Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Episodes
Boris Eldegsan: Fake Images & Your Future
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cal speaks with the German artist who won the Sony World Photography award with a fake photo – one he generated through artificial intelligence wit...
Joe Chura: Sensing Your Next Business Coach
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After starting out on a Ford Assembly line, Joe made a fortune starting and selling a digital marketing agency and serving as CEO of an automotive tec...
Happy New Year Ayahuasca!
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cal brings in the New Year with a conversation that takes his friend Natalie Baird-King from hell to heaven. After getting overwhelmed by patterns of ...
Best Takeaways of 2023
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal looks back on a year of conversations to highlight nuggets of wisdom, along with the advice that is changing his life. This episode could change y...
Dan Donachie: Your Awareness Coach
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder how much more you could get out of life if you were more aware of everything going on around you? Cal has. Which led him to Dan Donachie. ...
Your Crazy Life To $2 Million-A-Month Coach
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of the wildest episodes you're ever going to hear. Goose McGrath has gone from breaking his spine as an adolescent in a motorbike accident...
Delta's Alicia Tillman: How To Approach Your Job
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal's conversation with the Chief Marketing Officer of Delta looks at how she came to be named one of the most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes...
Chris Ullman: Your 80-20 Rule For Success
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal gets some takeaways from the author of Four Billionaires and Parking Attendant. The book has been reviewed as, "a blueprint for building a career ...
Your Thanksgiving Table Coaches
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Quite a few people have recently told Cal how the Thanksgiving table has somehow changed since we were locked in by the pandemic. But air travel has r...
Merrick Furst: Your Innovation Coach
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you know if your good idea is a good idea? What's the secret sauce behind turning a good idea into an innovative company? Why are roughly only...
Michael Gervais: Your Mastery Coach
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal's old pal has written a new book: The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worry About What People Think of You. And he shows Cal how to stop wasting time...
Crew: The Power Of Authentic Connections
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There were many company leaders tasked with holding together the people who worked for them during the pandemic. But who was there to support them? Th...
Jordan Shlain: Set Your Mind In The Future
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Cal finds himself dwelling on the past in a world filled with conflicts, he gets an unexpected phone call and advice from his friend, Dr. Shlai...
10/7 And The Days We Never Forget
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hamas attack on Israel was like nothing anyone in that country had ever seen and it took the world to a new and very tense place. Cal was set to ...
How Does ChatGPT Describe YOU?
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Philip Shucet, a Big Questions listener, took the equivalent of a selfie on ChatGPT when he asked the artificial intelligence model to tell him who h...
Glenn Livingston: Your Hallowean Sugar Coach
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, the author of Never Binge Again helped listeners of Big Questions enjoy Thanksgiving a little more by showing us how to eat less. This yea...
John Paul DeJoria: A Billionaire's Blessing
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal speaks with the man who founded Paul Mitchell hair care products after borrowing $700 while living out of his car, which led to his founding of t...
Your How To Scale A Big Idea Coach
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with Sarah Dusek about how she went from food stamps to creating and selling a $100-million company. Sarah gives step-by-step advice that c...
How To Be An Experiential Billionaire
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taught from birth to measure wealth in currency, but Joe Huff and Bridget Hilton have created one of the largest surveys on life experiences eve...
Michael Wright: 9/11 Remembered
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal replays the conversation with a man who was working on the 81 st floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the hijacked planes hi...
Sally Jenkins: Best Takeaways From Sports
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world of sports is about being the best you can be. Award-winning sportswriter Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post has compiled wisdom from the c...
Tom Cruise: Your Mission Impossible Coach
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After watching the latest Mission Impossible movie, Cal remembers an interview he did with Tom for Esquire Magazine. A snippet from that interview wa...
George Kramb: Your Patient Partner Coach
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone who's ever had a medical problem knows how good it feels to talk to somebody who's successfully gone through the same treatment. Patient Part...
Simon Alexander Ong: Your Energize Coach
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The author of Energize: Make The Most Out Of Every Moment, shows Cal how to get energy from the way you approach your job, exercise, food, sunlight, t...
Jason Feifer: Your Build For Tomorrow Coach
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine released a book that is an action plan for embracing change and future proofing your career. T...
David Nihill: Laugh, And Get Funnier, Too!
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Cal first met the comedian, he was starting out as Irish Dave. Now, the author of Do You Talk Funny? is packing comedy clubs under his legal nam...
Matt Abrahams: Your Talk Smarter Coach
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal catches up with the Stanford lecturer who's spent a lifetime showing people how to think faster and speak better in public. It all started when Ma...
Amy Newmark: Your Happiness Coach
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Cal found out that Amy had read 30,000 personal stories written by people about finding happiness, he figured she would have detected some patter...
Bryan Stern: Your Freedom Coach
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
More than 6,000 Americans and friends of America have been rescued in dangerous spots in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan over the last two years by Br...
Michael Bungay Stanier: Your Coaching Coach
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael has sold more than a million copies of his book: The Coaching Habit. And now he's releasing one called: How To Work With (Almost) Anyone. Both...
Mario Garcia: Your Achieve A Dream Coach
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all have childhood dreams. Many of them elude us as we age and take more practical roads in life. This episode focuses on Mario Garcia's decision i...
Dan Lyons: Your Meaningful Conversation Coach
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
That's a nice and soft way to title an episode with the author who wrote the book STFU. That's short for: Shut The F--- Up. The Power Of Keeping Your ...
Bruce Feiler: Your Workquake Coach
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast has implications for all who work. It's important to know how "workquakes" are coming into our lives more and more frequently, push...
ChatGPT: Your Wedding Anniversary Coach
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After being advised to immerse himself in artificial intelligence, Cal asks ChatGPT for help in finding just the right gift for his upcoming wedding ...
Jesse Tyler Ferguson: Your Modern Family Coach
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with one of the stars on the sitcom Modern Family, who along with actor Eric Stonestreet, portrayed gay family life in a humorous way that m...
Andrew Frawley: Our Mental Health Coach
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out that there is one area in America where nearly everyone is in agreement: there is a mental health emergency. There are many reasons for t...
Kevin Kelly: Your Wisdom Coach
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody loves great quotes more than Cal. So it's no wonder Cal was smitten by Kevin's latest book: Excellent Advice For Living, Wisdom I Wish I'd Know...
Gary Arndt: Your Travel Coach
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gary grew up in Wisconsin and never saw salt water until he was 21 years old. He's been making up for it ever since, at one point traveling around th...
Dr. Stephen Cabral: Your Integrative Health Coach
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine waking up one day as a teenager with golf ball-sized glands under your neck, under your armpits and your groin; your tongue swollen, your hea...
Ryan Hawk: Your Leadership Coach
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan has been a natural leader ever since he was seven years old and he was plucked out of a bunch of kids on a football team to be quarterback. He st...
Mori Taheripour: Your Negotiating Coach
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal discovers that some of his key attributes – curiosity, creating comfortability and connecting – equally apply to negotiations. And that maybe...
Arjun Rai: Your Technology Coach
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal is introduced to an app that pairs photos with new contacts, and immediately senses that the young founder of the company that built the app would...
Paul McCaffery: Your Bank Coach
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with a man who many people see as the ideal banking coach to understand the recent turmoil in the banking industry. Paul McCaffery is a Mana...
The Grizzly Bear: Your Courage Coach
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal tells the harrowing story of two college wrestlers who walked straight into a Grizzly bear near Yellowstone Park last year. Then asks: What would ...
Casper ter Kuile: Your Ritual Coach
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As technology connects us more and more, we tend to find ourselves more and more disconnected as humans. The numbers back this up. We're working alone...
Phillip Stutts: Your Stem Cell Coach
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Phillip Stutts, a political marketing guru who has helped engineer more than 1,500 election wins including three presidencies, had 650-million stem ce...
Rick Sanchez: Your Job Pivot Coach
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody loves a great comeback story, and this is one of them. Rick came to Florida as a boy in a family of Cuban immigrants. His parents never mad...
Jeffrey Gitomer: Your Positive Sales Coach
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal gets some lessons on positivity from the best-selling author on Yes!Attitude and couldn't wait to pass them on. You're guaranteed to be more posit...
Nick Leader: The Avoid Surgery Coach
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out that sometimes back pain doesn't originate in the back – it's from a connected area. But that connection can go un-diagnosed and surge...
Damon Darnall: Your Drone Coach
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Damon Darnall, the president of Sky Eye Network, also known as The Drone Boss, tells Cal how drones will pop out of the ground like sprinkler systems ...
James Altucher Interviews Cal About Larry King
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal wanted to remember Larry King on the second anniversary of his passing through an episode of Big Questions. The best way, he discovere...
Jeremy Schneider: Your Money In 2023 Coach
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal catches up with the man behind Personalfinanceclub.com during a time of inflation, cryptocurrency crashes, a looming recession and a congressional...
Dan Martell: Your Buy Back Your Time Coach
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal was curious about ways to get more out of his time when he heard about Dan Martell's book: Buy Back Your Time. He was stunned by Dan's amazing bac...
Shawn Askinosie: Connect With Yourself Coach
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with the criminal defense attorney who never lost a case and then found the meaning of his life through creating a company that creates amaz...
Connecting With Pele
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the day of Pele's burial, Cal goes to the archives for an interview he did with the man many consider to be the greatest soccer player of all time....
Best Takeaways From Coaches 2022
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal looks back at some of the best ideas from expert guests on Big Questions over the last year to live a healthier life – including how to sleep be...
Matt McBride: Reconnect With A Friend Coach
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal asks you to reach out to an old friend you haven't connected with in a while because something good is sure to happen. That was the case for Matt ...
Jim Walesa: Your Robot For Christmas Coach
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every day, ten thousand people in America turn 65. Every 57 seconds, cognitive problems are diagnosed. And the worst part is forty thousand healthcare...
Joel Beasley: Difficulties Into Opportunities Coach
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Joel was eleven years old, he was struck on the street by a car driven by a woman who was looking at her cellphone. When Joel woke up, he saw a m...
Mark Wilhelmsson: Save A Choking Child Coach
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly every hour, an infant or young child chokes to death or dies in an unexpected accident. When Mark Wilhelmsson saw his two-year-old gasping for ...
The Father-Son Alzheimer's Bike Trip Coach
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The approach of Thanksgiving is the perfect time to hear about the 73-day, 4,200mile bike ride Kari Loya took with his 75-year-old father who was at t...
Glenn Livingston: Never Binge Again Coach
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal speaks with Glenn Livingston, the author of the best-seller about concrete steps to avoid overeating. This episode comes at the perfect time. Cal...
Matt Bromley: Surfing Fear And Purpose Coach
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal looks to discover if there is anything in our ordinary lives that mirrors the fear and purpose Matt Bromley feels when he surfs 50-foot waves. Cal...
Sev MacLaughlin: Your Early Detection Health Coach
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not long ago, Sev MacLaughlin was working as a waiter in a polyester tuxedo. Listen to how the death of his father sent him on a mission to develop ar...
Michael Ockrim: Getting America In Shape Coach
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After losing 30 pounds through a slow and methodical change in diet and portion size, Cal sets off to follow the same strategy with exercise. Basic bo...
Devin Burke: Your Sleep Coach
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal gets some tips from a man whose life is dedicated to helping people get a good night's sleep. Whatever age or sleeping situation you're in, Devin ...
Darin Olien: Your Superfoods Coach
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with the man who evolved from drinking a six-pack of Coca Cola every day as a boy to the author of Superlife: the 5 Simple Fixes that will m...
Dr. Jay Wellons: Your Neurosurgeon Coach
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to some amazing surgery stories this week about what it's like to operate on a child's brain from Dr. Jay Wellons, a pediatric neurosurgeon at ...
Dr. James Bianco: New Cancer Treatment Coach
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Morphogenesis has an immunotherapy treatment that has worked in five out of five clinical trials on skin cancer and it's nasty cousin, Merkel Cell can...
Rich Palarea: Transparency: In Healthcare Coach
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Palarea's introduction on Twitter reads: "I won't sleep until I fix $ waste in healthcare." Cal listens to the story of how Rich became CEO...
Serena, Gorbachev And The Hugs
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal takes a moment to pause and reflect on moments he had with two icons who said farewell recently in very different ways. Tennis great Serena Willia...
Michael Wright: Surviving (9/11) Tragedy Coach
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal takes a moment to honor those impacted by the attack on the World Trade Center that killed more than 3,000 people in 2001. He replays his conversa...
Jason Harris: The Marketing Coach
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many people have avoided going to the doctor during the time of Covid . . . unless they had Covid. This may have resulted in missing an early detectio...
Annie Brewster: Storytelling For Health Coach
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal has spent his life writing stories and telling them on stage. Big Questions started after he told stories for three straight hours on Tim Ferriss'...
A New Way To See The Doctor
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Until this week, Cal never knew that more than ten percent of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were physicians. Doctors a...
Johnny Crowder: Your Self Care Coach
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Johnny Crowder is motivation to all when it comes to changing the way you think about your health. He's actually rewired his brain to get the best pos...
Glen Tullman Changes Health & Care
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a couple of years now, Cal has been asking questions to get to the root of why we're all so disappointed with aspects of healthcare. This week, he...
What Healthcare Does To Your Paycheck
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Hollingsworth, the CEO of Carta Healthcare, has had a sense of the way healthcare can Impact a family's financial health since . . . well, perhap...
Pete Kadens Puts A Doctor In The House
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal is introduced to a man who's orchestrated 4,000 college scholarships to students from low-income areas and who plans to extend 30,000 scholarships...
The 3 AM Healthcare Solution
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal finds himself looking down different highways and byways in the wide arc of healthcare and begins to wonder about the ways to make the biggest imp...
Dr. Neil Baum: The Prostate Coach
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal looks for a way to bring people together during the acrimony following the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe vs. Wade and setting the stage for...
Magic Spoon: Reinventing Breakfast Coach
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On average, every American eats 100 bowls of cereal a year. Most are filled with highly-sugared, highly-processed carbohydrates fronted by wonderful a...
Your Never Forget Anything Again! Coaches
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal meets two guys who've created an App that does not let you forget anything -- and creates a memory archive. That made Cal feel sharper and health...
Ryan Chen: Your Calm And Clarity Coach
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal has become fascinated with how people are reinventing soda and breakfast cereal to make them healthier. When he hears how Neuro mints bring calm a...
Eddie Garcia: Your Second Heart Coach
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal catches up with a friend he met while speaking at an event at Kaiser Permanente just before COVID. Eddie Garcia had had a heart attack. His heart ...
Dr. Anthony Fauci: What I've Learned From COVID
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal reached out to the Chief Medical Officer to the President to find out what Dr. Anthony Fauci learned since the start of the COVID pandemic. Cal's ...
Your Advanced Medical Planning Coach
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal had no idea that as we age there is a risk that receiving CPR could give you brain damage. Knowing that, would you want to be resuscitated? There ...
Flush Away Irritable Bowel Syndrome Coach
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of people are impacted by IBS. But few talk about their troubles on the toilet – whether they be about constipation, diarrhea, bloating or ...
How To Rewrite Your ER Contract
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal comes across an interesting situation when an 18-year-old college freshman develops back pain after donating blood. A campus doctor fears it could...
Ryan Hockensmith: Never Be Miserable Coach
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal reads a story on ESPN.com that makes him cackle, and he reaches out to the writer to thank him for bringing laughter into his day. The conversatio...
Joumana Kidd: Don't Get Scammed! Coach
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal sees a newsmagazine with a headline that reads: THE BAD GUYS, ON YOUR PHONE, IN YOUR COMPUTER, FILLING YOUR EMAIL, MINING YOUR INFO, TRICKING YOUR...
Josh Linkner: Your Big Little Breakthroughs Coach
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal talks with the best-selling author and one of America's most sought after keynote speakers about the first steps that can send you on your way. J...
Elliott Bisnow: Your Building A Dream Coach
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simply listening to the story of how Elliott and three buddies who were just out of college andfeeling lost during The Great Recession went on to crea...
Dr. Marty Makary: Protect Yourself From Outrageous Bills
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal gets furious when he reads about predatory medical billing in The Price We Pay, What Broke American Health Care and How To Fix It. So he reaches ...
Caitlin Donovan: Uber And Your Health
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What if you didn't have to drive around packed parking lots looking for a space at hospitals because you were dropped off by a vehicle dispatched by U...
Joe McDonough: Stay Positive Coach
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One day Joe's 14-year-old son Andrew was winning a state soccer tournament. Couple of days later, doctors told Joe that his son had cancer and less th...
Juliet Funt: How To Think Better Coach
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a dizzying few weeks of watching images of Vladimir Putin's invasion of the Ukraine and pondering the possibilities of a nuclear war, Cal senses...
Nukes And Your Health
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal does the podcast he wishes he never had to do: Advice on surviving a nuclear attack. Hopefully, this scenario will never occur. But there have bee...
Ukraine And Your Health
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cal looks at the invasion of The Ukraine through the question that he's been focusing on in healthcare: How can we eliminate the problem before it hap...
Olipop: Creating A Healthy Soda Coach
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After tasting and loving an Olipop root beer, Cal tracks down the company's co-founder and CEO to find out how it came about. Olipop beverages are ma...