The School of Greatness

“If you’re going to have a story, have a big story.” - Joseph Campbell I was heartbroken to hear the news of the fatal helicopter crash that caused the death of legendary Kobe Bryant, along with his oldest daughter Gigi and seven others. Kobe inspired me for years, and I know he inspired so many other people across the world. My heart goes out to his family and the families of those involved with...

“It’s not who you think you want to be, it’s who you actually are that’s going to lead you out of the darkness into the forever light.” If you had seen Justin Bieber on American Idol, do you think he would have made it to the final round? (2:20) Why do great shows stop when they are still popular? (10:33) What got you into music in the first place? (15:40) Who are the greatest musicians you have p...

Leaders value their people. Dale Partridge is an incredibly successful serial entrepreneur who has not only made several fortunes, but has spoken on stages like Facebook HQ, created a massive social media following, and is a well-known author. But what I’ve learned from Dale about business, relationships, leadership, and life is beyond any of that. Sometimes you need to look far outside your circl...

Even the most successful people are insecure. There is one guest I keep having on the podcast who is unlike any other. He always says exactly what he thinks. He talks about money in a real, relatable way. And when he comes on the show, he shows his soft side and cries. Yes, I'm talking about my good friend, Grant Cardone. Grant was in town a couple of weeks ago and stopped by to record an episode...

Aging is a disease. Everyone gets old. But did you ever think of the symptoms of aging as a disease that can be cured? I'd heard about Dr. David Sinclair and his ground-breaking longevity research, and I knew he would be a fascinating person to interview about this idea. We ended up going really deep into the science of why we age, how to reverse it, and what is actually in our control. David told...

Entrepreneurs need vision. If you could interview 200 of the top entrepreneurs in the country, do you think you’d find some similarities? Amy Wilkinson guessed that she would. And she did. Over 5 years of research later, she wrote a book that examines the top 6 traits that very successful entrepreneurs share. Amy is a brilliant woman who has worked at the White House and co-founded a company in Si...

There's a way to always get what you want. And it doesn't mean you need to be a tyrant. The art of negotiating is what each of us can learn in order to consistently and confidently get people on our side. To learn this art, I brought back a super popular guest from a few years ago, former FBI negotiator Chris Voss. Since our first interview, he has only grown in popularity, and I knew he'd have ne...

I KNOW I ALWAYS SAY I'M EXCITED ABOUT EACH EPISODE OF THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS. But I’m REALLY excited about this episode. And not just because the guest is another Ohio boy! (But I wore one of my best Ohio shirts and hats when he came by the studio.) You probably already know him from his multiple hit shows on MTV. Or from his long list of world records in skateboarding. Or for his incredible bran...

“I didn’t ask for success, I asked for wonder.” - Abraham Joshua Heschel We talk a lot about building businesses, physical health, and a champion’s mindset on The School of Greatness. What we don’t talk about as often is the part of greatness that is harder to define and explain: spirituality. But that’s not because it’s not important. I had never heard of today’s guest until a friend told me I ha...

THIS ONE IS WORTH A REPEAT. Yes, one of the MOST requested guests on the show (since I launched it), has been this incredible woman. She has one of the most watched TED talks of all time. She is a three-time #1 NYT bestselling author (and soon to be four). She has changed the face of emotional intelligence, relationships, and self-acceptance for millions of people. But her area of expertise is one...

CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU. Most of us have faced one big failure so far in our lives. A huge rock bottom. A super hard time. But Dhar Mann has faced 3 massive failures and he's only in his mid-30s. I knew about Dhar years ago, when he was a mega-successful Instagram influencer living the life. Or so it seemed. Dhar Mann is a serial entrepreneur who has experienced the highs and lows of success. From...

I am channeling my inner motivational powerhouse today on The School of Greatness. For this 5 Minute Friday, I’m speaking straight from the heart. lewishowes.com/897 Get More From Lewis! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NEW DECADE, NEW SLEEP GOALS. So often we glorify not getting enough sleep. We brag about pulling an all-nighter. We “grind” or wake up at the crack of dawn. Some of us think that staying up is helping us achieve our dreams. But sleep is key to our mental and physical health. It even keeps us young. So why do so many of us put quality sleep on the back burner? On today’s episode of The School of Gr...

THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE I TRUST WHO HAVEN’T BEEN THROUGH SOME SORT OF ADVERSITY. Many people feel that holding their shame hostage will make them a stronger person. This just isn’t true. It has become very clear to me: If you’re going to heal, you have to find a way to be open about your issues. In order to live in today, you have to be open about your past. This is the key to being comfortable in yo...

DOMINATE YOUR COMPETITION. Most of us don’t have unlimited budgets to market ourselves. So how can we compete with people who do? The answer is simple: we have to fascinate. Utilize whatever you have that is unique to capture people’s attention. Stop trying to offer what your competition is offering- instead, do something they can’t. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had wi...

NOTHING SHOULD STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR STORY. We've had some pretty amazing women on The School of Greatness. I've learned a lot from each of them. In fact, I learn a lot from all the women around me (almost my whole team is women). Today's guest is no exception. Male, female, old, young - we could all learn from this incredible businessperson. Not only is she the youngest self-made female billio...

CREATIVITY IS HARD WORK. Have you wanted to complete a project but stopped? You might have expected it to be perfect. Or maybe you thought you weren’t qualified enough to make it. You might have finished it but didn’t take the time to shape it into its final form. Completing something we’re passionate about is good for our wellbeing. But it’s not easy. Lin Manuel Miranda took six years to write Ha...

OVERWORKING ISN’T THE GOAL. So often, we get a pat on the back when we run ourselves into the ground. We get recognition for always staying late at work. We answer emails at night and on the weekend. People ask us, “Wow, how do you manage to DO IT ALL?!” But what we’re really doing is destroying our minds and our bodies. We can only operate at 110% for so long. Professional athletes know the impor...

YOU HAVE TO LET GO. So many of us make decisions because we feel like we have to do something. Whether it’s the religion we grew up in, what our parents want, or what we feel is culturally acceptable, we often betray ourselves. But you can only live this way for so long before you start to break down. You’ll lose sight of who you are and suddenly realize you don’t know how to find it. It’s a lonel...

CHAMPIONS AREN’T SUPER-HUMAN, THEY’RE SUPER-INTENTIONAL. I’ve noticed that there are two types of champions. One of them wins and says, “I am the greatest that ever lived.” The other says, “All of the glory goes to God.” Both of these mindsets have good results, but is one better than the other? You need a certain amount of arrogance to be the best. After all, self-doubt is the biggest crusher of...

YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. So many of us (especially men) are afraid to open up about what we’re going through. We often don’t even tell the people who are closest to us. For whatever reason, we think we have to suffer alone. But there is freedom in sharing your struggles. Whether it’s depression, low self-esteem, or something like erectile dysfunction, you need to be able to tell your doctor....

OUR THOUGHTS ARE DREAM KILLERS. The bigger the dream, the more fear you’re going to have. But to grow, you have to take on new challenges. It’s a real catch-22. I’m very curious about fear and self-doubt. In fact, I’m writing a book about it. In this new year, I want to challenge you to change the way you think about the things that scare you. I want you to start embracing difficult situations and...

DECLARE YOUR VISION. The end of the year is time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. I’m using this episode to share my biggest lessons and regrets from 2019. One of the most significant changes for me this year was in my romantic life. I went from being in a relationship that wasn’t working to being with someone who is a force multiplier in my life. I had to be aware of my rel...

IT’S NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT. We all have this vision of the ideal life. We work hard and get everything done. All of our relationships are in great shape. We take time to exercise and eat right. But the truth is, there is no magical destination. And even if we reach that place, it could all be destroyed in an instant by one of life’s famous curveballs. Instead of looking at balance like a happi...

USE YOUR PAIN AS AN ARROW. None of us like to feel unpleasant emotions. Whether it’s pain, anxiety, or stress, we numb them with food, alcohol, and overscheduling. But there’s a lot we can learn from discomfort. Instead of drowning your feelings, get curious about them. Your envy can lead you to your passion. Your anxiety can show you your authentic self. And your pain might be asking you to comfo...