The ONE Thing

It’s February, and love is in the air—but are you in love with your goals? In this Valentine’s-themed episode, Jay Papasan dives into a transformative way of thinking about goals: treating them as a relationship rather than a simple task list. He explores how most goal-setting systems fail because they skip the “dating” phase and rush straight into commitment, leaving you disengaged and directionl...

What does it take to achieve long-term, exponential success? Dorie Clark, the best-selling author of The Long Game, joins Jay Papasan to discuss how to create lasting impact through resilience, focus, and strategic decision-making. Dorie reflects on her journey, from facing years of invisibility and rejection as an aspiring author to becoming a sought-after speaker, consultant, and professor. Her...

Are you constantly busy but feeling unfulfilled? In this episode, Jay Papasan explores the hidden costs of busyness and how it impacts our stress levels, empathy, and ability to focus on priorities. He shares research-backed insights into why we fall into this trap and practical strategies to break free. Jay discusses how busyness can act as a shield, masking deeper fears of failure or discomfort....

If you’re feeling stretched thin, juggling competing priorities, or stuck in a cycle of busyness, you’re not alone. Many leaders and entrepreneurs face the same challenges. In this episode, Jay Papasan sits down with Shawn Blanc, founder of The Focus Course, to explore how to navigate overwhelm, create focus, and build clarity in both life and work. Shawn shares actionable strategies, including th...

‘Tis the season for resolutions.  Chances are, you’ve hit the new year with a new resolution—something you wanted to change about your life. In this episode, Jay explains how you can actually stick to your resolution and make your new habit last. Jay breaks down the research behind behavior change and habit formation, giving you three clear actions you need to take to succeed. Plus, he shares the...

If you’re listening to this podcast you’re probably a high achiever. A doer. Someone who is in constant motion. That’s all great, but don’t forget to pause and reflect. Purposeful reflection will lead you to more success and satisfaction. Here are the nine reflection questions Jay goes over in today’s episode: What did I accomplish? What challenges did I face? Where did I fail? Who supports me and...

Whenever Jay and Gary are out giving talks about The ONE Thing, they inevitably hear someone say, “Oh, you can do that because you are Gary Keller.” The fact is, he is Gary Keller because he has consistently applied The ONE Thing in his life. Gary joins the show today to discuss one of the core principles of The ONE Thing: consistency. Anyone can be consistent, but few people are. Gary and Jay bre...

If someone asked you to name your core values, you might quickly list a few. But have you ever paused to deeply reflect on them? Are you honest with yourself about what truly matters—and how those values guide your life? In this episode, Jay is joined by his wife, Wendy Papasan, for a thought-provoking conversation on identifying and living by core values. For nearly two decades, they’ve done the...

The second Friday in January is “Quitters’ Day,” according to Strava, a company that helps people track their fitness goals. That’s because most people’s New Year’s resolutions grind to a halt around that time. You can avoid this trap for all your goals. Jay explains how in this episode. First, Jay outlines the common mistakes people make when goal setting and how to identify them in your own proc...

December is chaotic. The kids are out of school. Family is visiting, or you're traveling. There are parties you should go to and gifts you should buy. Don't forget the holiday cards! If ever there was a season for The ONE Thing, 'tis the season. Jay and his personal coach, Jordan Freed, spend this episode giving you the tools you need to have a meaningful, calm(ish) holiday season. They walk you t...

Here at The ONE Thing, we’re all about helping people be successful. Most folks would assume we value serial high achievement, but we don’t. In this episode, we take a look at when achievement becomes an addiction and why it isn’t the same thing as success. Kim Zuroff, our Director of Growth at The ONE Thing, is our guest. She dominated Ironman Triathlons, climbed Kilimanjaro, and raced up the car...

Captain Daryle Cardone has 5,000 sailors entrusted to him, many of them in their 20s without much experience in life, much less in battle. He has two nuclear power plants to manage, plus a floating runway with multi-million dollar aircraft taking off 24 hours a day. Sufficient to say Captain Cardone knows a thing or two about leadership. We’re thrilled to have him on the show today. Jay and Captai...

Do you have something you’ve been dreaming about doing for a while, but keep finding reasons to put it off? Take this episode as a sign to go do it today.  Officially taking over as host, Jay Papasan outlines new changes to the podcast that will better serve listeners: More actionable content and more conversations driven by questions from people trying to implement The ONE Thing out in the real w...

It’s time for the host to sit in the hot seat. For over 70 episodes, Nikki Miller asked guests insightful questions, connecting their theories to practical implementation for The ONE Thing podcast listeners. Today, she’s the one being interviewed. Jay Papasan takes on his new role as host. Nikki reflects on what it’s meant to be a public ambassador of The ONE Thing, all the preparation that has go...

Can you imagine freeing up 30% of executives’ time, while also increasing joy and resilience in the workplace? Keith Ferrazzi joins the show today to discuss his new book, “Never Lead Alone,” which promises to do exactly that. Keith walks us through some of the diagnostic questions and high return practices (HRPs) outlined in “Never Lead Alone” that can create a new social contract and culture in...

Learning, innovation, and growth all rely on failure. The discomfort of failure bakes important lessons into our brains. The uncertainty that precedes the point of failure expands our minds. Dr. Manu Kapur joins the show today to explain why we should deliberately design for failure in our businesses and personal lives. Dr. Manu Kapur heads the Future Learning Initiative at ETH University Zurich a...

Fifteen years ago, when Jenn Lewis was first asked questions from The Goal Setting Retreat, she cried. To be fair, her partner JP hadn’t told her what they were for and he brought them up in the middle of a busy restaurant. Today, Jenn joins the show to share what couples can expect from The Goal Setting Retreat and how they may get emotional… in a good way. Jay Papasan serves as the host for this...

Is your business actually stalling out or are you just bored? How can you tell the difference? And if you are just bored, how can you overcome that? Nikki Miller and Chris Dixon do a deep dive into the topic, giving clear tactics to address the issue. Nikki and Chris discuss iterative reflection, “gap and gain,” autonomy, and authorship. They also dig into habit formation, mindsets, and accountabi...

Jay Papasan, Nikki Miller, and one hour of pure The ONE Thing fundamentals: It doesn’t get any better than this. Recorded at the Keller Williams Family Reunion, Nikki and Jay give a one-hour masterclass on how Jay and Gary Keller developed The ONE Thing and how you can apply it to your life today. This is a must-listen and the perfect episode to share with loved ones and colleagues. Jay and Nikki...

We often hear the term “naive optimism,” but the fact is, most of us are living in “naive cynicism.” Dr. Jamil Zaki joins the show today to explain why cynicism harms our well-being and businesses. He also gives us ways to combat it. Dr. Jamil Zaki is the Director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. He has gathered his latest research in a new book, “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of...

Investing in a generous relationship not only exponentially grows your relationship with a person, but it exponentially grows your network. If you aren’t just interested in making a successful deal, but in creating a successful career, this is The ONE Thing episode you need to listen to. Jay Papasan steps in as the podcast host and interviews his friend and fellow author, Mo Bunnell. They dissect...

Mental fatigue is real. We live in a world where we have to make a thousand good decisions each day, and we’re expected to be highly creative at our jobs. That’s why it’s critical to learn how to optimize our brains to function well in this reality. Our guest today, Dr. Mithu Storoni, is here to give us some science-back tactics. Dr. Mithu Storoni is an University of Cambridge trained physician, n...

Brian Gottlieb enjoys his motorcycle rides and his cigars, but most of all he’s passionate about empowering his employees to find purpose in their work. Brian is our guest on the show today and he’s here to tell us about his new book, “Beyond the Hammer.” In just over 10 years, Brian grew from a business of 0 employees to 600 employees and over $1 billion in lifetime sales. How? By having an empow...

The American Dream is still alive and well, and Mark Matson wants to make sure everybody knows it. Mark joins us on the show to talk about his new book, “Experiencing the American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life.” Mark states that schools are promoting victimhood and entitlement, rather than hard work. He warns about seeing money as an evil thing, g...

What does “inclusion” mean anyway? Lately, “inclusion” is a buzzword, and when paired with “diversity” and “equity” it generates a lot of heat and noise. Our guest on the show has a lot to say on the topic, based on her 30 years of successful corporate leadership and her new book “Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion.” We’re thrilled to be joined today by Anne Chow. Anne shares what...