nervous system in three minutes.

We got into the two weeks she spent in bed with black curtains that became the foundation of everything she built after. Toxic positivity vs. the authentic version. And a live moment where she affirmed the Duality of Gratitude and Ambition in her own words.

If you've been journaling three things every morning and wondering why nothing has shifted, this one is for you.

⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Why writing gratitude out isn't the practice
01:31 — The 3-minute somatic version most people miss
03:18 — Toxic positivity vs. authentic positivity
07:20 — Does gratitude ever become automatic?
08:47 — Two weeks in bed, black curtains, and what changed
09:22 — What Hurricane Helene taught her about the practice
10:14 — The Duality of Gratitude and Ambition
12:07 — Why the present moment is where opportunity lives

🔗 GUEST LINKS
Kristen Butler
Website: https://positivekristen.com/about/
Power of Positivity: https://www.powerofpositivity.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positivekristen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/positivekristen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerofpositivity
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09LX15B8B

Support the show

InnerVue — a complete self-awareness tool
→ yourinnervue.com
Use code GRATEFUL20 to receive 20% off a Tier 1 InnerVue, along with a complimentary coach-led debrief of your report

☕ Magic Mind — My daily performance shot:
→ https://magicmind.com/wagoner20
Use code WAGONER20 for 20% off a package or 48% off a subscription.

🧠 More from Jack:
► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner

⸻
🎙️ About Jack:
I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking.  My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.

Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Send us Fan Mail

Alan Stein Jr. spent 15 years courtside with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and LeBron James. He has written three books on high performance. His clients include Pepsi, American Express, Starbucks, and Penn State Football. He has been on over 200 podcasts.

In this conversation, he tells me what Kobe told him at 4AM in 2007, and how one line became the foundation of everything he now teaches about how to live.

We go deep on the 4 pillars of a fulfilled life, why winning isn't what you think it is, what he was doing wrong as a father for a decade, why consistency alone won't save you, and the exact method he uses to change any habit in 66 days.

If you are ambitious, you are grinding, and you are wondering whether the mountain you are climbing is the right one, this one is for you.

⏰ CHAPTERS

00:00 — Cold Open: What Kobe Told Him at 4AM
02:30 — Welcome + Why He Almost Became a High School Coach
06:45 — Tim Grover and the Mentor Who Showed Him What Was Possible
09:20 — The Performance Gap: Why Knowing Isn't Doing
11:40 — Specialize Late: Why Young People Should Try Everything First
15:10 — Commitment vs. Exploration: The Quadrant of Identity
17:30 — The Soft Skills AI Will Never Replace
21:15 — Why "Soft Skills" Is a Misnomer for the Hardest Work
24:00 — Coachability: The Skill That Separates Good From Great
27:20 — Comparison Isn't the Thief of Joy (When You Use It Right)
31:45 — What Kobe Told Him at 4AM in 2007
34:30 — Consistency Is a Superpower (But Only With Feedback)
38:15 — Kyle Korver: "I Don't Want to Get Good at Bad Shooting"
41:00 — The Queens Basketball Formula: 4 Things That Win 98% of Games
44:20 — J. Cole, Effort, and What's Actually in Your Control
47:45 — Winning Isn't It: The 4 Pillars of a Fulfilled Life
53:30 — "I Didn't Have This Clarity at 29 or 39"
56:10 — Steph Curry, Dell Curry, and the Gift Every Parent Can Give
1:00:45 — The Unseen Hours (And the 10 Years He Was on His Phone)
1:05:20 — Failure Is Never Permanent: The Coin Flip Goal
1:10:00 — The Nonchalance Trap Killing Gen Z
1:14:30 — If You Could Have Dinner With Any NBA Player Ever
1:18:15 — The 66-Day Method to Change Any Habit

🔗 GUEST LINKS

Alan Stein Jr.
Website: https://alansteinjr.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-stein-jr/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alansteinjr/
Books: Raise Your Game, Sustain Your Game, Next Play

Support the show

InnerVue — a complete self-awareness tool
→ yourinnervue.com
Use code GRATEFUL20 to receive 20% off a Tier 1 InnerVue, along with a complimentary coach-led debrief of your report

☕ Magic Mind — My daily performance shot:
→ https://magicmind.com/wagoner20
Use code WAGONER20 for 20% off a package or 48% off a subscription.

🧠 More from Jack:
► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner

⸻
🎙️ About Jack:
I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking.  My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.

Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Stay grateful, stay hungry.

Send us Fan Mail

Most people ask before they get a yes. The best ask after.

This weekend I recorded 23 podcast interviews in two days at Book Thinkers Live 2026, including Evan Carmichael, Kristen Butler, Marcus Kaulius, and Amberly Lago. I landed the live podcast at 19 because I broke a rule most people never think to break: I asked for more after the person had already said yes.

Nick, the CEO of BookThinkers, invited me to the event for free. Instead of saying thank you and showing up, I asked if I could interview every speaker there. He said yes. Then the real work started. The Amazon disaster the night before. The smashed light at 11pm. The moment mid-weekend when I almost quit. What Marcus told me to do in the auditorium that saved the day. And the moment Evan Carmichael pulled out his phone and filmed a pitch to Ed Mylet on my behalf.

If you've ever wondered why the ask you didn't make is costing you more than the one you did, this one's for you.

⏰ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — 23 Interviews In 2 Days
1:12 — The Rule Nobody Teaches You
1:34 — How I Met Nick A Year And A Half Ago
3:15 — The Email That Changed Everything
4:15 — The Idea That Came Under Pressure
4:32 — Asking For More After The Yes
5:33 — Day One: Nine Interviews Blind
6:16 — The Moment I Almost Quit
7:20 — What Marcus Told Me To Do
8:10 — The Night Before Nearly Broke Me
10:08 — What Steve Jobs And Kobe Understood
11:01 — The Guest I Listened To In France Before I Had A Show
11:45 — When Evan Carmichael Pulled Out His Phone For Ed Mylet
12:33 — Why The Top Of The Pyramid Is Full Of Givers
15:04 — The One Thing To Take From This

Support the show

InnerVue — a complete self-awareness tool
→ yourinnervue.com
Use code GRATEFUL20 to receive 20% off a Tier 1 InnerVue, along with a complimentary coach-led debrief of your report

☕ Magic Mind — My daily performance shot:
→ https://magicmind.com/wagoner20
Use code WAGONER20 for 20% off a package or 48% off a subscription.

🧠 More from Jack:
► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner

⸻
🎙️ About Jack:
I moved to France alone at 16, started my first business at 17, and launched this podcast because I kept meeting people who had the answers to questions I didn't even know I was asking.  My philosophy: you can set massive goals while being deeply fulfilled right now. That's the duality of gratitude and ambition.

Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Stay grateful, stay hungry.