Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Cal heard about the growth hacker who's worked with Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Michael Strahan, and also built a 7-figure social media following for himself in one month. And he figured it might be a good thing to get a glimpse of this world. But this podcast didn't turn out quite like Cal figured, as Brendan posed questions that made Cal think about what he actually wanted to do with those followers. In the end, Cal doesn't get a lesson in hauling in a million followers. He's pointed toward magnifying his possibilities through laser focus on just the right audience. That's a great takeaway for everybody.

Cal heard about the growth hacker who's worked with Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Michael Strahan, and also built a 7-figure social media following for himself in one month. And he figured it might be a good thing to get a glimpse of this world. But this podcast didn't turn out quite like Cal figured, as Brendan posed questions that made Cal think about what he actually wanted to do with those followers. In the end, Cal doesn't get a lesson in hauling in a million followers. He's pointed toward magnifying his possibilities through laser focus on just the right audience. That's a great takeaway for everybody.

Cal learns what can be accomplished when the right two people come together as he gets to the essence of his sponsor: Sportiqe. Matt Altman and Jason Franklin, two guys who grew up thousands of miles apart, trace the backstory of their clothing company with moments that touch back on Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, the great Chicago Bulls teams with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, and much more. So many serendipitous moments are woven together, and they all seem to prove that when passion, the right complimentary skill sets and hard work align, the resulting success is simply meant to be.

Tim Campos doubled productivity for Facebook while he was Chief Information Officer between 2010 and 2016. Now, Tim tries to do the same for Cal by introducing him to his latest project: Woven. Woven is a state-of-the-art digital calendar that we can all use to get the most out of our time while studying the analytics behind how we're using our most precious resource. Tim's company in the testing phase and Woven is free for all who want to give it a test drive. Old school Cal puts the pedal to the metal and loves the feeling on the cutting edge.

The CEO of CatalystCreativ was the spark for a huge change in Cal's business and life — and this conversation gets to finding the essence in yourself and using it to be your best. It also applies to companies. Amanda has worked on projects with WeWork, Coca Cola, The Raiders and The Nature Conservancy, and designed a strategy that transforms businesses through meaningful engagement with customers and employees. The recipe to her company's secret sauce is detailed in her upcoming book: The Seventh Level. And this conversation will inspire everybody to look at themselves and/or their businesses through a new lens.

Cal learns he can be way more persuasive than he ever thought when he sits at The Big Table in the office of Jason Harris, the CEO of Mekanism. Jason's company has been named the small agency of the year by Ad Age. It has famously linked up with the White House under President Obama to create the "It's On Us" campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault on college campuses. And Jason's got a book out called The Soulful Art of Persuasion that a Harvard business professor has called the modern version of Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you want to learn how to persuade through character as opposed to using numbers and debates, you're in the right place.

The lead singer of O.A.R. clues Cal in to the business philosophies that have kept Of A Revolution thriving for nearly a quarter of a century. Any stereotype of dreamy artists is swiftly put to rest as Marc explains the constant vigilance all the band members throw into their work to keep the seats filled and their loyal fans coming back year after year after year. These lessons are applicable not only to Cal's new business helping companies tell their stories. But they apply to anybody on the job . . . and even to parenthood.

Cal gets tips on getting all those dings, notifications and technological distractions out of his life from a man who has spent much of his career making people yearn for more technology. Many takeaways in this conversation with the author of the upcoming book, Indistractable, are about controlling your attention and leading a clearer and more focused life. It's just the advice Cal needs now that he's a CEO. Everyone who listens will come away a winner.

Cal poses the question after hearing the wondrous story of Dr. Sabrina Kay – who came to the U.S. from South Korea while in college without speaking English, started out as a janitor and began an entrepreneurial journey that took her to the cover of Fortune Magazine. By the time she'd reached her 30s, Sabrina had amassed enough wealth so that neither she – nor any of her family members – ever needed to work again. But that was only the beginning. Sabrina went on to get a master's degree at USC and a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Now, after buying Fremont College, she's reinventing the entire education system. This episode is packed with takeaways that will make you think about what you would do if never needed to work again.

Cal looks back on the most amazing thing he's ever seen in his life, August 7, 1974, when a French street performer named Philippe Petit secretly rigged a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center and walked on it 1,300 feet above the ground. There are many lessons to be learned from Philippe's feat, which took place 45 years ago, and Cal has mined for them through at least a dozen viewings of the documentary Man on Wire and the feature film called The Walk. The British mogul Richard Branson also calls Man on Wire one of his favorite films, and Cal wraps up his thoughts with a short conversation he had with Branson about what we can all take away from August 7, 1974.