Episode 071: Alex Banayan - Winning "The Price is Right" TV Show to Creating "The Third Door" Book

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Of the Young podcast, bringing you insights from the most innovative entrepreneurs and influencers of this era. Hosted by entrepreneur, author, public speaker and branding expert, Casey Adams. Now let's get right into the show.

What's going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome to the Rise of the Young podcast. Today, episode seven. We have someone that I'm super pumped up to get on. His story is phenomenal. Alex Benayan. We are in LA right now. We're at his office. And I'm super pumped up for this interview, man.

Thank you so much for having me.

Absolutely, man. So, before we get into it, funny story, everyone. So I found Alex through Dramas podcast, which I know a lot of you guys are familiar with. We've been connected for the last month or so, dming back and forth, and we're currently in la, like I said, and we're making it happen. And it's. I'm just telling you guys, if you have not heard Drama's podcast already about Alex, listen to this entire thing because the story behind it is insane. He just came out with his new book, the Third Door, which he'll touch on more about. But I'm just telling you, listen to this entire thing. It's gonna be long and I really want you guys to just think about what happened throughout his journey because it's literally gonna transform your entire thought process to what's possible. So I just wanted to put that out there. Again, Alex, thanks so much for coming on.

Thank you, man.

Thank you. Absolutely. So before we get started, everyone, let's kind of just fill them in so they know. All right? Who are they listening to? What's happening? I told them about your book, but what's currently happening in your life, Alex?

So for the past seven years, I've pretty much been committed to one mission. When I was 18, I had this idea of what if I go out and track down some of the world's most successful people? So, you know, for business, Bill Gates, for poetry, Maya Angelou, music, Lady Gaga, you know, Larry King, Steve Wozniak, Gene Goodall, Quincy Jones, and if they all come together, you know, not for press, not to promote anything, but really to share their best wisdom with the next generation, I really believe people could do so much more. So that's been the journey. And the book finally just came out a couple weeks ago.

Crazy.

It just, you know, became a national bestseller, which I'm really excited about. And it feels like we're just getting started.

Definitely. Well, he said eight years. This has been an eight year process for everyone listening. Almost six, seven, eight years. He's been dedicating his life to traveling, meeting some of the world's most successful people, actually meeting them, learning from them, and then packaging to your new book, which is the third door just to catch people up. Well, I'm excited to get into this, everyone. And for everyone listening, make sure, like I said, listen to this because it's just, we're just about to dive in. But for everyone listening before that entire seven year process of trying to find the world's most successful people and tracking them down, it seems like a scavenger on almost where are you from, man? The ground roots of where you're from.

So I grew up in la, but to really understand where I'm from, you have to know that, you know, I'm the son of Persian Jewish immigrants. So my family left Iran about 35 years ago and you know, they came to America as immigrants, you know, really as refugees. And when I was born, like many Jewish immigrants, I came out of the womb, my mom cradled me in her arms and then she stamped MD on my ass and sent me on my way. So, you know, in high school I took biology classes, I went to pre med summer camp, and by, you know, the time I got to college, I'm the pre med of pre meds. And you have to understand like this wasn't just a major for me, it was my whole identity. In third grade, I wore screw ups to school for Halloween. That was my entire pre med, pre.

Med, pre med, 100% ingrained.

Yeah, it wasn't even, it wasn't even a decision, it was a, it was the path I was on. Okay, so now I'm about a month into College, I'm 18 years old and I remember spending every day lying on my dorm room bed staring up at the ceiling and I remember looking over at my desk and this stack of biology books were there and I assumed, you know, I would look at them and it feel like they were sucking the life out of me. And I just thought, you know, maybe I'm being lazy. But then I began to wonder, maybe I'm not on my path, you know, maybe I'm on a path somebody placed me on and I'm just rolling down. So now not only do I not know, I'm going through the what do I want to do with my life crisis.

At what college are you at?

I'm at USC here in la. So I'm going through this what do I want to do with my life crisis? And eventually that question starts evolving into, you know, how did all these people who didn't know what they wanted to do, how did they get started? How did Bill Gates sell his first piece of software out of his dorm room when nobody knew his name? How did Spielberg become the youngest director in Hollywood history without a single hit under his belt? These are the things they don't normally teach you in school. So definitely, you know, I thought, alright, so it's not in school, so it has to be, there has to be a book with it. So I like went to the library and went on Amazon and I'm just ripping through business books and biographies and self help books looking for an answer. But eventually I'm left empty handed. And that's when my naive 18 year old thinking kicked in. I thought, well, if no one's written the book I'm dreaming of reading, gotta write it. Why not? Exactly. Why not write it myself? You know, I thought that would be the easy part. You know, I would just call up Bill Gates, interview him, interview everybody else.

You know the easy part.

Yeah, you know, Bill Gates helps kids all the time. I thought he was our generation Santa Claus. But that would be the easy part. The hard part, I figured was getting the money to fund the journey. You know, I was buried in student loan debt. I was all out of bar mitzvah cash, so I didn't have a way to make money. So two nights before final exams, my freshman year of college, I'm in the library doing what you know, everyone's doing in the library right before finals.

Studying.

I'm on Facebook.

Oh, okay, okay. Sounds like a different plan.

I should be studying. I should have been studying, but I was on Facebook.

Okay.

That's when I saw someone offering tickets to the Price is Right and you know the game show.

Oh yeah. Yep.

So the first thought was, what if I go on this show and win some money to fund the book.

Is that like traveling, doing all, like, the stuff?

Yeah. Cause I figured, you know, if I'm gonna, you know, if Bill Gates is gonna say yes to me, I need money to go fly to Seattle and get a hotel room. Like, I don't have that money, so. So I was like, all right, what if I go on the show and win some money to fund the book? Not my brightest moment, but I had a problem. I never seen a full episode of the show before. Plus, I had finals in two days. So I told myself it was a stupid idea and to not think about it.

This is on Facebook. Sorry to catch you up. Yeah.

Someone's just posting tickets as their Facebook status because they had tickets, they couldn't make it.

And they were like, hey, someone take these. I can't go. And you're like, okay. You saw it and you're like, okay, this is an option.

Yeah, but it was such a bad idea. I told myself not to do it. I don't know if you've had one of these moments where for sure, you know, an idea keeps, like, clawing itself back into your mind. So I remember I was sitting in this, like, round wooden table in the corner of the library. And to prove to myself it was a bad idea, I took on my notebook and wrote the best and worst case scenarios. And it was, you know, worst case scenarios. Fail finals, you know, get kicked out of pre med, Lose financial aid. Friends make fun of me. Mom stops talking to me. No, mom kills me. You know, there was like 20 things, 20 cons. And I remember the only pro being maybe. Maybe win enough money to fund this dream.

Yep.

So that night, I decided to do the logical thing and pull an all nighter to study. But I didn't study for finals. I said had to hack the prices. Right.

Oh, my Lord.

And I went on the show the next day and did this ridiculous strategy. I ended up winning the whole showcase showdown. Winning a sailboat, selling the sailboat.

And that's how I funded the book. Oh, my Lord. In the short retrospect. So wait, let's take it back. So you see this thing on Facebook, which is the Price is Right tickets.

Yeah.

And that's so crazy. So you literally see, like, a random thing. Like you didn't have any intention, obviously, to go on the Price is Right.

And to win money. I was in the library to study.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I was just procrastinating.

Yeah. So you see this thing. Two days later, you're actually on the show after you did intensive research about how to hack the show.

Yeah.

So what does that look like? It's like, do you. Do you watch the prices right before in your life? Or. This literally just popped up and you're like, hey, they give away money on the show. I need money. Let me go on the show. Is that the logical plan?

There's nothing about it was logical.

Okay. But previously you weren't like a the Price is Right addict and watched it at all. It was just like you saw something random and then just jumped on it because it. You had some urgency or felt something that was like, hey, this. This could possibly get me money to fund this journey.

Yeah, I remember. So during my all nighter, because I had seen bits and pieces of the show, you know, when I was homesteading.

School in fourth grade, like, everyone has. Yeah.

But I hadn't seen a full episode, so I knew trying to master the show wouldn't be the best use of my time. What would be the best use of my time was figuring out just how to get on the show.

Yeah.

So I pull this all nighter and I find out that there's a producer who interviews every single person in the audience before the show begins. And I'm on, like, the 23rd O of Google at this point. It's like 4 o' clock in the morning, and I find out not only is there a producer, there's also an undercover producer. So the next morning, I wake up, I go to the CBS studios. You know, I'm dressed to the nine.

Yeah.

You know, everyone on the Price Right is just crazy. I'm wearing, like, a bright red shirt, a puffy jacket, neon yellow sunglasses. I pretty much look like a chubby toucan.

Okay.

And it's perfect. So I get there, but I don't know who the undercover producer is, so I just assume everyone is.

Yeah.

So, you know, I'm flirting with old ladies. I'm dancing with the custodians. I'm breakdancing, and I don't know how to break dance. And I'm there. And after a while, you know, you get into line and. And eventually it's my turn to be interviewed by the producer. And the second I saw him, I knew that was my guy because I had spent all night researching him. I knew his name was Stan. I knew where he grew up. I knew where he went to school. I pretty much knew what he ate for breakfast that morning. I also knew he has a system. He has a clipboard, but it's never in his hands. An Assistant who sits about 20ft away from him.

Okay.

Is holding it. And if Stan really likes you, he'll ask you a few questions, and if he wants you on the show, they'll turn around, wink at his assistant, and she'll make a mark on your name on the clipboard.

And you found that out on the Internet?

Yeah, during my all nighter.

And that's just out there that you just research, or was it like a low key? You just like.

It was super low key.

Put the puzzle pieces together through different articles.

It was like 4 o' clock in the morning. I was on this blog from like 1999. In the comments section, somebody was like, yeah, I was on the show and I know there's a producer, you know, oh my gosh. And you know, you probably do the same with your business.

Yeah.

You know, after the, you know, 20th hour of research, you start uncovering the key.

Yeah. The 13th page of Google, which no one goes on.

No one goes on. Everyone stops after page one or two. So there, you know, I see Stan and it's finally my turn to be interviewed. And he's like, what's your name? Where are you from? What do you do? And I'm like, hey, I'm Alex. I'm 18, I'm a, you know, pre med in college. And he goes, oh, pre med. You must spend a lot of time, you know, studying. How do you have time to watch the Price is Right? And I go, oh, is that where I am? Like, no. Laughter like, you know, the joke just dies.

Yeah, yeah.

So I know I have to do something to save the situation. So I had read in all these business books, one of them said that human contact speeds of a relationship. So I had an idea. I had to touch Stan. So I'm like, stan, come over here, I want to make a handshake with you. And he's like, no, no, no, it's okay. I'm like, come on. And he, he comes over and I teach him how to, you know, pound it and blow it up. And he laughs a little and he's like, all right, good luck. And he starts walking away. And it was one of those moments where you could see your entire dream right in front of you walking away. And the worst part is, you know, you didn't even have a chance to fully prove yourself. So I don't know what got into me, but I just felt this, like, feeling the pit of my stomach, and I started yelling at the top of my lungs, staaaaaaan. And you know, like, everybody in the audience turns their head around, and, you know, he's. They think I'm having, like, a seizure or something, you know? And Stan runs over to me. He's like, are you okay? Are you okay? What's going on? And now I have no idea what I'm gonna say, okay? He's just staring at me, and I'm, you know, just looking at him, and he's looking at me, and he's, you know, typical Hollywood, you know, turtleneck, red scarf, even though it's like 70 degrees outside. And I just look at him, and I'm like, your scarf? And now I really don't know what I'm gonna say next. And I just look at him with all of this intensity that I can. And I just go, stan, I'm an avid scarf collector. I have 362 pairs in my dorm room, and I'm missing that one. Where did you get it? And he starts crawling, cracking up, because I think he finally realized what I was trying to do, okay? And he was laughing more at why I was doing it. So he, you know, takes off his scarf, gives it to me, and he's like, look, you need this more than I do. And he turns around, winks, and his assistant makes a mark on the clipboard.

And you knew, like, all right.

So at that point, I knew I passed the first round. And then, you know, a couple minutes later, I noticed there was this woman with long brown hair looking around the audience a lot. And I saw a laminated badge in her back pocket, and I figured, she has to be the undercover producer.

Yeah.

So I see her, and I start, like, you know, blowing her kisses, and I start dancing, and she starts laughing, and she looks at my name badge, takes a sheet of paper out of her pocket and makes a mark. And at that point, now I'm feeling really good because, you know, I just passed the producer and undercover producer. So that's when I realized, though I had spent the whole night before studying how to get on the show, I still didn't know how to play. But I was like, all right, no big deal. So I take out my phone and I start Googling how to play prices.

Right on the spot.

Yeah, I just thought, you know, I have an hour probably until the show starts. I'll just read online. And about 30 seconds later, there's a tap on my shoulder, and security takes my phone away.

Okay.

So I'm like, fuck. You know, like, there's. Now I have no plan B. Yeah, I remember sitting down on this, like, metal bench outside the Studio next to this old lady. And she sees how upset I am, and she's like, what's wrong? And I tell her about my dream. I tell her about finals. I tell her I've never seen a full episode of the show before. And she, you know, pinches my cheek, and she's like, honey, I've been watching the show for 40 years. And I'm like, wow, do you have any advice? And she's like, you remind me of my grandson. And she ends up giving me this, like, incredible advice. And that's when the light bulb goes off. I'm like, oh, my God, thank you so much. And I jump to the person next to me. I'm like, hey, I'm Alex. I'm 18. I've never seen the show before. Do you have any advice? Hey, I'm Alex. I'm 18. I've never seen the show before. Do you have any advice? And I'm going from person to person, group to group, over an hour. I talked almost half the audience crowdsourcing their wisdom.

That's insane. So why do they take your phone?

So they take away everyone's phone in.

The audience or player.

Any. Everyone in the audience. Because anyone in the audience can be called down onto the show. Okay, so they don't want people recording it, and they don't want people looking up things.

Yep. How much is the boat? How much is this? Yep. Yep. I see.

So right around then, the doors to the studio open, and, you know, I step in there and the place smells like the 1970s. You know, there's yellow and green drapes. There's purple and yellow flashing lights. All that's missing is a disco ball. And I get there, and instantly, you know, that's when I hear the famous sound. Live from CBS studio in Hollywood. It's. The place is right. And, you know, they called on the first contestant and the second contestant, the third contestant, and, you know, it's not me. But for the fourth, I feel it coming, and I'm, like, about to stand up, but it's still not me. And, you know, I just sink back in my chair and I think, over. Yeah, maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Yeah.

And, you know, the way the show works is one person wins an opening round moves on. And now there's an opening at the podium, and it's time for the fifth contestant. Okay, Alex Banayan, come on down. And I lose my shit. You know, I'm jumping up and down. I'm hugging strangers. And they're like a leather chair, an Ottoman. You know, I'm a freshman in college. I don't know how much milk costs.

Yeah.

Leather chair. An ottoman. I don't even know what an ottoman is. Okay, so they're like, alex, take your pick. And I'm like, $400. And, you know, everybody laughs. I'm way off. It was like, you know, $1,500.

Okay, I don't even know how much. I was thinking, like, 600, 700.

Yeah, I have no idea. So they're like, then it's time for the next round. A new billiards table. And I'm thinking, like, you know, my cousins have a pool table. Like, how expensive could that be? So I'm like, $500. And again, everyone laughs at it. So because everyone laughs, the other contestants get higher and higher and higher. And the retail price was 1,400. And they all guessed over and on. The price is right. If you guess over, you're disqualified.

Really?

So I won by default.

Oh, my God.

I'm like, you know, saying hi to my mom on camera.

She's watching you.

You know, it's not live.

Oh, okay.

But, you know, you win.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I get on the stage, and now it's time for my bonus round. And the doors open, and it's this beautiful white hot tub. You know, LED lights, 12 jets, waterfall. And all I can think is, if I win this hot tub, I am the king of college. You know, so all the pressure's on. So I guess $4,000. It turned out to be $9,000. So I lose the hot tub. And that's when they go. We'll be right back with the wheel. And during the commercial break, I'm like, excuse me, who spins the wheel? And they're like, who spins. You spin. And it turns out, you know, the wheel is this giant slot machine looking thing with light bulbs and glitter and numbers. You know, 5, 10, 15, 20, all the way up to 100. And whoever gets closest to 100 without going over wins. And if you are lucky enough and you land exactly on 100, you get a bonus cash prize. But that's very rare.

Yeah.

So now commercial break is over, and it's time for the wheel.

How come you're spinning it?

So everyone who won the an opening round. So because I won the billiards table, you automatically get into the wheel round. I didn't know anything.

I get it. I get it.

I was confused.

They're just going with the flow.

They're just like, stand right here. I'm like, okay, Great. You know, so the first lady who goes up, young woman, peppy hair. She goes up, gives it a spin, 80.

And you know that's a good number.

Yeah, even I know that's a good number. The audience is cheering for her. So she goes into the winner circle, and now it's my turn. And I go up and I grab it, and it's a lot heavier than it looks. I give it a spin. 85 in the.

Oh, my Lord.

Ballistic. Because they know I have no idea what I'm doing.

Yeah. So they love it. They love it.

Yeah. So 85. I moved to the winner's circle, and now it's the third and final contestant. It's an older woman. And she, you know, goes up there. Everyone's rooting for her. She gives it a spin. She goes over 100, gets disqualified. So I win, and I start freaking out because I think I just won the entire show. And that's when I hear. We'll be right back. Second half of the Price Is Right.

So crushing.

Yeah. So now I'm like, what? So I'm sitting on the side of the stage, and that's when I watch the second half of the show unfold, and I find out who's going up against me for the final round. And her name is Tanisha, and she blasted through the second half of the show. But, you know, not just ease, like, ferociousness, as if she has spent her whole life walking through Costco study price tags. You know, she won the opening round, she won the bonus round, and for the wheel, she spun a perfect 100.

That's insane.

So me going up against Tanisha is like, David against Goliath.

Yeah.

You know, and it's the commercial break right now before the final round of the show, and Tanisha and I are both on stage, and she's walking towards me, and, you know, I believe in karma. So I reach out my hand and I'm like, hey, good luck. And she goes, yeah, you'll need it. And the whole audience is like, oh, shit. Super heated. And I'm like, shit, she's right. I do need it. So I see the host of the show, Drew Carey, and I, like, throw my hands up, and I'm like, drew, I loved you on Whose Line Is It Anyway? And I give him a hug, and he, like, sort of awkwardly pushes me away, and I'm like, hey, Drew, any. Any advice on the Showroom showdown? And he goes, first of all, it's the showcase showdown. You know, clearly, I had no idea.

What I was doing.

And he gave me some great advice. And before I knew it, it was time to go behind the podiums for the final round.

Okay?

And you have to understand, there's six blinding white lights in your eyes, you know, 10 machine gun sized cameras pointed at your face.

Audience.

Audience is yelling. Tanisha's dancing. I'm sweating. And now it's time for the final round.

Okay.

And you know, I get my package. Alex, your first prize is a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, I'm not listening to the details.

Yeah.

Which I learned later was a giant mistake.

Okay?

So I'm not listening to the details. I'm like, all right, Six Flags Magic Mountain. How expensive could that be? You know, I'm thinking 50 bucks.

Yeah, 50 bucks.

Yeah. 50 bucks with a can of coke I've seen. Yeah, yeah. What I didn't hear in the details, because I wasn't paying attention is that it was front of the line. Passes, all you can eat, food, VIP with the butler in a limbo for six people. I'm thinking, okay, cool, easy, you know, 50 bucks, your next prize is a trip to Florida. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking, like, Florida, you know, granted, I've never booked a plane ticket in my life. I'm 18. Okay, yeah, 18, a couple months ago. I'm like, all right, what is that? A couple hundred bucks? What I didn't hear is that it was first class tickets. Five star hotel with a rental car for two people.

Okay.

But I'm thinking, all right, cool. 200 bucks, easy. Next. Your next prize is a trip to zero gravity, blah, blah, blah. And I'm thinking, that must be another theme park. Another 50 bucks. What I didn't hear is that this is how NASA trains their astronauts. Every 15 minutes in zero gravity is $5,000. But I'm thinking, all right, cool, 50 bucks. Next. And your final prize. And you know, the doors open very dramatically. Yeah.

Yep.

A new sailboat. And I freak out. But eventually I calm down and I look at the sailboat and I notice it looks pretty small. Sort of looks like a dinghy.

Yeah.

Now, what I didn't hear is that it was a Catalina Mark 2 sailboat with a cabin and a trailer. But I'm thinking, okay, cool, dinghy.

Couple.

Couple thousand bucks. 3,000, 4,000. And they're like, alex, it'll all be yours if the price is right. And the audience is going crazy. And I'm just like, I'm trying to just get into the zone, close my eyes, listen to that voice inside of me. And there's just one number that just feels right. So I lean forward and I grab the microphone, and I'm like, Drew, $6,000. And literally the whole audience goes silent. It's as if somebody has died on stage. And true Carrie, you know, doesn't say a word. And I'm very confused because normally everyone was cheating. Yeah. So after a while, I look at the audience, then I look at Drew Carey, and he's just looking at me, like, completely confused. And I finally get the hint. So I lean forward and I grab the mic, and I'm like, uh, just kidding. And everybody starts cheering, you know, and he's like, oh, college kids these days. What's your real answer, Alex? And I'm thinking, shit, that was my real answer. And I just start freaking out, and I just start pounding on the podium, and I go, audience, I need your help. And like a miracle, they start chanting one number. And it's a mob, though, so I can't really hear them. And the producers are, like, trying to cut me off. And Drew's like, alex, we need an answer. So I just. I hear the th sound. So I go, Drew, $3,000. And he grabs the mic and he's like, you know, there's a difference between 3,000 and 30,000, right? And I'm like, uh, of course I know that. 30,000. And he goes, great, we're locking it in.

Okay.

And Tanisha looks at me like she's going up against someone in preschool.

Yeah.

And, you know, she gets a car and an ATV and she guesses, I think, like, $35,000. And now it's time to reveal the winner. Tanisha, you guessed $35,000. Retail price, 36,400. And Tenisha jumps up in the air thanking God because she just wanted a brand new car. And I'm thinking like, shit, I have finals tomorrow. I just go straight to the library, have two hours to study for bio, three hours for chem. You know, I'm just in crisis management.

You're all over the place thinking, exactly.

Alex, you guessed $30,000. Retail price, blah, blah, blah. You know, I'm not listening. And literally I'm like, all right, let me just leave the stage and I'll be good. And then I see my podium is flashing. So I turn around and look at my podium, and I realize I had guessed $30,000. Retail price, 31,200. I beat Tunisia by $200. And my face literally goes from blank to, you know, freaking out, jumping up and down I get the sailboat, sell the sailboat, and that's how I funded the early parts of the book.

Dang. So that's the best. That. That's where it all happened.

It. All right. Yeah.

Oh, my God. The way when I heard it on Drama Story, I wanted his podcast. Like, I heard that entire story and I was like, where is this gonna go? Where's this gonna go? And like, you end up winning the entire show. And three days before, you just saw it on Facebook and you saw like, alright, they give away money. So at the end of the day you get the boat. That's what you win. Right. So what, like, what happens after you win? Like, is it. You have to go talk to the producers? Like, what's the process of like, quote unquote, winning the boat and actually like getting it and selling it?

So, you know, right after the show you go and sign all this paperwork. Then a couple months later, you get a call from a boat dealer saying, oh, we have your boat. Like, where do you want us to deliver it? And I knew I wanted to sell the boat to get money to fund my dream and to write this book. So I made a deal with the boat dealer. I was like, hey, you sell boats, don't you? And he's like, yeah. And I'm like, how about you keep the boat and you just like, write me a check? And he's like, deal. You know, he made an extra thousand dollars or whatever. And so I got this check for, I think $17,000, which for me at the time felt like a million bucks. So I'm taking all my friends to Chipotle. I'm like, free guacamole for everybody. You know, feeling like a millionaire. And I set off on my quest upwards too.

So. Good.

So I get the money from the boat and I end up. It takes three years, but I get to Bill Gates. It took years to get to Lady Gaga, but I ended up doing all these incredible interviews. And the lessons that have surprised me the most was that every single one of these people, no matter how different they were, you know, Bill Gates grew up in Seattle to a wealthy family. Maya Angelou grew up poor in Stamps, Arkansas. They couldn't be more different on the outside.

Yeah.

But at their core, I realized they all treat life and business and success the exact same way, philosophy wise.

And just looking at those pillars.

Exactly. And the analogy that came to me after doing all these interviews is that it's sort of like getting into a nightclub.

Okay.

There's always three ways in. There's the first door, the main entrance, where the line curves around the block, where 99% of people wait around hoping to get in. That's the first door. And then there's a second door, the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and the celebrities go, yeah, and school and society have this way of making us feel like those are the only two ways in. You either wait your turn or you're born into it. But what I've learned is that there's always, always the third door. And it's the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, go through the kitchen. There's always a way. It doesn't matter if that's how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Lady Gaga got her first record deal. They all took the third door. So that's not only, you know, the title and the thesis of the book, that's really the energy I'm trying to inject into every reader.

Yeah.

Wow.

It's just so crazy. So that was like, you're 18 at the time, when the Price Is Right, you had this idea, which was interviewing these people, and obviously now, like, on the podcast we're talking about, the book just dropped. You have all these amazing people. So, like, looking back, it's like, that's how it happened. But, like, I'm super curious because, like, whenever I do interviews with people, like, I'm 17, so it's like, you being on the Price Is Right, you're about my age, right?

Exactly.

So you have this idea, you want to write this book, and obviously, like, the ups and downs of getting all these people and meeting them. I want to talk about more about that because, like, I think it's just crazy. So you wanted to meet these people, obviously, like you said, like, you thought it was gonna be the easy part to get these people, talk to them. And for now, it's like, when. Whenever it comes to, like, me, like, we're in la, I'm speaking at an event, I'm gonna talk about, like, the power of the dm, which is, like, the way we got this podcast. I DM'd you. And, like, when you were trying to get in touch with people, I'm sure the DM wasn't the place to get Bill Gates to an interview. Right. So my question, I'd say is, like, who was, like, the first person that was, like, the wow moment? Like, oh, God, like, I met this person, I got the interview. Like, who was that first key individual going through the process.

You know, they all, you know, you're talking about the process. It was all just so hard.

Okay.

And you know, it's interesting, you talk about the power of the dm. For me it was more about the power of cold emails.

Okay, different avenue, but communication.

And this is the thing too. It doesn't matter what, you know, what time, era, year it is.

Yeah.

Because if, you know, 2018, it might be DMs. In 2010 it was maybe cold emails. But in 1910 it was the same thing. It was knocking on doors. You know, all the hustler kids would go and like knock on the doors of people they looked up to or you know, write a letter and send.

It to their mailbox and they found the yellow Pages.

Right. So Larry King gave me a great piece of advice when I interviewed him. He said young people don't understand that yes, technology has changed rapidly over the past 20 years, but humanity has not. People are still the same. So it's all about that personal connection. It's all about finding a way to get in touch with people. And for me, you know, with cold, cold emails really is how I met the mentors who changed my life. It's how I got incredible advice from a ton of best selling authors getting my start. And the person who gave me the best cold email advice was Tim Ferriss.

Okay.

So the way I got the interview with Tim was I was 18 and I was, you know, writing all these letters. You know, cold emails are working. I met someone who knew someone who knew him. It wasn't working. So I ended up, I found out he was speaking at an event in San Francisco. So I took my Price is right money, bought a plane ticket, went to San Francisco, went to the event, thinking, all right, I'll just go in person and talk to him there. So I see the stage has stairs on the right side. So I'm like, alright, I'm gonna take.

A seat right there near the right side.

So the second he walks off the stage, boom, I'm gonna go up and talk to him.

Yep.

And I knew I had to be right near the stage because everyone in that room wanted to talk to Tim Ferriss.

Yes, definitely.

So I was like, I have to be the first one. So I sit down there, I get to see right all the way on the right side of the stage, the lights dim. Tim Ferriss walks on stage from the far left side.

Oh my Lord.

So I'm on the opposite side, you know, And I flew all the way to San Francisco for this moment. I'm like, all right, I'm not gonna lose this moment.

Yeah.

So I end up standing up, you know, surveying the field, and I see that there's a VIP bathroom in the far left side of the auditorium, right next to the stairs. But there's like a bouncer, guardian. So I like, you know, run up there and I start like, freaking out, saying like, it's an emergency, I have.

To go in the bathroom.

He's like, all right, go ahead. So I go in and I end up crouching. I knew if I left the bathroom, the, you know, bouncer would kick me out. So I, I stayed in the bathroom crouching by the toilet for 30 minutes with my ear against the wall so I could listen to the speech. So the second I would hear the applause, I could jump out and then.

Run into him, hopefully.

Exactly. So 30 minutes later, I hear the applause, I jump out of the bathroom. Boom. Right in front of me, all alone is Tim Ferriss.

Oh, my Lord.

And that's how we made that early connection. And I ended up having to send him like 32 emails. But we finally got the interview.

Okay.

And when I got the interview, the way Tim started his career was that right out of college he worked for a startup. And the way he got that job is he sent 32 emails to the CEO of the startup and eventually got a job. And then when Tim wanted to become an author, he cold emailed a bunch of different authors and that's how he, you know, met people in the publishing industry. So I asked him, you know, what is your secret to cold emails? Because I send a ton of cold emails and I never got a response.

Okay.

And he's like, alright, this is my, my template that I use and anybody listening to this can use this. It's worked wonders. My, one of my favorite compliments is that if you go to like the Amazon reviews of my book, okay. One person in like caps lock, you know, all capital letters wrote, the email template works, you know, and that's like.

It's in the book.

Yes.

Amazing.

So this is from the Tim Ferriss chapter.

Okay.

So this is the template, you know, dear so and so.

Yep.

I know you're incredibly busy and get a ton of emails, so this will only take 60 seconds to read. Boom. Next paragraph, one to two sentences max of who you are, your credibility and why that's relevant to the person. But again, one to two sentences. The next paragraph, again, one or two sentences with a very specific question, something they can answer easily without thinking, you know, what's the number one book you recommend to a young entrepreneur, because the point is to really just get your foot in the door.

The touches. The touches. Yep. I agree with that.

And then the final paragraph is the clincher. You go, I totally understand if you're too busy to respond. Even a one or two line will completely make my day.

All the best tip. Yeah.

And, you know, I've used that to get interviews for my book, get advice from people like Malcolm Gladwell, readers from the book. You know, the book's only been out for a couple weeks now. There's already been readers reaching out, saying they've gotten responses from Sheryl Sandberg.

Oh, my Lord.

It's. It's really been a while.

I'm hyped to use that.

It works really well. The trick is to actually make sure the email takes less than 60 seconds straight, and you really keep it to one to two sentences per paragraph.

Okay, wow. So it's in the book you use. Was it the formula from Tim that you used to help get other people? Because you said, when it comes to you winning the money from the boat you sold, was Tim the first person that you flew out to and you met by standing in the bathroom? Was that the first guy?

He was one of the first. He was in the very beginning. But all the stories are. Everyone's different. You know, Bill Gates took multiple years, but some of them were more crazy and more coincidences that ended up working out for me. By far the most miraculous coincidence was with Larry King.

Okay?

So I was sitting outside of a grocery store with one of my best friends. His name is Corwin.

Okay.

And we're just eating sandwiches, sitting on the corner, just, you know, talking about how. I was just complaining about how hard the process is getting people. Yeah. Not only getting the interviews, but even conducting the interviews is so hard because so many times I would go into an interview and something would happen or backfire or I would lose control. And my friend Corin's like, man, like, don't be so hard on yourself. Interviewing isn't a science. It's. And art. And as we're talking about this, a car pulls up right in front of us in the loading zone. The door opens, and out walks Larry King. And I. You know, I'm freaking out, but I don't know if you ever go through this, but sometimes in the moments that are the most opportune is when I freeze up the most. You know, my throat clenches, my mouth gets wired shut. I call it the flinch.

Okay?

And I end up saying nothing. And Larry walks right past me, right into the grocery store. And my friend Corwin is like, dude, what the hell? Why didn't you say anything? And I was just, you know, coming up with excuses like, oh, no, like, I don't want to bother him. And Corwin's like, dude, come on, at least go and say hi. And because I'm embarrassed, I just stand up and my friend's like, come on, man, he's 80 years old. How far could he have gotten? So I go into the grocery store and I look around the front. No Larry. I run to the back to the produce section. You know, fruits, vegetables. No Larry. And then I realize he had parked in the loading zone, so he must be leaving any second now. So then all this adrenaline, you know, I started sprinting through the grocery store down every aisle. No, Larry. No Larry. No Larry. No Larry. No Larry. No Larry. I cut down the frozen food section.

No, Larry.

I'm like, he has to be at the checkout. So I go to the checkout counter. No, Larry. No Larry. No Larry, no Larry. And at that point, I want to just kick myself because he was right in front of me and I didn't say a thing. So I'm really upset. And I'm walking out of this grocery store, I'm walking through the parking garage, staring down on my feet, and I lift my head and you know, 30ft, right ahead of me is Larry King, suspenders and all.

Yeah.

And I just sort of like that stand moment. Don't know what happens, but I just get overcome with all of this pent up energy and I just yell, Mr. King. And because of the echo in the parking lot, it went 10 times louder than I expected. And Larry King, poor guy, you know, he's 80 years old, has had quadruple bypass surgery. He likes his shoulders, like, jump in the air. He turns around. Every wrinkle on his face is sprung back, and he looks like he's looking at the grim reaper.

Yeah.

And I just like run towards him. They're like, Mr. King, Mr. King. I'm 19 years old. I've always wanted to say hi. And he goes, okay, hi. And he like speeds away.

Oh, my lord.

And I'm thinking like, you know, I'm too deep in the game now to pull back, so I just keep following him. And we finally get out towards his car, and he's stuffing the groceries in the back of the car, and he opens the driver's side door. He's about to get inside. And I go, wait, Mr. King, can I go to breakfast with you. And he looks at me like I'm a lunatic.

Yeah.

And I had read online that he goes to breakfast.

Yeah, yeah.

He owns a restaurant in la. So I'm like, can I go to breakfast with you? And he just looks at me. Then he looks out onto the sidewalk and there's about 10 people now who have gathered around to watch this go down. And he just like, I guess felt peer pressure. So he just like shrugs his head and he's like, okay, okay, okay. And I'm like, oh my God, thank you so much. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning. And he just like, gets in his car and shuts the door. And I'm like, wait, Mr. King, what time? And he looks at me and just like, turns on the engine And I'm like, Mr. King, what time? And he like, puts the car in drive. I'm now standing in front of the windshield waving my arms. Mr. King, what time? And he just looks at me and he's like, nine o'.

Clock.

And he just speeds off.

That is insane.

So the next morning at 9 o', clock, I get to his restaurant and sure enough, he's sitting in the corner booth with the all his best friends. And you know, I had some time to think about, you know, what had happened and I was a bit embarrassed by how it went down. So the day before. So when I showed up at the, you know, at the restaurant, I didn't just sit down, I just waved my hand. I'm like, hey, Mr. King, good morning. And he's like, you know, just mumbles. And I'm like, alright, maybe he wants some time alone. So I sit at the table next to him, waiting for him to call me over. And 10 minutes pass, 20 minutes pass, an hour passes.

Oh Lord.

And finally he stands up and he's walking towards me. And I can like feel my cheeks lifting.

Yeah.

And then he walks right past me and heads for the exit. And I just felt this very sharp, familiar pain in my chest. And I just, you know, raised a hand and I'm like, Mister, Mr. King. And he's like, what is it, kid? What do you want? At that point I'm just like, honestly, I just wanted some advice on how to interview people. And this smile comes on his face almost as if to say, why didn't you say so?

Yeah.

And he ends up putting a hand on my shoulder and giving me this incredible monologue on interview advice. And then he looks up to the ceiling as if he's debating something in his mind. And then he Looks back at me, locks his eyes, and he goes, all right, kid, tomorrow, 8:45, see you here. And I show up the next morning and. And he calls me over to his table and he's like, why are you trying to interview people? And I tell him about the book, and he's like, all right, I'm in. And over the past five years, I've been to breakfast with him about 50 times.

Wow, that is insane. So Larry King, obviously, is one of the most legendary interviewers. So growing. Not even growing up, but when you first had that first. After you talked to him and actually had the breakfast with him, how was the relationship? Like, just from the standpoint of, like, were you guys, like, you guys were setting up breakfasts or how. What did that look like? Cuz obviously, with the book and you talking to him, was it something where it was still more in the formulation of the idea saying, hey, like, I have this book I want to release in five years, or like, what was.

That actual process coming out in a few months?

Okay, okay.

It was not the plan.

Okay. So you were just gathering the people and he. You wanted him to be a part of it, and then you guys ended up really just connecting, and then he wanted to be a part of it. Yeah.

And the way. The way that I was able to go to breakfast so many times was because someone at one of Larry King's best friends just sits at his breakfast table. And I ended up becoming rapidly close friends very quickly. And what I realized is that, you know, we're both relatively young.

Yeah.

And, you know, young people are always wondering. You know, everyone always says, you know, bring value to people. Give value, exchange value. Yeah. Young people are always like, what value do I have? I'm so young. What was funny was when I was at Larry King's breakfast table, here was a table of, you know, really established older men. But, you know, one guy was wondering how to set up his iPad. Another guy, like, didn't even know how to, like, create a Twitter account.

Yeah.

And another guy, you know, wanted to meet YouTubers. So I was like, I can help with that. So I started just becoming friends with different people at Larry's breakfast table. And that's what helped me keep coming back.

Wow, that's insane. So from the standpoint of, like.

Yeah, so it wasn't. Larry and I were buddy buddies.

Yeah, yeah. Relationships around him, I was.

I was able to, you know, create relationships with all his friends. And that's what kept the breakfast table invitation.

Yeah, yeah. The consistency of just following up and Seeing them.

Exactly.

That's so crazy, man. So you're 18, in college, about to do your finals. Did you ever do that? The finals?

I didn't study.

I just guessed. So from the standpoint, after the boat, you were still in college through this entire process or how did that look like?

I was in college the first two years. And the only reason I left college was because my biggest dream was to get to Bill Gates and interview Bill Gates. But Bill Gates office said, look, we're not going to do an interview with a random college student, go get a book deal from Penguin or Random House or one of these, you know, top, top, top publishers and then come back to us. And it had taken me eight months just to get a litter agent. But when I finally got one, I was so close to getting a publishing deal. I knew that if I, you know, it's hard enough for professional authors, full time authors who are double my age, to get a publishing deal with Penguin at Random House. Yeah, for me at that time, I was 19. For me at 19 or 20, to think that I'll just walk right in would be really idiotic of me. Would be lucky if I put all of my energy and I would get it. And there was no way I knew if I was in school. And look, the school I went to was really expensive, so it wasn't like I could just waste away a semester. So if I had tests and assignments to do, there was no way I would be able to put all my energy into getting this book deal. So one of my mentors, his name is Elliot Bisno, you know, I called him one day, you know, really terrified, and I was like, dude, I think I know what I have to do, but I just can't get myself to look my parents in the eyes and tell them I'm going to drop out of school. And he goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, you are not dropping out of school. I'm like, what? And he's like, look, no one smart actually drops out of school. You know, go do some research and figure it out. I'm like, what are you talking about? So I go and I open up this, you know, biography on Mark Zuckerberg. And I'm reading it and finally, I think like page 52, I finally figured out what Elliot was talking about. When Mark Zuckerberg had started Facebook, this was the first summer it was still called thefacebook.com and during that summer, Mark went in to get investment from Peter Thiel. And Peter Thiel said, are you gonna drop out of college? And even Then When Mark had 250,000 users, he said, I'm not gonna drop out. And I was like, what?

It's crazy, because if you watch the.

Social Network, it looks like he just dropped out of school, put his middle finger in the sky. I'm like, what? And then I started youtubing different interviews with Mark Zuckerberg. And after hours, I finally found this one interview where Zuckerberg told the whole story that his co founder, Dustin Moskovitz, had to sort of convince him. He's like, mark, look, we have no operations guys. These servers are, you know, way too complicated and expensive. If we go back to school, there's, you know, the website's gonna die. Let's just take one semester off, figure it out, set it up, and then we can go back for spring semester. Why don't we just take one semester off? Mark said, okay. And I was like, oh, that's what Elliot was talking about. It's not about dropping out of school. It's about taking one semester off, seeing if it works out. And I went and researched Bill Gates, and I realized he did the same thing.

Okay, I think I've heard that before.

Yeah.

Interesting.

And it's this big myth. Everyone thinks that, you know, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg just dropped out in the effort. Yeah. They said, fuck the system. Let's our textbooks. Schools for idiots. No, they were actually both really scared and cautious, and they took one semester off to see if they could build this business and if it would actually take off. And, you know, even Michael Dell, who created Dell Computers, there's, you know, if you look online, there's a famous, you know, letter he wrote to his parents, asking them, hey, yeah. And like, it's never obvious at the time.

Definitely.

When you're building your business, when you're in the trenches, you never know for sure if it's gonna work. So it's not about when you're gonna go all in. You know, it's not about if. It's about really when. Because when is the tricky question. And what I've learned is that the best you can do is just take one thoughtful step at a time.

That's crazy. Like, the little. What is that phrase? It's like if you try to chase two rabbits, you'll chase. You're gonna catch none. But it's like, you follow that one each day, take the step each day. That's the building block. That's insane. So you've been able to sit down with some of the most. I'd say the Most successful, just legendary people. Like when I first found out about you through dramas podcast, I'm like, this is insane coming from. I felt like it was so cool because the price is right and then interviewing all these legends, like, it's funny how they play. They played hand in hand, right?

Yeah.

So when it comes to just the book now, right, it's like it's published, it's out there, you have the people. When it comes to your feeling, right, it's published. It's like going through this journey. Looking back from the standpoint of like you telling the story now, obviously you can sit down on podcast, tell a story. It's quote unquote. If someone looks at you now, it's like, oh wow, he's so successful. But like during the time it's like you're chasing Larry King and standing in front of his car and doing all this stuff, which like, honestly a lot of people don't have that drive and the willpower to do. Would you agree? It's like the grit of trying to get that scarf and coming up with excuses, standing in the bathroom, all these things that like you just did at the time, which now like you get to tell a story about. What would you say has been the most just key. I don't want to say pillar because obviously on the consistency of things, what has been the biggest, like I would say learning curve of this entire journey?

Oh, wow.

The whole I don't want you to be like this is the thing, but just something that comes to mind when it comes to like, alright, you just published your book, you're sitting down with someone who's 17. A lot of these young listeners are young. What's been something just like I feel like sometimes people think things are unfathomable, right? Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, all these guys that are on the back of your book or the people you've sat down with, it's like you're never gonna be able to get in touch with these people don't listen. I think a lot of people like they think their parents like tear them down or they say they can't do something. And I'm sure you've been through those same things, right? But like to someone young, what's it's been like the most? Like, if you had to be super transparent with someone like what would you tell someone that like was your 17 and you wanted to connect with all these people is what would be the statement to really just like someone that's young that may want to connect with some of the World's most powerful people.

Hmm. So if someone's out there who wants to really, you know, go and learn from these people directly, it really does make a difference about how you contact them. And I'll say a couple things. The first thing is that the people who have changed my life the most. You know, obviously, sitting down with Bill Gates is an incredible experience.

Insane.

And he taught me really powerful lessons. But my life was changed by a lot more. Was changed a lot more by other people who are a lot less known than Bill Gates. Yeah. And you can probably attest to it, too, which is sometimes the most famous mentors aren't the best ones because they have so many people pulling at them.

Yeah. Yeah, I agree with that.

Where. And. But there's. There's definitely a value of sitting down with someone really getting that, you know, that boost.

Yeah. The check off the list. Yeah.

You know, there's something about sitting down, you know, with me. One of the things about sitting down with Bill Gates was I was just like, wow, he's a human being, I'm a human being. On this couch together.

That's crazy.

Yeah. Well, it wasn't chilling, but he has a Diet Coke, I. Bottle of water. And it changed what I believe was possible. And what I've learned is that, you know, when I had first set off to write this book, my dream was to gather all these tools and wisdom from the world's most successful people so their hindsight could be our foresight.

Yeah.

And while all of that is still in the book, all of those practical lessons and tools, I've learned that the soul of this book goes much deeper. It's really about possibility.

Okay.

And what I've realized is that you can give someone all the best tools and knowledge in the world. Right. You go on Google, you on Facebook, you can find any. Anything that you want to learn, you can find someone trying to teach you. Right. There's all the tools in the world.

Yeah.

But sometimes you can give someone all the tools, and their life can still feel stuck for some reason.

Definitely.

But if you change what someone believes is possible, they'll never be the same.

Okay.

And that's really what's so powerful about this book.

Wow.

It changes what people believe is possible.

What is that called? What is that thing I learned. It's just like. I want to call it the third door, but it's like changing the possibilities of, like, what is it like saying something like, if you. You're only as good as your belief system, as in, if you think you can Make a million dollars, you're probably only gonna make a million, you're not gonna make 100 million. Right. That sort of boundary limit, right? Meaning like if you shoot for a billion, you're bound to make 100 million. If you shoot for a thousand, you'll probably make a hundred. But it's like the possibility levels, if you set high possibilities, like you said, from reading the book to really just breaking past boundaries, I like to call them. So my next question, because relationships are obviously when it comes to important to me, sitting down with people, having conversations, I think learning from you and listening to the podcast with drama, I resonated with you and that's really why I wanted to sit down with you. What would you say from an intense standpoint of relationships and communication has been like critical? Because I think I meet a lot of young people, they may not have the communication skills, let's say they run into a celebrity, they are all like woohoo. And that kind of turns people off. Like what have you learned from meeting these successful people? Not only to just carry a conversation, but to resonate with them on like you said, a human to human level, you know, because I think some people that I meet or that I've met, I think it comes down to just the relationship standpoint, the communication skills that you have that can really turn into you meeting all these people.

Right?

Because like if you don't have good communication skills or you can't follow up or whatever. So to simplify things, what has been some of the most critical communication relationship tactics I'd say that you've used or thinking back that you can say, oh wow, I used that. That has really allowed you to not just meet them, but just actually build relationships with people in a sense. Yeah.

What I learned is that, and this happened to me without me even knowing, it wasn't a conscious thing that I did, but it was something that was really helpful.

I.

Really, since I was 18, because I was trying to make this book happen, I would go around to different events, entrepreneurial events, and I would talk to people and I would get mentors and how to email with them back and forth. And their communication style started rubbing off on me. Yeah, I would start writing emails the way like my mentor would write emails I would do. And sometimes I went too far because sometimes really successful people can be really casual over email. And I would make that mistake sometimes. But what I realized is that a lot of people who are just starting out, they spend all their time hanging out with their, you know, their buddies back at school or their buddies from their hometown who are just sort of putzing around and stuff. And then when you go to these events and stuff, you're using the communication styles of your buddies, you know, because you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Yep.

And it's a cliche for a reason. Because it's true. It's a cliche for a reason. You really are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You're also the average of, you know, the 20 people who give you the best advice. And if you're spending all of your time, you know, just fooling around and messing around with your buddies or with, you know, your boyfriend and girlfriend, whatever, when you find yourself in those situations, you're not going to be as polished and as prepared as if you were spending. You know, even if you're in college and you're at the entrepreneurship club, it's a lot better than being at X or Y, fraternity or sorority or, you know.

Yeah. Four kegs deep.

Right. And, you know, there's a time and place for all that. But if you are really intent about figuring out how to break into a certain echelon or community, you need to just start immersing yourself in that.

Definitely just putting yourself where you just naturally learn. And, like, for example, we're at an event this weekend, and there's a lot of people. Like, this guy spoke today. He did, like, 164 million this year. And it's just like, I feel like just talking to him and, like, gives me the insights of, like, dang, this dude, like you said, he's a human. He's making jokes and, like, it helps me resonate. And I think from that, I think the biggest thing I could take away is just, like, obviously putting yourself in rooms where you're the person that can learn the most, you know, because there's this quote where it's like, never be the smartest person in the room for too long, because then it's like you can't absorb the knowledge from other people. Right. Would you agree?

Absolutely. And when you surround yourself with really smart people who you really admire, not just their achievements, but their lifestyle.

Yeah.

How they, you know, their happiness, their kindness, it rubs off and you learn. You know, I remember when I was first starting out, I thought, you know, success was, who had a private jet or who had this or who had that? And, you know, when you start hanging out with people who actually, like, are really, really. You learn that, like, you know, there's A phrase. A full. A full piggy bank doesn't make a lot of noise. You know, if you shake a full piggy bank, it's.

Yeah, but a broke one does, Right? Okay.

So the people who actually really do have not only wealth, but are making an impact and are happy. They're not the ones running around, you know, flashing.

Yeah.

You know, expensive cars or this or that. They're focused on their work. They're focused on their family. They're focused on their own happiness, on giving back. And those are the people who I really look up to. Not just the ones who are on the COVID of magazines, but also the ones who are really making a difference and are enjoying their life.

That's amazing. Amazing. Yeah. We've been talking for an hour now. That's crazy. When you get in a conversation, how time can go.

I love it, man. Well, thank you again.

Absolutely. So last thing to wrap it up. So when it comes, I want to touch on this. So social media in general, obviously, that's how we connected, and from a young standpoint, that's how I've been able to really connect with a lot of people, is building a brand and, like, immersing myself into this space of getting people on interviews or having a podcast or whatever. So with this current standpoint of social media, from branding business standpoint, what's your initial. Just thoughts on it when it comes to, like, building a personal brand? Number one, like, how port. How important is it to you and do you think it's important? And this could be a simple answer, but I just want to touch on that because I. I do talk a lot about personal branding and the power of building a personal brand to obviously, I would say associate yourself with other people, connect with people. So in a social media world, to be exact, what's your thoughts on it and how important is it to you?

The reason it's important to me is because it is a gateway. What I care. This is the thing I joke with my friends. Like, I think J.K. rowling, who wrote Harry Potter, has, like, a really awesome life because she doesn't need to be, like, on Instagram doing stories like, you know, Harry Potter is Harry Potter.

Yeah, yeah.

But for me, I'm very cognizant of, like, the way young people discover things is on Instagram, on the Discover page, or they stumble upon someone's story and they click a link and Dramas.

Podcast.

Dramas, podcast, like that. Yeah. I've gotten a ton of emails from readers just the past couple weeks saying that they discovered me at 3 o' clock in the morning, when they were just scrolling on Instagram, they didn't even know, like, how they found my page. They always say, I don't even know how I found your page. But I was on there and I saw your book and it changed my life.

Yeah.

And to me, like, the real end goal are, like, is the wisdom and the pages, but the Instagram page or the podcast or whatever it is is your, you know, your front door.

Yep.

And it doesn't matter if it's a book or if it's a business, whatever you're doing, these platforms are really your way to interact with people and welcome them into your world at scale. At scale.

Yes, absolutely. Wow. That was amazing. Last question to wrap it up. I know we've been talking for a while, but in regards to just like, I think this is super cool because I look at you and it's like, wow. Like, you were this dude in college. You see this thing on Facebook, and, like, there's this quote where it's like, you don't recognize. I think Steve Jobs says it's like, you don't see the story looking forward. You can always tell it looking backwards. That's not the exact line.

You only connect the dots looking back.

Exactly. Yeah. So me looking at that and hearing your story and just like, this moment, I think about so much when it comes to just, like, you're just doing things, and obviously you had the end goal in mind, but you were making stuff happen. You know, it's like you were sitting outside that store. You see Larry King, you don't just not react. You're reactive. You know, it's like, I think there's a lot of. There's a big difference between, like, reactive and active. And you were someone that's actively putting in the work of getting in front of the people and making it happen. Sending the emails, 32 to be exact, to Tim Ferriss. So, last question to wrap it up is, like, throughout the process, throughout meeting the people in the book. Now, what would you say is the main intent moving forward, just with the book in general? I know before we started the podcast, you said, now it's like, you want to get the book out. You want to get it in front of everyone. And obviously, all the links and stuff will be in the link in the description. This will be all over Instagram and stuff. But moving forward, it's like hearing the story. It's like you hear the start and then, boom, the book's out. I know, we connected right before it dropped. What's next. Like, when it comes to the book, the promotion, the impact, like, what is Alex doing now? Moving forward.

So it feels like I'm on like a second journey. You know, the first journey was the seven year journey of writing the book and getting the interviews and putting it all together in a way that not only I'm so proud of, but also really gives people an emotional journey that touches their lives. And I'm really proud of the way those seven years went.

It's amazing.

And now it feels like it's almost part two of the journey.

Okay.

The second half.

Okay.

And it's about me learning how to share this message as far and wide as possible. And I'm. I'm like three weeks into this next second half. Yes. If the first half was seven years, I have no idea how long the second half is going to take. But I feel like I'm just getting started. And again it goes. It all comes down to changing what.

People believe is possible, changing their possibilities. Well, amazing. Well, that wraps it up. Everyone listening. And I just want to, before I end, it's like, dude, rewind this and watch it again. Like, literally. I would listen to it twice the first time I heard it. Cuz, like the first time I heard this story, it was like, how did the prices right. Lead to sitting down with Bill Gates and all these people? Like, I was like, it's so interesting. I never. It's a unique story that I really like, impassioned about just sitting down with you because I think it was something where I don't. You don't hear unique stories like that. It's like college and then like sitting down with these amazing people. It's. It's crazy. And I admire you for just what you've been able to do and I definitely look up to you. So that being said, at the end of the day, everyone listening, you can only do so much from this podcast. But I need you to go pick up his book because I'm actually, I ordered like 10 of them when you first dropped it. Got it. I haven't dove into it yet, but now we're in la, we got two fresh copies. I'm sure the plane ride will be a lot easier now. But that being said, everyone, like I said, the book will be in the description below. Make sure you go check it out. Let me know DM me after you've read it. Once you order it, send me pictures, screenshots, because I would love to know your thoughts on the book and I would love to connect with everyone that's listening today. And that being said, thank you, everyone, for tuning into the Rise of the Young podcast, and I will see you guys in the next episode.

Y' all are hopeless. This is a decade of devotion. It's hard to stop my movement when I'm already in motion? This ain't luck? This is by design? I had to work in the dark for my light to shine? A lot of people are dope. They just quit too soon.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters. An Apple original series. The world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th. This place, it's not ours. Believe me. The most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise.

Oh, my God. Go, go, Go.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters. Streaming November 17th only on Apple TV. Plus.