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You know exactly what to do. You have the reels, the podcasts, the frameworks, the morning routines. And you're still in the same place you were six months ago.

In this solo episode, I break down the knowing-doing gap, why the information age isn't accelerating your growth but widening the distance between who you are and who you want to be, and the three things that actually move someone from permanently motivated to genuinely transformed. I also share a line from Sapiens that will reframe every anxious, overwhelmed feeling you've had this year in about thirty seconds.

We go deep on why committing to one voice beats consuming a thousand, why your relationship with yourself is the relationship that determines every other one, why gratitude isn't a feeling you wait for but the specific practice that breaks your attachment to outcomes, and why the question you're asking yourself right now might be the only real thing standing between you and the life you want. If you've ever felt like you know the answers but can't seem to live them, this one is for you.

⏱️ Chapters: 

0:00 — The Gap Nobody Talks About (Introduction) 

1:30 — Why More Information Is Making Things Worse 

2:32 — I Was Stuck Too (The $3K/Month Turning Point) 

3:00 — Commitment: The Decision That Changes Everything 

5:13 — The Real Reason You Don't Know What You Want 

6:00 — Half-Ass Time: Your Broken Relationship With Yourself 

8:07 — Gratitude Isn't a Feeling. It's a Practice. 

10:16 — The Arrival Fallacy (Stop Chasing the Ball and Chain) 

11:00 — Your Brain Was Built for 250 People (The Sapiens Insight) 

13:08 — Ask Better Questions. Get a Better Life. 

14:45 — Two Coaching Spots Open

🔗 Work with Jack: 

► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected] 

Support the show

☕ 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

The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner

Episode 130 with Jim Britt

Most people think motivation creates change. The man who coached Tony Robbins in his first years as a speaker says it doesn't. Jim Britt picked cotton at six years old, dropped out of high school, made one sale in 3,650 attempts, and stood in his kitchen with 15 cents, an eviction notice, and no way to feed his family. What happened next turned him into a millionaire in 12 months and launched a 50-year career transforming nearly 2 million lives. This is the most cinematic origin story I've ever heard on this show.

We go deep on why Jim walked three miles in 100-degree heat carrying a bucket of carpet shampoo and what was waiting for him when he arrived, why he believes we don't attract things but create them, where fear actually comes from (his answer will surprise you), and what his 10-year-old son's cookie business reveals about the beliefs holding you back. If you've ever felt stuck and wondered whether the problem is outside you or inside you, this one's for you.

⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 

— Introduction 01:19 

— Picking Cotton at Six: "Hard Work Won't Get You There" 03:38 

— The Gas Station, the Factory, and 457% Efficiency 07:54 

— 3,650 Rejections and One Sale 08:52 

— The Bucket Walk (This Changes Everything) 11:16 

— The Builder's Offer That Changed His Life 15:46 

— He Built It in 8 Months. Everyone Said 14. 17:10 

— 15 Cents to Millionaire in 12 Months 19:37 

— Why He Believes the Law of Attraction Is Wrong 24:36 

— "Resourceful" Means Full of Love 30:07 

— Where Fear Actually Comes From (This Will Surprise You) 33:05 

— The First 6 Years That Program Your Entire Life 37:59

— Why Motivation Is Like a Warm Bath 49:31 

— His 10-Year-Old's Cookie Empire 54:51 

— "I Thought They Didn't Want a Cookie" 1:04:22 

— The Legacy Jim Wants to Leave Behind 1:07:42 

🔗 More from Jim Britt: 

► Website: https://jimbritt.com 

► Coaching: https://jimbrittcoaching.com 

► Book, Cracking The Rich Code Vol. 20: https://us.amazon.com/Cracking-Rich-Code-Jim-Britt-ebook/dp/B0DX7H7CH4

Support the show

☕ 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

The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner episode 129
Guesting  ⁨@solhyde⁩  

He made everyone proud. His parents. His friends. Everyone who told him that corporate consulting job was incredible. Then he sat in the chair and realized the only person he hadn't made proud was himself. 

Sol Hyde quit that job, moved to the other side of the world, and built a six-figure-per-month online coaching business in under a year. But this conversation isn't about the money. It's about the moment he heard one sentence from a colleague on his first day and knew he was surrounded by people engineering their escape from life, while the people he'd met in Bali were building lives they never wanted to leave.

We go deep on why the first three hours of his corporate job told him everything, why he chose Cape Town over Dubai when every entrepreneur he knew was going the other direction, why going viral is the worst strategy for making real money online, and the solo trip ritual he does every year that most people are too afraid to try. If you've ever felt trapped in something you worked hard to get into, this one's for you.

⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 — Introduction 
01:18 — "I made everyone proud apart from me" 
02:53 — The promise he made at his lowest moment 
04:16 — How long it took him to actually leave 
05:46 — The sentence that changed everything (three hours in) 
07:00 — "Why do you want time to go faster?" 
09:13 — The trap most online entrepreneurs fall into 
10:17 — Why he refused to move to Dubai 
11:22 — The solo trip that rewired his priorities 
14:27 — Working ON your life vs. IN your life 
15:59 — Seasons and chapters, not grind forever 
18:01 — How he built an offer with no plan 
20:01 — The post that blew up and started everything 
22:24 — Can you coach people more successful than you? 
26:05 — The invisible expert problem 
28:53 — "You're doing people a disservice by not posting" 
30:43 — Why virality doesn't make money 
32:27 — Trust is the real sales system 
36:16 — "Results pay for a lifetime. Sales pay for dinner." 
38:01 — Why conviction comes from product, not mindset 
40:41 — How to build belief when you're starting from zero
42:51 — His 10,000-person mission 
45:27 — You can change your life in a year

🔗 Follow Sol:
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sol.hyde/
► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-hyde/
► Free Thinkers Club: https://freethinkersclub.net/

Support the show

☕ 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

She's built companies worth over a billion dollars. She's been on the cover of Inc. Magazine. She was the youngest woman ever accepted into Y Combinator. And what she told me in this conversation is something she says most founders at her level are too scared to admit publicly.

Jess Mah has been quietly tracking the happiness scores of high-performing CEOs for over a decade, and the results are devastating. We go deep on why getting your F-U money doesn't actually make you happier, why Silicon Valley rewards founders who lie about how hard it is, how she finds billion-dollar opportunities in boring industries, and why the smartest people she knows are diversifying their happiness the same way they diversify their investments.

If you've ever chased a goal thinking it would finally make you feel enough, this one's for you.

CHAPTERS:
(00:00) The Best Secrets Aren't on YouTube
(02:36) How Jess Finds Billion Dollar Ideas by Talking to People
(04:48) The 5-Hour Brainstorm That Changes Everything
(07:04) Starting a Business at 11 Years Old
(09:14) Why She Builds "Boring" Businesses
(11:09) Getting Calls from Billionaires
(12:13) How Giving Without Expectation Creates Opportunity
(15:03) Finding Ideas in Obscure Industries
(17:18) How to Meet Experts When You Have No Credentials
(19:47) The Happiness Data on CEOs (This Will Shock You)
(23:18) Why Most Successful Founders Score 5-7 Out of 10
(25:40) Richard Branson's Secret to Actually Being Happy
(26:32) Happiness Diversification (Not Just Financial)
(28:51) Why Hustle Culture Is Destroying Founders
(30:38) Silicon Valley Rewards the Act
(33:16) Is This Conversation Work?
(35:27) Focus vs. the Richard Branson Route
(38:53) 50% of the Time Still Feels Like Running Uphill
(39:49) Why Famous Entrepreneurs Won't Be Honest on Podcasts
(42:46) The Purpose Expert Who Needed Help Finding Purpose
(44:10) Why We're Addicted to the Illusion of Enlightenment
(49:16) The Return to Classical Wisdom

🔗 CONNECT WITH JESS: 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessmahofficial 

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessicamah 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/jessicamah 

Website: https://jessmah.com 

Mahway: https://mahway.com

Support the show

☕ 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

The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner episode 127
Guesting Blaine Bartlett

He wrote a bucket list at 18 with 20 goals he had no idea how to achieve. By 24, every single one was done — without ever asking "how." 

Blaine Bartlett has spent 53 years studying how people actually succeed. He's coached executives across five continents, co-hosts Office Hours on Apple TV with David Meltzer, and wrote his first book alongside Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, and Brian Tracy. Bob Proctor called his work "some of the best material on prosperity I have experienced."

In this conversation, Blaine reveals why asking "how" too early is the trap that kills every goal, what Napoleon Hill's banned book Outwitting the Devil says about why we drift through life, and why the real purpose of a goal is never to get; it's to grow. He also shares the moment his wife received a terrifying diagnosis and the five words she said that changed their entire journey together.

This is one of the most important conversations I've ever had on this podcast.

⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 — Introduction
1:05 — Marcus Aurelius: "Spend Time with the Dead"
2:30 — Your Belief Systems Are Manufactured
5:01 — 20 Goals at 18, All Done by 24
8:11 — Napoleon Hill's Banned Book
10:09 — Why "How" Should NEVER Come Up Early
12:19 — BECOMING the Commitment (Not Just Making One)
17:35 — What He Calls a "Growl"
23:37 — A Letter from Harvard Changed Everything
28:29 — Energy Follows Attention, Not Intention
30:26 — "It Already Happened. I Just Haven't Arrived."
34:08 — Why You Feel Empty After Getting What You Wanted
42:24 — The Duality of Gratitude and Ambition
44:20 — His Wife's Diagnosis: "There Is an Unexpected Opportunity Here"
46:40 — Be a Center of Distribution

🔗 Connect with Blaine Bartlett:
► Website: https://www.blainebartlett.com
► LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/blainebartlett


📖 Blaine's books on Amazon:
→ Compassionate Capitalism: https://www.amazon.com/sk=blaine+bartlett+compassionate+capitalism
→ The Leadership Mindset Weekly: https://www.amazon.com/sk=blaine+bartlett+leadership+mindset

☕ 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 ambit

Support the show

☕ 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

She was about to die and her first instinct was to check her calendar. Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist at King's College London, former Google executive, founder of Ness Labs, and bestselling author of Tiny Experiments. In this conversation we go deep on the hidden scripts running your decisions, why "find your purpose" is doing more harm than good, how your brain is designed to keep you stuck, and the science of using curiosity to actually build a life that feels like yours.

This one changed the way I think about goals, success, and what it actually means to thrive. If you've ever felt lost, stuck on autopilot, or like you're living someone else's version of success, this is the episode.

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 – Why most people don't understand their own lives 

02:45 – The blood clot that changed everything 

06:30 – Why external success feels empty 

10:15 – Your brain is designed to survive, not thrive 

14:00 – Tiny experiments: how to override autopilot 

18:20 – Do you need goals or questions? 

22:45 – The 3 cognitive scripts running your life 

30:10 – The sequel script, the crowd-pleaser, and the epic script 

36:40 – Why "find your purpose" is ruining people 

40:15 – Curiosity vs ambition: the experimental mindset 

44:30 – The duality of gratitude and ambition 

48:00 – How curiosity saved her from depression 

📖 GET DR. LE CUNFF'S BOOK: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World → https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Experiments-Freely-Goal-Obsessed-World/dp/0593715136

🔗 FOLLOW DR. ANNE-LAURE LE CUNFF: 

Website & Newsletter: https://nesslabs.com 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/neuranne 

X/Twitter: https://x.com/neuranne 

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alecunff 

Threads: https://threads.net/@neuranne 

Personal site: https://anne-laure.net

🎙️ FOLLOW JACK & THE GRATEFUL PODCAST: 

Website: https://jackwagoner.co 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jack_wagoner_ 

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jack-wagoner-05a843341/ 

Email: [email protected] 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wa

Support the show

☕ 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

If a picture is worth a thousand words, why do most leaders still rely on words alone to get their most important ideas across?

Todd Cherches is a TEDx speaker, three-time award-winning professor at NYU and Columbia, a member of Marshall Goldsmith's elite MG100 coaches, and the creator of the patented VisuaLeadership methodology. He spent a decade in Hollywood working at Disney, CBS, and Columbia Pictures before a series of layoffs, terrible bosses, and one life-changing trip to China completely redirected his career.

In this conversation, Todd breaks down why most leaders fail to communicate their vision, how a trip to China where nobody spoke English forced him to discover visual thinking, and the four categories of visual leadership that can make anyone a more effective communicator, thinker, and leader.

► WAGONER20 for 20% off Magic Mind Mental Performance shots and 48% off subscriptions ⬇
https://www.magicmind.com/WAGONER20

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 — If a Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words, Why Do Leaders Still Use Words?
00:42 — Shout Out to Chris Schembra
01:10 — The Gaps Between the Bullet Points on Your Resume
01:54 — Todd's Career Roller Coaster: Queens to Hollywood
04:20 — Moving to LA With No Plan (And Becoming a Bouncer)
05:23 — The Rock-Throwing Analogy for Career Direction
06:15 — The China Trip That Changed Everything
09:06 — How Do You Get People to See What You're Saying?
10:37 — Bad Bosses in Hollywood and What They Taught Him
12:15 — The Road Not Taken: Leaving Television Forever
13:45 — The Trainer Didn't Show Up. Todd Had to Teach 12 CEOs.
15:33 — Why the Worst Moments Become the Best Turning Points
16:43 — Walking to the Museum of Natural History After Getting Laid Off
17:00 — The Childhood Dream of Superman
19:23 — [SPONSOR] Magic Mind
20:22 — When You See the Light Bulb Go Off in Someone's Mind
22:29 — The 4 Categories of Visual Leadership
25:39 — Can We Control the Pictures in Our Head?
30:27 — What Great Leaders Say Differently Than Everyone Else
31:17 — Vision Without Trust Is Just a Pipe Dream
33:09 — The Bricklayer Analogy: Purpose Changes Performance
35:34 — 1,500 Books in 28 Years: How Todd Learns
37:55 — Where Do You Find Time to Read, Teach, Coach, and Lead?
40:24 — Why Todd Doesn't Chase Instagram
46:13 — AI Writing Posts to AI Reading Posts: What's the Point?
46:27 — The 4 G's: Genuine, Generous, Gracious, Grateful
48:09 — The Paradox of Generosity: Why Givers Receive
50:

Support the show

☕ 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

In a world where the masculinity crisis is top of mind, this conversation couldn't be more important.

Trey Tucker is a licensed therapist with over a million followers known as Rugged Counseling. He works with men who look successful on the outside but feel lost, numb, and quietly desperate on the inside. His new book, Tough Enough, is the first book ever written specifically for men in their 20s — and in this conversation, he explains why young men haven't just suppressed their emotions. They've suppressed their ability to dream.

📕 "Tough Enough" by Trey Tucker — out now: https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Enough-Cultivate-Purpose-Strength/dp/0310370566

Trey shares the study that proves achievement actually makes you feel worse, why 95% of your daily thoughts are identical to yesterday's, and the single question he asks every stuck young man that cracks them wide open. He also tells the story of a student who was about to end his life — and the devastatingly simple thing that stopped him.

This is the conversation I wish I had at 16. If you're a man who feels distracted, restless, or like you're meant for more but can't access it: press play.

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 — The Quiet Numbness Among Young Men
01:05 — The Study That Proves Achievement Makes You Emptier
03:24 — Social Media Is Pushing You Toward the Wrong Goals
05:42 — The Missing Ingredient: Purpose Beyond Yourself
07:55 — You Don't Need a Following to Make an Impact
09:09 — "He Was About to End His Life. I Just Said His Name."
10:09 — Why Action Feels So Threatening to Your Brain
13:17 — 60,000 Thoughts a Day. 95% Are Yesterday's.
15:18 — How Fast You Can Actually Rewire Your Thinking
16:58 — Why Men Suppress Everything (And What It's Costing You)
18:17 — Your Desires Aren't the Enemy
20:31 — "What's Your Dream?" — The Answer That Broke Me
24:25 — Are Your Dreams Yours, or Social Media's?
26:04 — The Sacrifice Trap: When Giving Becomes Self-Destruction
29:14 — The Nice Guy vs. The Bad Boy: A Therapist's Honest Take
33:30 — [SPONSOR] Magic Mind
34:29 — Why Trey Wrote the First Book for Guys in Their 20s
38:08 — Culture Left Young Men Behind. Now What?
39:41 — Why Young Men Are Returning to Faith in Record Numbers
43:44 — Bring Mentors Back: The One Action That Changes Everything
46:31 — "You're an Interview Jedi" — Trey's Final Words

🔗 Follow Trey Tucker:
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruggedcounseling/
► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ruggedcounseling
► Book: https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Enough-Cultivate-Purpose-Strength/dp/0310370566

⸻

🧠 More from Jack:
► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Free Resonance Protocol: https://jackwagoner.co/download
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: [email protected]

Subscribe for m

Support the show

☕ 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

He went to Wharton. He worked at Goldman Sachs. He was worth $35 million.

Then the 2008 crash took everything, and his bank told him to intentionally destroy his own credit before they'd even talk to him.

In this episode of The Grateful Podcast, Jack sits down with Stefan Whitwell – investment banker turned financial advisor, Zen monastery resident, and father of four — to talk about what happens when the life you built collapses overnight.

Stefan shares the moment he couldn't afford his daughter's summer camp, the mentor who asked the most irrational question he'd ever heard, why he tells his kids "I hope you fail," and what living in a Japanese Zen monastery at 20 years old (as the second foreigner in 600 years)taught him about leading from the heart.

This conversation will change how you think about failure, resilience, and what real wealth actually means.

Chapters:
00:00 — Worth $35 Million, Then Lost It All
00:54 — "I Couldn't Even Buy a Refrigerator"
01:59 — Identity Crisis: When the Phone Goes Cold
03:08 — The People Who Disappeared
04:58 — The Moment He Couldn't Say Yes to His Daughter
05:20 — The Bike Analogy: How to Talk to Your Kids About Failure
07:26 — Kids Know When You're Faking It
09:37 — Why Leading From Your Head Only Gets You So Far
10:55 — Rock Bottom: Shutting Down His Heart
12:45 — What Does a Heart-Led Life Actually Look Like?
14:29 — Trust Is Built by Listening, Not Pitching
16:40 — You Have to Feel It, Not Just Think It
18:32 — Did Losing Everything Make Him More Human?
20:10 — The System Crushed Good People in 2008
21:43 — The Bank Told Him to Destroy His Own Credit
24:46 — Grace for Others, High Standards for Yourself
26:00 — The Mentor's Question That Changed His Life
29:15 — [SPONSOR] Magic Mind
30:14 — How He Turned Pain Into Purpose
31:45 — "Would You Do It Again?" — His Honest Answer
33:52 — How Losing Everything Changed How He Raises His Kids
36:29 — "I Haven't Fallen Once." "I'm Sorry."
39:51 — What High Quality Failure Looks Like
41:50 — Ray Dalio's Principles and Learning From Mistakes
43:42 — Dropping Out of Wharton to Study With Zen Monks
46:49 — The Interview With a Zen Master (That Made No Sense)
47:47 — Second Foreigner in 600 Years
51:03 — The Soy Sauce Incident
53:30 — The Monk Who Couldn't Talk Him Out of It
56:57 — The Kamikaze Painting: A Story of Forgiveness
59:29 — What Stefan Is Grateful For

🔗 Connect with Stefan Whitwell:
► Website: https://whitwelladvisors.com
► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitwell/
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanwhitwell/

🧠 More from Jack:
► Website: https://jackwagoner.co
► Free Resonance Protocol: https://jackwagoner.co/download
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coachin

Support the show

☕ 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.

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You're not lazy. You're not broken. You're lost.

And the reason you're lost is simpler than you think.

In this solo episode of The Grateful Podcast, Jack breaks down why so many young people — and even millionaire CEOs — still feel directionless. He shares the two approaches to finding what you want, why 95% of people don't have a clear written goal, and the visualisation exercise that changed everything for him.

Jack also shares how he went from having no plan to landing a TEDx talk in London — and why the journey from "I have no idea how" to actually getting the thing is the most extraordinary part of life.

If you've been telling yourself "I don't know what I want" for too long, this is your wake-up call.

Chapters:
00:00 — Why Everyone Feels Lost
02:15 — Two Ways to Find Direction
04:30 — Why I Started Podcasting With No Plan
06:00 — The Fear of Committing to a Goal
07: — 95% of People Don't Have a Written Goal
09:15 — What Do You Actually Want? (Bob Proctor's 3 Things)
11:00 — Stop Drowning Out Your Own Thoughts
13:00 — The Visualisation Exercise That Changes Everything
15:30 — The Sunk Cost Fallacy Is Keeping You Stuck

🧠 More from Jack:
► Newsletter (Magic, Meaning & Momentum): https://magic.beehiiv.com
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
► 1:1 Coaching: www.jackwagoner.co
► Get my free gratitude protocol: https://www.jackwagoner.co/download

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jack_Wagoner
🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

💬 If this episode hit home, send it to someone who needs to hear it. A review goes a long way too. 🙏
Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2302168/support


📺 Listen on your favorite platform:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grateful-podcast-with-jack-wagoner/id1725776061
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsTEpQAjU4BxUrDoFyZ6b

Subscribe for more deep conversations with thinkers, seekers, and soulful creators. 🙏

⸻

🧠 More from Jack:
Newsletter (Magic, Meaning & Momentum): https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/aa6b0945-43aa-43c8-b320-0fde6998f852?email=%7B%7Bemail%7D%7D
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
1:1 Coaching & Dream-Chasing Guidance: [email protected]

💬 If you found this conversation meaningful, send it to a friend and leave a review. It really helps more people find this kind of soul-nourishing content.

⸻

🎙️ About Jack:
Jack Wagoner is a performance architect and the creator of the Duality of Gratitude and Ambition, a proprietary framework designed to bridge the critical gap between high-level achievement and internal fulfillment. As the host of The Grateful Podcast, Wagoner has spent years deconstructing the mental paradigms of the world’s elite speakers,

Support the show

☕ 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.