In this Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast episode, host Claudia von Boeselager interviews serial entrepreneur Dean Graziosi about thriving during an economic downturn. They discuss the importance of “going upstream” to fortify the mind against self‑doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear, emphasizing a mindset shift from reacting to proactively seeking opportunity. Dean explains why the knowledge/self‑education industry is exploding—projected to reach $1 trillion annually—highlighting its high‑margin, digital nature that aligns with Warren Buffett’s advice to own businesses that don’t require physical goods or inventory. The conversation introduces the free five‑day “Time to Thrive” challenge (August 2‑6) co‑hosted by Tony Robbins, Dean, and a roster of speakers (Jenna Kutcher, Lisa Nichols, Glo Atanmo, Rachel Miller, Matthew McConaughey, Russell Brunson, Brendon Burchard, etc.). They outline each day’s focus: discovering opportunities, identifying what to sell, learning service‑based sales, building a following, and integrating everything into a viable business. Claudia adds personal insight about vulnerability, perfectionism, and the power of sharing imperfect stories to connect with audiences. The episode ends with a strong call‑to‑action to register for the challenge, share it with accountability partners, and subscribe to Claudia’s longevity‑focused newsletter.
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In this episode, we cover why going upstream to fortify your mind in these challenging times is so essential, overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome to thrive, asking yourself the questions like, am I meant for more? What Warren Buffett advises as a winning business model in an economic downturn? How industries are affected by a shifting economy, as well as the upcoming Time to Thrive Challenge taking place next week, Tuesday, the 2nd of August, with Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, of course, Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Kutcher, Lisa Nichols, Russell Brunson of ClickFunnels, Rachel Miller, Brendon Burchard, Glow Atanmo, Alex Hormozi, and much more. So don't miss out on the Time to Thrive Challenge. It's a free 5-day challenge from August 2nd, and you can sign up by clicking on the link below. This is your time to thrive in an economic downturn. So join us next week for the Time to Thrive Challenge and share it with family and friends and colleagues who could do with listening in too. The more accountability buddies you have to thrive in your life and business, the better. Thanks for sharing this episode, and I look forward to seeing you next week. Please enjoy. Dean, welcome to the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast. It's an absolute pleasure to have you on today.
Good to be here.
So, Dean, as a serial entrepreneur who's gone through many downturns over your career and come out strong, why is now more than ever the time not to be focusing on economic winter, but instead on learning how to thrive during this time?
Yeah, great question, Claudia, and thanks. I know we have a few minutes here and I wanna deliver as much value as possible. Those of you listening, I know there's a million things you can listen to. Thanks for being here with us. And here's what I know, just because I was in business in 1999 when we had an economic winter. I was in business in 2008, and here's what I know. Anything that's ever held you back in the past, in today's world they call it imposter syndrome, fear, self-doubt, worry about putting yourself out there, afraid to fail. When things shift, especially after 2 years of COVID and now inflation and a looming recession, whatever insecurities or self-doubt or imposter syndrome you had is going to be magnified. And you're like, oh, that's great. Thanks for that uplifting message, right? But if you know that, wouldn't it be better to anticipate and prepare and fortify your mind rather than reacting? And that's what I'd love to challenge you to think about today is how do you feed your mind to fortify it against the enemy that's coming. And the enemy is that inner self-doubt where you turn into the thermometer of life with your emotions going up and down by the news or your friends or the kitchen table talk, rather than being the thermostat and saying, hey, in times like these, real success can be found on a whole nother level. Google when the most money is made. It's usually during a recession, but it's by the few who look for opportunity not from obstacles and what's wrong. Robbins always says, "What's wrong is always available, but so is what's right." So what I would say going into a shifting world is the first thing we have to do is go upstream and fortify the mind, whatever that takes. If it's listening to audios, reading books, being with your family, praying to God, I don't know what it is, but find something to fortify your mind and train yourself to look for opportunity through this. That's the first thing I think more important than any of it. I'd love to talk strategies and tactics and, what Tony and I are doing at the Time to Thrive Challenge. But if you have the wrong mindset, I think we can both agree, Claudia, nothing works.
Yeah, that's where it needs to start for sure. Let's talk about the knowledge industry though in particular. What exactly is it for those unfamiliar and why is now more than ever the best time to be in it? And why does Warren Buffett actually agree with this too?
Yeah, before I go there, why are you doing it?
Because I love making an impact. I love— yes, exactly. And you're one of my mentors. So thank you so much, Jean, for all you're doing as well. And I think what the beauty of it is, especially with the digital age that we're in, is the ability to impact so many lives. So you can do one-to-many. We all have gone through Zoom with COVID and not just one person that you can help, but you can impact tens, hundreds, thousands, or millions in your case. And the knock-on effect that has, because if you are a better person, then the family around you, the people you love around you, benefit from that as well.
So you get—
Yeah.
And so you get to impact others.
Yes.
And create success from it.
Correct.
I don't think there could be anything more exciting on the planet. But let me ask you something. When you first thought about it, did you have self-doubt? Yes.
Oh yeah. I had to rewire those neural pathways, Dean, because the mind always goes to, I can't do it, or someone else can do it better, etc., as well. So it's—
I don't have a following. I might be an introvert. I'm in another industry. I'm not an expert. Expert who would listen to me. My friends are going to think I'm nuts. So if we know that, but once you get through that and realize— and I think the greatest question you could ask, and if you're watching Claudia, you're watching me right now, I think the greatest question we could ask is, are you meant for more?
Yeah.
Do you have that feeling in your heart and your soul that you're meant for more? The reason Tony and I and Claudia, and hopefully you, love what she's calling the knowledge industry, the self-education industry, is because you get to enter an industry First and foremost is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. It's about $1 billion a day heading towards $1 trillion a year because regular people like Claudia are realizing her life experience is valuable to someone else. The mess she's gone through and she's on the other side, the skill that she learned, the hobbies she learned, the passions that she has. Someone else is starting off on day one and that knowledge is insanely valuable. That's why this industry is growing. So that's number one. Number two, where else can you be the truest version of yourself, learn and grow as a human, contribute, serve, and grow a business? I don't know anything else. So once people get over the mindset of it and realize that all of those things aren't true, especially with this challenge Tony and I are doing for 5 days, we'll show you why this industry, why you. We'll show you how to find out what you should be serving, how you should sell it. Is it a course? A coaching program, a workshop. We'll show you how to elegantly sell it, how to identify people who want it, how to build the following. We're going to do that over 5 days. So all the, I don't know, I don't know if I can, that goes away. And if your mind is in the way, then that's why I love being partners with Tony Robbins, because he'll just crush that and throw that bad belief in the garbage, right? But one reason I love this industry, and you asked me how Warren Buffett agrees, is because we get to sell something that is so valuable. But as Warren Buffett said, in a recession and during inflation, be a part of or start a business that has high margins, meaning you don't have to pay for goods, you don't have to warehouse it, you don't have supply chain issues. Think about your life experience. You could sell it over and over again. You don't have to warehouse it. You don't have to ship it. It doesn't cost you anything. And it's extremely impactful, and it's part of an industry that's lucrative. That is your skill to help people go faster. You just need to know how to have the confidence, how to package it, how to offer it, how to sell it. And that's why Tony and I are screaming from mountaintops, it's time. When Tony started 40-something years ago, when I started 25-plus years ago, there wasn't the internet, there wasn't this much connectivity. And the truth is, coaching, coursing, podcasts Influencers, that wasn't even a thing, or it wasn't that cool. Yeah, now it's cool. Now it's the time, and that's why we're doing the Time to Thrive Challenge.
So I'm really excited to dive into the Time to Thrive Challenge, but I just want to make a comment as well that I get when I talk to people about the knowledge industry and the ability. I think a lot of people get caught up— I began my career at Goldman Sachs, so perfectionism was essential. And it's actually that realization that being vulnerable, being human, that making mistakes, self-doubt is so normal. And by sharing that, it helps you connect with people and people really stick with you. So you're a pro at this, Dean, obviously, as well, sharing your stories. And I think it's just, it's really for everyone, and you don't need to be perfect, you just need to be human to go into it. Let's talk about the Time to Thrive Challenge. What are some of the major benefits and outcomes people can expect who will join it?
Yeah, so here's what I'd say. In a time that's shifting, we must investigate to what's— where the world is going, what is going to grow through this shifting economy. Some industries are going to shrink, The knowledge industry, the self-education industry is expected to grow exponentially. How do you investigate that? How can you plug into it? Do you want to do a podcast? Do you want to write an ebook? You want to create a course? Do you want to do a weekend workshop at a hotel where you teach yoga or how to be spiritual or meditate or how to sell better or how to invest better or a million other things? How do you just investigate and say, could this be a real thing? Could I really make a living from home being creative? I don't know. What I'd say is come and show up and just investigate. Day 1 with Tony, myself, and our dear friend Jenna Kutcher. I think day 1 alone will— you'll be hooked and see, at least should come for day 2. And day 2, you'll identify how to sell, what you should sell. How do we identify that thing and who should you sell it to? Day 3, show you how to sell it through service. Day 4, how to find a following of people that already want to follow you, just need to know how. Day 5, how to tie it all together and make it real. So I'd say if anything we shared in these few minutes here, in 10 minutes, intrigued you, then how do they find the link, Claudia?
We'll have it in the show notes as well. Can you talk about some of the speakers who are going to be joining you, Dean, as well?
Yeah, we'll have Jenna Kutcher, Lisa Nichols. If you've never seen her, she's so inspirational. We have Glo Atanmo, who, if you don't know Glo, again, some of these names might not mean anything to you, Glow is unbelievable, traveling the world, and she's, she entered this self-education industry with lots of doubt, and now she's doing so amazing. We have Rachel Miller, who's a mom of 6 and just found a way to build a following online that's unbelievable. She's going to share exactly how she did it. We even got Matthew McConaughey coming because we love Tony and I love his book Greenlights, so we asked him to come, and Russell Brunson and Brendon Burchard. But here's the thing, it's not just a bunch of there just to speak or to brag about their success. If you know anything about Tony and I, the whole 5 days is designed to deliver you capabilities and then give you the— make it so you're disturbed with inaction because knowledge without action is nothing. So we want to give you the capabilities and then every day we're going to challenge you to take an action. In the show notes, if the link is in the show notes, go reserve your spot. It's not free. It's totally free. Reserve your spot and then take the link and send it to a friend that can be an accountability partner and show up and play full out.
Super exciting. So can you confirm the dates, Dean, for everybody? They know when they can join.
Yeah, August 2nd through August 6th. And make the time. Do whatever it takes. Make the time. This might be the last time we ever have a chance to do it. And we'd love to see you there.
Super exciting. Do you have a parting message or piece of advice for my audience, Dean?
Yeah, the next couple years could get a little crazy, and the outside noise is going to get loud. Just know that the biggest thing that'll stop you from growing is listening and playing small and waiting for someone else to fix it. There's no one coming to save us. It's on us. We want to change the world, we start by changing ourselves. So whether that's with Tony and I or whatever it is, gain capabilities from someone who's already done what you want to do And then take uncomfortable action. Get aggressive. Don't let anybody tell you where your limits are.
Beautiful. Thank you, Dean. Don't miss the Time to Thrive Challenge starting on August 2nd, and the link to sign up is below. Thank you so much, Dean, for coming on today. Such a pleasure. See you guys. Hi everyone. This is Claudia von Boeselager again. Before you take off, would you like to get a short email from me with some short but sweet fun tips, tricks, and updates on all things longevity and lifestyle? This could be cool products that I've discovered, interesting posts or articles I've read, and other fun and helpful things around longevity and lifestyle I've found for you. It's a very short piece of inspiration for you a few times a month, so if you want to receive it, check it out by going to longevity-and-lifestyle.com. That's longevity-and-lifestyle.com. And your email to sign up for the next one.
