The Person Who Believed In Me with David Begnaud

Charlie Puth asked for incense before this interview started. He hears everything — the air conditioning, the school bell down the block, a note going slightly flat in a crowd of thousands — and a smell is the one thing he can't hear. He's been diagnosed with OCD, which he believes is inseparable from why he can make a record. It also means he circles the block before walking into a hotel lobby, and that a wrong sound can put him physically in his gut.

He didn't sing in front of anyone until he was 18. His father took a day off from construction work and sat in line with him for twelve hours to audition for America's Got Talent, where he told the judges he couldn't do it a cappella — he'd beatbox, he'd play piano, but not that. His mother, a Jewish woman teaching music in a Catholic school, wheeled a piano cart into rooms and quieted them with the Beatles. She's the reason he explains chord theory on the internet, a connection he makes out loud for the first time in this conversation, mid-sentence, and seems surprised by.

He talks with David Begnaud about the classical teachers who told him to stop using his ear, the early advice to manufacture feuds with people he'd never met, and the years he spent putting maybe forty-five percent of himself into his music. He's now released a song called "I Used to Be Cringe" that he found too embarrassing to finish for a year. The album arrives the same day his first child is due.
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Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️


ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Charlie Puth

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Theme Music: Slipstream

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

There's a photograph of a girl outside the Shrine Auditorium giving a thumbs up next to Roger Ebert, who is giving one back. She was around eight, brought there from Compton by her aunt Denise, who had figured out that the public could watch Oscar presenters rehearse the day before the show. Twenty-some years later, Ava DuVernay was working as a film publicist, and Ebert was one of the few critics who still booked himself — you wanted him to see a movie, you emailed him directly. She'd been doing it for years, all business.

So when she finished her first film, made for $50,000 and rejected by Sundance, she pitched it to him exactly the way she pitched everything else, without mentioning it was hers. He said yes. She spent her own money renting the screening room he liked. Then a one-line reply: your movie. I'll be in touch. Nothing else, until the tweet.

The film, I Will Follow, is about the day she moved out of the beach house she'd shared with her aunt, who died of breast cancer. Ebert, by then without his voice and near the end of his own illness, wrote that every emotion in it was one he'd experienced himself. In this conversation with David Begnaud, DuVernay talks about what that review unlocked — the other critics who suddenly said yes, the Sundance acceptance on her eighth try, the road to a Best Picture nomination for Selma — and about the thing underneath all of it, which wasn't a favor. It was being taken seriously. She has since built an entire organization around handing that forward, and she is very clear about what she expects from people who come asking.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️


ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Ava DuVernay

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Barry Diller was 23, a junior executive at ABC, when he was called into the chairman's office to meet the Austrian industrialist who had just bought Paramount. Charles Bluhdorn wanted to sell ABC a package of Paramount films. Diller told him the movies were no good and ABC wasn't buying. He had never stood up to anyone before and has no idea where it came from. Bluhdorn was impressed enough to keep calling for the next eight years.

Then, when Diller was 32, Bluhdorn told him he was going to run Paramount. Diller's response was that he was out of his mind — he'd never made a movie, only television. Bluhdorn's counter was that the only thing left to do was say yes, you dope. Paramount finished dead last among the six studios for the first two years. Diller offered to go. Bluhdorn refused, and then Saturday Night Fever came out, and the studio stayed in first place for seven straight years.

In this conversation with David Begnaud, Diller talks about that faith and what it buys a person — the room to fail without the rug being pulled. He also talks about the mother who wouldn't come get him from camp when he was seven, and what he calls cementing himself shut. About learning to fly a Cessna to cure a phobia, and losing the fear the moment he was airborne. About the guilt he still carries for not being louder during the AIDS crisis while he was running a studio. About being written up by People as a man failing upward, and now owning the magazine. And about Bluhdorn, who kept his leukemia secret for three years, crying in a helicopter over the Dominican Republic two months before he died.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️


ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Barry Diller

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Six letters went to the Clayton County school board on behalf of a senior facing expulsion under a zero-tolerance drug policy. One of them came from his college prep geometry teacher, whose actual last name was Love, and it made the argument plainly: don't throw this child's life away, give him a second chance. The student was Tauheed Epps. He'd been arrested at fifteen with cocaine and again at seventeen for selling five-dollar bags of weed at school. He was also carrying A's, perfect attendance, and basketball scholarship offers.

They let him stay. He lost Memphis and went to Alabama State instead, where a coaching staff that recruited him got fired almost immediately and he lost his love for the game — and where he met the woman he married. In this conversation with David Begnaud, 2 Chainz talks about why he wouldn't change any of it, about his mother noticing him bagging up the night before the arrest and asking twice whether he was sure, and about the four generations of hustle behind him — bootleg liquor at his great-grandparents' house, then his grandparents, then a mother who married a drug dealer — that stopped with him.

Then Begnaud asks whether they can call Ms. Love right now, on camera, without warning. He hadn't planned to. She picks up.

Chapters ☀️


ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: 2 Chainz

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

Theme Music: Slipstream

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

"Nobody but nobody can make it out here alone." In this powerful conversation, Oprah Winfrey shares how one teacher's attention saved her life during her darkest years and why being "seen" is the greatest gift one human can give another.

Most people know Oprah as a voice of wisdom, but she wasn't always the woman we see today. In this premiere episode of "The Person Who Believed In Me," she sits down with Emmy-winning journalist David Begnaud to share the origin of her resilience - the lonely, introverted 13-year-old sitting in a chaotic cafeteria with a book, and the teacher named Mr. Abrams who saw something in her that she hadn't yet seen in herself.

The conversation gets honest about the gap between who the world says you are and who you know you can be. Oprah opens up about overcoming the trauma of her youth and the moment she realized her past didn't have to define her future. If you've ever felt invisible or questioned whether you belonged, this conversation will remind you that one person's belief can change everything. It's a reminder that nobody makes it out here alone - and that you might be that person for someone else.

Chapters ☀️


ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called “America’s storyteller.” In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.
David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud
Guest: Oprah Winfrey
Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse
Associate Producers: Griffen Hamilton, Jonah Johnson
Booker: Sully Bloch
Director of Social: Mariah Maull
Director of Photography: Foster Parks
Theme Music: Slipstream

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

David Begnaud:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbegnaud/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@davidbegnaud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidBegnaud/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@davidbegnaud
X: https://x.com/davidbegnaud

Do Good Crew:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogood/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dogoodstory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogoodstory

Oprah Winfrey:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oprah/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oprah
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah

The Person Who Believed In Me is a heartfelt podcast that celebrates the unsung heroes behind some of the world's biggest names. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist David Begnaud, this series shines a spotlight on the everyday people who saw potential, offered unwavering support, and changed the trajectory of extraordinary lives.

In this trailer, you'll hear from an incredible lineup of guests including Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Puth, Nick Cannon, Barry Diller, Sherry Lansing, Jason Ballard, and 2 Chainz - each sharing powerful glimpses into the people who believed in them before the world knew their names. These weren't just words of encouragement from afar.

This was presence. Sacrifice. Dedication. From the music teacher who recognized raw talent, to the parent who refused to let their child settle, to the mentor who saw past society's limitations - these believers changed everything. Every episode features a big-name guest, but the true star is always the ordinary person who saw something extraordinary and chose to nurture it. Join David Begnaud as he explores the profound impact one person's belief can have on another's destiny. Get ready for intimate conversations, emotional revelations, and inspiring stories that remind us all of the power of believing in someone.

Host: David Begnaud
Created By: David Begnaud
A Do Good Crew Production
Executive Producer: Ellen Rocamora
For Do Good Crew: Executive Producers Olivier Delfosse, David Begnaud, Associate Producer Griffen Hamilton, Editor Jonah Johnson, Booker Sully Bloch
Director Of Photography: Foster Parks
Music Composed By: Slipstream
Post-Production: Longwave Digital