
Mixed Mental Arts
368 episodes — Page 7 of 8

Ep68 - Jimmy Shubert
EBryan sits down with comedian, actor and podcaster, Jimmy Shubert. He's been seen on his own Comedy Central Special, King of Queens, Italian Job, Go!, and countless other movies and television shows. He has his very own podcast show, called "The Jimmy Shubert Show," which is produced on The Network Studios." Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep67 - Michael Callen
E"Big Mike" Callen, aka Bryan's dad, brings his many years of experience in banking and foreign policy to to a discussion of the government shutdown and the state of Washington today.

Ep66 - Tom Segura
EBryan Callen sits down with comedian and podcaster, Tom Segura. They talk about stand-up comedy and much more. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep65 - Tim Snyder, Michael Callen
EIn a very special episode of The Bryan Callen Show, Mike Callen joins Bryan and Hunter in interviewing the authors of one of his very favorite books: Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. Detailing the combined atrocities of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, Professor Snyder's book views these events not as separate phenomenon but as different facets of the same tragedy. More than an important piece of scholarship, Professor Snyder's book is our best defense in assuring that atrocities like this never happen again. Mike Callen, Professor Snyder, Bryan and Hunter discuss the opening of the Soviet archives, why Hitler's atrocities are so much better remembered than Stalin's and why this period of history is so relevant today. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep64 - Jon Lovitz
EBryan and Hunter sit down with comedian and SNL Alumni, Jon Lovitz. They discuss their experiences doing comedy and sketch shows. Jon spoke about his personal experience coming up as a comedian as well as auditioning for SNL, not to mention getting the gig. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep63 - Sarah Rose
ESarah Rose is the author of For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History. At the beginning of the 19th century, China had a global monopoly on tea. One of the most valuable export products in the world, China carefully guarded every part of tea's production: the techniques, the workers and, most of all, the plants. So, when the British East India Company went looking for someone to steal every part of tea production and bring it to their plantations in India, they needed someone truly remarkable. At that point, no Westerners were allowed into the interior of China. Whoever the Company selected for the task would need the linguistic and cultural knowledge to pass into the heart of the Empire disguised as a Chinese person while still possessing the botanical skills to bring the tea plants out intact. They selected Scottish botanist Robert Fortune.A thrilling mix of history, industrial espionage and culture clash, For All the Tea in China is a very enjoyable read. Bryan and Sarah discuss the book and the process of writing history in general in this episode.Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep62 - Bret Ernst
EBryan sits down with good friend and comedian, Bret Ernst. They discuss comedy, acting, entertainment, sports and Bret marriage plans. This is our first installment of comedy Thursdays. Be sure to check us out on Mondays and Thursdays for new episodes. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep61 - Karen Karbo
EThe New York Times called Karen Karbo "a very funny writer" something that becomes abundantly clear in her wit-filled Kick-Ass Women series of books. Examining the lives of women who lived life on their own terms Karbo's treatment of Coco Chanel, Georgia O'Keefe and Katharine Hepburn goes beyond mere biography to discover the truths to making the most of every day. In her latest book Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life, Karbo gives not just the most personal view of Julia Child yet but more importantly surprising insights like the idea that lacking a skill can be your biggest asset. In this episode, Karen, Bryan and Hunter discuss Julia's rules and especially rule no. 5: all you need is a kitchen and a bedroom. Through sex and pie, Julia and Paul Child built a great marriage. Does anything else matter? You can find out for yourself by taking on Karen's #LiveLikeJulia challenge. Pick one of Julia's rules and try it out for one week, then share the results with the world. Karen Karbo blogs at karenkarbo.com and can be reached via twitter @karbohemia.

Ep60 - Kim Dower
EKim Dower is fast becoming acclaimed in the poetry world for her humor and "turns." The Los Angeles Times described her first collection Air Kissing on Mars as, "sensual and evocative lyrical snapshots of life's bittersweet moments, seamlessly combining humor and heartache." Recently, one of the poems in her latest collection Slice of Moon was selected by Garrison Keillor for his show, The Writer's Almanac, which broadcasts on 320 radio stations throughout the United States.In this episode, Bryan, Kim and Hunter discuss why poetry matters, why it is no longer a part of most people's lives and why it needs to make a comeback. Both of Kim's poetry collections are available on Amazon. You can find out more about her work at kimdowerpoet.com.

Ep59 - Joshua Foer
EIn 2006, Josh Foer became the U.S.A. Memory Champion and yet he insists his memory is totally average…and so do other memory champions like Ben Pridmore. In fact, as Foer recounts in his New York Times bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein, memory champions are just like the rest of us. Sure they can memorize the sequence of a deck of 52 cards in under 20 seconds or vast strings of random numbers, but it's not because they have better memories. It's because they use their memories better.From a time before the internet, the printing press and even the written word, the world's greatest memory champions drew a series of techniques that build on the strengths of human memory to make almost unimaginable feats doable. Foer lays bare how the ancients memorized epic poems like the Odyssey, innumerable speeches and developed an intimate knowledge of religious texts. The book is a journey into the fascinating subculture of international but more than that it is an examination of the power of the right kind of practice and a meditation on the trade-offs of technology. The easier it is to look up information, the less we memorize. Our base of knowledge has gotten broader, but our relationship to each piece of knowledge may also have gotten shallower.In this week's podcast, Josh, Bryan and Hunter discuss Josh's book, his time with pygmies in the Congo and the truth about photographic memory.

Ep58 - Dan Robinson
EDaniel N. Robinson is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Georgetown University and a Fellow of the Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University. According to Bryan, he's also probably the smartest man alive. Beginning his career in the biological sciences, Professor Robinson transitioned into studying everything from law to philosophy to the classics. In this episode, Professor Robinson, Bryan and Hunter discuss everything from the most brilliant but least known of the Founding Fathers to what today's architecture reveals about the religion and philosophy of our times. Professor Robinson is the author of, well, a lot of books on a whole variety of topics. Take a look at the list below and you'll understand why Bryan isn't joking when he says that Professor Robinson is probably the smartest man alive. Also, in today's episode, Professor Robinson quotes from Homer...in Ancient Greek. So, yeah, he's really, really smart. If you've ever wanted to have the chance to study at Oxford...this is your chance.

Ep57 - Larry Flynt
ELarry Flynt is America's most controversial and perhaps most effective living defender of the First Amendment. However, by his own admission, Larry Flynt did not set out to defend the Bill of Rights. He set out to have some fun and make some money. By the time he hit thirty, he had turned an $1,800 loan from his mom into a chain of eight strip clubs and founded the Hustler newsletter to promote his clubs. A couple of years later, that newsletter would become a full-fledged national magazine and Larry Flynt would become a millionaire. As Hustler grew, Flynt published more and more graphic pictures and more and more outrageous articles and satirical pieces all of which added up to Mr. Flynt spending a lot of time in court on obscenity charges. As he defended himself, he found himself having to defend the First Amendment. Unwilling to allow the courts to settle the matter, an assassin with a high-powered rifle attempted to take Mr. Flynt's life shooting him in the spine and paralyzing him below the waist. This would only intensify his efforts at defending the First Amendment leading to his landmark case Hustler Magazine v Falwell which would go all the way to the Supreme Court ultimately vindicating the right to parody public figures.In this interview, taped in Mr. Flynt's office overlooking Los Angeles, he shares his thoughts on the First Amendment, the true benefits of wealth and the state of politics today all with his characteristic straightforwardness and humor.Mr. Flynt is the author of many books including An Unseemly Man, Sex, Lies and Politics and One Nation Under Sex. Under Sex.

Ep56 - Matt Ridley
EListening to the news or hyperlinking our way through blog posts, it might seem like the end is nigh. Whether the coming crisis is environmental, economic or some intoxicating mix of the two, the message is always basically the same: humanity is about to screw everything up…forever! As Matt Ridley reveals in his 2010 prize-winning, bestseller The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves this eternal pessimism has more to do with human psychology than it does with the facts of the situation. Throughout history, there have always been professional harbingers of doom. In the old days, doomsdayers predicted man's greed and lust would bring about divine retribution. These days, we're treated to the idea that we might bring about our own destruction because of our relentless pursuit of wealth. In our desire for more food, bigger cars and a more comfortable lifestyle, we will use up all the oil, overheat the planet, pollute the oceans and wipe out all the polar bears. Notice any similarities? Man gratifies his desires…and is punished.While the apocalyptic scenarios on the nightly news might feel plausible, the facts say something very different: the future has never looked more promising. More and more people are being lifted out of poverty. The environment is improving. And all of this is due to the very technologies we're supposed to fear: pesticides, fertilizers, fracking and genetic engineering. Pessimism may feel reasonable, but optimism is what's rational. The Rational Optimist is a tour de force that not only restores your faith in the future, its overview of man's relentless ability to solve problems makes you proud to be human. Perhaps that's why Michael Callen references it all the time.In this episode, Matt, Bryan and Hunter discuss everything from why organic farming is bad for the environment to how the 2008 financial crisis refined Matt's view on the proper role of government in the economy. (Note: Matt Ridley was Chairman of Northern Rock, one of Britain's largest banks at the time.)Before writing The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley got a doctorate in Zoology from Oxford and wrote five books on biology: The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation, Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters, Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience, & What Makes Us Human and Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code. In case you're wondering, these were all bestsellers and also won lots of prizes.

Ep55 - Bob Harris
EImagine a bank that operates in 67 countries around the world, has one employee, has made thousands of loans with an average value of $25 a pop and is committed to never making a profit but believes it can help eradicate poverty through capitalism. You just imagined The International Bank of Bob. And Bob Harris thinks what he's done is so easy and so rewarding that it won't be long before you decide to set up The International Bank of "Your Name Here".While jet setting around the world as a writer for Forbes Traveller, Bob Harris found himself wondering when luxury moves from being fun to just being a waste of money. Is it when the hotel you're staying in offers a $7438 "cocktail" that is really just a shot of whiskey in a golden take-out cup? Or is it when you charge a small fortune for a cup of coffee because it has been pooped out of the ass of a rare Indonesian cat which you claim releases the subtle flavors of the beans? (It's called Kopi Luwak.) Or maybe it's when you spend billions of dollars building islands in the shape of a world map which then get washed away? Bob wasn't sure when luxury became stupidity but he was definitely sure there was a point where it did and so, in his own small way, he decided to find a way to take half his salary and put it towards eliminating poverty. Frequently disappointed by the results of charity, he was looking for something different. And that's how he found his way to micro finance and Kiva.org.Micro finance began in 1976 when Muhammad Yunus was visiting one of the poorest parts of his home country, Bangladesh. While there, Yunus was struck by the inability of the poor to get competitive loans for their entrepreneurial projects. Because banks would not lend to them, the poorest people were forced to go to loan sharks who charged back-breaking interest rates. The result was a cycle of poverty that was difficult to escape. And that's when Yunus decided that breaking the solution to poverty might not be charity; it might be banking. By giving out small loans to the country's poorest citizens, Grameen Bank, which Yunus founded, has helped drastically improve the lives of millions by empowering the poor to help themselves. With micro finance institutions in over 100 developing countries, it's no wonder that Yunus and the Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.So awesome is the power of micro finance to break the cycle of poverty that in 2004, Matt Flannery and Jessica Jackley set out to find a way to make it easier for people in the developed world to participate in these programs: the result was Kiva.org. Kiva.org allows you to log on and see people all over the developing world who are applying for loans and contribute to them. You can log on and see a photo of Martin who runs a convenience store and wants a loan of a few hundred dollars to buy a machine to process electronic payments or Rosalina in Honduras who wants a $1500 loan to buy fertilizer for her coffee crop. You can track the individual's loan history, their repayment rate and see how far they are to repaying their current loan. In short, Kiva is a far cry from the mega charities, we have become familiar with because it allows us to see on a personal and individual level how we are making a difference one individual at a time. Best of all, Kiva loans have a repayment rate of 99%, meaning that the same money can be reinvested again and again into helping new groups of people all over the world. As Bob made more and more loans, he developed a desire to meet the people he had sponsored and so he set out to visit bicycle repairmen in Morocco, the guy in Sarajevo who built a sports bar and a woman in Rwanda who in a year and a half used a series of micro finance loans to build a business that moved her and her children from living on a mat to having a proper house.The result is a deeply personal and very funny book that sets out to chronicle the stories of micro finance, but ends up leaving the reader with a sense of the universality of human intelligence, work ethic and a desire to provide a better life for our kids. In this episode of the show, Bob, Bryan and Hunter discuss the power of micro finance and the ability of tiny choices to radically change the lives of thousands. It's really moving and heartfelt…in a way that sometimes made us feel awkward...and that's why the conversation occasionally deviated into talking about strippers Bryan has micro financed and the fact that Bob won Jeopardy a bunch of times then wrote an awesome book about it called The Prisoner of Trebekistan. Bob Harris is the author of four books: The International Bank of Bob: Connecting our Worlds one $25 Loan at a Time, Prisoner of Trebekistan, Who Hates Whom, a pocket guide to global conflict; Beyond Caprica, a mock travel guide to the 12 colonies of the Caprica/Battlestar Galactica universe.If you'd like to try micro finance, Kiva is offering people the chance to invest $25 of a rich dude's money and see what the

Ep54 - Richard Miles
EFor over 120 years and across three separate wars, Rome and Carthage battled for control of the Mediterranean in a no-holds barred conflict that would see Hannibal march his elephants across the Alps, terrorize the Italian mainland for fifteen years but ultimately be utterly defeated. When the Romans defeated Carthage, they not only sold its people into slavery but also razed it to the ground until the city, the civilization and its written records were wiped from history. To this day, many of us are still captivated by Hannibal's famous march and awed by the idea that the Romans not only destroyed the city but salted the earth so that nothing living could ever survive there again. Why does this civilization that has left no great monuments, no great books and no great institutions still capture our imagination?Richard Miles is the senior lecturer in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney and the author of Carthage Must Be Destroyed. In this episode of the show, he says that the power of Carthage in the modern Western mind is that it taps into our deepest insecurity: the fear that Western civilization will fail. The British Empire lived in constant fear that its days were numbered and, since the founding of the United States, Americans have worried that collapse might be imminent. We remember Carthage precisely because it represents our own deepest fears: that everything we have built might amount to nothing.Besides Carthage's symbolic power, Richard, Bryan and Hunter discuss war elephants, Alexander the Great and the very different (and much more brutal) nature of ancient warfare. Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization is available in print, eBook and audiobook.

Ep53 - Jonathan Haidt
EAs a professor at the University of Virginia, Jonathan Haidt uses the scientific method to study human morality…which leads to asking people some pretty screwed up questions. Would it be wrong if a man bought a chicken from the store for dinner, had sex with it and then ate it? A brother and sister are on holiday together and they decide it would be fun to have sex. The sister is already on the pill, but the brother decides to use a condom just to be safe. They enjoy it, but they decide to just do it this one time and keep it as a secret between them. The secret brings them closer. You may or may not have a problem with having sex with your dinner, but you probably have a big problem with a brother and sister having sex. The question is why? Most people's first reaction is to say that close relatives shouldn't have children because of the high risk of genetic abnormalities, but with the sister on the pill and the brother using a condom is that really a risk. But wouldn't it destroy their relationship? Well, in this situation, sharing a secret of their one-time fling brought them closer together. What hypotheticals like these reveal is that we feel that things are wrong first and then we struggle with reasons to justify those feelings. Are we rational creatures or are we primarily emotional creatures searching for reasons to justify what we feel? In his first book, The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, Jon Haidt manages to draw ten great ideas from the world's ancient religions and analyzes them through the lens of modern scientific research. Haidt does so much more than simply examine the practical benefits of ancient teachings from the perspective of neurology and psychology; he also reflects on the nature of religion itself. Is the propensity for religious experience born into us? If so, what function does it serve? While The Happiness Hypothesis compellingly answers these questions, it is Haidt's second book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion he delves much more deeply into the consequences of modern research for a society. Religion, like politics, serves to draw us out of ourselves and bind us into a group that is larger than ourselves, but it also gives us the feeling that our view of the world is the truth whole and entire. By creating understanding of the universal tendency towards being blinded by our emotions, Haidt is on a mission to foster a dialogue between political and religious groups that operates from a place of humility and a genuine desire to understand the other person's perspective. On the show, Bryan, Jonathan and Hunter discuss everything from why Washington is broken to why 1% of men give the rest of us a bad name to tribes in Papua New Guinea that believe a little homosexuality is essential for becoming a man. It's an hour-long journey through the weird and wonderful world of human nature that will leave you with time-tested and science-tested wisdom for how you can be happier and more fulfilled. Jonathan Haidt can be followed on twitter at @JonHaidt. For more on his work check out The Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind and the following websites: www.RighteousMind.com www.YourMorals.com

Ep52 - Ken Chase
EDr. Ken Chase is the author of Firearms: A Global History to 1700, which legendary historian William McNeill described as "a great achievement." In Firearms, Ken does much more than summarize how firearms develops; he asks why China was the first to develop gunpowder but failed to turn that early lead into an effective gun. Popular explanations tend to focus on culture and race, but Ken has delved deep into the records of the time and in an engaging narrative reveals that not developing the modern gun was a rational response when you realize the Chinese were fighting the Mongols. Unlike modern firearms, early firearms were slow, heavy, lacked range and were ineffective…especially against fast moving Mongol horsemen. That's because a cannon required not only the horses to carry it, but the horses to carry the food to feed the horses that carried the cannon. Then, of course, more horses were needed to carry food for those horses meaning that all in all 200 horses were required to provide support for a single cannon. Given the incredible speed and range of Mongol warriors, these early firearms were more of a liability than an asset which is precisely why the Chinese never made them a priority. A very different situation existed in Europe. Settled agricultural civilizations fought settled agricultural civilizations. Without the ability to run away and their heavy reliance on stone walls, cities were an ideal target for attack by cannon. Very quickly the cannon became a mainstay of European warfare and the road to transforming the firearm into the essential weapon had been embarked upon.Bryan, Hunter and Ken discuss firearms, history, the challenges of supplying an army and a lot about the mind-blowing military prowess of the Mongols. Mongol impressiveness is a topic that Ken feels very comfortable talking about as he is currently working on a multi-volume edition history of the Mongols that will require him learning to read in several new languages. Given that Ken has kids and his day job is as a high-end corporate lawyer in Hong Kong, it's no wonder that he expects his next book to take a decade to write. Look for it in 2024! In the meantime, you can enjoy hearing about all sorts of awesome Mongol eating habits and military domination.

Ep51 - James Rollins
EWhile working as a vet and running a practice with fifteen employees, James began writing again. Beginning with short stories, he built his confidence and his skills until eventually he felt ready to tackle a full novel. As a huge fan of spelunking--or caving--it was natural that his Freshman effort should take place in a cave. Using the beats of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park as a template, he created a story set deep in the bowels of the earth called Subterranean. After 50 rejections, he finally found an agent. James' response was to start writing in an entirely different genre: fantasy. Nowadays, James Czajkowski maintains two entirely separate but highly-successful literary careers, writing thrillers under the name James Rollins and fantasy novels under the name James Clemens. He is still a vet as a "hobby."James is best known for his Sigma Force series of novels, page turners which incorporate history, science and action. The latest in the series Eye of God sees the Sigma Force team racing around the world to prevent dark-matter induced catastrophe from destroying the world. Bryan, James and Hunter discuss James' latest novel, the unpredictably predictable reason why James returned to writing, creativity, favorite authors and how James is able to write two novels a year.Eye of God is available from bookstores everywhere and is also available as an audiobook. Eye of God is currently on The New York Times Bestseller list.

Ep50 - Mark Kurlansky
EWhen Mark Kurlansky wrote Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, he was not only publishing a New York Times Bestseller but also creating a whole new type of book. Since then books focused on everything from coffee to bananas to the color purple have tried to capture Kurlansky's ability to narrow in on one aspect of history and show us that contained within that seemingly tiny story we can see the entire world. Bryan and Hunter discuss Kurlansky classics such as Salt, The Big Oyster, 1968 and The Basque History of the World before moving onto Kurlansky's 25th book…that's right…his 25th book which is released today, July 11th. Ready For a Brand New Beat takes a detailed look at Marvin Gaye's 1964 classic song Dancing in the Street and shows how the Motown classic, while striving to stay apolitical couldn't help becoming the anthem of America's changing political consciousness. The show ends with a discussion of what Dancing in the Street has to teach us about politics and protest today and whether Occupy Wall Street fell apart because the movement lacked an anthem that could hold it together.

Ep49 - Lara Setrakian
EAs a reporter for ABC and Bloomberg Television, Lara Setrakian crisscrossed the Middle East reporting live as the Arab Spring spread throughout the region. Her first-hand experience of what was happening in the region left her increasingly frustrated with the rift between what was actually occurring and what the American people were hearing. Breaking away from a burgeoning career in TV news, Lara took a cue from the digitally-savvy young Arabs who were transforming the region and set out to use the power of the internet to create a revolution in the way news is provided.Since December 2012, Lara has runSyriaDeeply.org, a site devoted exclusively to in-depth coverage of the Syria conflict. With interactive tools such as timelines, a defection tracker and diagrams that map out the relationships between the key players, Syria Deeply empowers visitors with the tools and the stories to move beyond mere awareness of the conflict to a deep and genuine understanding. With other single-issue news sites in the works--ranging from Myanmar Deeply to Autism Deeply--Lara and her team are poised to give important issues the depth of coverage that each of them deserves.Lara joins Bryan and Hunter on the podcast to talk about why she felt she had to start Syria Deeply, the conflict that is going on there, why it matters to the US and why the US needs to articulate a clear foreign policy. Lara Setrakian can be followed on twitter at @Lara.

Ep48 - Jim Rickards
EIn 2009, Jim Rickards was invited by The Pentagon to participate in a new kind of war game where the only weapons to be used would be financial. From the lessons of The Great Depression to the possibility of returning to the gold standard to what's really wrong in Washington, Bryan Callen, Jim Rickards and Hunter Maats pick apart the state of the financial world today. In addition to his work as a lawyer and investment banker, Jim Rickards is the author of The New York Times-bestseller Currency Wars.

Ep47 - David Kwong
EHunter Maats sits in with Bryan Callen on this episode. Bryan interviews magician David Kwong. Called the "Illusunist for Intellectuals," by the Wall Street Journal also known as Hollywood's Favorite Trickster. A scholar of the history of magic. They discuss a variety of different topics focused around the magic industry.

Ep46 - Elliott Hulse
EIn this episode, Bryan interviews strength training coach, Elliott Hulse. He's been blogging and creating videos about building strength, increasing vitality and about how to become the strongest version of yourself since 2006. His website is simple, it is to share powerful ideas that help us all to become stronger in every way possible.

Ep45 - David Blaine
EDavid Blaine opens up about what motivates him to succeed and where it all comes from in the first place. I've known the guy for 23 years and it was a privilege to bring you the man behind the magic. You can't succeed without failing. Period.

Ep44 - Dave Asprey
EDave Asprey, asks Why do I do this? Because I'm happier when I get to help people, and because it took nearly 20 years and $250k to learn how to do things that aren't supposed to be possible and then to use them to be a better entrepreneur, husband, and father. Things like how to upgrade my brain (12 IQ points!), get lean quickly (after weighing 300 lbs 15 years ago), have more energy, or just give a press conference in 4 different countries in 4 days without getting sick. If you'd like to take this journey with me, and upgrade your performance in every aspect of life, then please sign up for my email newsletter. You'll gain instant access to my Biohacker Toolbox, including a copy of The Bulletproof Diet; which I used to go from a sick 300lb. young adult, to a lean, high-performing VP, coach, and father.

Ep43 - Jimmy Burke
EBryan sits down with best friend and Prince of New York, Jimmy Burke. They discuss a variety of different topics, focusing around the fighter life. Jimmy Burke comes from a fighter family. His father was a boxer and is in the Boxing Hall of Fame in New York.

Ep42 - Michael Callen
EBack by popular demand, Michael Callen, father of Bryan Callen, is making his 4th appearance on the show. They discuss how Mike is relearning Algebra, in an effort to exercise the brain, from the standpoint of thinking and logic. Mike offers up a book called, "How To Win Every Argument," by Madsen Pirie. This book describes the foundations of how the brain rationalizes thoughts and emotions. How people arrive at a specific place in their mind. If you're in the mood to learn a lot in an hour long podcast, then this is the episode for you. Remember to rate and comment about the show on iTunes.

Ep41 - Kurt Schwengel
EKurt Schwengel has been teaching Kindergarten for over 17 years at the Franklin elementary School in Santa Monica. Franklin school. This former D1 baseball player is considered the rock star of Kindergarten teachers and he travels across the U.S. teaching other teachers how to teach. We talk about what's wrong with education in this country, how to fix it and his philosophy on learning in general. We also touch on the Newtown shootings and what went through his mind that terrible day. Fascinating and funny!

Ep40 - John Romaniello & Adam Bornstein
EYou were born to achieve greatness, to be a man. But somewhere along the way you started to live an ordinary life. Fitness experts John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein developed a system that targets hormone optimization; their approach is specifically designed to transform you into the Alpha you were always meant to be. Strong. Confident. Powerful. Based on cutting-edge, scientifically validated methods known only to the fitness elite, Man 2.0 provides a step-by-step road map to regaining your health, looking your best, supercharging your sex life—even reversing the aging process. The systems in this book have changed the lives of countless men who've worked with Romaniello and Bornstein.

Ep39 - Stoney Curtis
EStoney Curtis is an American pornographic actor, director and producer. He founded the adult film companies Celestial Productions in 1998, and Lethal Hardcore in 2004. In 2010 he was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.

Ep38 - Ronda Rousey
EFeaturing Ronda Rousey, an American mixed martial artist and judoka. She is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has defeated all of her opponents by armbar in the first round. Rousey became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

Ep37 - Bruce Buffer
EBruce Buffer is the official Octagon announcer for UFC events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon". He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and professional wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is the President and CEO of their company "The Buffer Partnership". Both Michael and Bruce are grandsons of late boxer Johnny Buff. Buffer holds a black belt in Tang Soo Do and has fought as a kickboxer.

Ep36 - Brendan Schaub
EFeaturing Brendan Schaub, they talk about the fighting world, self-doubt, the challenge of being a champ and learning how to over come. Real fighting. Great stuff.

Ep35 - Vincent LaBarbera
EMr. LaBarbera has been awarded Martindale-Hubbell's highest A.V. rating. As a federal and state criminal defense attorney, Mr. LaBarbera has argued over two hundred trials and appeals. He has litigated over 4,500 cases, including federal and state white collar crimes, telemarketing fraud, special circumstances murder, gangs and three-strikes cases, assault, embezzlement and other theft related offenses, domestic violence, narcotics possession, cultivation, manufacturing and sales, and driving under the influence.

Ep34 - Steve-O
EFeaturing Steve-O (a.k.a. Stephen Glover) has become a household name and it all started when he snatched a video camera from his father's closet when he was fifteen years old. From there he started producing homemade skateboarding videos featuring dangerous stunts mixed with comical behavior.

Ep33 - Kenny Hotz
EFeaturing Kenny Hotz, a Toronto based producer and comedian. He is a former South Park consultant and writer, creator/star of the Comedy Central television show Kenny vs. Spenny, creator and writer of the FX series Testees, and the creator/star of Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will.

Ep32 - Tom Bigley
EThis episode features 1st Sgt. Tom Bigley, a former Delta Force Operator. He's been in every U.S. conflict since Panama. He gives an inside look into the responsibility and philosophy one must possess when overseeing or taking part in an elite combat action group.

Ep31 - Sam Sheridan
EFeaturing Sam Sheridan, author of "A Fighter's Heart," "A Fighter's Mind," and most recently "The Disaster Diaries." They discuss a variety of different ways you can prepare yourself for a disaster as well as the misconception of how easy it is to be prepared for everything.

Ep30 - Tim Ferriss
EFeaturing Tim Ferriss, an American author, entrepreneur, angel investor, and public speaker. In 2007, he published The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, and a USA Today bestseller. In 2010, he followed up with The 4-Hour Body, which was another #1 New York Times bestseller. Ferriss' third book, The 4-Hour Chef, was released in November 2012 and was a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller. Be sure to rate the show on iTunes and leave us a comment.

Ep29 - Jay Mohr
EFeaturing Comedian/Actor/Producer and podcaster, Jay Mohr. They discuss a variety of different topics, from the books they both are reading and/or listening to, as well as the (3) people they would love to meet, if they were given the chance. e sure to rate the show on iTunes and leave us a comment.

Ep28 - Michael Callen
EBack by popular demand is Bryan's father, Mr. Michael Callen, a retired financial businessman, who at one time ran the largest banks in the world, Citicorp. In this episode, they discuss the fiscal cliff as well as Michael's time in Iwo Jima as a U.S. Marine. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Ep27 - John Leguizamo
EShow producer, Mike Casentini and Bryan, close out the year by reviewing some of the past episodes as well as discussing the future of the show. As an added bonus, we've attached a short interview with actor/comedian, John Leguizamo, on the set of the movie, "Ride Along." Bryan interviews John while they wait to be call to set.

Ep26 - Kevin Hart
EFeaturing actor and comedian, Kevin Hart. On the set of the movie, "Ride Along," Bryan interviews Kevin in his trailer. Kevin plays a prank on Bryan for the first 25 minutes, and if it's comedy you want, then comedy you shall get.

Ep25 - Hunter Maats
EFeaturing Hunter Maats, author of "The Straight-A Conspiracy." In this episode, they discussissues pertaining to the country as well as asking the questions: Why do nations fail and what are the challenges we face in the future?

Ep24 - Christy Wampole
EFeaturing Christy Wampole, Assistant Professor of French and Italian at Princeton and author of "How to Live Without Irony," a critically acclaimed article in the New York Times.

Ep23 - Artie Lange
EFeaturing Stand-up comedian, actor and MADtv alumni, Artie Lange. They discuss their time at MADtv and Artie opens up about his time in rehab. Funny stories about playing Scrabble in a psych ward and keeping score. Differences between the psych ward and county jail.

Ep22 - Will Sasso
EThe episode is sponsored by AudiblePodcast.com/Manthoughts, featuring good friend, television and film actor and the creator of the 10 Minute Podcast, British Columbia very own Will Sasso. They discuss a variety of topics, including the entertainment industry and more.

Ep21 - Dov Davidoff
EFeaturing good friend and standup comedian, actor, writer, Dov Davidoff. The discuss the ways of the world, including entitlements, world populations and technology. The talk about the book, "Gun, Germs and Steel," by Jared Diamond.

Ep20 - Hernando Chaves
EFeaturing sex therapist, Dr. Hernando Chaves. They discuss sex as it pertains to men and women in relationships. The focus is on, how to be a better lover in your relationships and oh yes, they do talk about penis size.

Ep19 - Mike Catherwood
EFeaturing Radio and television personality Mike Catherwood of Lovelines with Dr. Drew and Simone Bienne. He's one of the most beloved names in Los Angeles' top rated radio market. Known to listeners as Psycho Mike, he has created some of the most well-received characters for the groundbreaking KROQ radio program The Kevin and Bean Show. In this episode, Bryan and Mike discuss rock n' roll, tattoos as well as Mike's stint with drugs and alcohol and his recovery.