How Success Happens

Joel Milton, co-founder of Splash Sports, has made it easy for anyone to run a contest with friends or fans. But running the company itself is much harder. In this snack-size episode, Joel talks about building a business when the rules keep changing, how to avoid chasing shiny ideas, and why getting something out into the world matters more than getting it perfect. Plus, Dan responds to the comment section. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter how you measure it, Bert Kreischer is a success. And yet, the fear never really goes away. In this conversation, the stand-up comic, podcasting powerhouse and star of the new Netflix series Free Bert, talks about imposter syndrome and what actually drives his relentless work ethic. He shares his formula for telling a great story and explains why the most awkward celebrity interactions often make the best ones. Plus, Guy Fieri drops in to ask Bert a few questions of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 32, Alex Bussenger was at the top of his game and senior vice president at Bank of America. Then an aortic dissection nearly killed him. He survived, but recovery brought something he didn’t expect. A deep sense of loneliness. In this snack-size episode, Alex shares how that experience led him to create Heal Together, an app that connects people recovering from major health events with others who’ve been there. Because healing isn’t just physical and no one should have to do it alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cowboy Kent has cooked meals on the open range and gone head-to-head with Bobby Flay and beaten him. But his success didn’t stop in the kitchen. He’s built a thriving YouTube channel, a successful catering business, and written cookbooks. In this episode, Kent shares why faith and family aren’t just part of his story, but the foundation of everything he’s built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sahand Dilmaghani is the founder and CEO of Terra Kaffe, who happens to make Dan’s current favorite coffee machine. Sahand recently joined Dan for a webinar, and this snack break serves up some of Dan’s favorite insights from that conversation. They talk about slowing down when things get chaotic, the best advice he’s gotten, and how knocking on doors with early prototypes helped turn an idea into a real business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to pull out your New Year's party horns. Instead of resolutions, Dan kicks off the year with a pep talk from Colin O’Brady, the first person to walk across Antarctica completely alone and unsupported. They talk about pushing past limits, facing fear, and what dragging a sled across the ice has to do with building something hard from scratch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Snack Break, Dan digs back into the archives for a conversation with Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe. They talk about purpose, and why having a “why” matters to his entrepreneurial journey. Plus, Mike tells an unforgettable story about poop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaiah Chavous knows what sounds good. As the CEO of Noctal, he’s built a library of more than 200,000 human-made sound effects used in games, films, podcasts, and beyond. In this Snack Break, Isaiah talks about staying calm in high-stakes pitches, why rejection isn’t personal, and his best and worst moments of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christina Cassotis is the CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport. In this snack-size episode, she explains why airports are high-stakes problem-solving machines, how to make holiday travel less stressful, and what passengers almost always get wrong about who’s actually in charge. Plus why airports are the best places to work… just don’t call it a tarmac. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremiah Gardner likes to get deep. He’s an underwater cave diver who uses lessons learned beneath the surface to help leaders and businesses survive and thrive in uncertainty. In this episode, he shares his “Gold Line” framework for moving forward boldly without losing your way. Plus, why learning fast matters more than failing fast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman, plus the always-on-point Amanda Zuckerman, join Dan to break down the comedy business from every angle. On the comedy side, they dig into what’s trending and why getting to “the funny” faster matters more than ever. On the business side, they share the hire that kept their company sane. Plus, what do you do when the comedy special cameras start rolling, and you’ve got a wildly weird crowd to contend with? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orchids. Infernos. Rin Tin Tin. What do these things have in common? They’ve all been the subject of books by Susan Orlean. In her new book Joyride, she pulls back the curtain on how she does it. Susan and Dan dig into how she decides which ideas are worth pursuing, how she pushes through the doubt, and why audiobooks might just be the purest way to experience a story. Plus, she shares the one writing habit she wishes she could ditch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve got “take actual time off” on your holiday to-do list but keep finding yourself sneaking in “just one more email,” this one’s for you. Just in time for the holidays, Dan revisits this chat with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, where they talk about why taking a break can be the best thing for the quality of your work. Plus, what’s the one thing he can beat his wife at? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turns out Jack Daniel’s isn’t just a whiskey company, it’s a family business. Master distiller Chris Fletcher stops by to share how he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps but he’s not the only one with a family tie on the team. He talks about legacy and what it means to serve a community that’s been working together for generations. Part of that is Operation Ride Home, a nonprofit that helps junior enlisted service members make it home for the holidays because Jack Daniel’s knows just how much family matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this snack break, Dan revisits his conversation with Tracy C Dyson (no relation to Sir James Dyson from the last episode). Tracy breaks down what it actually feels like to be launched off the planet and step into literal nothingness on a spacewalk. Plus, she also settles the debate once and for all: the Earth is extremely, unambiguously round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir James Dyson can’t stand bad design. Instead of complaining, he channels that frustration into building machines that make the rest of us wonder, “Wait… why wasn’t it always done this way?” And he doesn’t stop at vacuums. From high-tech farming to championing the next generation of innovators, Dyson shares how relentless curiosity (and yes, 5,127 failed prototypes) can power a lifetime of breakthroughs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Levant, the CEO of Complex NTWRK media, drops in to talk about why “ignorance is rich,” how taking wild swings has shaped his entire career, and why real-life experiences beat a thousand Instagram likes any day. This quick burst of inspiration will get you hyped to go out there and try anything. Even if everyone’s telling you not to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gabriel Weinberg knows a thing or two about taking big risks on big ideas. He’s the founder and CEO of DuckDuckGo, the privacy-first search engine taking on the giants. In this episode, he breaks down the frameworks that help him lead, how he makes tough calls, and where he finds the time to actually do all of it. Plus, he gives us his take on the real risks around AI and privacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rafael Atijas, founder and CEO of Loog Guitars, joins to share how a grad school project turned into a global brand. He talks about learning manufacturing from scratch, mastering Kickstarter, and building a community of first-time rockstars. Plus, what he’s learned as a veteran of five successful Kickstarter campaigns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ElectroBOOM, the YouTuber who makes learning about electricity shockingly fun, joins us to break down how he built an enduring YouTube career. He gets real about the mistakes he's made, the comments that still sting, and what’s next on his entrepreneurial journey. Plus, he answers the question “Does it still hurt when you get shocked?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices