FOMO Sapiens with Patrick J. McGinnis

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick McGinnis sits down with Charlie O'Donnell, founder of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures and author of Founder Unfriendly: What Investors Won't Tell You About Getting Funded, for one of the most practical and honest conversations about venture capital you're likely to hear. Charlie has spent more than two decades inside the New York startup ecosystem, starting as the first analyst at Union Square Ventures, helping open First Round Capital's NYC office, and going on to invest in over 100 companies through Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, the first venture fund based in Brooklyn. In this conversation, he dismantles some of the most persistent myths about fundraising: what "interested" actually means from a VC, why rejection is data and not a verdict, how to time-bind a process to create real urgency, and how to shape the conversations investors have after you leave the room. If you've ever wondered why a seemingly weaker startup got funded while yours didn't, this episode has the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon McNeill, former President of Tesla and ex-COO of Lyft who led Tesla’s hypergrowth and now runs DVx Ventures. He explains the five-step system behind rapid scaling. Short stories show questioning assumptions, stripping steps, focusing teams, and using speed as an advantage. Practical frameworks for faster decisions and replicable processes are highlighted.

Rob Snyder, serial B2B founder and HBS alum who helps startups find real demand, recounts two years of brutal rejection that reshaped his sales playbook. He explains testing demand before building, selling with conversations or a two-slide MVP, and finding the ‘hell yes’ customer. The talk focuses on unblocking buyers, iterating your story with prospects, and why persuasion often fails.

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick sits down with Liz Tran, founder of Inner Genius and author of AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing, to explore a simple but urgent idea: in a world defined by constant disruption, IQ and EQ are no longer enough. What we need now is AQ, the Agility Quotient, which Liz defines as your capacity to handle change, disappointment, and uncertainty. Drawing on a decade of work with over 200 founders and executives, Liz breaks down the four AQ archetypes — the Astronaut, the Firefighter, the Neurosurgeon, and the Novelist — and explains what each one looks like at its best and worst. The conversation gets into how AI is leveling the IQ playing field, why the most impressive résumés can actually signal lower AQ, and how the real divide in today's world isn't political or economic — it's between the people who are undone by change and the people who know how to use it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick sits down with wellness pioneer Tracy Anderson to explore what it takes to build something that actually endures in an industry built on trends. Tracy reflects on her 25-year journey, from pioneering a research-driven approach to movement in the late 90s to watching a flood of imitators cash in on simpler versions of her life's work. She explains why she never pursued celebrity clients, how authenticity and truth-telling became the foundation of her brand, and why the wellness industry's obsession with quick fixes, protein hacks, and longevity optimization is, in her view, just FOMO in a lab coat. The conversation also tackles creative protection as a moral issue, the difference between glamour and real beauty, and why living the questions, rather than chasing the answers, is the only path to results that last. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick sits down with Florence Shaffer, the founder and CEO of Becoming, a human performance company that helps leaders navigate sustained complexity without losing themselves in the process. Florence spent more than 20 years leading digital transformation inside global brands, including Burberry and Estée Lauder, before turning her lens inward, to the hidden constraints that quietly distort how high-achievers think, decide, and live. The conversation centers on a counterintuitive idea: that the defining risk of the AI era isn't machines replacing humans, but humans increasingly behaving like machines: deferring decisions, optimizing obsessively, and losing their grip on what actually matters. Florence shares three core capabilities she believes will determine who thrives in this next era: stability of the nervous system, clarity of orientation, and commitment to a direction. If you've ever felt successful on paper but hollow underneath, this episode will help you understand why and what to actually do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Patrick talks with Matt Beall, Chairman and CEO of Bealls Inc., one of America's oldest retail chains and one of the first national retailers to accept cryptocurrency at checkout. Matt is also a prominent figure in the Buttcoin community, a memecoin born from a 2011 internet joke that has grown into something far more serious than its name suggests. They dig into how crypto became a real payment option at Bealls, what memecoin culture actually looks like from the inside, and why FOMO may be the single most powerful force driving speculative markets today. They also talk about the rise of $FOMO, a new memecoin that has kept Patrick busy learning about memecoins himself. Matt also shares his perspective on Buttcoin's trajectory, what it takes for a memecoin community to build genuine staying power, and why real-world commitment matters in a space that most people still dismiss as chaos. This episode is essential listening for anyone curious about the intersection of retail, crypto, community-driven finance, and the psychology of missing out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick McGinnis sits down with Chris Wharton, to unpack what’s broken in the modern longevity and wellness industry. Chris argues that while interest in healthspan is exploding, the conversation is being driven by oversimplification, misinformation, and loud voices rather than rigorous science. He explains why there is no such thing as a single “longevity expert,” why biology is deeply individual, and why chasing hacks before mastering fundamentals is a losing game. Together, they explore the real drivers of long-term health, the danger of health FOMO, and why majoring in the “majors” — movement, nutrition, sleep, stress, and human connection — matters more than any trend, supplement, or biohack. This episode is a sober, science-first reset for anyone overwhelmed by modern wellness advice and looking for signal instead of noise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick welcomes back Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable, to discuss his newest book, Beyond Belief. The conversation starts with a paradox we all recognize: we know exactly what to do, yet we don’t do it. Nir explains why the missing piece isn’t discipline or motivation, but belief. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and personal experience, he introduces a powerful framework showing how belief shapes attention, anticipation, and agency, and how those forces quietly determine what we see, feel, and do. Patrick and Nir explore limiting beliefs, extremist certainty, and why nuance is a competitive advantage in a polarized world. They also examine how beliefs function not as truths, but as tools—and how choosing better tools can unlock better decisions, healthier relationships, and more focused lives. This episode is a practical and philosophical guide to reclaiming agency in an age of distraction, outrage, and endless information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick sits down with Daniel Coyle, bestselling author of The Culture Code, The Talent Code, and his new book Flourish, to explore a deceptively simple question: why do so many high achievers still feel empty? Drawing from years of research inside elite teams, thriving communities, and high-performing organizations, Dan explains why nobody flourishes alone — and how modern life has quietly pulled us away from the connection we’re biologically wired for. The conversation spans leadership, anxiety, attention, and the difference between building a “machine” and cultivating a “garden.” Patrick and Dan break down practical ideas leaders can apply immediately, from the power of saying “I screwed that up,” to the difference between mowing the lawn and tending the greenhouse. This is an optimistic, grounded episode about how to reclaim energy, meaning, and growth — at work, at home, and in everyday life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices