Ben Wilson

So, this is good, because I always like... I produced half of all the episodes I produced last year, which was a big jump up for me.

I had about 100 episodes at the end of 2024 and produced 44 of them in 2024. And the way I was able to get my production up so much is I just copied your process. I was like, all right, clearly I'm not doing this well. And this is the whole hypothesis of my...

I had about 100 episodes at the end of 2024 and produced 44 of them in 2024. And the way I was able to get my production up so much is I just copied your process. I was like, all right, clearly I'm not doing this well. And this is the whole hypothesis of my...

Podcasts you can just copy people like you take their playbook and it's a great way to do it It's like I'm just I'm just gonna steal and you were obviously very open and very willing to share which helped a lot And so I just started I was like I'm using read wise I'm taking notes exactly how David takes notes, but like I don't have it all so Like one of the things I want to talk to you about a little bit more is your process So I know how you take notes, which is you read you highlight you like to physically highlight red pen ruler, okay, and

Podcasts you can just copy people like you take their playbook and it's a great way to do it It's like I'm just I'm just gonna steal and you were obviously very open and very willing to share which helped a lot And so I just started I was like I'm using read wise I'm taking notes exactly how David takes notes, but like I don't have it all so Like one of the things I want to talk to you about a little bit more is your process So I know how you take notes, which is you read you highlight you like to physically highlight red pen ruler, okay, and

And then you go afterwards and you kind of read back through it. You take pictures of it and index it and read wise. I'm a little less clear on what happens then. So then you've got all your notes. How do you go about structuring it? Like, do you just leave it chronologically and then you just kind of read through and talk it through as you're on the podcast? Or what does that look like?

And then you go afterwards and you kind of read back through it. You take pictures of it and index it and read wise. I'm a little less clear on what happens then. So then you've got all your notes. How do you go about structuring it? Like, do you just leave it chronologically and then you just kind of read through and talk it through as you're on the podcast? Or what does that look like?

It's so interesting to me that because I've heard you say on podcasts or interviews or maybe the panel we did or something, but I've heard you say, I don't know anything about storytelling. Like I'm not a storyteller. I don't think about storytelling as a craft.

It's so interesting to me that because I've heard you say on podcasts or interviews or maybe the panel we did or something, but I've heard you say, I don't know anything about storytelling. Like I'm not a storyteller. I don't think about storytelling as a craft.

But to me, you're a very good storyteller for exactly that reason is I feel like most people feel the need to just, well, I need to flesh out. the details here. I need to tell, I need to get across the information. And you just have no compulsion about that. You're like, no, I'm here to say the interesting things. I'm going to move directly from interesting point to interesting point.

But to me, you're a very good storyteller for exactly that reason is I feel like most people feel the need to just, well, I need to flesh out. the details here. I need to tell, I need to get across the information. And you just have no compulsion about that. You're like, no, I'm here to say the interesting things. I'm going to move directly from interesting point to interesting point.

And that's it. I'm cutting out everything else.

And that's it. I'm cutting out everything else.

So this is brilliant because I've been reading Thus Spake Zarathustra by Nietzsche because I'm working on a Nietzsche episode. And he has a quote that's basically exactly what you just said. Because you just go, like you say, stories and aphorisms are what people remember. Yeah, what people remember. And so that's just, you just go straight from... story to story from aphorism to aphorism.

So this is brilliant because I've been reading Thus Spake Zarathustra by Nietzsche because I'm working on a Nietzsche episode. And he has a quote that's basically exactly what you just said. Because you just go, like you say, stories and aphorisms are what people remember. Yeah, what people remember. And so that's just, you just go straight from... story to story from aphorism to aphorism.

And in Thus Spakes Zarathustra, he says, in the mountains, the shortest way is from peak to peak. But for that, one must have long legs. Aphorisms should be peaks and those who are addressed tall and lofty.

And in Thus Spakes Zarathustra, he says, in the mountains, the shortest way is from peak to peak. But for that, one must have long legs. Aphorisms should be peaks and those who are addressed tall and lofty.

So that is exactly what you just said, that like he just he believes in writing, going from aphorism to aphorism, from intelligent thought to intelligent thought, skipping over everything else in between and only addressing yourself to people who are

So that is exactly what you just said, that like he just he believes in writing, going from aphorism to aphorism, from intelligent thought to intelligent thought, skipping over everything else in between and only addressing yourself to people who are

I'm interested in this, though, because I agree completely. And you're so open and generous. And you talked about podcasting is like filmmaking. It's not zero-sum. It's collaborative. But one of the things you've been talking a lot about recently is secrets and the power of secrets. So how do you kind of square those two ideas, right?