Wealth Actually

It was a treat to talk to my friend, Robert A. George, about the political landscape washing over New York, Washington, and the rest of the country. We cover Donald Trump and his initial stumbles, the departure of Preet Bharara, the future of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the re-election prospects of Mayor Bill DiBlasio among other topics. Lots of fun in the world of politics!

Robert is an editorial writer for the New York Daily News (and formerly for the New York Post) and a conservative/libertarian blogger and pundit. He was born in Trinidad and lived in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States. A graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, George worked for the Republican National Committee and, following the 1994 midterm elections, Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.

In addition to his newspaper work, George also has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox and regularly appears on other political affairs programs. George has written for the conservative National Review, the libertarian Reason and the Huffington Post. He also sponsors his own group political/cultural blog, Ragged Thots. In addition, George occasionally moonlights as a stand-up comic and improviser.

The Donald, Leader of the Free World

Former US Attorney Preet Bharara looking skyward

Governor Andrew Cuomo feeling good about the future

Mayor Bill DiBlasio ponders the future

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

I spoke on my podcast with noted psychotherapist, Will Meyerhofer.  He deals with heavy hitters on Wall Street, the NYC legal world and entertainment professionals.  He pulls no punches.

While I have written before on the psychological perils of legal practice and Wall Street (The Death of a Profession: Law's Long, Bitter Descent and Its Tragic Human Toll), there is nothing like speaking with someone who is in the trenches helping people deal with the modern (and misunderstood) strains of the professions.  Will has been there and walks the walk.

Will holds a BA, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, a JD from the New York University School of law and a Master of Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work.  Since 2005, he has been operating his private practice, A Quiet Room, offering individual, couples and group psychotherapy from his home, a loft in TriBeCa, in Lower Manhattan.

In late 2010 Will released his first book, Life is a Brief Opportunity for Joy, an introduction to the concepts and philosophy underlying psychotherapy.  During 2011, Will released a second book, Way Worse Than Being a Dentist – the Lawyer's Quest for Meaning, based on material from his columns on law and psychotherapy from AboveTheLaw.com.  A former associate in the General Practice group at Sullivan & Cromwell LLC, Will is an acknowledged expert on psychotherapy and lawyers,

Will writes a regular column for the popular legal website, AboveTheLaw.com, as well as a blog of his own, The People's Therapist, reflecting a psychotherapist's take on the world.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Tell us a bit about your background . . . How did you go from working at a white shoe law firm in NYC to becoming a psychotherapist?

A sizable part of your practice comes from the worlds of NYC lawyers, Wall Street and business.  These are intense people, many of them unique in their own ways.  Are there any universal traits that surround them?

Why do they come to you?

What are your clients struggling with?

How do you discuss vulnerability for these types of clients.

Do you have a process to help them open up?

Are there times when they never open up?

Long hours + “talent” should equal success, which should lead to money, prestige, fame.  What happens when their progress doesn't measure up to their expectation?  How do you help clients who feel inadequate when their numbers don’t measure up to their neighbors?

What happens when they feel behind, passed over or a sense of failure?

What happens when the numbers and the trappings aren’t enough?

Are they trapped by success?  Have they taken on more responsibility at work and at home and built golden cages?

Do they feel Impostor syndrome?  I.e. How do they reconcile that luck can be involved with success? Do they belittle their own achievement?

Do they have trouble appreciating the forces that are beyond their control?

For the client that “feels unhappy” or “lost" and has trouble verbalizing their problems- how do you structure the conversation to get them to tell you their truth (even if they don’t quite know what that is)?

The practice of law is far different than what is portrayed in the media (and even in law school).  Do you notice clients that feel cheated or misled by that phenomenon?

We know by conjecture the punishing hours involved and the litter of paradoxe...

I spoke on my podcast with noted psychotherapist, Will Meyerhofer. He deals with heavy hitters on Wall Street, the NYC legal world and entertainment professionals. He pulls no punches.

While I have written before on the psychological perils of legal practice and Wall Street (The Death of a Profession: Law's Long, Bitter Descent and Its Tragic Human Toll), there is nothing like speaking with someone who is in the trenches helping people deal with the modern (and misunderstood) strains of the professions. Will has been there and walks the walk.

Will holds a BA, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, a JD from the New York University School of law and a Master of Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work. Since 2005, he has been operating his private practice, A Quiet Room, offering individual, couples and group psychotherapy from his home, a loft in TriBeCa, in Lower Manhattan.

In late 2010 Will released his first book, Life is a Brief Opportunity for Joy, an introduction to the concepts and philosophy underlying psychotherapy.  During 2011, Will released a second book, Way Worse Than Being a Dentist: the Lawyer's Quest for Meaning, based on material from his columns on law and psychotherapy from AboveTheLaw.com.  A former associate in the General Practice group at Sullivan & Cromwell LLC, Will is an acknowledged expert on psychotherapy and lawyers,

Will writes a regular column for the popular legal website, AboveTheLaw.com, as well as a blog of his own, The People's Therapist, reflecting a psychotherapist's take on the world.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Tell us a bit about your background . . . How did you go from working at a white shoe law firm in NYC to becoming a psychotherapist?

A sizable part of your practice comes from the worlds of NYC lawyers, Wall Street and business. These are intense people, many of them unique in their own ways. Are there any universal traits that surround them?

Why do they come to you?

What are your clients struggling with?

How do you discuss vulnerability for these types of clients.

Do you have a process to help them open up?

Are there times when they never open up?

Long hours + "talent" should equal success, which should lead to money, prestige, fame. What happens when their progress doesn't measure up to their expectation? How do you help clients who feel inadequate when their numbers don't measure up to their neighbors?

What happens when they feel behind, passed over or a sense of failure?

What happens when the numbers and the trappings aren't enough?

Are they trapped by success?  Have they taken on more responsibility at work and at home and built golden cages?

Do they feel Impostor syndrome?  I.e. How do they reconcile that luck can be involved with success? Do they belittle their own achievement?

Do they have trouble appreciating the forces that are beyond their control?

For the client that "feels unhappy" or "lost" and has trouble verbalizing their problems- how do you structure the conversation to get them to tell you their truth (even if they don't quite know what that is)?

The practice of law is far different than what is portrayed in the media (and even in law school). Do you notice clients that feel cheated or misled by that phenomenon?

We know by conjecture the punishing hours involved and the litter of paradoxes and inequities. What else is it about the practice of law and finance that creates such hurt?

What traits in your clients seem to be universal?

How do you unwind depression and cognitive distortion issues from chemical issues?  For the uninitiated, does one drive the other?

You deal with artists, writers and other creative types, is there anything about their endeavors that makes their problems different? Is the currency of their self-esteem different from the other professionals? Is financial hardship measured differently? And does it have more impact?

For those that need help, what is the best thing for them to do?

What is the best way to keep in touch with you?

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

With the excitement of Tiger Woods' return in the Bahamas, it was time to do a podcast around golf.

Welcome to Podcast #12, where I spoke with Eddy Lui.  Eddy is a fellow golf fanatic who has founded a new golf platform called 18Birdies.  We were able to get a round in this summer at Winged Foot and then record this interview about the company shortly afterward.  18Birdies can be downloaded on most mobile platforms and their website is www.18Birdies.com.  

The "Live Engine for Golf", 18Birdies is a mobile golf platform that enhances the experience between golfers & the courses they love to play. The platform incorporates cutting edge technology, social elements, and gaming to take golf into the next generation. A deeper discussion of the company can be found is his article in Golf Inc.

Eddy began his career at the global consulting firm Bain & Company and then at Fairlook Capital. He spent 20 years successfully building and growing technology startups, Now Eddy is combining his business experience with his passion for golf with 18Birdies.

I had a terrific time learning about his combination of golf, technology and entrepreneurism- three things that I enjoy.  We go into detail about the the challenges of driving the business and have some fun discussing the state of the game and the frontiers of the sport for 'millennials" in an internet age.

The format is below . . .

Questions

Golf- tell us how you fell in love with the game

How did you become involved with technology and startups?

Let’s talk about 18Birdies-  How does the platform help the golfer increase enjoyment?

Where does the technology come into play?

How does the social component work?

How does the gaming component work?

Discussion of bringing high end tournament experience to the everyday player

Multi-course tournaments/leagues, having the leaderboard in your pocket, expanding network of other golfers

Based in San Francisco, one of the great golfing cities in this country- how does that help?

How do you bring on brand ambassadors and get the word out?

Lots written on the decline of golf- How does 18 Birdies address these issues?

Steep learning curve in the sport: Too much time, Too expensive, Too hard to access (public/private; men/women, minorities )- how can 18Birdies address these issues?

Talk about your association with Matty18UndaPar and growing the game.

Bring social (and video) to a closed community- what are the challenges in breaking the "private course" code?

What are some of the other trends that you are seeing?

How do you intersect with the governing bodies?  USGA, PGA, LPGA, MGA, AJGA

Talk about some of the golf professionals like Darrell Kestner and Kris Tschetter that surround the brand

Is 18Birdies something that can be incorporated into scholastic golf?

What do the next few years look like for growth?

How do you begin to bring in revenue?

Favorite Golfer?  Tiger Woods

Who is your favorite of the Young Guns?  Patrick Reed

Best Round of golf ever?

Best shot?

Strengths and weaknesses of your game?

Favorite Courses?

Is Tiger coming back?

Who is going to have a big year next year?

How do we keep track of 18Birdies?  18Birdies.com and downloadable app on most platforms.

For more on TIGER WOODS' re-emergence . . . see his blistering 65 in the Bahamas below!

With the excitement of Tiger Woods' return in the Bahamas, it was time to do a podcast around golf.

Welcome to Podcast #12, where I spoke with Eddy Lui. Eddy is a fellow golf fanatic who has founded a new golf platform called 18Birdies. We were able to get a round in this summer at Winged Foot and then record this interview about the company shortly afterward. 18Birdies can be downloaded on most mobile platforms and their website is www.18Birdies.com.  

The "Live Engine for Golf", 18Birdies is a mobile golf platform that enhances the experience between golfers & the courses they love to play. The platform incorporates cutting edge technology, social elements, and gaming to take golf into the next generation. A deeper discussion of the company can be found is his article in Golf Inc.

Eddy began his career at the global consulting firm Bain & Company and then at Fairlook Capital. He spent 20 years successfully building and growing technology startups, Now Eddy is combining his business experience with his passion for golf with 18Birdies.

I had a terrific time learning about his combination of golf, technology and entrepreneurism- three things that I enjoy.  We go into detail about the the challenges of driving the business and have some fun discussing the state of the game and the frontiers of the sport for 'millennials" in an internet age.

The format is below . . .

Questions

Golf- tell us how you fell in love with the game

How did you become involved with technology and startups?

Let's talk about 18Birdies- How does the platform help the golfer increase enjoyment?

Where does the technology come into play?

How does the social component work?

How does the gaming component work?

Discussion of bringing high end tournament experience to the everyday player

Multi-course tournaments/leagues, having the leaderboard in your pocket, expanding network of other golfers

Based in San Francisco, one of the great golfing cities in this country- how does that help?

How do you bring on brand ambassadors and get the word out?

Lots written on the decline of golf-How does 18 Birdies address these issues?

Steep learning curve in the sport: Too much time, Too expensive, Too hard to access (public/private; men/women, minorities )- how can 18Birdies address these issues?

Talk about your association with Matty18UndaPar and growing the game.

Bring social (and video) to a closed community- what are the challenges in breaking the "private course" code?

What are some of the other trends that you are seeing?

How do you intersect with the governing bodies? USGA, PGA, LPGA, MGA, AJGA

Talk about some of the golf professionals like Darrell Kestner and Kris Tschetter that surround the brand

Is 18Birdies something that can be incorporated into scholastic golf?

What do the next few years look like for growth?

How do you begin to bring in revenue?

Favorite Golfer? Tiger Woods

Who is your favorite of the Young Guns? Patrick Reed

Best Round of golf ever?

Best shot?

Strengths and weaknesses of your game?

Favorite Courses?

Is Tiger coming back?

Who is going to have a big year next year?

How do we keep track of 18Birdies? 18Birdies.com and downloadable app on most platforms.

For more on TIGER WOODS' re-emergence . . . see his blistering 65 in the Bahamas below!

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

I was thrilled to speak with election lawyer, Bryan Sells a week or so ahead of the big confrontation between Trump and Clinton.  We talked about the process and importance of voting and the issues with the current election and future trends in our country's voting.

Based in Atlanta, Bryan is a civil rights lawyer specializing in voting rights, election law, and redistricting.  He represents individual voters, civil rights organizations, political parties, candidates, and campaigns.  Before founding his own firm, Bryan was been a senior litigator at the Department of Justice and the ACLU.  Bryan posts frequently on twitter at @SellsBryan and his firm's website is www.BryanSellsLaw.com.

INTERVIEW

-How did the practice of voting law get your attention?

-How did your background point you in the direction of election law?  What were your other influences?

-Explain why it’s important to have a full and fair representation in the political process

Many people assume that voting is as easy as registering to vote and then showing up at a polling location and casting a ballot.  However, many times it’s not that easy.

-What is the actual process of voting?

-How is it run at the federal, state, and local level?

-How and why can that get distorted?

-Where are the greatest injustices/blockades to access right now?

-What about the notion of dead people voting and “pre-voted” voting machines

-Redistricting and gerrymandering?

-One of the great unintended consequences of our system-

-How does it disenfranchise voters?

-How do we rewrite the rule book on this?

-Two party system continues to dominate- how do other parties and ideas begin to penetrate the system?

-Term Limits- what are the arguments for and against?  Is it time to have them at the federal

-Finally, technology and voting?  Are they the cause of or solution to voter fraud?  Or a little of both?  What should we be looking for when thinking about technology and the expense of voting?

QUICK NOTES:

With Trump's shocking win, let's see what I was thinking back BEFORE he took the nomination: Trump: The Yard Sale.  This was published 9/7/2015- well over a year ago and with no expectation that Donald Trump had a chance (at the nomination!) . . . boy, I was wrong.  but there was some interesting thinking in there.

This podcast was the first done by telephone.  I liked the results and it opens the podcast to a bunch of interesting participants.  Look for more shortly.

I was thrilled to speak with election lawyer, Bryan Sells a week or so ahead of the big confrontation between Trump and Clinton. We talked about the process and importance of voting and the issues with the current election and future trends in our country's voting.

Based in Atlanta, Bryan is a civil rights lawyer specializing in voting rights, election law, and redistricting. He represents individual voters, civil rights organizations, political parties, candidates, and campaigns.  Before founding his own firm, Bryan was been a senior litigator at the Department of Justice and the ACLU. Bryan posts frequently on twitter at @SellsBryan and his firm's website is www.BryanSellsLaw.com.

INTERVIEW

-How did the practice of voting law get your attention?

-How did your background point you in the direction of election law? What were your other influences?

-Explain why it's important to have a full and fair representation in the political process

Many people assume that voting is as easy as registering to vote and then showing up at a polling location and casting a ballot. However, many times it's not that easy.

-What is the actual process of voting?

-How is it run at the federal, state, and local level?

-How and why can that get distorted?

-Where are the greatest injustices/blockades to access right now?

-What about the notion of dead people voting and "pre-voted" voting machines

-Redistricting and gerrymandering?

-One of the great unintended consequences of our system-

-How does it disenfranchise voters?

-How do we rewrite the rule book on this?

-Two party system continues to dominate- how do other parties and ideas begin to penetrate the system?

-Term Limits- what are the arguments for and against? Is it time to have them at the federal

-Finally, technology and voting? Are they the cause of or solution to voter fraud?  Or a little of both?  What should we be looking for when thinking about technology and the expense of voting?

QUICK NOTES:

With Trump's shocking win, let's see what I was thinking back BEFORE he took the nomination: Trump: The Yard Sale.  This was published 9/7/2015- well over a year ago and with no expectation that Donald Trump had a chance (at the nomination!) . . . boy, I was wrong.  but there was some interesting thinking in there.

This podcast was the first done by telephone.  I liked the results and it opens the podcast to a bunch of interesting participants.  Look for more shortly.

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

Podcast #10 was a fun and intense conversation with Foreign Policy and International Relations Expert, Andrew Peek.  Andrew is the Director of the Washington Program at Claremont McKenna and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine.  He is also a former Captain in the US Army and Strategic Advisor to General Joe Allen.  He has written and appeared widely in the media and can be found on Twitter at @AndrewLPeek.

We conducted a brief primer on Foreign policy and the Election starting with a quick summary of what we know about the candidates' viewpoints and approach to working with foreign countries

We started with Hillary Clinton and the evolution of her foreign policy approach.

What do we need to know about Hillary’s world view?

What is the impact of her vast experience and relationships?

What is the impact of Bill’s presence if she wins office?

Our next line of discussion analyzed what we know about Donald Trump- what informs his world view?

How would he go about staffing his foreign policy apparatus?

How does the volatility and inconsistency of message  play out on the world stage?

How would he relate to the military?

Finally we embarked on a quick tour around the world . . .

Terrorism in France and Germany - Nice, Normandy, Paris, Orlando, etc

Germany and Syrian refugee policy

Vlad Putin and Syria/Ukraine/east europe/Trump

Cybersecurity

Middle East / ISIS

Israel

Europe (NATO)

China

South America/Mexico

It is a wide ranging discussion with terrific analysis from an expert who lives and breathes these issues and has helped form and implement foreign policy at the highest levels.

Podcast #10 was a fun and intense conversation with Foreign Policy and International Relations Expert, Andrew Peek. Andrew is the Director of the Washington Program at Claremont McKenna and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine. He is also a former Captain in the US Army and Strategic Advisor to General Joe Allen. He has written and appeared widely in the media and can be found on Twitter at @AndrewLPeek.

We conducted a brief primer on Foreign policy and the Election starting with a quick summary of what we know about the candidates' viewpoints and approach to working with foreign countries

We started with Hillary Clinton and the evolution of her foreign policy approach.

What do we need to know about Hillary's world view?

What is the impact of her vast experience and relationships?

What is the impact of Bill's presence if she wins office?

Our next line of discussion analyzed what we know about Donald Trump- what informs his world view?

How would he go about staffing his foreign policy apparatus?

How does the volatility and inconsistency of message  play out on the world stage?

How would he relate to the military?

Finally we embarked on a quick tour around the world . . .

Terrorism in France and Germany - Nice, Normandy, Paris, Orlando, etc

Germany and Syrian refugee policy

Vlad Putin and Syria/Ukraine/East Europe/Trump

Cybersecurity

Middle East / ISIS

Israel

Europe (NATO)

China

South America/Mexico

It is a wide ranging discussion with terrific analysis from an expert who lives and breathes these issues and has helped form and implement foreign policy at the highest levels.

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Blake Morgan about the state of the music industry . . . we spoke for an hour and could have kept going for much longer!

Native New Yorker Blake Morgan is a recording artist, record producer, and the founder and owner of ECR Music Group, a global music company which operates under an elemental principle unprecedented in the music world: all of its artists and labels own one-hundred percent of their master recordings.

On the heels of his sold-out eight-month run at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, Blake Morgan now embarks on his first large-scale West Coast solo tour of the United States. The New York Times calls Morgan “Disarmingly unselfconscious,” while Billboard Magazine writes, “Blake Morgan has a voice that was made to be heard on the radio…inspired songwriting and passionate performances.” The Washington Post adds, “He’s got killer pop-rock instincts, something that leaps out at you…a natural when it comes to fashioning sharp melodies and catchy choruses.” Blake Morgan’s 2016 West Coast Tour will run from August 22nd until September 3rd, with Morgan performing ten concerts in nine cities. Morgan returns to Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 3 on September 14th, for Season Two of his ongoing artist-in-residence concert series in New York City.

We covered a lot of ground . . . Here is a framework of the topics covered.

What is the process of developing musicians now?

How do people access music in this day and age?

How do you reconcile the different definitions of success in your artists?

How do musicians get paid now?  What is the difference between “songwriting” and “mechanicals”

What is the role of outside interests?  Sponsorships, merchandise, acting / books etc . . .

And how is that different from the past?

Regarding the impact of technology on the previous music industry business model, the dilemma it poses now for emerging musicians, and the impact of #irespectmusic . . .

How have the innovations of Napster on through to iTunes/ Pandora/ Spotify/ Youtube impacted artists

What are the positive and negative aspects?

How does this impact artists and their ability to earn?

How does the law protect artists currently?  Is it outdated?

What have been your legislative efforts?  Is this a chance for actual bipartisan work from Congress?

What is that political process like?  How do you educate our leaders about the importance of music and protecting the artist’s livelihood?

What can the artists do to help protect themselves?

Finally a little discussion on ECR and future plans

What is your vision for the modern record label – what is its role and how does it work in this day and age?

What are the signs of optimism for recording artists in the future?

Where do you see the future of music going?

How can people support #IRespectMusic?

WWW.BLAKEMORGAN.COM

Blake Morgan (Facebook)

Blake Morgan (Twitter)

IRESPECTMUSIC.ORG and via hashtag (#irespectmusic) on most social media platforms.