Play the Long Game with Scott Wozniak

Most of us get stuck in either/or thinking way more than we realize. Should I take the job or not? Buy the house or not? Marry the girl or not? And when you reduce a big decision down to yes or no, it gets heavy fast — because now there's only two outcomes and one of them feels like loss. In this episode I walk through a handful of ways to break out of that trap. One of these is what I call a "roo...

Behind every decision you make, there's a background assumption running: "do I believe there is enough, or do I believe there is not enough?" Enough opportunities, enough good options, enough time, enough resources. That assumption changes everything. In this episode I dig into how abundance and scarcity shape our choices in career, relationships, and life. Also, why every generation has predicted...

Not all decisions should be handled the same way, and not all people should approach decisions the same way either. That might sound obvious, but most of us have one default mode and we apply it to everything. In this episode I dig into the personal wiring side of decision making -- your certainty quotient (how sure do you need to be before you pull the trigger?), how sensitive you are to social p...

This is the start of a new miniseries on decision making — and I'd argue it might be the most important skill behind everything else we talk about on this show. Your career, your health, your relationships...it all flows downstream from the choices you make. At our core, we are decision-making entities. Viktor Frankl said it from inside a concentration camp: the last of the human freedoms is to ch...

One of the most practical things I've learned from spending time with billionaires and common folk alike is this: treat rock stars like regular people and regular people like rock stars. We all carry two deep desires: to be special, and to belong. And most of the time, famous people are starved to just feel normal and connected, while "regular" people are starved to feel seen and celebrated. I'll...

This episode marks the beginning of Season 2 of Play the Long Game. I took close to nine months off...kids launching to college, new Swoz programs going public, and a speakers bureau build-out. Life got very full. But the break also taught me something I keep having to relearn: I am not a machine, and seasons of rest aren't weakness. From farming to our own bodies, rest is naturally built into how...

I'm about to show my super nerd card here. This isn't just any Doctor Who spinoff. It's written by the actress who actually played River Song in the series, and she narrates the audiobook herself. Think 1939 private eye detective story, except the detective happens to be a time traveler dealing with aliens and ridiculous hijinks. Even if you're not into Doctor Who, it works as a standalone time-tr...

This isn't about intimidation tactics you see on TV - it's about elicitation techniques that actually work. It's written by an ex-FBI agent. And yes, it'll help you catch people lying. But more importantly, it'll help you build richer relationships. You'll get an inside look on the subconscious drivers in all of us, and learn how to understand the fears, desires, and emotions that drive our behavi...

I read a lot of books (200+ each year), and I'm often asked for recommendations. In this episode, I share why Negotiating the Impossible by Deepak Malhotra stands out among these exceptional reads. Malhotra gives some excellent advice on negotiation, and he's earned the right to know what he's talking about. Maybe the things we negotiate in our lives aren't as intense as the geopolitical negotiati...

People assume I'm naturally disciplined, but I was famously undisciplined well into my 20s - performance improvement plans, boss lectures, the whole mess. But over the years, I've learned how to change things around. And this didn't happen alone. I took action and accountability, and implemented various systems of reminders through the rhythms of my life. And with more reminders came more discipli...

I'm in a lifelong pursuit to become awesome -- not 'better than everyone else' awesome, but truly living an epic, adventurous life. And I've discovered there are two distinct paths to get there. This distinction changed how I view success and might transform how you think about your own journey to becoming awesome. Let's go be awesome together. --- P.S.: If you have a brand, and you want to learn...

Freedom comes from clarity and agency. When you have one without the other, you just end up frustrated. Most people I meet get stuck when they either can't see their options, or they see them but can't act on them. The solution isn't about positive thinking or grinding harder -- it's about systematically building both clarity and agency. Here's the catch: freedom itself isn't the point. Don't just...

You don't have to spend your life being a spectator of greatness. You can be a participant. In this episode, I share the 3-part formula that's transformed my life from ordinary to exceptional. I break down the practical sequence that's allowed me to join remarkable projects, connect with extraordinary people, and attempt things beyond my current capacity. Whatever your dream is, this roadmap will...

I read a lot of books (200+ each year), and I'm often asked for recommendations. In this episode, I share why Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud stands out among these exceptional reads. When resources are limited but opportunities are endless, knowing what to cut becomes as crucial as knowing what to keep. This book changed how I approach both business and personal decisions - it might just change...

I had the privilege of sitting down with my friend Christine Soule, whose incredible life story will fill you with hope. Her story is a testimony that even the darkest moments can lead to the brightest futures. From a childhood surrounded by dysfunction to being trafficked as a young mother of three, Christine's story of transformation is nothing short of remarkable. During our conversation, she s...

We've reached the finale of our Learn How To Learn series. I've invited my friend Jonathan Crabb to discuss what might be the ultimate learning accelerant: learning together. You've built your personal learning system, mastered the fundamentals, and maybe even implemented some multipliers along the way. But what happens when you add another mind to the equation? It's not just addition -- it's tran...

As we near the end of my Learn How to Learn Deep Dive, I'm revealing powerful multipliers that can accelerate your learning journey. By now, you might already have a steady learning system in place. But even the best learning systems can begin to get stale or stagnate. Consider the strategies discussed in this episode as your "oil changes," or strategies to add on top of your foundational base. Yo...

Picking back up with the tenth installment of my Learn How to Learn Deep Dive, I'm revealing something counterintuitive: the key to learning isn't just about putting in more hours -- it's about mastering the rhythms of learning. The most successful learners don't just push harder -- they understand when to shift gears. It's about ebb and flow, imitating the rhythms we see in nature all around us....

I read a lot of books (200+ each year), and I'm often asked for recommendations. Out of the many books from last year, there were 12 non-fiction books that I gave a 5 star rating. In this episode, I share why Decoding Greatness by Ron Friedman stands out among these exceptional reads. Ask a legend in sports, business, or art about how they achieved their success, and you'd likely find a wealth of...

In this ninth installment of my Learn How to Learn Deep Dive, I'm tackling one of the most critical elements of growth: Feedback. Without good feedback, you could be reinforcing the wrong habits or working on the wrong things entirely. Through personal stories (from my early days in theater to my current practice of getting feedback from my wife), I share my journey of how honest feedback changed...

Our Learn How to Learn Deep Dive has reached it's eighth installment. I'm revealing why your growth rate is determined by your amount of practice. It's common to passively wait for learning opportunities to happen to us, or only learn our lesson when we've already screwed up. But through my own journey (from learning Spanish to controlling my legendary sweet tooth), I'll show you how to design you...

In the seventh installment of my "Learn How to Learn" Deep Dive, we're exploring what might be the most important -- and most overlooked -- aspect of learning: the role of feelings and beliefs in your growth journey. Most people think learning is just about acquiring new information or skills. But what if your feelings and beliefs are setting the ceiling for how much you can grow? Through personal...

For the sixth installment of my "Learn How to Learn" Deep Dive, we're tackling a counterintuitive truth: sometimes the key to growth isn't what you learn, but what you unlearn. Western thinking often focuses on addition and accumulation. But subtraction might actually be the missing piece in your growth journey. From outdated coping mechanisms to limiting self-beliefs, learn how to identify what's...

It's the fifth episode of my "Learn How to Learn" Deep Dive. In a world of constant distractions and shrinking attention spans, how do you create the environment for true deep thinking? I share surprising tactical tips that have transformed my ability to process deeply -- from the unexpected power of paper over digital, to the scientific reason you should take a power nap. Even though I gravitate...

Welcome to the fourth episode of my "Learn How to Learn" Deep Dive. We're moving beyond just gathering and processing ideas to explore the powerful questions that can transform your thinking. I share my favorite frameworks for tackling complex problems and making better decisions. You'll learn about the "doing vs. being" perspective, how to gain distance from a problem using time horizons, and why...