HawkeTalk

Growing up as a poor factory worker’s son, you’d never have guessed that Keith Ferrazzi would become the youngest Fortune 500 CMO in history. But that’s exactly what he did. Well, with the help of some key relationships that is. In this episode, Keith shares his origin story with Erik, as well as…  What he learned from growing up poor in the midst of his elitist peers Why being a closeted gay man...

What makes a great entrepreneur? Maybe being raised by entrepreneurs. Or maybe it’s repeating what great entrepreneurs have done before you. For Michael Loeb , founder & CEO of Loeb.nyc and former CEO of Synapse Group , it was neither of those things. In fact, his father was a famed journalist, and Loeb only looks to the future when it comes to entrepreneurship. In this episode of HawkeTalk, E...

He pushed too hard in skiing. So, he decided to hold onto the good moments of being a world-renowned rally driver. Andreas Mikkelsen knows what it’s like to have the rug pulled out from underneath him. From those instances, he learned how to be adaptive, even when things aren’t going his way. Andreas joins Erik in this episode to talk about…  Why Andreas’s passion shifted from skiing to rally driv...

He’d started around 20 companies by the age of 12, but only one ended up mattering to Idaho-native Dan Price : Gravity Payments . Inheriting a hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit from his parents, Dan started Gravity in high school and was eventually able to implement a $70k minimum salary for his employees. In this episode, Dan shares all the twists and turns in his unique story with Erik. Plus,...

The good thing about not having a role model? You can be your own. That’s what Kara Nortman , Partner at Upfront Ventures , has done for most of her life. And, it’s served her well. Early on, she thought she knew what her path was going to look like — luckily, she was wrong. In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik and Kara discuss… Growing up with no business role models in her life, let alone business...

You probably knew that he started Wine Library , but what was GaryVee doing before the entrepreneurial fame? You might be surprised to learn that it’s not that different from what he’s doing now. He’s the same visionary and practitioner he was at 7-years-old, shoveling driveways. In this episode, Erik and Gary chat about… The innate people skills Gary discovered he had at a young age Why he’s stil...

“Failure is not not succeeding. It’s not trying.” Many successful people have said some version of this sentiment, but for some reason, it meant a lot coming from The Sopranos star, Louis Lombardi . The alternate path — and frankly, the easiest one — would have been to federal prison with the neighborhood kids. Luckily, Louis chose Hollywood instead. In this episode of HawkeTalk, Erik chats with L...

At the age of four, his grandfather built him a basketball court. He earned a full-ride to a private high school. He made Magic Johnson his mentor. He interned at the agency that represented him in the NBA. Baron Davis’ life has been filled with entrepreneurial opportunities in addition to athletic ones. That’s because he decided to commit himself to learning — anytime, anywhere. In this episode o...

Adversity being overcome makes for the best stories. Especially when it’s overcome, overcome, and overcome again. Former White House Communications Director and Founder of SkyBridge Capital , Anthony Scaramucci , knows this story well. Growing up on lower-middle-class Long Island as the son of a construction worker doesn’t shout Harvard Law or Goldman Sachs, but that was Scaramucci’s path nonethel...

What’s the likelihood of someone being born on a futon in a commune going on to walk across Antarctica (and live to tell about it)? Like… a gazillion to one. Well, Erik Huberman had the pleasure of talking to the one and only Colin O’Brady . The 35-year-old has already accomplished more than most of us even dream about doing: summiting Mt. Everest, winning a triathlon, writing a New York Times bes...

“Unlikely story” is an understatement. Raised all over the world by two flower children practically right out of Woodstock, Brandon Webb’s life is an unreal flip of events. As the founder of SOFREP and Tiger Gummies , the author of numerous books including The Red Circle and Among Heroes , and an aerobatics pilot (phew!), this Navy SEAL has lived more life than all of our grandparents put together...

Growing up in Prince George's County, Washington, DC, in the nineties was pretty rough. The stats are pretty shocking. And that is where Shawne Merriman’s story starts. An upbringing that bred aggression led Shawn to football after basketball wound up being too tame. (Foul out much?) “My coaches asked me, “Hey, what position do you want to play? ” I said, “Coach, it doesn't matter. I just want to...

*Cue the Entourage theme New York boy who hustled from the mailroom to the writer’s room? Check. Baseball hat and acerbic wit? Check, check. Doug Ellin writes what he knows. Tune in to hear our interview with a true inspiration, and the guy we’ll be psyched to get a party invite from post-Covid with Doug... HBO series ‘Entourage’ hanging out with Vinny Chase, E, Turtle, and Drama on the party circ...