Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Cal looks back on the few days before November 5, 2024, and realizes how all the people who were so kind and cordial around him are divided nearly 50/50 between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. He's sure that 80 percent of us can all get along together . . . so long as we have a peaceful transfer of power.

With the potential for increased violence around the world, Cal reaches out to an old friend from Larry King's breakfast table for a look at the global ramifications of the upcoming U.S. elections. Ozan Ozkural is on the Foreign Policy Committee of the Brookings Institution – one of the world's top think tanks. As the founder of Tanto Capital Partners, Ozan constantly travels around the world maki...

It may be too late for Cal. His kids are 30, 27 and 22 years old. But it may not be too late for you or your friends to take your kids with you to vote. If it takes your kids out of school for a few hours, they may remember it for their rest of their lives, and it can be the first step in an education about democracy and the power of their vote. This message comes from the author of: How To Raise...

This podcast is like a walk on the red carpet into the world of AI filmmaking with one of its leaders. The message here is clear. By trying out these tools, you'll be evolving to meet the world that is coming. One of the major points behind this conversation is to diminish the fears of people who believe that AI is coming to take their jobs. Simply trying out these new platforms will give you an o...

After hearing how traces of plastic are now being found in hearts that are being examined in autopsies, Cal plays a conversation with a man who has devoted his future to combatting the problem. After working at Adidas for 26 years, Eric Leidtke pivoted to start the Unless Collection, a company that makes shoes, socks and all kinds of clothing out of plants, not plastics. In fact, the Unless Collec...

Cal learns from a cardiologist who cared for President George Bush 41 that artificial intelligence is at the point where it can tell us how long we're destined to live. That old fashioned stethoscope? No longer really necessary. We can get better readings from tech than the human ear. Listen up to Dr. Giovanni Campanile and get a glimpse of your heart in the present and the future through AI. As w...

Cal comes across a survey that indicates that six out of every 10 workers will require AI training before 2027. And that only half of those workers may have access to the necessary training opportunities. Which leads him to seek out global thought leader Ravin Jesuthasan to get a gauge on the future of the workplace. Increased productivity? Certainly. Human fears of losing jobs? Of course. But the...

Some of Cal's favorite conversations have come after a friend of his has started a sentence with these four words: "You've got to meet . . ." The trust behind an introduction like that always leads to special moments. And this week's episode is no exception. Cal's friend Monique Mardinian set up a meeting with Sabaa Quao, the Chief Creative Officer at Cossette, Canada's largest marketing and commu...

Cal replays one of the most amazing conversations he's ever had -- with a man who was in the bathroom on the 81 st Floor of the World Trade Center before starting work on the morning of 9/11/2001 when the hijacked plane hit. Michael Wright, a 30-year-old account executive at the time, got down to the ground only to look up and see the other tower falling on his head. Cal listens to the story every...

Cal continues a summer of storytelling by passing on one about a player you might like to root for in this year's U.S. Open. The backstory of Taylor Townsend shows us how there are winds in life that hold us back and winds that push us forward. And the value of perseverance in between.

Cal gets an unexpected e-mail asking about the feeling behind making a deep connection. It compels him to think back through a career of experiences with Muhammad Ali and Mikhael Gorbachev, bonds with people who took him in when he traveled around the world, friendships, and even ties with people who connected with his words and voice without ever having met him. But now, in a digital world where...

The change in the opening kickoff of National Football League games may seem inconsequential when compared to other developments in the world. As Cal wonders about the emotion and spirit that will be lost from the game, he realizes that the way he's reacting to the new rule is a metaphor for the way many of us see change. It's worth thinking about for a moment at a time when artificial intelligenc...

The Hall of Fame drummer looks back at the band's iconic performance at Woodstock in 1969 when Carlos Santana dropped some LSD shortly before being summoned to go on stage. Michael had ingested mescaline. Carlos believed his guitar turned into a snake during the rendition of Soul Sacrifice and at the same time Michael was transported to heaven. Video that captured the group's dynamic is a living t...

Cal finds out lots of things he never knew about someone he thought he knew . . . at that person's funeral. It got him to think about how well we know each other, and how well we connect . . . which sparked him to figure out a way that will enable you to connect better. This short podcast could change your life.

Cal looks at the word inclusion through the controversy at the Olympics opening ceremony last week. And what a diverse message really looks like through the most exciting race he ever saw – one that was won by three hundredths of a second at the Olympics more than 50 years ago. The lessons in those two experiences give us all something to think about.

Cal describes how listener reaction to last week's podcast about the attempted assassination on Donald Trump influenced his decision to speak out on Big Questions and tell the world what he's learned through his meetings with the people who've shaped the last 75 years of world history. The timing of his recording of this week's message on the upcoming election is an eerie confirmation that it's th...

Cal looks at the attempt on the former president's life in a way that you won't find anywhere else. This podcast is not red vs. blue. It's not political. Cal's childhood in the 1960s was run through a montage of assassinations – from John F. Kennedy to Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. And he believes that it's hard to sustain a democracy when people are shot and killed while they are in offic...

Cal continues his journey into the world of artificial intelligence when he talks with the SEO guru. The Big Question is how the AI digital content now inundating the internet measures up against content that has authentic human connection at its essence. Be prepared to be surprised.

Cal talks with the futurist who tells us that artificial intelligence is going to be embedded in everything we do -- and that means many aspects of the world around us will be moving at an accelerated pace. His book, Superconvergence, looks at how AI will transform our lives as it is embedded in genetics and biotech. It could mean living longer, feeding billions and supercharging the economy. We d...

In his quest to go deep into artificial intelligence, Cal comes across a most unusual guest. Theresa Fesinstine speaks to AI in a most uncommon way – as if it were human. Almost as if she were a really good high school English teacher talking to her students in the most caring way. There's research that says this kind of approach gets the best out of AI. Listen up, and try it out.

The son of self-help guru Tony Robbins has become a coach with clients in 133 countries around the world. You'll see why when you listen to this conversation. You will definitely be in a better place to navigate your path after listening to this podcast!

Chessboxing? What? Do the competitors pound each other in the head as they move pieces on the chessboard? It's actually a sport that is going to be on display at the Olympics in Paris this summer. It's not an official Olympic event. Yet. But three hundred thousand people stream events and it's only getting bigger and bigger. What does it mean for you? Listen to Matt Thomas's story.

Cal realizes that for the first time he is not feeling behind in technology because he has thrown himself into understanding AI. Conversations with experts on this podcast have made him feel more comfortable with what's coming – even if we don't know exactly what that is. This is the conversation that opened the door for him. It's with Linus Eckenstam – a designer in Barcelona who makes web forms...

When Cal went on Ben's podcast, the marketer confided to him that he was supposed to host a party that evening to bring people who didn't know each other together. Ben is the curator of the Real Business Connection Network. So the meeting was important to him. The problem was, Ben had a case of gout that was sending stabbing pains through one of his toes. Ben asked Cal if he should go through with...

Cal talks with the co-founder and former CEO of Whole Foods about the journey he took from shirtless 22-year-old hippie hitchhiking in Austin on acid to creating and running the health food empire. And what a wild trip it's been – as evidenced in his new book: The Whole Story, Adventures in Love, Life and Capitalism. Plenty of takeaways for all of us in this conversation – especially on artificial...