Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Do Something Kind For A Nurse

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The United States is one million nurses short and you don't want to begin appreciating nurses only when you don't have one when you need one. Cal talk...

Carl Bernstein: Chasing History & The Future

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The release of Carl's memoir, Chasing History, seems like the ideal time to ask the renowned Washington Post reporter and now CNN commentator about th...

Jeremy Schneider: Your Personal Finance Club

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While speaking at a retreat for a group of investors, Cal asks about a basic educational guide to the stock market and saving money to make sure that...

Muhammad Ali, Kobe, Larry King And Cal

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cal looks back on experiences he's had with Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant and Larry King as a way of seeing forward into his journey to reshape healthcar...

Bradley Schurman: Future Looks Good Coach

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the author of The Super Age, Decoding Our Demographic Destiny, about what our future looks like as America becomes an older nation as o...

Nido Qubein: The Power of Home

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nido came to study in the United States from the Middle East when he was 17 years old with $50 in his pocket and built an extraordinary life through H...

Jason Harris: Using Questions To Create

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CEO of one of America's most innovative creative companies, Mekanism, shows Cal how to build a campaign through understanding an audience. This is...

Alex Banayan: Tools For Improvement

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal checks in with the author of The Third Door, and comes away with two tools that can help anybody who feels stuck in life get to a better place. (A...

Kevin Hines: A Helping Hand

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mental health gets closer to home for Cal when a young acquaintance is brought to tears with harmful thoughts in front of Cal's house. This, after sui...

Chris Ullman: Whistle Your Best Life

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal learns how we all can bring some happiness into our lives from a man who became a national and international whistling champion. Chris Ullman has ...

Tim James: Cleaning Up Your Body

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal hears a story about a guy who got seriously ill on vacation, and how, after he survived, the experience ultimately changed his diet and made him d...

Protecting Your Parents From Alzheimer's – And You

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with a man who's devoted his life's work to the study of this scary disease, and Patrick Sullivan comes through with tips on how to keep it ...

Good Questions From Socrates To Cal

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal celebrates his birthday to find an unexpected gift. It's a book written by Marc Champagne called: Personal Socrates: Questions That Will Upgrade Y...

Lisa Gable: Zigzagging To The Top

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal gets a windfall when he listens to the strategy that takes Lisa Gable where she wants to go. And Lisa's gone to some incredible places. The author...

Coach K: Patterns Of Success

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Duke's Mike Krzyzewski heads into his 47th and final year of coaching college basketball, Cal goes to the archives to play a conversation with the ...

Ryan Hampton And A Dopesick Nation

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Cal becomes riveted with the Hulu series Dopesick about the drug company that created OxyContin and addicted a chunk of America, he speaks with a m...

Michael Moss: Halloween's Scariest Trick

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Cal wonders how much money Americans annually spend on Halloween, he's directed to the author of Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked: Food, Free Will, And ...

David Rubenstein: Our Debt And Your Wallet

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The United States is $28 trillion in debt, and it was going to run out of money on October 18th if it couldn't borrow more. Fortunately, an agreement ...

Dan Gable: How To Ask For Help

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Cal wanted to have a conversation with the greatest wrestler who ever lived. Dan Gable went undefeated in high school, won two national cha...

The 77 Laws Of Six Pack Abs

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After putting on a bunch of weight during COVID, Cal says enough is enough. Just as he does, he hears about a book that promises to bring back his six...

Elijah Stacy: Reshaping Yourself

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal comes across the mindset of overcoming adversity when he talks with a 19-year-old who has a fatal disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Elij...

Matthew McConaughey: Fathers And Sons

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal raced home from the hospital for a brief time while he was caring for his 90-year-old dad to have this conversation with the actor and author Matt...

General Geoffrey Lambert: On Being Prepared

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal asks the retired general of the U.S. Army why the U.S. can't seem to plan ahead in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan after 20 y...

Jordan Shlain: Changing Ourselves For The Better

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with a primary care physician we all wished we could have, a man whose life was changed by a singular moment very early in his career. It's ...

Andy Slavitt: Preventing Breakdowns In Your Healthcare

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the author of Preventable: The Inside Story Of How Leadership Failures, Politics, And Selfishness Doomed The U.S. Coronavirus Response....

Breathe Like A Navy Seal And Jon Macaskill

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the former Navy Seal Commander who had a severe case of survivor's guilt in Afghanistan and locked it away until it festered and led hi...

A Plan For Afghanistan

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal doesn't feel well after watching videos coming from Afghanistan – especially as he hears that America has left roughly 80,000 of its friends in ...

Marc Hodosh Says: Live Forever

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since he was a kid, Marc Hodosh wondered why people had to get old and die. Now, as he prepares to co-host a healthcare conference called Life It...

Ben & Jerry: The Mission Of Ice Cream

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal goes into his archives to listen to a conversation he had with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield about their early years as friends and business part...

Dr. Dre: Finding Your Purpose

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Cal conducts an interviewing workshop, he is a reminded of The Dr. Dre question, the question that all employers might ask in interviews when lo...

Sting: Recalling A Wonderful Conversation

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Cal takes time to reflect after his father's passing, he goes into his archives to listen to conversations he had with people who've done the extra...

The Winklevoss Twins And Bitcoin

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Cal hears how Bitcoin is becoming a huge part of the economy in Nigeria, he remembers a conversation he had with Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss abo...

Aaron Sorkin: Lift Your Storytelling

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Cal creates a platform to improve healthcare, he goes into his archives to listen to a conversation he had about a decade ago with the man who wrot...

How Gary Vaynerchuk Became Gary Vee

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Cal reflects on how to improve healthcare, he goes into his archives and pulls out a conversation he had with the social media guru. It provides th...

T. Boone Pickens: Soul Of An Entrepreneur

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal goes into his archives to pluck out a story that he loves from the billionaire oil man and business mogul who loved to make money simply to give i...

Coach K on Jimmy V: Finding Greatness

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Cal heard that Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski would be retiring at the end of the coming basketball season, he went back to re-liste...

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Wisdom To Live By

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal goes to his personal archives to pull up some thoughts from the body builder, movie star and former governor of California. This includes an epiph...

Cal's 90-Year-Old Dad Beats COVID

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with his dad, Herbert Fussman, about their experience battling through Herb's case of COVID not long after he'd fractured his pelvis. The ba...

The Onyx Family: Living Your Richest Life

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with Mirthell and Rita Onyx about how they overcame frustrations in their working life by following a desire to spend time with their four c...

Rodrigo Garcia: How A Great Book Is Written

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While Cal has interviewed many of the icons of the last 75 years, there are a few people he always wanted to meet. One of them is the author of his fa...

Roger Love: Finding Your Best Voice

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal gets some tips from the all-star coach, Roger Love, on how to get the most out of your voice. Roger got started with musical legends like The Jack...

Suzanne Somers: The Mysterious Blonde & Your Worth

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal finally catches up to The Mysterious Blonde almost 50 years after she appeared in the film American Graffiti. Suzanne Somers tells Cal about her c...

Joe Chura: 15 Seconds To Millions

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal hears the story of a man who leveraged 15 empty seconds on an automotive assembly line to create businesses that have made many, many, many millio...

Phillip Stutts: Winning At Politics, Business & Health

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With 1,200 election victories that arc from the House of Representatives to the Presidency of The United States, Phillip Stutts has seen how elections...

Don McLean: American Pie and Freedom

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we begin to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, Cal converses with the legendary singer/songwriter of American Pie and Vincent about the ...

Noa Tishby: What We Can Learn From Israel

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since Cal began to look into healthcare, people have been e-mailing him and asking him to compare the system in the U.S. to that of other countri...

CEO Jeff Immelt: Thinking Through Times of Crisis

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal wonders if there are patterns from the aftermath of 9/11 and The Great Recession that could help us move forward from COVID. There are few people ...

Jay Samit: Future Proofing You

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Cal reads how Samit transformed an immigrant who'd been on welfare into a business owner bringing in more than a million dollars a year, he becom...

Marius Woodward: The Power Of Positivity

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal is inspired by the hero's journey of an 8-year-old boy who had 75 percent of his body burned by fire. Though the circumstances are horrible, his p...

Walter Isaacson: The Future Of The Human Race

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The author of biographies on Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs talks to Cal about his latest work: Code Breaker, Jennifer Doudna, Gene...

ABC's Dr. Jen Ashton Shows Cal The New Normal

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal catches up with his old pal and podcast host James Altucher to talk about the release of James' new book, which questions the concept that you nee...

James Altucher: Skip The Line

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal catches up with his old pal and podcast host James Altucher to talk about the release of James' new book, which questions the concept that you nee...

Naveen Jain: A Billionaire's Curiosity

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the entrepreneur who never felt comfortable around the phrase: "The sky's the limit." Instead, Naveen founded Moon Express. And Viome, ...

Bill Nye: Science And The Constitution

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal asks The Science Guy why so many Americans don't seem to believe in science, and why so many wouldn't wear masks during COVID, even as more than ...

Super Bowl MD Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs a year ago just as COVID was beginning to spread around the world, Laurent had to make a deci...

Larry King: The Great Farewell

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After having breakfast with the iconic broadcaster almost every day for more than a decade, Cal has no choice but to produce Larry King's obituary. He...

Joe Biden: A Toast To Good Health

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A day before the inauguration of the new president, Cal remembers a conversation he had with Joe Biden when he was Vice President during The Great Rec...

Spartan CEO Joe De Sena Has A Plan

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A few years back, with Cal 30 pounds overweight, Joe baited Cal into his company's obstacle races in order to transform Cal's life. Cal completed the ...

Kickstarter's Yancey Strickler Kicks Off 2021

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the co-founder of Kickstarter about the idea of raising some funds for a journey to reshape health care in the United States. Cal reali...

Hey, Everyone, Phil's Got Free Drugs

29 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal wanted to do something great in this last podcast of 2020, and he jumped at the chance to spread the word about a guy who is making health care b...

The Three Doctors: Making A Difference

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal has an epiphany after talking to three African-American men who made a pact to all become doctors when they were kids growing up on some mean stre...

Laura Catena: The Waiting Room App

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many in the wine world know Laura as the managing director at Bodega Catena Zapata in Argentina, which produces some of the world's great wines. But f...

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh & The Wish

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal reflects on his time with one of America's great tech visionaries shortly after Hsieh's passing, marvels at all the good Tony was able to pass on ...

Caring For Those Who Care For You

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At the beginning of 2020, on average, one physician in the United States was committing suicide every day. That was before the coronavirus struck. Cal...

Brooks Bell: The CEO Saves Your Ass

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Roughly two years ago, Cal found out that his friend, Brooks Bell, had colon cancer. Brooks was in her thirties, the founder of a tech company bearing...

Thank you, Lendio CEO Brock Blake

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While many companies were furloughing and firing employees earlier this year when the coronavirus pandemic hit, Lendio went all in to help small busin...

Jim Gray: Truth and The Greatest

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A relaxing conversation after a tense election. Cal sits with the broadcaster and author of a new book about his experiences with Muhammad Ali, Michae...

Seth Godin: Is Right On Time

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Just as Cal is dipping his toes in the water on reshaping health care, Seth encourages him to dive in. The marketing guru uses the principles behind h...

Brad Meltzer: The Value Of A Life

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the most far-ranging conversations Cal has had on Big Questions, best-selling author Brad Meltzer talks about the upcoming presidential elec...

David Rubenstein: Evolving Into A Leader

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The author of the book How to Lead details many of the traits and strategies used by Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others...

Eric LeGrand: Resilience

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years ago, a Rutgers University football player headed downfield on a kickoff to make a tackle like he'd done so many times before. Only this time...

Shannon Lee: Be Water, My Friend

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Forty-seven years ago, Bruce Lee began to write out his philosophies in an article called In My Own Process. Sadly, he passed away before he could fin...

Ravi Patel: Old Dogs And Happy Endings

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The star of the HBO MAX series, Pursuit of Happiness, sits with Cal to talk about his around-the-world adventure to answer some deep questions. But as...

Steve Neeleman: Save Money On Your Health Care

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal continues on his quest to help transform our health care system by talking with the founder of HealthEquity, who explains to Cal how we can open h...

Quan Huynh: Triumph Of An Entrepreneur

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a boy, Quan was pointed toward West Point by his father. After his father's death, Quan's life spiraled out of control as a teen, and he shot and k...

Michael Lomonaco: 9/11, COVID-19 & Resolve

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal catches up with the man who was Executive Chef and Director of Windows on the World at the top of the World Trade Center during the time of 9/11 t...

MasterClass CEO David Rogier On Mastering Mastery

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal gets a lesson in how to bring an idea to life. The CEO and founder of MasterClass shows him how to use questions to research the way forward, and ...

Michael Hebb: Talking About Death Is Medicine

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with the author of Let's Talk About Death (Over Dinner) at just the right time – prior to watching his first funeral over Zoom. Cal's ques...

Chip Kahn: The Future Of Your Healthcare

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal sits with the President and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals to talk about healthcare in the time of the pandemic, and how the present ...

Gregg Clunis: Taking Care Of Your Money

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when we're all wondering about the continued economic repercussions of the coronavirus, Cal looks into ways that we can all focus on money. ...

Katie Uhlaender: Voice For Olympic Change

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal became curious about an intriguing character in the HBO documentary, The Weight of Gold, which addresses a culture of depression among American Ol...

Brett Rapkin: The Weight of Gold

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal speaks with the director of the HBO documentary The Weight of Gold about the state of depression faced by many American Olympians, and the subsequ...

Dr. Vivek Murthy Reimagines Your Health Care

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The former Surgeon General explains to Cal how we might rethink our health care system. This is a wise conversation at a time of COVID 19 when million...

Thank you, Jack Welch

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There is no better time to think about how to change, and there was no one who loved change more than former General Electric CEO Jack Welch. Cal reme...

Tom Breitling Is Betting On Las Vegas

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

No city may be more vulnerable to the coronavirus than Las Vegas. Every year it was inviting 42 million people in for dinner. The city's economy is de...

Maria Sharapova: Getting To A Better Place

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal talks with one of the greatest tennis players of all time about the attitude and strategies that can guide us all through the different stages of ...

Time To Get Healthy

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After almost a half a year of being cooped up and inhaling news of the coronavirus, the killing of George Floyd by police and the subsequent anger, st...

Dave Chappelle Gives Cal An Idea

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After watching the comic/sage talk about our national reality on his recently-released special called 8:46, Cal feels nudged to offer up his own thoug...

Eric Adams: Protestor, Policeman, Politician

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal gets on the phone with the Brooklyn Borough President in the midst of the recent protests, rioting and looting to talk about the complexity of our...

Jacqueline Novogratz: Lessons From The Pivot Queen

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal questions one of the world's great pivoters. Jacqueline has turned an interview she bungled right off the bat when she graduated from college into...

Steve Herz: Communication Tips For The Zoom Age

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal gets a tutorial on how to pivot his business to the Internet from the president of The Montag Group, an agency famous for representing America's f...

Remembering Jerry Stiller

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal looks back at the stories he wrote for Esquire in the words of the actor who played George Costanza's father in Seinfeld. The way Stiller got the ...

Kathi Sharpe-Ross: How To Reinvent Yourself

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There's never been a better time to talk about reinvention that during the craziness of the coronavirus. When things return to normal, there's going t...

Jeffrey Katzenberg: On The Future Of Storytelling

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal jumps on the phone with the man who helped bring The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, Shrek and The Little Mermaid into the world. The co...

Bob Costas: Sports & The Truth

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal sits down with the award-winning broadcaster to talk about the loss of sporting events in our culture during the time of the coronavirus pandemi...

The Points Guy: Getting Back on Airplanes

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal sits with Brian Kelly to talk about what the future will hold for aviation and travel once the coronavirus pandemic is past and we can all take ...

Patrick McGinnis: Fear Of Missing Out In These Crazy Times

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick tells Cal how the phrase came about after he noticed so many young people trying to fit as much into their lives as possible after 9/11 and ...

Jamie Metzl: The Future In Front Of Us

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The world is going to be a different place after the coronavirus epidemic. Cal talks with the geopolitical futurist about changes that we will likely ...

In-Q: Get The Most Out Of Your Words

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal sits with the National Poetry Slam champion and multi-platinum award winning song writer to talk about the process of creative writing. With much ...

The Secret Sauce For Human Connection

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cal sits down for a bowl of pasta while on lockdown in Los Angeles with Chris Schembra who's on lockdown in New York. Chris is an award-winning Broadw...