In this mini episode of the Travis Makes Friends podcast, Travis sits down with Michael Smoak (@higherupwellness) and Tony (@trainbloom) to talk about social media growth, content creation, and how to build a loyal audience online. Both creators have built major followings by taking very different approaches to content, and this conversation breaks down what actually works.

Michael Smoak breaks down how to overcome your fear of posting online, stop overthinking content, and start creating in a way that actually helps people. If you’ve been sitting on ideas, waiting for the “right time,” or worrying too much about what people will think, this conversation will challenge you to get moving and put your message out there.

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Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss joins Travis to unpack how he went from being "eminently unqualified" to negotiating life-or-death situations at Chase Manhattan Bank and beyond. He shares the moment a team leader told him to volunteer on a suicide hotline—advice she gave to 1,000 people but only two ever acted on—and how that single decision opened the door to a 24-year FBI career. Chris walks through the Chase Manhattan Bank robbery in Brooklyn, where he coached a crafty bank robber into surrendering, only to have the doors accidentally locked from the outside while SWAT moved in behind ballistic shields. He explains why "yes" always creates anxiety, why saying "I understand" is weaponization, and how mirroring 1-3 words can get anyone talking involuntarily. This conversation is a candid look at tactical empathy, engineering serendipity, and how negotiation skills apply to everything from business deals to ordering Cheesecake Factory with your girlfriend.

ON THIS EPISODE, WE CHAT ABOUT:

— How Chris Voss went from SWAT team aspirations to FBI hostage negotiator after re-injuring his knee.

— The "eminently unqualified" conversation with Amy and why only 2 out of 1,000 people took her suicide hotline advice.

— What really happened during the Chase Manhattan Bank hostage situation in Brooklyn and the "Where's Chris?" moment.

— Why "yes" creates anxiety and going for "no" makes people feel safe and in control.

— The difference between tactical empathy and saying "I understand"—and why one builds trust while the other is weaponization.

— How mirroring works: repeating 1-3 words with curiosity or comprehension to pull information out of people involuntarily.

— The power of silence in negotiation and why Travis's 1-minute pause closed a high-ticket deal.

— "Engineering serendipity"—how to position yourself in the path of luck by taking action others won't.

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS

Competitive advantage comes from doing what others won't—1,000 people got advice to volunteer on a suicide hotline, only 2 did it.

"Yes" creates anxiety; "no" makes people feel safe. Go for "no" to give the other side control and lower their defenses.

Tactical empathy isn't agreement—it's demonstrating comprehension of where someone's coming from without liking it or agreeing with it.

Mirroring (repeating 1-3 words) gets people talking involuntarily and makes them feel heard without you having to solve anything.

Never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn't take something better—focus on outcomes can blind you to superior alternatives.

**Join the Black Swan Community with Chris Today!**

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Former New York City nightclub promoter Scott Harrison joins Travis to unpack how a decade of chasing status and excess led him to walk away from everything and start Charity: water. He shares the health scare and existential crisis that pushed him onto a hospital ship in post‑war Liberia, where he saw firsthand that up to half of local disease was caused by dirty water and that clean water projects can cut sickness in some villages by as much as 80 percent. Scott explains the human cost of the global water crisis, including the hundreds of millions of hours women and girls spend every day walking for unsafe water, and why widespread distrust of charities forced him to build a radically transparent model where 100 percent of public donations fund water projects that are tracked and proved. This conversation is a candid look at addiction, meaning, faith, and how one person can repurpose a “promoter” skill set to mobilize millions toward solving a solvable problem.

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ON THIS EPISODE, WE CHAT ABOUT:

— How Scott Harrison went from top nightclub promoter in New York City to the founder of Charity: water.

— The health scare and existential crisis that forced him to confront the emptiness behind his “successful” lifestyle.

— What he witnessed on a hospital ship in post‑war Liberia and how it exposed the link between dirty water and disease.

— The scale and human cost of the global water crisis, especially for women and girls who spend hours every day collecting unsafe water.

— Why public distrust in charities is so high and how Charity: water’s 100% model and radical transparency were designed to rebuild trust.

— How Scott repurposed his promoter skill set to tell better stories, raise money, and mobilize millions toward clean water projects.

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS

1. Material success without service can feel profoundly empty, even when it looks glamorous from the outside.

2. Clean water isn’t just a convenience—it’s foundational healthcare that can slash disease rates in entire communities.

3. Donor skepticism is rational; nonprofits that want to grow must design around trust, proof, and accountability.

4. Skills built in “selfish” environments (sales, promotion, hospitality) can be transformed into powerful tools for impact.

5. The global water crisis is solvable within our lifetime if enough people and capital are pointed at the problem with a clear, credible model.

💬 NOTABLE QUOTES

“The best I could come up with for my tombstone was, ‘Here lies a selfish man who got a million people drunk.’”

“I wanted to know: what would the exact opposite of my life look like?”

“According to the World Health Organization, about half of the disease in some regions is caused by bad water and lack of sanitation.”

“In many of these villages, when you bring clean water, you see up to an 80 percent reduction in disease.”

“Just today, women and girls will spend hundreds of millions of hours walking for dirty water.”

“People loved the idea of giving water to others—they just didn’t trust charities with their money.”

“We built Charity: water so that 100 percent of public donations would go to water projects, and we’d prove every single one.”

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Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and creator of The Terminal List. In this episode, Jack joins Travis Chappell to talk about the future of the Jack Carr universe, including The Terminal List, Dark Wolf, True Believer, The Fourth Option, and the possibility of video games. Jack shares how his books became a Prime Video series starring Chris Pratt, why Taylor Kitsch changed the way he saw Ben Edwards, how he thinks about Hollywood adaptations, and why every new story has to earn the reader’s time.

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Retired Marine Corps officer, combat veteran, and former F/A-18 pilot, Dave Berke deployed twice from the USS John C. Stennis in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He served three years as an Instructor Pilot at TOPGUN as Training Officer and senior staff pilot. He also worked as a Forward Air Controller during urban combat in Ramadi, Iraq, supporting SEAL Task Unit Bruiser. Dave was the first operational pilot qualified in both the F-22 Raptor and F-35B, commanding the Marine Corps' first F-35 squadron. Now at Echelon Front (founded by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin), he teaches leadership as a learnable skill.

Michelle "Mace" Curran is a former U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot who flew combat missions in Afghanistan and served as Lead Solo pilot for the Thunderbirds (2019-2022). With over 2,000 hours in the F-16, she broke barriers as one of the elite demonstration team's first female lead solos. Author of The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower, she now delivers keynotes on overcoming fear, building trust, and decisive action. Based in Las Vegas, she empowers teams through her military-honed insights.

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Dave Berke is a retired US Marine Corps Officer, TOPGUN Instructor, and now a leadership instructor and speaker with Echelon Front, where he serves as Chief Development Officer. As a F/A-18 pilot, he deployed twice from the USS John C Stennis in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent three years as an Instructor Pilot at TOPGUN where he served as the Training Officer, the senior staff pilot responsible for the conduct of the TOPGUN course. 

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Darren Prince, International Best Selling author of his memoir Aiming High, is a prominent sports and celebrity agent and global advocate for addiction/mental health and recovery. Through his agency, Prince Marketing Group, he represents icons Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Dominique Wilkins, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Chevy Chase, Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards, Carmen Electra, and many others as well as having worked with the late Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Evel Knievel.

Darren / PMG has also worked with Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Shaquille O’Neal, Dennis Rodman, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr, Tom Brady, Pamela Anderson, Vince Neil, Dee Snider and Keith Urban.

PMG is one of the most respected boutique sports and entertainment agencies in the world with over $500M in deals negotiated in its 25 plus years in the industry. Having paired a celebrity with everything from Super Bowl commercials, product endorsement campaigns, keynotes, licensing and branded social media campaigns companies such as Apple, Oracle, Best Buy, Gillette, Hard Rock Casino and hundreds of others have utilized their expertise to find the perfect celebrity to fit their initiative, product or service. 

As a leading authority in this space, Prince’s insights have been featured in WSJ, NYT, USA Today, CNN, Fox and Friends, Chris Cuomo, Tucker Carlson, “On Purpose” podcast with Jay Shetty, Extra TV, Dr. OZ and many other top media outlets. Darren has experienced what life is like in the celebrity world but also seen the dark reality of addiction through his own personal struggle with opiates. With over 14 years of sobriety, it’s now Darren’s mission to help others avoid and break free from addiction and mental health struggles. He had a God awakening on July 2, 2008, and believes in a spiritual higher power and that anyone can turn their bottom into a new beginning.

Prince started his 501(c)3 Aiming High Foundation where 100% of the proceeds provide treatment for those suffering. He has become a highly sought-after speaker on addiction recovery and mental health. He specializes in helping high functioning addicts and at-risk executives to identify and avoid the pitfalls of addiction and working with teens on self-esteem and self-worth. He also is a consultant to Banyan Treatment Center which has 15 locations spread across the United States. Prince is on the commercial advisory board of Bridge Therapeutics, a revolutionary opiate detox drug. With anticipation of FDA approval in making its way to the medical industry in 2024. A life saving detox drug treating addicts for pain management and transitioning them to an opiate free lifestyle.

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*Originally Released Aug 12, 2025*

In this unfiltered episode of the Travis Makes Friends podcast, host Travis Chappell reunites with comedian and podcaster Zach Justice for a hilarious and heartfelt chat. They dive into Zach's decision to end his hit show Dropouts after five years, wild blind dating mishaps (including a fentanyl-fueled park interruption), navigating fame, entrepreneurship lessons from family and mentors like Alex Hormozi, and musings on life, relationships, and even starting a satirical Bible app. Packed with laughs, raw stories, and insightful advice, it's a must-listen for fans of unfiltered conversations!

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In this episode of the Travis Makes Friends podcast, host Travis dives deep into health, longevity, and biohacking with Dr. Jeffrey Gross, a renowned neurological surgeon and regenerative medicine expert. From the truth about GLP-1 peptides and testosterone therapy to debunking cholesterol myths and exploring stem cell treatments, this conversation unpacks cutting-edge insights for optimizing your health. Tune in for practical tips and a no-nonsense take on navigating modern medicine!