The James Altucher Show

I get this question a lot: "Did you start coming up with ideas because you were already successful?" I'll tell you WHY they ask this. Because people think "I need to pay my bills and THEN I'll change my life." That's backwards. I was dead broke and dead lonely when I started writing 10 ideas a day. It changed my life. Even the bad ones. So I still do it. Every single day. In this episode, I sit wi...

Mark Malkoff is a comedian who challenges himself to the impossible. And I don't mean medical miracles or anything like that. Everything he does is purely ridiculous. "I get super focussed when someone says I can't pull something off," he said. This episode will teach how to become persistent. And it will teach you that it's ok to not takes yourself so seriously all the time. I write about all my...

When I wrote "How to Deal with Crappy People" it became the most popular post on my blog. Everyone is dealing with crappy people. Since that post came out, the most common question I am asked is "What if the crappy person is your boss?" "Or someone you work with?" "Or someone you live with?" In other words, what if the person who is actively trying to harm you, who probably hates you to the core o...

Chelsea Handler is a comedian and the author of "Life Will Be The Death Of Me." I interviewed her live at Stand Up New York (you can find out about upcoming live shows here). We talked a lot about trauma, comedy, death... and healing. Chelsea was only 9 years old when her oldest brother died. She felt abandoned. She thought "He went and got himself killed. He wasn't even careful!" No one taught he...

Dave Barry is a comedian and the author of "Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog." The book is really funny. I rarely laugh out loud while reading. I have Dave tell me about the inspiration for the book and some of the ways his life has changed (for the better) at age 70, including how to have more humor, more joy and feel an overall sense of satisfaction and goodness. I write a...

Hal Elrod almost died twice. Actually, he did die. "I was clinically dead for 6 minutes," he said. He was hit by a car. And the doctors said he'd never walk again. Hal dealt with the news with a totally different mindset than most people. "I gave myself five minutes to upset about it," he said. "I accepted the worst case scenario. It has no power over me." Hal is a master at this. Over and over ag...

Sometimes our dreams hold us back from thinking about new possibilities. This is a 10-15 minute episode about why I don't believe in following your dreams. And why it's better to age with your interests. (Examples included!) I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.    Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please...

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and the author "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." I asked her why therapists never tell you how to improve your life. Why won't they just give me the answers? And she said it's because people like to live where it's safe. Therapists know this. They know you won't take their advice. And that you have to figure out for yourself. In this episode, Lori says how talk...

Tim Ryan is running for president. He just announced it. I interviewed him five years ago. It was my 32nd podcast interview. I'm re-releasing it. Because it's evergreen. Tim talks about how he got into meditation, the science behind it, how it can help improve your personal health and how it can also impact the health of our country. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. I read all the...

When I was broke, I thought my life was over. Then I made 4 changes. I talk about those 4 changes with Steve in this episode. But we also talk about investing, how to spot a scam (like Madoff), becoming an idea machine and more.  Also, let us know what you think! I'm @jaltucher on Twitter. And if you've listened to the other episodes then you might have my phone number so you can text me, too. Tha...

This episode is from 2017. It's a beautiful conversation with lessons I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Rest in peace, Mike.  I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.    Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: App...

I've interviewed 500 of the smartest people in the world. Many of them have discovered major problems in society. And when there are problems that also means there are opportunities for businesses. So Steve and I break down five problems, how they could(potentially) be solved if you tried. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast....

Tero Isokauppila is the CEO and founder of Four Sigmatic, a company specialized in helping people reach optimal human performance through superfoods, functional mushrooms and adaptogenic herbs. It's an odd business. And that's why it works. Because Tero doubled down on everything he loves. This episode walks you through the health and business of mushrooms. And teaches you how someone combines int...

Steve and I were going to do this podcast on "The 10 Commandments of the American Religion." Which is an article I wrote (and got tons of hate mail about) back in 2016. But we only got through #1 and #2. Which happen to be about 2 worst financial risks you could take. Listen to find out what they are, how to avoid them, and why. Plus I'll show you all the money you COULD save if you avoid these tw...

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is on the US Supreme Court. I went to Washington for this interview. And asked her what makes someone persuasive and convincing? Is it voice? Is it confidence? And what makes a winning case? And how does someone become the type of person who gets recognized as true and good? I could tell why people look at Justice Sotomayor and say, "Ah, yes, I believe in you." She told me...

I get a lot of questions on Twitter and Instagram. So this is an episode to scroll through and give out answers. Send me questions for the next episode @jaltucher.  I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.    Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review...

Steven Pressfield was a cab driver for years before becoming a best-seller author. He's taught me about following your gut and not letting time get in the way of who you're supposed to become. Listen to Steven talk about the hero's journey and how you can become the hero of your life (even if you feel like it's too late, it's not.)    I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and lear...

We did this whole podcast off of my idea list for the day. I was in a Facebook group. And someone asked "What does entrepreneurship mean to you?" People had these corny answers like "value, freedom..." But when I started my first company in the 90's, I cried everyday for 15 years. It's stressful. Your business follows you everywhere. And eventually your employees are going to start having sex with...

Gretchen Rubin is the bestselling author of "The Happiness Project" and "Better Than Before." She just wrote a new book "Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness." Gretchen will make you think about what happiness means to you, why it's individual and how to take steps that really make a difference in your life. And she'll give you new ideas. Which is always...

Eddie Ibanez is the biggest cyber security hacker I know. He used to be contracted by the US government to find patters that could help identify various threats (terrorist threats, security threats, etc.) He tried to tell me what he could without going past the line. (He holds a lot of secrets). He'll tell you how you're being hacked, how to protect yourself, what threats are out there for individ...

Brad Meltzer gets to call up the CIA and the secret service whenever he needs a new story. He's written 11 best selling novels. They're all history thriller novels. And now he's written his first non-fiction book about the plot to kill George Washington. Which leads to the invention of the CIA, spies, and other conspiracies. Brad's fascination with history also leads to self-history. He did a TED...

John Maxwell changed my life in 2001. I read his book "Failing Forward" and then read all his books ever since. He's the #1 go-to guy for leadership and personal growth. And he's sold over 30 million copies of his books worldwide. His newest book is "Leader Shift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace." I asked him how he found his passion so early in life, what leaders need to do dif...

Todd Herman coaches CEOs, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs (etc.) on how to reach their peak performance using 1 key trick... an alter ego. He says, "We're all super multi-layered people." But we block ourselves. We constantly use old narratives that we've outgrown or hold us back. And we force ourselves to be somebody we don't want to be anymore. But if you use an alter ego, you can get out of you...

Roger McNamee was Steve Jobs' mentor. And Bill Gates. And Mark Zuckerberg. Why is Roger so valuable to these people? What does he know that we don't? What did he have to offer the world's future billionaire visionaries? I also wanted to hear stories. What is Steve Jobs like? And Mark Zuckerberg? "When I met Mark he was different from everybody. But in a kind of cool, interesting way. I mean a litt...

Stephen Merchant is 2x GoldenGlobe-winning actor, writer and director. I'm a fan of everything he's worked on (The Office, Office Space, Extras, Hello Ladies, etc.). And now he has a brand new movie coming out that I highly recommend called "Fighting With Family." The Rock is in it. Stephen wrote and directed it. It's based off of a real-life family who raised their kids to be professional wrestle...