Shows
How I WriteBill Browder: How to Write Dangerously Well | How I WriteThis episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at https://mercury.com
Bill Browder has written two books, Freezing Order and Red Notice, which was everywhere when it came out in 2015. It’s a page-turner. I had to ask him how he thought about building character, bringing people into the story and keeping people engaged. Enjoy!
About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the b...
2026-02-1847 minHow I WriteDiarmaid MacCulloch: How to Write Rigorously Well | How I WriteThis episode is brought to you by Basecamp, the world’s simplest, most effective project management platform. Check them out at https://basecamp.com and tell them David Perell sent you.
Diarmaid MacCulloch is an author, a professor at Oxford, and he's obsessed with history. A real expert who's been studying it for decades.
In this episode, we talked about how to do history, the role of a historian in society, and how to take everything you learn in the research phase and turn it into clear, vivid, and entertaining writing.
About the host
Hey! I’...
2026-02-1245 min
How I WriteLee Child: How to Write Strikingly Well | How I WriteThis episode is brought to you by Basecamp, the world’s simplest, most effective project management platform. Check them out at https://basecamp.com and tell them David Perell sent you.
Lee Child, the man behind the "Jack Reacher" series, has sold more than 200 million books. It is the best-selling series of all time on Amazon in the UK. More than Harry Potter, which is crazy! A new book is sold on average every nine seconds.
So how does he do it? How does he write it? How does he come up with the ideas? That's wh...
2026-02-041h 03
How I WriteClint Bentley and Greg Kwedar: How Train Dreams Became a Film | How I WriteThis episode is brought to you by Basecamp, the world’s simplest, most effective project management platform. Check them out at https://basecamp.com and tell them David Perell sent you.
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar are the two brilliant minds behind Train Dreams, the Oscar-nominated adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella. Their film is emotionally devastating in ways that stay with you long after the credits roll. In this interview, I wanted to understand how that kind of film actually gets made.
We talk about how they taught themselves filmmaking by building a mental archive of f...
2026-01-281h 15How I WriteFareed Zakaria: How to Write Consistently Well | How I WriteThis episode is brought to you by Basecamp, the world’s simplest, most effective project management platform. Check them out at https://basecamp.com and tell them David Perell sent you.
Fareed Zakaria is one of the world’s leading journalists. Maybe you’ve seen him on CNN. Maybe you’ve read his books. Or maybe you’ve read his articles in the Washington Post.
This conversation is a university-level seminar in the craft of writing, which builds upon the thousands of articles Fareed’s written over his career. It’s a guidepost for anybody who wants to w...
2026-01-211h 09How I WriteDaniel Pink: How to Write Something Truly Useful | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell
Daniel Pink is one of the most successful nonfiction writers of the past 30 years. You've probably seen his books: "Drive," "The Power of Regret," or "To Sell Is Human." Maybe you've even seen his viral TED Talk about the science of motivation.
In this conversation, we started by talking about his writing process, which he's been doing consistently for so many years. I wanted to know when, where, and how often he writes. I wanted to know all about it.
At the very end, Dan goes: "I've got one...
2026-01-1452 minHow I WriteTom Junod: How to Write Unapologetically Well | How I WriteTom Junod is famous for writing essays that have defined both people and events. He wrote a piece called "The Falling Man" for Esquire, which is the canonical piece about 9/11. Later on, he wrote the iconic "Can You Say...Hero?" about Fred Rogers, also for Esquire.
What's unique about this conversation is that it's both practical and deep, but it all comes to a head at the end. In this climax, we get to talk about his bookshelf, and it fast becomes one of my favorite things that's ever happened on How I Write. Enjoy!
About the...
2026-01-071h 09How I WriteAdrian Tchaikovsky: How to Write Absurdly Well | How I WriteAdrian Tchaikovsky came on the show to talk about how he writes fantasy and science fiction. He won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for his book, Children of Time, and has written more than 60 books and novellas.
He spends his life thinking about how to make believable worlds and how to build characters that have weight to them. My favorite thing is how he writes a fight scene, how he thinks through the pacing and all the action. If you want to write imaginative stories filled with wonder and fantasy, you're going to like this episode.
2025-12-311h 05
How I WriteElif Shafak: How to Write a Novel | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell
Elif Shafak has a way of writing that's lush and enchanted. She writes about real things in the world: water, houseboats, ordinary things that we stopped seeing. And she infuses them with life and wonder so that we can see the world fresh again.
Elif has written more than 21 books, and she's the president of the Royal Society of Literature, which has had fellows like J. R. R. Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, W.B. Yeats, and Margaret Atwood.
You'll notice that her...
2025-12-261h 20
How I WriteHenry Shukman: How to Tell Stories Through Poetry | How I WriteHenry Shukman is a poet, author, mindfulness teacher and Zen master. He has studied meditation for 35 years, principally in the Sanbo Zen lineage. His most recent books are Original Love (HarperOne) and the Zen memoir, One Blade of Grass.
He is also the co-founder of the acclaimed single-path meditation app, The Way. He has taught at Google, the New York Times, Harvard Business School, and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He has written several award-winning books of poetry and fiction, and his poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Guardian and Sunday Times. He has a...
2025-12-171h 21How I WriteWard Farnsworth: 14 Ways To Make Your Writing Memorable | How I Write Classic EpisodeEvery so often, I'll re-publish some of my favorite How I Write interviews. This classic episode is with Ward Farnsworth, a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law who has written popular books about clear thinking, language, and philosophy. His books include Classical English Style and works on rhetoric and legal writing.
Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/
Check out Ward's website: http://wardfarnsworth.com/
00:05:09 Example 1 (King James Bible)
00:07:25 Example 2 (Winston Churchill)
2025-12-101h 01
How I WriteMy Top 10 Writing Lessons from 2025Check out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell
This episode brings together the moments from How I Write in 2025 that have stayed with me the longest. These are the clips I revisit when I need to be reminded why writing matters.
Robert Macfarlane talks about wonder as something you have to actively protect. Jayne Anne Phillips explains why the memories we keep from childhood reveal who we are. Paul Harding makes the case for aiming higher than feels comfortable and learning from the writers who shaped you.Henrik Karlsson shows what it means to...
2025-12-0351 min
How I WriteJonathan Franzen: How to Write Truly Great Characters | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell Jonathan Franzen is one of the most influential novelists alive today. He sees fiction as the most fundamental human art, and in this conversation he explains how he actually makes it: the discipline, the daily grind, and the psychological spelunking required to write characters who feel startlingly alive.Franzen has always had an outsider’s eye. He questioned the hype of the Internet long before it was fashionable, and he’s been ruthless in diagnosing the spiritual emptiness of modern consumer life. Practically, more...
2025-11-261h 04
How I WriteAtul Gawande: How to Use Writing to Improve Your Thinking | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perellAtul Gawande has written four books and countless articles for The New Yorker. When you think about doctors who write well, he's going to be the first person who comes to mind.What's unique about him is that this isn't something that came naturally. The work of research, writing, editing, shaping sentences, telling stories: those are all things that he taught himself.He's a surgeon, and he's still been able to write as much as he has. How has he done it? What has...
2025-11-191h 04How I WriteBrandon Stanton: Meet The Creator of “Humans of New York” | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell
Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York, came on the show to talk about how he wrote his way to five published books and 13 million Instagram followers. Along the way, the man basically invented his own genre of biography. There are short stories, there are long stories.
What he would do every single day is he'd walk out onto the streets of New York, photograph people, and interview them. He would say, "How do I tell this person's story?"
What he discovered...
2025-11-121h 08How I WriteDavid Grann: How to Write Non-Fiction That Reads Like Fiction | How I WriteCheck out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell
David Grann: one of the best storytellers alive today and an absolute master at narrative nonfiction. You might know him from "Killers of the Flower Moon", which Martin Scorsese turned into a film. And then there's "The Wager"; I can't think of a single book that more people I know have said that they just read the entire thing, from start to finish, in one sitting.
So what is it that he does to find stories, to research them, to turn them into writing that just...
2025-11-051h 24How I WriteSusan Orlean: Award-Winning Writer Explains Her Entire Process | How I WriteSusan Orlean writes nonfiction books that read like fiction, sort of working in the style of Joan Didion or Tom Wolfe. But what makes her different is how intentional she is about her writing process.
She's very intentional about the research, the writing, the editing phases, all of it. And if you're thinking about your own process, how can you structure your life in order to lead to good writing? Well, you're going to love this episode.
About the host
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I beli...
2025-10-291h 09How I WriteStefan Sagmeister: Why Are Things Less Beautiful Today? | How I WriteStefan Sagmeister is the author of six books and one of the most influential designers in the world. He's won multiple Grammy Awards for his designs, and he's designed album covers for people like Jay-Z and David Byrne, the Rolling Stones.
But he's a writer. What does he write about? Well, design, beauty, how to find good ideas.
You'll notice when you pick up one of his books that the form, the style, the vibe, the typography is every bit as important as the content. This is really about design, beauty, and why our world...
2025-10-221h 08How I WriteMorgan Housel: How to Master Writing | How I WriteMorgan Housel is one of the top non-fiction writers in the world. He is most famous for his book “The Psychology of Money”, which has now sold more than 8 million copies.
Before he wrote the book, he wrote more than 4,000 blog posts for publications like The Wall Street Journal and The Motley Fool, and that’s how he honed his craft. This is my second time having Morgan on the show. The first time, I just wanted to talk about Morgan, how he goes about his work. But this time I said: “Tell me about stories.”
“How do...
2025-10-151h 08How I WriteMitch Albom: Storytelling Master Shares His Secrets | How I WriteYou can’t walk through an airport without seeing a Mitch Albom book on one of the shelves. He’s most famous for writing Tuesdays with Morrie, which may very well be the best-selling memoir of all time. He’s now written 14 books, which combined have sold more than 40 million copies.
In 45 years of hitting the keyboard, this is the deepest conversation he’s ever had about the craft of writing. I asked him to approach this like a college writing seminar. Give me the rigor. Give me the examples, baby. Show me how you go about your cra...
2025-10-081h 37How I WriteAda Limón & Joy Harjo: Everything I Learned From The World's Greatest Poets | How I WriteI interviewed Ada Limón and Joy Harjo, two of America’s most celebrated poets and former U.S. Poet Laureates. We talked about the art of deep listening, how to translate the music of the world into language, and why silence is never empty but always alive. We explored how poetry resists “clock time,” why metaphor is essential to truth, how culture lives through song and dance, and what it means to trust your voice across a lifetime of writing.If you want to write with more presence, rediscover the mystery of language, or understand how poetry can awaken...
2025-09-1747 minHow I WriteAJR: The Writing Secrets Behind TikTok's Viral Sounds | How I WriteI interviewed Jack and Ryan from AJR, the band that has built one of the most original voices in modern music. We talked about how they use humor and vulnerability to write songs that connect on a deeper level, why embarrassment is often the best creative compass, how Broadway and magic inspire their live shows, and what they’ve learned about navigating TikTok, streaming, and the new economics of the music industry. We also explored their thoughts on AI, why imperfection makes art feel authentic, and how they’ve grown from writing dorm-room party songs to filling arenas around the...
2025-09-101h 31How I WriteSteven Pressfield: The Brutal Truth About Creative Success | How I Write Classic EpisodeEvery so often, I’ll re-publish one of my favorite How I Write episodes. This classic episode is with Steven Pressfield, the author of more than 25 books who speaks as beautifully about the creative process as he writes. He waded through 27 years of Resistance so you don’t have to. Come learn his best practices for doing your best work.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:40 Your career in writing
00:07:00 Writing rough drafts
00:11:10 Copywriting
00:13:20 Hemingway
00:14:20 The Legend of Bagger Vance
00:18:40 Fiction vs Non-fiction
00:19:15 Storytelling advice
00:29:20 Editing your work
00:40:55 Discipline in writing
00:43:45 Villains in writing
01:02:45 How Steven started writing
01:05:15 Robe...
2025-09-031h 26How I WriteJimmy Soni: Kobe Bryant’s Secret Obsession with Writing | How I WriteI interviewed Jimmy Soni, who is currently writing a book about Kobe Bryant. He spent six years on his previous book about the origin story of PayPal and has mastered the art of investigative biography. We talked about his 4am writing routine, how he blends research and writing to battle writers block, why he finds the best stories by talking to people on the periphery, his thoughts on using AI as a writing tool, and his experience creating a new publishing company. If you're interested in writing better non-fiction, doing deeper research, or finding the stories everyone else misses...
2025-08-271h 30How I WriteJohn Lennox: AI, God & Writing | How I WriteI interviewed John Lennox, the Oxford mathematician who's spent decades bridging science and faith. We talked about why John 1:1 reveals we live in a word-based universe, how to recognize God-breathed scripture, why scientific explanations don't exclude God, and his fascinating take on AI as humanity's attempt to "make God." He also shared practical writing advice about self-criticism and why young people struggle with metaphors. If you're curious about how faith and reason work together, or worried about what AI means for humanity's future, this conversation will challenge how you think about both. Enjoy!
00:00:00 Why John 1:1 Reveals a Word-Based Universe
00:09:30...
2025-08-201h 00How I WriteHenrik Karlsson: One of the world’s most under-rated writers | How I WriteI interviewed Henrik Karlsson, a writer who's developed a five-step method for writing that starts with exploring without pressure and ends with crafting the opening last, after everything else is done. We talked about why looking away from the page improves your writing, how to suck reality into your descriptions, why protecting young ideas from early critique matters, and how to access pre-linguistic mental states where the best ideas live. He shared strange experiments that actually work, why breaking grammar rules improves your voice, and how writing becomes a search query for finding your perfect audience. If you want...
2025-08-131h 31How I WriteJayne Anne Phillips: Learn Storytelling from a Pulitzer Winner | How I WriteI interviewed Jayne Anne Phillips, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel Night Watch. We dug into passages from her writing that will show you how she thinks about voice, character, and the poetry of great writing. As you listen, I want you to notice something: pay attention to how many times Jane describes writing as a full-bodied experience. She sees the creative process almost like an archaeologist would, feeling her way into the hidden and mysterious world of her own novel. Now that sounds fascinating, but how do you actually do that? Well, that's what...
2025-08-0651 minHow I WriteRosanne Cash: Writing Masterclass from 4x Grammy Winner | How I WriteI interviewed Rosanne Cash, a 4-time Grammy winner who's been writing songs for over 40 years. She's mastered something most writers struggle with: turning raw emotion into beautiful, lasting songs. She writes songs like a painter, starting with visual images, and brings the same rhythmic approach to both music and prose. We talked about how to turn pain into art, why anger and grief are powerful creative forces, how to deconstruct great songs to learn from masters like Bob Dylan, and how to develop your authentic voice through decades of deliberate practice. If you want to write with more emotional...
2025-07-301h 07How I WriteDavid Whyte: Inside the Mind of A Master Poet | How I WriteI interviewed David Whyte, a poet who has mastered the art of turning life's deepest experiences into beautiful writing. We talked about how to write from the place where your inner world meets the outer world, why difficult emotions like grief and anger are actually forms of care, how memorizing poetry changes how you experience reality, and practical techniques for developing deeper attention. If you want to write more authentically, develop a stronger presence, or learn to find beauty in ordinary moments, this conversation will give you specific tools to do that.
Hey! I’m...
2025-07-231h 35How I WriteAlain de Botton: Writing Is Revenge | How I WriteI interviewed Alain de Botton, a philosopher and writer who has turned personal pain into universal wisdom. He's written dozens of books and built The School of Life into a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers, but the thing that makes him unique is that he approaches writing as a form of emotional archaeology. We talked about why good writing requires suffering, why loneliness is essential to the creative process, and how writing is actually a form of revenge. He also shared his approach to writer's block and why he believes the pressure is on us creatives to deepen...
2025-07-161h 28How I WriteSteven Levitan: How Modern Family Rewrote The Rules of Sitcom | How I WriteI interviewed Steven Levitan, the co-creator and showrunner of Modern Family, one of the most successful sitcoms of the past two decades. What makes him fascinating isn't just that he wrote hundreds of TV episodes, but how he thinks about the craft of comedy writing itself. We talked about why story breaking is the hardest part of TV writing, how he juggles multiple storylines in 21 minutes, the difference between fast-twitch and slow-twitch writers, why the best jokes come from character, how to build character dynamics that last hundreds of episodes, and why Modern Family was designed to bring joy...
2025-07-091h 40How I WriteDavid Zucker: Hollywood Director Explains The 15 Rules of Comedy | How I WriteI interviewed David Zucker, the director behind Airplane!, Naked Gun, and some of the funniest movies ever made. What makes this conversation fascinating isn't just the behind the scenes stories, but how he breaks down comedy writing like a science. We talked about his specific rules for making people laugh, his "flywheel theory" of pacing that keeps audiences laughing non-stop, and why they test-screened Airplane! so many times. If you want to understand what actually makes something funny, whether you're writing, performing, or just curious about the craft, this conversation will show you the discipline and technique behind comedy...
2025-07-021h 13How I WriteBible Project: How Two Guys Changed Bible Education on YouTube | How I WriteThis is not a normal episode. There's two guests, not one. Tim Mackie and Jon Collins, and they're the founders of the Bible project, a YouTube channel with more than half a billion views. It is entirely devoted to teaching people how to read just one book. I think that book happens to be the most influential book in the history of western civilization. The beginning of this interview is about how they make these videos. They're so good, how they're researched, how they're written, how they're animated. Then we got into the deeper stuff, and I think you're...
2025-06-251h 27How I WriteRobert Macfarlane: The Most Beautiful Conversation About Language | How I WriteI interviewed Robert Macfarlane, a writer who has mastered the art of nature writing. What makes him fascinating isn’t just that he writes beautifully about landscapes, but how he thinks about language itself. We talked about why he rewrites first sentences hundreds of times, what happens when entire languages die forever, why AI makes all writing sound the same, and how to build a stronger feel for using vivid and rich language. If you want to write more powerfully and develop your distinctive voice, this conversation will show you how to do that. Enjoy!
Hey! I’...
2025-06-181h 29How I WritePaul Harding: A New Way To Think About Writing | How I WriteI interviewed Paul Harding, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his very first novel Tinkers. Unlike most novelists, he’s not really interested in plots, and only halfway interested in characters. So what is he interested in? He’s focused on describing the wonders and mysteries of life, teaching us how to see, hear, and feel more vividly, and how to translate those sensations onto the page.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world to...
2025-06-111h 28How I WriteSteven Pinker: Harvard Professor Explains The Rules of Writing | How I WriteI’m here at Harvard in the office of Steven Pinker. He’s written nine books and spent his life studying language, cognition, and writing. In this interview, we started with the practical: the rules of writing. But what makes him unique is that he’s been thinking about AI since the 1980s. So if you’re interested in doing great non-fiction writing in the age of LLMs, this interview is for you.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest oppo...
2025-06-0443 minHow I WriteEzra Klein: The Case Against Writing With AI | How I WriteEzra Klein is one of the internet’s most influential journalists. He co-founded Vox in 2014, and it was there he really pioneered this new era of online journalism. Remember those Vox explainer videos that were so popular? As I’ve recorded this, he’s got the #1 book on the New York Times bestseller list. We talked about the state of media, why pieces need to be longer not shorter, how he reads to understand the world, and why he’s skeptical that AI will ever change the craft of deep and meaningful journalism.
Hey! I’m Davi...
2025-05-2855 minHow I WriteEric Roth: The Screenwriter Behind Forrest Gump and Dune | How I WriteDune. Forrest Gump. Benjamin Button. Eric Roth wrote all of them. He’s been nominated for seven Oscars and won Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump. I got the chance to ask him about how you find a deeper theme in a story, what a writer can do to really move people, and what it’s actually like working with people like David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese. Eric Roth is one of the greatest screenwriters of our time, hope you enjoy this one.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe...
2025-05-211h 35How I WriteMichael Jamin: The Hollywood Sitcom Writer | How I WriteMichael Jamin has been writing Hollywood sitcoms for 28 years on shows like King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-Head. Unlike most comedy writers, he’s not focused on punchlines, he’s more focused on building rich characters, developing deep storylines, and layering the comedy on top.
But how do you do that? That’s what this episode is all about. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share thei...
2025-05-141h 23How I WriteDean Koontz: 120 novels published. 500 million copies sold. | How I WriteDean Koontz has written over 100 books and sold more than 500 million copies, making him one of the best-selling authors of all time. I visited Dean at his home and personal library to understand what truly sets him apart. Unlike most mass-market writers, Dean is obsessed with the craft. He doesn’t just write stories, he truly lives for the beauty of the English language. We talked about why he stopped outlining his novels and how to build characters that feel alive. But honestly, this conversation goes way deeper than just writing. I think you’re going to love it. Enjo...
2025-05-071h 47How I WriteJohann Hari: The Obsessive Research Method | How I WriteThe world isn’t made of atoms, it’s made of stories. I’ve never heard anyone speak so deeply about interviewing. Johann Hari has written four books, and for each one he travels the globe to record hundreds of conversations. In this episode, he’ll explain exactly how he does it, sharing stories of getting up close and personal with homeless people in Vegas and a crack dealer in New York. In the end you’ll hear a wild story of the apple in Vietnam that almost killed him. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer...
2025-04-301h 14How I WriteMichael Dean: The 27 Patterns To Fix Bad WritingArchitect Michael Dean breaks down the hidden patterns behind the great essays of our time. In this video, we go over his 27-point framework that makes up every world class piece of writing and how he uses the same system to analyze the Guggenheim and Apple Store. We also talk about what skills will still matter as AI continues to improve and why learning to write might be more important than ever. Enjoy!A few links:
Join the Essay Architecture beta: https://essayarchitecture.com/
Follow Michael Dean on Substack: https://michaeldean.site/
2025-04-091h 51How I WriteLulu Cheng Meservey: Meet Silicon Valley’s Top PR MasterThe old communications playbook is dead: Political and company narratives used to be controlled by publicists and journalists. But now, founders can Go Direct. The question is… how? How do you spread a message in this new world? Lulu Cheng Meservey has worked with companies like Substack, Anduril, and Activision Blizzard, and this is her tell-all about how to build your own platform, build your own audience, and shape your own narrative.00:00:00 Intro00:00:32 Go direct00:05:01 Beware of "perfect" writing00:10:06 Ship-to-Yap ratio00:15:20 Shaping a comms strategy ...
2025-04-021h 20How I WriteThe Ultimate Guide to Writing with AIGet my free PDF on using LLM's for writer's + my in-depth prompts: https://perell.com/ai AI has triggered an existential crisis for me. In this episode, I share my thoughts on standing out as a writer with AI and how I use it everyday. This is one of the most in-depth looks at what it means to be a writer in 2025.Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For...
2025-03-261h 29How I WriteJohnny Harris: Master Storytelling on YouTubeIn this episode, I sit down with YouTube storytelling master Johnny Harris to discover how he creates his videos. Johnny Harris has proven he can make pretty much anything go viral, from breakfast and lottery tickets to bread-making and extra virgin olive oil. We look at his entire creative process, breaking down exactly what makes his storytelling so addicting to watch. We cover the complete workflow: writing, drafting, editing, visual composition, and sound design. By the end of this video, you'll walk away with practical tools to become a better visual storyteller yourself. Enjoy!...
2025-03-121h 26How I WriteTyler Cowen: The Most Practical Conversation on AI WritingTyler Cowen, an economist and writer, talks with me about how AI is changing writing and research. He explains a practical approach to using AI tools while maintaining your own voice. He explains the ways he incorporates LLMs into his daily work. We talk about how people will be writing fewer books in the future and how he believes truly human writing will stand out among AI-generated content. Enjoy!Redeem your free week of Lex at https://lex.page/perell0:00 Intro1:00 How Tyler Cowen uses AI everyday
2025-03-051h 09How I WriteDana Gioia: Why Poetry MattersDana Gioia is a poet, former Chairman of the NEA, and one of America's most insightful writers on the craft of poetry and prose. This is the deepest conversation I've ever had about writing. Dana breaks down the writing process from his first drafts to revision, and shares practical wisdom about finding your voice and creating work that lasts. His straightforward approach makes writing less intimidating and more accessible to anyone who loves language. Enjoy!Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/0:00 First Drafts7:52...
2025-02-263h 10How I WriteWard Farnsworth: How To Say Things That Last ForeverWard Farnsworth is a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law who has written popular books about clear thinking, language, and philosophy. His books include Classical English Style and works on rhetoric and legal writing. He’s a genius at making complex ideas simple and useful for everyday life. Enjoy!Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 Intro00:04:53 Example 1 (King James Bible)00:07:09 Example 2 (Winston Churchill)00:11:45 Example 3 (Winston Churchill)00:15:19 Example 4 (Ki...
2025-02-121h 01How I WriteAlex Hormozi: Copywriting MasterclassAlex Hormozi has written two killer business books that have sold more than 1M copies. His writing has gotten him to 9M followers across social media. This is the first interview where he breaks down his writing system.Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 Intro00:00:20 Hormozi’s cave00:05:35 Discovery process00:12:32 Fix problems using MECE00:13:43 Ma...
2025-02-051h 09How I Write171 Years of Writing Advice in 90 MinutesIn this episode, I share my very favorite clips from world-class experts I interviewed last year. Their combined 171 years of writing experience is tightly packed into this 90-minute video. Enjoy!I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a gl...
2025-01-101h 29How I WriteTucker Max: The King of Memoir WritingHow do you know the difference between a banger journal entry and the foundation of a memoir?If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, then this conversation is for you.Tucker is a memoir guru, having sold 5 million copies of his own memoir (“I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”) and millions more of ghostwritten memoirs (for names like Tiffany Haddish and David Goggins).All of Tucker’s expertise can be dwindled down to three words: tell the truth. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.In this episode, you’ll learn everything it...
2024-10-161h 35How I WriteLearn Great Copywriting in 76 Minutes | Harry DryHarry is a master copywriter — and that’s not hyperbole. With Marketing Examples, he’s taught over 100,000 people how to write copy that rips. And guess what? You’re next. Copywriting is the wrapper of success for every company. It’s the difference between Snickers, the bestselling chocolate bar in the world (“You’re not you when you’re hungry”) and a chocolate bar that looked and tasted just like Snickers, but went out of business in 2006. (Ever had a Fuse bar? Yeah, neither have we.) Good copywriting burns into your brain, seeps into your guts. And in this ep...
2024-07-171h 16How I WriteAmor Towles: The Secret to Telling a Great StoryAmor Towles is our modern day F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sure, he’s a critically acclaimed, award-winning novelist (ever heard of “A Gentleman in Moscow”?) but not because he’s cracked the publishing algorithm. Rather than scheming how many books he can sell or how many critics he can impress, his #1 goal is to fulfill his covenant with his reader.“They’ve invested in my art, and I owe it to them.”Towles' work oozes sensory detail and psychological richness. While most writers would describe writing as “creative” or “free-spirited,” he describes it as “accurate” and “careful.” Every sentence he...
2024-02-141h 15How I WriteAli Abdaal: How I Write (Productively)From making his first dollar online at 12 years-old to raking in $4,000,000 a year, Ali Abdaal is not your average online creator. And his advice on how to “make it” online is not so average, either.SPEAKER LINKS: Website: https://aliabdaal.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aliabdaalTwitter: https://twitter.com/AliAbdaalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliabdaalBook: https://www.feelgoodproductivity.comWRITE OF PASSAGE: Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?C...
2023-12-061h 11How I WriteThe Cultural Tutor, on Writing Every Day, Growing a Twitter Audience, and Reading Old BooksThe man started writing online ~15 months ago, and has ascended to 1.5 million Twitter followers. Until now, he's been anonymous. Never showed his face. This is a masterclass in how to write for the Internet, source reading material, and build a writing habit.The Cultural Tutor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/culturaltutorDavid Perell on Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_perellWant to learn more about the next cohort with Write of Passage?Click here: https://writeofpassage.school/hiwWant to...
2023-08-231h 22How I WriteHow I Write: Podcast TrailerHow I Write brings you conversations with the world’s best writers. Each week, writer David Perell sits down with a writer to explore their creative process and riff on the craft. You’ve read their work. Now this is your chance to see how they create it.New episodes of the How I Write show go live every Wednesday on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.com/DavidPerellChannel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-2001 min
The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd#126 Hearts on Fire - David Perell on curiosity, being a citizen of the internet, taking himself seriously, childhood obsessions, building Write of Passage, ambition, and moneyThis episode was a delight. I've been following David's journey since 2017 and he was one of the fellow internet weirdos I saw on a similar path that didn't quite make sense. I've been inspired by how many people David has helped onboard as "citizens of the internet" through his course Write of Passage. I'm rooting for David and I think you'll want to as well by the end of this episode. We filmed this in David's epic studio - I highly recommend watching this one on YoutubeLinks Mentioned:@david_perell (Twitter)David's course W...
2022-12-151h 22
The Knowledge with David Elikwu43: Becoming prolific with David KadavyDavid Elikwu speaks with David Kadavy an Author, Podcaster and President of Kadavy, Inc.Author of Mind Management not Time Management, The Heart to Start and, Design for Hackers.Host of Love Your Work podcast, where he interviewed Seth Godin, Steve Case, & many more creative entrepreneurs.We talked a lot about productivity, we talked about writing, we talked about content creation about how David is able to consistently come up with new ideas. We barely even got to touch on was the fact that he designed an app with behavioral psychologist, Dan Ariely0...
2022-10-201h 40
Experimentando con los Límites del Potencial HumanoDavid Perell: mastering online writing, integrating life, maximising ideas that change the world, obtaining wisdom from everything, making the most out of your handicaps and building a world-class career - Podcast #214"Writing is thinking and rethinking everything" - David Perell. Isra Garcia interviews young genius, entrepreneur and Internet educator David Perell about the art of building communities through online writing and crafting and maximizing ideas that matter to people. It's a conversation about how to master writing in its different forms and integrate daily life as a method for obtaining practical wisdom that can be applied to businesses, communities and individuals. "When you write, you find people you will never find in your life". This podcast tells the story of a 28-year Internet polymath, p...
2022-10-111h 23
The Undefeated UnderdogsDavid Perell - Unpacking the mind of The Writing Guy!👉🏼 About the Guest:David is a founder, writer, podcaster, and educator. His course Write of Passage helped thousands of people break writer’s blocks and turned them into amazing writers. David accumulated a community of 350K+ Twitter audience and frequently hosts The Northstar podcast where he interviews interesting founders, creators, artists, and more. He is a big proponent of the Internet and firmly believes everyone should be a citizen of it.👉🏼 About the Host:Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His Saa...
2022-09-1244 min
Love Your WorkDavid Perell: Being a Hedgehog When You're a Fox, Living With the Twitter Algorithm, Learning from Tyler Cowen, and Building Mass for LeverageDo you want to build an audience online, but have such a wide variety of interests, you don't know what to focus on? I think you'll like this interview with David Perell. David Perell (@david_perell) calls himself "The Writing Guy." He runs the cohort-based online writing school, Write of Passage (I love that name). His marketing is very specific, but he has incredibly diverse interests, and enthusiastically shares content related to those interests online. I went through his links on his website (no longer posted) to prepare for this conversation, and just my highlights...
2022-09-0846 min
Smart FriendsDavid Perell: Intellectual Openness, Mental Models for Success, and Peculiar Ways of Looking at The WorldThis week’s guest is David Perell. David is a creator, a writer, and a teacher at his massively successful online writing course, called Write of Passage. The success of his course gave me inspiration for my own course, and gives me fundamental optimism about the future of education. David and I have been friends for years, so this is less of an interview and more of a one-sided hang-session, where I get the pleasure of drawing out new ideas and experiences from David that I haven’t heard before. This is… basically what it’s like to hang out with...
2021-11-161h 44
North Star PodcastTiago Forte and Will Mannon: Building Cohort-Based CoursesI have two guests today: Tiago Forte and Will Mannon. Tiago is my business partner and the creator of an online course called Building a Second Brain. The two of us record a podcast like this every year to reflect on what we’ve learned about the online education industry. And this time, we invited our Director of Student Experience: Will Mannon. Will oversees all aspects of the student experience with the exception of curriculum design. He’s at the frontier of thinking about live online learning, from how assignments should be delivered to how live...
2021-01-251h 44
North Star PodcastTrevor Bauer: Playing Professional BaseballMy guest today is Trevor Bauer, who is arguably the very best pitcher in Major League Baseball. In 2020, he had the lowest Earned Run Average of any pitcher and won the National League Cy Young Award, which goes to the top pitcher in the game. I wanted to interview Trevor not only because he's an excellent pitcher, but because he takes a radical approach to the game. He's a physicist and a scientist. A scholar and an entrepreneur. And you don't find that combination very often. Furthermore, he might be the most polarizing figure in baseball. Some people love...
2020-12-211h 14
Nathan Barry Archive017: David Perell - Mastering Twitter to Grow Your Newsletter and Make MoneyDavid Perell is known as “The Writing Guy” on Twitter, but did you know his email newsletter has over 40,000 subscribers? Not only that, but he sends THREE newsletters a week… every week! In this in-depth conversation, David shares exactly how he uses Twitter to grow his audience, how he maintains consistency with such a high rate of output, and how he’s built an amazingly profitable business by monetizing his newsletters with his breakthrough writing course.We discuss the top 3 ways for a writer to make money from their work and reputation. Should you: • Bec...
2020-12-1456 min
North Star PodcastNik Sharma: Building DTC CompaniesMy guest today is Nik Sharma, the founder of Sharma Brands and an advisor to companies like Judy and Cha Cha Matcha. Nik is one of my very best friends and my go-to person for all things commerce. Since we first met, we've spent hours exploring the future of marketing and commerce together and recorded this podcast to give you a window into what our conversations are like. We started with Nik's philosophy of launching Direct-to-Consumer brands. I particularly liked Nik's idea of "The Brag Bar" on landing pages, where you can use social proof to sell...
2020-11-162h 01
North Star PodcastDavid Nemetz: Founding Bleacher ReportMy guest today is Dave Nemetz, the Founder of Bleacher Report, which was one of my favorite media companies as a kid. During his time there, Dave oversaw video, business development, and business operations. He helped grow the audience to more than 40 million monthly unique visitors before selling the company to Turner Broadcasting in 2012. Today, he is the Founder of Inverse and the Executive Vice President of Bustle Digital Group where he leads growth and business strategy for Inverse, Input, and Mic. The conversation topics in this episode fall into three buckets: personal principles, business principles, and...
2020-10-191h 15
North Star PodcastRabbi David Wolpe: Jewish WisdomNewsweek Magazine once called Rabbi Wolpe the most influential rabbi in America. He is the Senior Rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and he's the author of eight books including one about King David and another gem called Why Be Jewish? I don't remember the last time I enjoyed preparing for an interview so much. I'm named after King David, but until this interview, I hadn't explored the history of my name in more than a decade. This interview touches on various parts of Judaism including how rabbis should interpret the Bible, what we can learn...
2020-10-121h 10
SupercastersDavid Perell: Building an Audience That Creates a Personal MonopolyIn this episode, Co-Founder of Double Up and Supercast Aidan Hornsby interviews David Perell on building an audience through Twitter and the impact of writing online.David Perell is a prolific writer, investor, and founder of Write of Passage, an intensive online writing course to accelerate your career. As host of the North Star Podcast, he interviews successful people such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jason Fried, and Ryan Holiday on what drives them.We talked about:The impact of building an audienceHow David’s twitter account is more valuable than his college diplomaThe business sc...
2020-10-0650 min
North Star PodcastGrant Sanderson: Math For The MassesMy guest today is Grant Sanderson, the man behind one of the world's largest math-focused YouTube channels: 3blue1brown. He has more than 3 million subscribers and his videos have been watched more than 150 million times. Before making videos he studied math and computer science at Stanford before working at Kahn academy. On YouTube, he brings a visuals-first approach to math. Every video starts with a narrative or storyline. Then it revolves around imagery that illuminates the beauty of mathematics. Topics for his videos include linear algebra, neural networks, calculus, the math of Bitcoin, and quantum mechanics.
2020-09-281h 20
Smart NonsensePod Club: Sara Dietschy & David Perell (#55)Episode 55 with Henry and Dylan.Dishin' out Smart Nonsense about:Sara Dietschy: Living the creative lifeNative content: Is it the most effective advertising?Why you need to avoid boring peopleLinksStep-by-Step Guide to Hiring Virtual Assistants | Smart Nonsense Pod #32Ian Lapham: The hidden backdoor to success | Smart Nonsense Pod #43Avthar Sewrathan: Your Internal Scorecard | Smart Nonsense Pod #44Influencer Marketing and Direct to Consumer Brands with David Perell & Nik Sharma | Sara DietschyPeter McKinnon - Dropping out of college, getting fired and earning 2.6 Million subscribers | Sara DietschyHow To Maximize Serendipity | David PerellMy Business Model | David...
2020-09-2535 min
North Star PodcastEric Jorgenson: Lessons from Naval RavikantMy guest today is Eric Jorgenson, a Product Strategist at Zaarly and the author of the Almanack of Naval Ravikant: a guide to wealth and happiness. The book collects and curates Naval's wisdom from Twitter, podcasts, and essays over the past decade. Naval is the founder of Angel List, an angel investor who has invested in companies like Twitter and Uber, and the man behind one of the most popular Twitter accounts in the world. He's known for his thoughts on startups, investing, crypto, wealth, and happiness. This is a conversation about that book. We began the...
2020-09-1454 min
North Star PodcastDavid Brittain: Designing iPad AppsDavid Brittain is the CEO of Concepts, my favorite iPad app. It's marketed as a "flexible sketching" app and geared towards people in the early stages of the thinking process. I use it to visualize my ideas, many of which I share on Twitter and in long-form essays. People use the app for mind-maps, mood boards, sketch plans, designs, and illustrations. I particularly enjoy the screenshots of architects using the app to design buildings. On this episode, David and I talked about the business, marketing, and engineering aspects of designing an app. David talked about Concepts' position...
2020-08-031h 04
North Star PodcastWill Mannon: Running an Online CourseMy guest today is Will Mannon, the student manager for my online writing school called Write of Passage. Will oversees all aspects of the student experience with the exception of curriculum design. He’s at the frontier of thinking about live online learning, from how assignments should be delivered to how live sessions should be structured. This conversation is a deep-dive into our work together. We start by talking about the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 online courses. Then, we move towards psychological topics like how to hold students accountable to helping them navigate the fear of pu...
2020-06-271h 30
North Star PodcastSara Dietschy: From YouTube to BusinessMy guest today is Sara Dietschy, a YouTuber with more than 620,000 YouTube subscribers. This is the fourth interview I’ve recorded with her. It’s her second appearance on the North Star Podcast, and I’ve been interviewed twice on her podcast called That Creative Life. Sara makes a couple of videos every week focused on creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship. Most of her revenue comes from paid partnerships, and she’s teamed up with brands like Intel, AT&T, Visa, Squarespace, and BestBuy, and Adobe. This episode begins with a discussion of what it means to be a Yo...
2020-06-151h 29
North Star PodcastTiago Forte: What's Next in EducationMy guest today is Tiago Forte. He runs an online course called Building a Second Brain, which I took in August of 2017. I went from being overwhelmed by information to being in control of it. My writer’s block disappeared and my productivity skyrocketed. Tiago changed the way I thought about work and my relationship with information. Fast forward to today, and Tiago and I are business partners. He helped me create my online writing course, Write of Passage and together, we’re building the infrastructure required to scale an online education business. Tiago is one of my closest frie...
2020-06-012h 03
North Star PodcastMichael Mayer: Building the Next AmazonMy guest today is Michael Mayer, the co-founder and CEO of Bottomless. This episode explores business from a variety of angles. Michael talks about how he thinks about marketing at bottomless, and the accumulating advantages that drive the company. He also talks about what he learned at YCombinator, why startups that move fast have such an advantage, and how to think about execution in a fast-growing company. Five years ago, Michael was a dish washer. Then he worked at Nike before receiving funding from YCombinator and starting Bottomless. Please enjoy my conversation with Michael Mayer. _____________________________________
2020-05-2753 min
North Star PodcastMatt Cooper: Online Education PlatformsMy guest today is Matt Cooper, the CEO of Skillshare — a subscription-based online learning platform where people can take classes on-demand. The main categories are creative arts, design, entrepreneurship, lifestyle, and technology. Before joining Skillshare, Matt was the CEO of Visually, an online marketing place for creative work. And before that, he was the VP of Operations for oDesk, the world’s largest marketplace for online work now known as UpWork. Matt and I spoke about the future of education, online and offline. We discussed different business models for online creators, such as Skillshare’s subscription model and the...
2020-05-181h 21
North Star PodcastJennifer Morrison: Being a Hollywood ActressMy guest today is Hollywood actress, producer and director Jennifer Morrison. She’s known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series House and Emma Swan in an adventure-fantasy series called Once Upon a Time. She also appeared in movies like Star Trek and TV shows like This is Us and How I Met Your Mother. We got connected through a workshop I hosted called “How to Crush it on Twitter,” which is exactly the kind of wonderful serendipity I talk about when I talk about why you should share your ideas online. We begin t...
2020-05-111h 22
The Write of Passage PodcastLook at Your FishAs biographer David McCullough likes to say, look at your fish. Really look at it. You'll be amazed what you see.
2020-02-1000 min
North Star PodcastMason Hartman: Building a creative societyMy guest today is Mason Hartman. For years, I’ve admired Mason's perspectives on the culture, childhood, and the education system. I teach an online writing course called Write of Passage. So education – and especially writing education – is a subject that's close to my heart. We recorded this episode in Los Angeles, where Mason works at a school for gifted children and does most of her research. In this episode, we chat about all things education early childhood development, the road to college, and why childhood has become a full time job. Then we close the episode with lessons from tw...
2019-07-081h 34
North Star PodcastJeff Morris Jr.: Building a flexible mindsetMy guest today is Jeff Morris Jr., the Director of Revenue at Tinder. We begin this episode talking about the future of education. Jeff recently completed an MBA at UCLA and wrote his thesis on the future of Lambda School, the San Francisco based education startup. We talked about the transition from marketing funnels to marketing loops and how Tinder is growing its average revenue per user. We also explore Hollywood's transition from movies to television, and the letter Jeff received from legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden. We also explore some career strategies for sparking serendipity. I...
2019-07-011h 22
North Star PodcastJason Fried: Non-serial EntrepreneurMy guest today is Jason Fried, the Co-Founder and President of Basecamp, a Chicago based company that builds web based productivity tools. Jason is famous for his contrarian approach to work and his blog Signal vs. Noise. On this episode, we talked about both of them. We recorded this conversation at Basecamp's headquarters in Chicago. In this conversation, we discussed Jason's new book, It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy at Work. We also discuss Jason's philosophy of work and dive deep into how Jason was able to maintain control of Basecamp and build a business that mirrored his beliefs...
2019-04-221h 23
North Star PodcastJason Stein: Sports meets MediaMy guest today is Jason Stein, a general partner at Steins, an investment management business and holding company that provides capital and strategic partnership to consumer brands, media and technology companies. Jason also founded Laundry Service, an advertising agency that sold to Wasserman Media Group in 2015. And full disclosure, I worked for Jason at Cycle Media, the sister company of Laundry Service, and that's where we met. In this episode, we talked about the direct to consumer commerce wave, sports advertising and also the future of marketing. And this conversation begins with a story of how Jason use Twitter...
2019-04-0951 min
North Star PodcastErika Nardini: Authenticity, Media, and MemesMy guest today is Erika Nardini, the CEO of Barstool Sports. Barstool was started by Dave Portnoy in 2004. And Erica first learned about the company when she was living in Boston and she immediately became a fan. Now if you don't know about Barstool Sports, they are one of a kind. They cover sports and pop culture through a uniquely Barstool lens and they produce blogs, videos, and podcasts. They are part-media company, part-subscription service, part e-commerce company, and Barstool is responsible for many of the memes I grew up with. They are all over the place. For example...
2019-03-251h 04
North Star PodcastGillian Morris: Swimming Across GuantanamoGillian Morris is the founder and CEO of Hitlist, an app that alerts you when there are cheap flights for your dream trips. Fast Company named Hitlist one of the Best Apps of 2017 and the app has been featured as a 'Best New App' by the app store in 83 countries. We begin this episode with a discussion of Gillian’s time as a journalist in Turkey and the time she spent in war zones in Syria and Afghanistan. We talk about Gillian’s experience swimming across Guantanamo, why Tinder is the world’s best travel app, and how to make travel meani...
2019-01-071h 18
North Star PodcastMichael Shellenberger: Myths, Media and Nuclear EnergyMy guest today is Michael Shellenberger, the Founder and President of Environmental Progress. Michael is one of the world’s leading pro-nuclear environmentalists. He’s been an environmental and social justice advocate for over 25 years. In the 1990s, he helped force Nike to improve factory conditions in Asia and in the 2000s, Michael advocated for the expansion of federal investment in renewables and energy efficiency. In this episode, Michael and I talk about the virtues of nuclear energy and tackle the big misconceptions surrounding it. We explore how media narratives have shaped nuclear energy perception, the virtues and drawbacks of wind...
2018-12-171h 17
North Star PodcastJames Clear: Building Better HabitsListen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is James Clear, a writer focused on how we can create better habits, make better decisions, and live better lives. He recently published a new book called Atomic Habits and after reading it, I just had to interview him. In this episode, we explore the nooks and crannies of habit formation. We discuss habits through a series of conversations about James’ favorite activities: baseball, travel, weightlifting, marketing, and writing. A former ESPN academic All-American college baseball player, James has an uncanny knack for taking important ideas and making them simple an...
2018-11-051h 30
North Star PodcastSteve Schlafman: Meaning and MindfulnessListen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is Steve Schlafman, a venture capitalist, leadership coach and partner at Primary VC. This episode is a wide-ranging, emotional journey through the nooks and crannies of investing, introspection, and sobriety. Steve is a man of many passions. In the business world, he’s invested in breakthrough companies like Zipline, Brightwheel, Bark & Co., Managed by Q, Bowery Farming, Citizen, Care/Of, Boom Aerospace, TheSkimm and View The Space. Our exploration of investing was driven by five themes: leadership, market demand, customer focus, emotion, and human impact. Outside of the office...
2018-10-171h 09
North Star PodcastDaniel Gross: Dreams and DeterminationListen Here: iTunes | Overcast Subscribe to my Monday Musings Newsletter to Keep Up with the Podcast My guest today is Daniel Gross, a partner at Y Combinator, the world’s best startup studio. Daniel focuses on artificial intelligence at Y Combinator and recently founded AI Grant, a distributed AI Research Lab. Daniel was born in Jerusalem, Israel and was accepted into the Y Combinator Program in 2010. At the time, Daniel was the youngest founder ever accepted. In 2013, Cue was acquired by Apple. At 22, Daniel was leading several search and AI efforts across the company spanning iOS, OS...
2018-10-101h 06
North Star PodcastArianna Simpson: Bitcoin, Books and Burning ManListen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is Arianna Simpson, the Managing Director at a cryptocurrency hedge fund called Autonomous Partners. Arianna’s background is fascinating. She grew up in Italy and spent time in Zimbabwe, where she got a first-hand perspective on hyper-inflation and what it does to people. That’s where we began this conversation. Then, we moved on to learning. Arianna is a voracious reader. At one point in her life, she was reading 300 books per year. We also talk about her love for Burning Man and how to find new ideas on th...
2018-10-0559 min
North Star PodcastAusten Allred: The Future of EducationListen Here: iTunes | Overcast | PlayerFM Click Here to Keep Up With the North Star Podcast My guest today is Austen Allred, the founder of Lambda School — a revolutionary new school. Here’s how it works: Lambda School trains people to be software engineers at no up-front cost. Instead of paying tuition, students agree to pay a percentage of their income after they're employed, and only if they're making more than $50k per year. If you don't find a job, or don't reach that level of income, you'll never pay a cent. So, how does tuition work? The...
2018-09-1350 min
North Star PodcastMichael Nielsen: Tools for ThoughtListen Here: iTunes | Overcast | PlayerFM Keep up with the North Star Podcast. My guest today is Michael Nielsen a scientist, writer and computer programmer who works as a research fellow at Y Combinator Research. Michael has written on various topics from quantum teleportation, geometric complexity and the future of science. Michael is the most original thinker I have discovered in a long time when it comes to artificial intelligence, augmenting human intelligence, reinventing explanation and using new media to enable new ways of thinking. Michael has pushed my mind towards new and unexpected places. This conversation gets...
2018-07-091h 09
North Star PodcastTyler Cowen: Two Blundering FoolsListen Here: iTunes | Overcast Subscribe to my Monday Musings Newsletter to Keep Up with the Podcast Tyler Cowen is an economics professor at George Mason University. He runs the Mercatus Center, which bridges the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. He blogs every day at Marginal Revolution, writes for Bloomberg, and hosts his own podcast called Conversations with Tyler. He writes about economics, arts, culture, food, and globalization. As I prepared for this episode, I settled on three things that I wanted to focus on: how Tyler thinks about travel, the rise of China and...
2018-01-2555 min
North Star PodcastThinking at the Edge of ReasonLISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST “The holy grail of design is small things that make a big difference.” Scott Belsky helps creative people, teams, and networks make ideas happen. In this episode, we talk about how Scott has merged the worlds of business, technology, and design. Scott shares insights on how to reinvent yourself throughout your career, and discusses the future of media and technology. I love what Scott had to say about design, where he draws from numerous trips to Japan where he was awestruck by the culture, their attention to detail and the care they br...
2017-12-1344 min
North Star PodcastDouglas Abrams: Journey to JoyLISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I felt fear more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Douglas Abrams is the founder of Idea Architects, a book publishing, and media company that works with visionary authors to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have both survi...
2017-10-1655 min
North Star PodcastAri Paul: Betting on CryptoLISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST Ari Paul is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of BlockTower Capital. He was previously a portfolio manager for the University of Chicago's $8 billion endowment. Ari earned a BA in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Chicago with concentrations in economics, entrepreneurship, strategic management, and econometrics & statistics. In this episode, we talk about Ari’s passion for poker, and what the game taught him about investing, risk, and table selection, a powerful concept that applies to just about every field. Ari recently identified what he cal...
2017-09-281h 11
North Star PodcastHeather Harnett: Be HumanLISTEN HERE: iTUNES | OVERCAST Heather Hartnett is the CEO and founding partner of Human Ventures. She leads the Human Ventures team and advises each of Human Ventures’ portfolio companies. Heather brings a fresh new perspective to the technology scene and Business Insider recently featured Human Ventures as the first female-led startup studio in New York City. Heather was also named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in America by Marie Claire. Before Human Ventures, Heather founded a FinTech company incubated within City Light Capital — a venture capital fund that invests in companies making social and environmental impacts. H...
2017-09-2042 min
North Star PodcastShane Parrish: Brain FoodLISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST | PLAYERFM Shane Parrish is a partner at Syrus Partners and the mind behind one of my favorite blogs, Farnam Street. The blog is devoted to helping you develop an understanding of how the world really works, make better decisions, and live a better life. Shane writes about mental models, decision making, learning, reading, and the art of living. He draws from both the sciences and the humanities, expanding the intellectual horizons of his readers, helping them connect ideas, think in multidisciplinary ways, and cultivate meaning in their lives. I first discovered the blog in c...
2017-08-3044 min
North Star PodcastMark Broadie: The Secrets of GolfMy guest today is Mark Broadie, a Golf Statistician and Professor at Columbia Business School. I first found Mark through his book Every Shot Counts, which transformed golf statistics and analytics forever. Marcus worked with many of the world's best golfers, including Francesco Molinari, and Justin Rose, who became the world's number one golfer as a result of their work together. In this episode, we explore the nooks and crannies of golf statistics, we talked about how different kinds of grasses influence players, why approach shots play the biggest role in success for top golfers. We discussed the math...
1970-01-011h 18