10,000 NOs

As Andy Dufresne, in The Shawshank Redemption, once said, “get busy living or get busy dying.” Change is happening all the time, whether you like it or not. You have two choices: try to resist it, or embrace it and grow. Matt riffs on change and unexpected twists of fate, from presidential election results to personal and career ups and downs, waxing philosophical on the ever-shifting pendulum of...

In 2018, Matt sat down with Marshall Tuck after observing him speak off the cuff at a local fundraiser. Here is what he said about him back then:  From Zimbabwe to South Central, Marshall Tuck has been making an impact on young people's lives through public education. If all goes well, he'll move the needle even more as California's next State Superintendent of Public Instruction.   Tu...

Do the people that know you consider you a “doer”? If not, do you wish they did? It’s not some magical, philosophical musing that separates the doers from the non-doers, it is simply that one group  does  and the other group  does not  (get stuff done, take action, accomplish things, have an effect on others) .  Matt contemplates the benefits and drawbacks of being in either camp and riffs on diff...

To celebrate the launch of Matt’s book,  10,000 NOs: How to Overcome Rejection on the Way to Your YES , this past Tuesday, we decided to put him on the hot seat. Through the generosity of Peter Rinaldi, host of  Filmmaker Magazine’s Back to One Podcast , we were able to acquire their recent interview of Matt for the 10,000 NOs feed. Delving into some of the nitty gritty of Matt’s approach to actin...

Do you find yourself getting jealous over the accomplishments of your friends?  Or, maybe not jealous, but their success puts you in the dumps? Answering the call of a young actor, Matt suggests that a better path to success and happiness is actually to find joy in the victories of your friends, and sometimes even those of your “sworn enemies”. He also celebrates the fact that his book publishes t...

You may be familiar with Hollywood stars such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, J.K. Simmons, James Marsden, Sylvester Stallone and Zac Efron, but you may not know the trainer that helped them build their incredible physiques, Aaron Williamson. Aaron went from Marine Corps, to being a celebrity trainer, to stunt man and now actor. But his path was far from smooth, he spent time living out of his car a...

If you had all the time in the world, how would you spend it?  If you, like most people, feel like you don't have enough time to do the things you want to do is it because you're not guarding yourself enough from the inevitable distractions of life?  Clarity of purpose and knowing that we are doing what needs to be done can alleviate a lot of guilt and anxiety about time. But it's easi...

Hrishikesh Hirway is a humble high achiever. He has just released his first Netflix Mini-series, Song Exploder, based on his wildly popular podcast of the same name. On it, he talks to musicians like Alicia Keys, R.E.M., Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ty Dollar Sign. To say that it is huge, is an understatement. I met Hrishikesh when I was a guest on his other GIANT podcast that...

Everyone wishes they could just “get there” right now. But whether it’s finding the nuances of a character you’re playing, being a better parent or being at the top of your field, if it doesn’t cost you anything (time, effort, sacrifice, etc.) the chances are that it won’t be worth much.    Monday Morsels are the short-form companion to our Friday Interviews of 10,000 "No"s... brief riffs...

Hrishikesh Hirway is a humble high achiever. He has just released his first Netflix Mini-series, Song Exploder, based on his wildly popular podcast of the same name. On it, he talks to musicians like Alicia Keys, R.E.M., Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ty Dollar Sign. To say that it is huge, is an understatement. I met Hrishikesh when I was a guest on his other GIANT podcast that...

Do you look at life as a zero sum game where your victories are dependent on other people failing?  In this excerpt from Matt's contribution to Christopher J. Wirth's COVID-era online forum, We Rise By Lifting Others Up, Matt talks about the power of encouragement and how helping others ends up helping you just as much if your heart is in the right place.  Monday Morsels are the short-form...

Molly Fletcher is a trailblazer in every sense of the word– a rare talent of business wisdom, fiery passion for all she does and unwavering optimism. Molly spent two decades as one of the world's only female sports agents. She was nicknamed "the female Jerry Maguire" by CNN. She recruited and represented hundreds of sport’s biggest names, including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA...

Are there aspects of your profession, or your life, that you find yourself having to deal with every day?  Of course there are, but that doesn't mean you have to complain about them. They are the proverbial dog hair dusting that's necessary if you want to enjoy your dog (that's not hypoallergenic) and they will bug you a lot less if you accept them as "part of the gig". People...

I'm super psyched about this week's guest, none other than Emmy Award Winner Tom Skerritt. You might know him from his iconic roles in Top Gun, The River Runs Through It, Alien, M*A*S*H*, and Picket Fences. We chat about his humble beginnings in Detroit, to his first films with none other than Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack and Robert Altman. Tom's love for art and creativity have lead...

  Do you think you have a book inside you?  Or maybe not a book, but some dream that feels out of reach or insurmountable? Regardless of your line of work or life and career goals, creating the story of your life that empowers you is an unbelievably useful exercise that inevitably leads to massive growth. Slightly less than a month away from his book launch, Matt shares insights on what he learned...

Michele McPhee is an author, former talk radio host, screenwriter, five-time Emmy nominated investigative journalist (The Boston Globe, New York Daily News among others) and overall badass. And more recently a writer/producer on Showtime's City on a Hill. Michele has uncovered some of the highest profile cases & criminals in the United States. You're going to hear this for yourself, bu...

When's the last time you did an assessment to see how close your life is to the dreams you had when you were younger?  Have your goals changed?  If so, have you taken steps to get closer to your new goals and dreams?  While writing down your goals may not make your dreams happen overnight, like in the movies, it will do a lot to take something from an ethereal idea in your head and transform i...

FDNY hero and Ironman Matt Long came back to a thriving life after doctors told his family he had a one to five percent chance to live. If you're feeling knocked down, and almost out, by life right now, this is the interview you need to hear. You will walk away feeling that the impossible is doable and that miracles can happen. You will also be reminded of this podcast's tagline, "Fail...

You're human. You get tired. You have bad days, unproductive days... no one is immune. There are motivational gurus out there telling you that you can  always  be  on , but is that the truth? Yes, there are systems that can be put in place, and habits that can be learned, but you also listen to your body and your internal rhythms and go easy on yourself at times.  While grinding is admirable a...

Sue Hollis has every reason to be arrogant and obnoxious: she was a powerhouse corporate warrior for both British Airways and Qantas before realizing she wanted to make a bigger impact with her work. That's when she stepped down and co-founded TravelEdge, a corporate travel management company now valued over $250 Million, 20 years ago, making her one of Australia's Top 10 Female Entreprene...

Do you slip back into your old patterns when you're around certain groups? While those old habits, procedures, stances may have helped you survive until now, they may not be what you need to thrive moving forward.   Monday Morsels are the short-form companion to our Friday Interviews of 10,000 "No"s... brief riffs on the show's central topics & themes as food for thought to che...

"You can lose your Twitter account, you can lose your website, you can lose your email list but if you have your relationships, you're gonna be just fine. Even though you don't necessarily believe it."     Jordan Harbinger is the former creator/host of the wildly popular podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, which has grown to become a monster podcast with millions of downloads. A fo...

Does fear have a grip on you?  Metaphorically and literally, whatever it is that you're doing, if you're a human being on this earth, you are potentially in danger of being killed by some unknown force at ANY time: car accident, bad diagnosis, natural disaster, financial disaster, terrorism, the list goes on... While it's true that danger exists, it is not true that it should be keepin...

Sarah Shahi is beautiful. But despite having graced the covers of countless magazines, it would be wrong to call that her defining quality. To sit down with her is to discover that she has humor, strength and grit that exceeds the average person. Perhaps her steel was forged in the fires of growing up one of the few Iranian immigrants in Texas, or maybe it was from surviving an abusive father who,...

If you died tomorrow, how would people honestly talk about you at your funeral? What would be on your tombstone, if you had one?  Each day is a choice. Which self do you want to represent?  The one that springs out of bed, grateful for another day on earth? Or the one that rolls over, hits the snooze button and then bitches throughout the day about all the things that went wrong? I've done bot...