Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Simon talks about the theme of his upcoming book -- and his message hits Cal's ears like a symphony. Perhaps this should've been expected. The concept behind Simon's book, Start With Why, led to a Ted talk that reached 42 million people. And Leaders Eat Last was a New York Times bestseller. The Infinite Game shows us that business should not be treated like it's in a sporting event that has a definite period of time and ends with a win or a loss. If we do treat our business like it's in a sporting event, Simon warns, there will be a decline in trust, a decline in cooperation and a decline in innovation. Simon makes a case that the most successful companies now tend to be guided by leaders with an infinite mindset. There are so many takeaways in this episode that it might be wise to pull out a notepad before you get started.

Cal checks in with one of his favorite people in the world, 25-year-old Daniela Fernandez, who has devoted her life to saving the world's oceans. If you don't think that's important, it'd be wise to look at some facts. There's an island of garbage twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean, which may be a long way from where you are right now but it affects you. Fifty percent of the oxygen we breathe is created by the ocean. That's every second breath you take. We're slowly choking ourselves. The non-profit organization that Daniela founded to heal the oceans, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, was down to its last penny when an anonymous donation of $1 million came to the rescue. This is an awesome story of a young woman's unwavering devotion to make a difference, and how the world will be changed because of her. Applying her mindset just might allow you to do the extraordinary, as well.

Arizona State Futurist in Residence Brian David Johnson explains to Cal why we will not be using keyboards in the near future; and how they are slowing us down anyway. Old School Cal gets an hour of what the future will be like — and, surprisingly, he likes it!

Cal sits down with a national treasure, George Raveling, to talk about some of the impactful moments of George's life. That includes the day in August of 1963 when George was a bodyguard on stage as Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have A Dream speech. As Dr. King folded the speech and walked off stage, George asked Dr. King if he could have it and Dr. King handed it to him. George would become basketball coach at Washington State, Iowa and USC, a coach on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team that contained Michael Jordan and Larry Bird and a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. This episode of Big Questions focuses on George through his love of books. Few people appreciate books the way George Raveling does. George is often seen walking around with shopping bags full of them that he hands out to friends. There are many takeaways in the way George reads books and the way he honors them. After you listen, your reading habits may never be the same.

Great movies have been made about buddy stories. Great movies have been made about love stories. This podcast has both, and is waiting to be turned into a terrific film. It's about the friendship between the comedian "Irish Dave" Nihill and the cycling guide Arash Bayatmakou – and it could be called "Stand Up." That's because of the different way the phrase applies to each of these two men. Without spoiling the movie, the story revolves around the courage we all need to move forward in frightening situations. It's got comedy. It's got a tragedy. It's got resilience. And when you add a very special woman and the attached love story, it becomes the perfect podcast for Valentine's Day.

Cal The Journalist meets John The Salesman and things will never be the same – not for Cal, anyway. For years, Cal had been told to stay on his side of The Wall that separated the editorial and sales departments of newspapers and magazines. But the Internet has changed that world and now everyone must sell themselves in some way, shape or form. Cal is delighted to find out that, at its best, sales is all about his passion – storytelling. Cal learns how John used rejection to create a new story that turned him into salesman of the year at Conde Nast. Cal learns how to be proactive through new forms of cold calling. Cal learns how to shape a story toward the sale and artfully close the deal. And Cal comes to understand that he had it in him all along.

What a superpower it would be to be able to look at the ordinary and wonder how it could be different… and then make it better. That's what Cal discovers when he speaks with Miki Agrawal, entrepreneur and author of the book, Disrupt-Her. He'll never be the same. He's already switched to bamboo toilet paper after Miki explained to him all the environmental benefits. Miki has specialized in the "poop, pee and menstruation" space – founding a company called Thinx that created period-proof underwear and another called Tushy that allows people to clean themselves more efficiently over the toilet. She applies her philosophy in every aspect of life. And her book, a manifesto for the modern woman, illustrates how women will behave differently going forward. Which is a good reason for men to read it – because they're probably going to be behaving differently, as well.

Many years ago, TOMS shoes founder Blake Mycoskie asked a wise man for some advice. That man wrote some on a sheet of paper: "The more you give, the more you live." It has guided Blake ever since. First, in the start-up of TOMS – which donates a pair of shoes to an impoverished child every time it sells a pair. And most recently, in the start-up of a campaign to end gun violence through changing federal policy by instituting background checks before every gun sale. This is a solution that 90 percent of Americans agree with – and Blake is asking every one of them to go to Toms.com and send a postcard to her or his representative. There are many takeaways in this episode, as Blake describes the essence of an entrepreneurial life, from how difficult it can be to the difference it can make.

Cal goes to the archives and pulls out a childhood tale George Clooney told him about how his eccentric family taught him to tell a good story. The podcast continues with the story of how drug addiction was transformed into a landmark run across the Sahara Desert for Charlie Engle. So many takeaways from this episode: The basics of storytelling. Overcoming addiction. The power of discipline. Seeing the world through fresh eyes. Inventing new challenges. A primer in how to get the most out of life and tell the story.

The singer and songwriter talks to Cal about how life experiences turn into music. The conversation leads to the background behind Andy's hits: Honey I'm Good, Keep Your Head Up and Fresh Eyes. But at its deepest level the discussion delves into the process that we all must go through to create. The takeaways are many. How to keep going when nobody around you seems to be paying attention to what you're doing. How having a hit can be just as stressful to the creation process as striving for the first. And how to keep expanding. The lessons of a man who started out singing for coins on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and went on to sing the national anthem at the World Series apply far beyond music and can be integrated into everyone's life.