The ONE Thing

What does it really take to live your best life? This week, we’re joined by Gary Keller for part one of a special two-part conversation about “The Way”—five powerful concepts for leveling up, drawn from the newly rewritten Bold course. Gary and I walk through each idea, starting with the Misogi Challenge: setting a focused, time-limited challenge that pushes you beyond your comfort zone and transf...

If you love learning but find yourself stuck in preparation mode, this episode is for you. I sit down with Pat Flynn—entrepreneur, host of Smart Passive Income, and author of Lean Learning—to talk about why consuming more information doesn’t always lead to better results. Pat shares how learning can become a form of procrastination, why we fall into the trap of information overload, and how to bre...

Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2025? If you’re like me, you’ve probably had your head down, working hard, only to look up and wonder where the year went. It’s normal to drift away from your original goals or even forget them entirely by this point in the year. Life gets complex, priorities shift, and sometimes what mattered in January doesn’t feel as urgent now. The good news? It’s...

What happens when everything you’ve built suddenly disappears? In this episode, Jay Papasan sits down with Rory Vaden—someone who knows what it’s like to lose everything and rebuild from scratch. After Rory and his wife, AJ, were forced out of the business they’d spent 12 years building, they had to start over with nothing but a non-compete, their expertise, and a lot of hard-won lessons. That pai...

When The ONE Thing first came out, Brandon Turner didn’t just read it—he made it his only book for an entire year, reading it cover to cover more than 20 times. The result? He didn’t just hit his audacious goal of acquiring $50 million in real estate in three years—he soared past it, buying $300 million worth. In this episode, Brandon pulls back the curtain on exactly how he did it. We talk about...

We spend a lot of time worrying about uncertainty—tariffs, market volatility, the looming threat of a recession. But what if these aren’t just obstacles, but some of the greatest opportunities for your business or career? History shows that recessions often create more millionaires than any other time and open the door for companies to leap ahead. In this episode, I break down the seven strategies...

If you’ve ever struggled to get started, finish what you begin, or felt like your brain just doesn’t operate like everyone else’s—you’re not alone. Jay sits down with ADHD coach and entrepreneur Tyler Elstrom to unpack what’s really going on in the ADHD brain, from dopamine regulation to executive function to emotional overwhelm. Tyler introduces the “INCUP” framework—five triggers that can help n...

Are you succeeding so slowly you think you're failing—or failing so slowly you think you're succeeding?” In this solo episode, Jay Papasan introduces the concept of quality inflation: the idea that the standards for average—and especially extraordinary—performance keep rising every year. Drawing inspiration from the Red Queen Hypothesis and his experience coaching high achievers, Jay breaks down w...

What if the very traits you’ve been told to hide are actually your greatest assets? This week, I’m joined by Jenny Wood, former Google executive and author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It, to explore nine provocative traits—like being weird, selfish, nosy, shameless, or even brutal—and how to use them as superpowers. Jenny shares how embracing qualities like “shameless” self-adv...

This episode wraps up our two-part series on what leadership lessons we can learn from parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy, author of Good Inside. If you caught part one, you know these lessons aren't just for parents—they’re tools for anyone who wants to show up better in their relationships and at work. We dive into the last three lessons Jay took from Dr. Becky’s work: The Power of Repair, Resil...

This episode started as a parenting read and turned into a masterclass in leadership. After picking up Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy, Jay found himself repeatedly thinking, "This is leadership." In the first of a two-part series, he explores the surprising—and incredibly useful—ways that parenting advice maps directly onto leadership. If you're mission-driven, leading a team, or simply trying t...

Sometimes the challenges life throws at us are bigger than anything we could have prepared for. In today’s episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Gene Rivers, one of the top instructors and true practitioners of The ONE Thing, to hear the remarkable story of how he and his family survived a devastating hurricane—and what they did next. Gene shares what life was like before the hurricane hit,...

When Jay Papasan launched the Twentypercenter newsletter, it was his personal version of a Rocky-style training montage. He committed to writing, editing, and publishing a new piece every single week—no matter what. 137 newsletters later, he’s gained more than just consistency. He’s built a powerful, intentional audience and uncovered key lessons about what it takes to grow something meaningful. I...

What if the ability to bounce back isn’t something you’re born with—but something you can build? This week, you’ll hear from Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, a behavioral psychologist and expert on resilience and stress. Robyne breaks down how resilience is not just about “toughing it out”—it’s about building habits that create consistent, calm comebacks even in the face of chaos. We talked about how high...

It’s graduation season—and whether you’ve got a child, a niece or nephew, or just a young person in your life heading to or already in college, you’re probably wondering how to best support them in this new chapter. In this episode, Jay gets personal. He walks through the highs and lows of his own college years—from social misfires and major indecision to joining the rugby team and becoming a doub...

This milestone episode marks 500 episodes and over 6 million downloads of The ONE Thing Podcast—and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than bringing Geoff Woods back to the mic. Geoff helped launch this podcast and spent years leading The ONE Thing company. In this episode, we look at what’s happened since he moved on. From becoming Chief Growth Officer at a multinational conglomerate...

You’ve probably heard of the Four Thieves of Productivity: the inability to say no, fear of chaos, poor health habits, and an environment that doesn’t support your goals. But have you ever stopped to ask—which one is stealing the most from you right now? This week, Jay Papasan is joined by his coach and the Head Coach of The ONE Thing, Jordan Freed, for a powerful reexamination of the Four Thieves...

Twelve years ago, The ONE Thing was published, and it’s been incredible to see its impact—over 3.75 million copies sold in 42 languages. To celebrate, we’re sharing a live session from our annual convention, where I walk through a powerful framework for reclaiming time and staying focused on what matters most. Most of us set goals backward, reacting to what’s in front of us rather than working in...

We all want to build better habits, be more productive, and achieve our goals—but sometimes, the pressure to be perfect gets in the way. Enter Anne-Laure Le Cunff, a former neuroscience researcher and the brains behind Ness Labs, whose new book, Tiny Experiments, offers a simple yet powerful approach to personal growth. Anne-Laure introduces us to the concept of pacts—small commitments designed to...

What would it take for you to never have to work again—unless you wanted to? That’s the core idea behind your freedom number. It’s not just about becoming a millionaire; it’s about having enough unearned income to live your life mission without relying on a paycheck. In this episode, we walk you through the three key data points needed to chart your financial future: Where you are today Where you...

Wealth isn’t built in spreadsheets. It isn’t just about understanding finance books or listening to podcasts. True wealth is built in habits—the actions we take (and the ones we avoid) every single day. In part two of our special wealth-building series, Jay Papasan shares nine and a half habits that can put you on the path to financial independence. From living below your means to investing wisely...

Wealth building doesn’t have to be complicated, but most of us were never taught the fundamental principles that make it possible. In this first episode of our three-part series, Jay Papasan breaks down "The Path of Money"—a straightforward model originally shared by Gary Keller in The Millionaire Real Estate Investor. Jay shares his own journey from an English-French major with no financial backg...

What if success wasn’t enough? Stu McLaren, a pioneer in the world of online communities and membership businesses, faced this question head-on. By all accounts, he had built something incredible—Wishlist Member, a massively successful membership platform powering over 70,000 communities. Yet, in the quiet of a rainy night at a remote family camp, he realized he wasn’t fully aligned with his purpo...

Have you ever felt like a fraud? Like you're just one step away from being "found out"—that you're not as capable as others believe you to be? If so, you're not alone. Imposter syndrome affects up to 70% of high achievers at some point, making them question their worth and downplay their accomplishments. In this episode, we explore the roots of imposter syndrome, how it manifests, and why it’s so...

What do you do when your company isn’t clear about where it’s going? When your role feels ambiguous? When you and your team get off track? Chris Dixon, our Director of Training, has spent years coaching leaders and teams of all sizes—from Fortune 50 companies to small real estate teams. In this episode, he shares the three most common challenges he sees inside organizations and the proven solution...