Episodios

  • #096 Cal Riley: Special Ops, Grief, and Why Your Business Needs a Heart

    #096 Cal Riley: Special Ops, Grief, and Why Your Business Needs a Heart
    Sep 30 2025
    Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:07) - Cal's military background (00:13:59) - Transitioning into a family business (00:19:35) - Implementing EOS (00:25:08) - The journey to compassionate leadership (00:36:16) - Prioritizing self-care and meditation (00:37:19) - Journaling techniques and prompts (00:39:02) - Mental health stigma and therapy (00:40:16) - Daily intentions and successes (00:42:28) - Leadership (00:47:28) - Coaching and team building (00:58:45) - Writing a book (01:03:10) - Resources Links: Scribe — https://scribemedia.com Entrepreneurial Compassion: An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through Combat, Suicide, and the Discovery of Compassionate Leadership - https://amzn.to/4nqH6AK To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! We discuss: How military battle drills shaped Cal’s approach to business leadership How EOS changed about his company and personal life Why compassion is both a moral imperative and a business advantage Tactical ways Cal builds emotional awareness into his leadership habits How journaling, meditation, and presence help fuel resilience and clarity Quotes from Cal: "The more compassion I showed my team, the more profit we made. It’s not soft—it’s smart." "They’ll never care how much you know until they know how much you care." "Every really good unit has this thing called a tactical SOP—just like your business has processes." "EOS gave me the ability to step back, let the team lead, and focus on building the future." "I went from working 90 hours a week in the business to now doing one meeting a week." "The business stops running you, and you start running it." "When we can be driven and compassionate, the sky’s the limit." "As entrepreneurs, we’re good at putting out fires—and if there isn’t one, we’ll start one just to feel busy." "My brother’s death has to mean something—this book is how I make sure something good comes from it." "I want to create a million compassionate leaders and prevent a hundred thousand suicides." "This isn't about monetizing trauma—every cent from the book goes to suicide prevention." Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important. Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
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    1 h y 5 m
  • My Conversation with Naval on Building Judgement

    My Conversation with Naval on Building Judgement
    Sep 23 2025
    It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published. I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you. This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Building Judgement You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ Chapters: 00:00 The Search for Something Perfect & Permanent 03:00 Timeless vs. Timely Knowledge 06:00 Truth, Reach & Universal Theories 09:00 From Specifics to General Principles 12:00 Learning by Doing – Experience First 15:00 Judgment, Taste & the Role of Reflection 18:00 Investing, Taste & Post-Wealth Choices 21:00 Hard Work, Focus & Breakthroughs 24:00 From Logic to Intuition to Taste 27:00 AI, Information Retrieval & Human Creativity 30:00 Leverage of Software Engineers with AI 33:00 The iPhone as the Greatest Product of the Age 36:00 Entrepreneurs, Creativity & Using AI as a Tool To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend
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    35 m
  • My Conversation with Naval on Saving Yourself

    My Conversation with Naval on Saving Yourself
    Sep 23 2025
    It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published. I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you. This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Saving Yourself You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ Chapters: 00:00 Virtues as Long-Term Selfishness & Cheap Dopamine 03:00 Fixing Local Problems Before Global Activism 06:00 Spreadability vs. Correctness of Ideas 09:00 Truth as Survival in the Multiverse 12:00 Authenticity, Ego & Removing the Mask 15:00 Modern Traps, Hedonism & Religion’s Role 18:00 Finding the People, Work & Place That Need You Most 21:00 Exploration, Investment & Compound Interest 24:00 Learning Through Iterations, Not Hours 27:00 Choosing Your Environment & Adapting It 30:00 Envy vs. Inspiration – Choosing the Better Path 33:00 Heroes, Resonance & The Legacy of Steve Jobs 36:00 Universal Human Potential & Breaking Labels To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend
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    36 m
  • My Conversation with Naval on Learning Happiness

    My Conversation with Naval on Learning Happiness
    Sep 23 2025
    It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published. I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you. This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Learning Happiness You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ Chapters: 00:00 Happiness as a Skill & Thought Construct 03:00 Peace, Desires & Higher Motives 06:00 Mind-Created Problems & Meditation 09:00 Engagement vs. Peace – Balancing Both 12:00 Health, Wealth & the Pursuit of Truth, Love, Beauty 15:00 Meditation, Silence & Resolving Thoughts 18:00 Love, Creation & Human Flourishing 21:00 Acute vs. Chronic Unhappiness, Ego & Identity 24:00 Choice Theory & Depression as Habit 27:00 Seasons of Life – Wealth, Health & Happiness 30:00 Aging, Compounding Actions & Character 33:00 High Agency Living & Designing Life 36:00 Reinterpreting the Past, Forgiveness & Ego 39:00 Enlightened Teachers, Peace & No-Self 42:00 Relationships, Self-Sufficiency & Truth in Bonds 45:00 Consciousness, Self-Examination & No-Self Realization 51:00 Seeking Enlightenment vs. Chasing Shiny Objects 54:00 Happiness, Motivation & Effectiveness 57:00 Relationships, Obligations & Peer Bonds 60:00 Ritual vs. Genuine Happiness To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend
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    1 h y 4 m
  • My Conversation with Naval on Philosophy

    My Conversation with Naval on Philosophy
    Sep 23 2025
    It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published. I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you. This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Philosophy You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ Chapters: 00:00 Meditations, Authenticity & Schopenhauer 03:00 God, Kids, or Mission – Sources of Meaning 06:00 Truth, Heresies & Group Consensus 09:00 Evolution, Buddhism & Quantum Physics 15:00 Simulation Theory vs. Consciousness 18:00 Religion, Science & Contemporary Lenses 21:00 Live for Something Larger Than Yourself 24:00 Reading, Philosophy & Timeless Books 27:00 Pursuing Happiness, Wealth & Status Indirectly 30:00 Fun Criterion & Learning Through Curiosity 33:00 Risk, Conviction & Building the Impossible 36:00 Retirement, Truth, Love & Beauty 39:00 Endgame Content & Playing Without Fear 42:00 Wealth, Enlightenment & Contradictory Desires To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend
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    45 m
  • My Conversation with Naval on Building Wealth

    My Conversation with Naval on Building Wealth
    Sep 23 2025
    Naval Ravikant on Building Wealth It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published. I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you. This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Building Wealth You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ 00:00 Defining Wealth 03:00 Knowledge as the True Multiplier 09:00 Ethics of Wealth Creation & Capitalism 15:00 Progress, Optimism & Conjecture 21:00 Scale, Governance & Morality 27:00 Products, Knowledge & Hard-to-Vary Designs 36:00 Closing Reflections To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend
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    38 m
  • #095 Rolling Fun #10: Capitalism is Hard, Natural Gas From Sunshine, and "Blimps" (That Work This Time)

    #095 Rolling Fun #10: Capitalism is Hard, Natural Gas From Sunshine, and "Blimps" (That Work This Time)
    Sep 16 2025
    Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:26) - Marathon misadventures(00:06:15) - The failed acquisition(00:13:47) - Lessons from the deal(00:29:31) - The future of retail(00:33:44) - Empathy for founders(00:35:23) - The grind of capitalism(00:35:37) - Challenges for young founders(00:36:10) - The importance of peer support(00:37:17) - Scaling and growth pains(00:37:42) - Exciting new ventures(00:38:20) - Genetic engineering innovations(00:43:40) - Revolutionizing air freight with airships(00:49:56) - Terraform Industries: Energy independence(01:02:17) - Innovative warehouse automation(01:05:25) - Mining industry disruption(01:09:45) - Conclusion and future outlook Links: Join us in Rolling Fun! Hear our other Rolling Fun eps! To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! We discuss: Why personal networks matter most when raising money quickly for big deals New investments in companies building genetically engineered animals, advanced airships, and solar-powered synthetic natural gas How real operational experience shapes the way we invest and support founders The balance of optimism and realism required to keep taking shots in business Quotes from Al: “Just keep taking the shots. A shooter’s gotta shoot.” “Sometimes you take the shot, do everything right, and the ball still doesn’t go in.” “There’s no classy way to advertise, ‘Hey, your favorite store died—but we’re a good rebound.’” “Capitalism is an unforgiving mistress.” “Personal relationships were the most valuable asset I had in that deal.” “Sometimes I think, ‘I should be inventing Facebook 2,’ but here I am—investing in fabric.” “I’ve never worked on a deal that hard. It should have gone my way… and didn’t.” “You wake up the next morning and it didn’t happen, but I still have a great family, and my business is still running.” “It's hard until it isn’t—and even when it isn’t, it’s still freaking hard.” Quotes from Bo: “We’re actual operators—curious about what’s possible with technology—and that makes us better investors.” “On a Thursday, ‘This deal is happening.’ Then Tuesday? ‘It’s over. We lost.’” “We have a unique amount of empathy for founders—because we know how hard this shit is.” “If you can pull it off, it’s transformational. And that’s awesome.” (on Airship) “A blimp is not a quadcopter to carry Al’s big ass—it’s an elegant, slow-moving blimp.” “There’s a lot of industries still doing 90/10 in-store sales. That blew my mind.” “It’s a real ‘software is eating the world’ moment—but finally arriving at the mining industry.” “When you’re building something that matters, you’re playing the long game—even if the outcome is uncertain.” “The people who make glow-in-the-dark fish… now they’re building unicorns. And yeah, it’s gonna happen.”
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    1 h y 12 m
  • #094 Rolling Fun #9: Basketball, Asteroid Mining, Child Labor (Not Really Tho)

    #094 Rolling Fun #9: Basketball, Asteroid Mining, Child Labor (Not Really Tho)
    Sep 2 2025
    Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:46) - Personal updates and new ventures (00:04:06) - The youth sports complex project (00:05:21) - Challenges and strategies in youth sports business (00:09:09) - Community impact and future vision (00:19:00) - Reflections on education and parenting (00:34:05) - The magic of holding a newborn (00:34:32) - The joys and challenges of parenting (00:35:07) - Balancing work and family life (00:37:36) - Exciting company updates (00:38:03) - Success stories in venture capital (00:40:55) - Innovations in space and technology (00:47:19) - The future of asteroid mining (00:54:34) - Revolutionizing construction and robotics (00:59:01) - Battery technology breakthroughs (01:03:59) - Conclusion and next steps Links: Join us in Rolling Fun! Hear our other Rolling Fun eps! To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! We discuss: Bo is turning around a Youth Sports Complex that was losing millions/year. “Never skip a funeral and always hold a baby” Investment updates across nuclear energy, asteroid mining, robotics, and batteries. Why enthusiasm, networks, and timing matter so much in early-stage investing. Quotes from Bo: "This was like 11 businesses stuffed into one building… and none of them were working yet." "My job right now is teaching people who love what they do how it fits into a business." "We get 2 to 3 calls a week from private equity firms, and I tell them all: don’t do it." "It’s a 600-person organization… a real thing with real complexity." "Maybe it’s a $30 million business—manageable, understandable, and ridiculously high impact." "It’s a cartel-organized market. You need to be a trusted actor to even play in it." "Helping it really succeed is time well spent—for Kansas City, for the kids, and for everyone here." "The youth sports market is a $40 to $80 billion space, and it’s on fire." "There’s not a lot of credible business builders in this space—and I haven’t found another one yet." "In 50 years, this will be even more awesome. I love working on stuff like that." Quotes from Al: "You couldn't just copy-paste this business into another city. You need deep trust and local knowledge." "This is a fun community challenge. If you get it right, you leave a real legacy." "I texted Bo—‘We did it’—because Eric and Jeannine had a baby. That’s how we all felt." "The bond between dad and baby isn’t immediate. But it grows—and it’s worth it." "I fixed the cheeseburger at Home Field before Bo was even involved." "Once you have a baby, every infant photo becomes magic." "The best underappreciated part of being an entrepreneur? You can get your kids working early." Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important. Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
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    1 h y 5 m