On the show today, New York Times bestselling author and longtime Esquire writer, Cal Fussman. He is also the host of the Big Questions podcast I first came across Cal’s work more than 6 years ago when I heard him interviewed by well known podcaster Tim Ferriss. I was immediately drawn to Cal’s amazing ability to tell stories. As you will see in our conversation today, Cal has a very special way with words.
For many years, Cal wrote the ‘What I’ve Learned’ column for Esquire magazine where he had the chance to interview world class leaders from various fields. Here is just a small list of some of the brilliant people he has interviewed over the years:
Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Woody Allen, Barbara Walters, Pelé, Yao Ming, Serena Williams, John Wooden, and he also spend a week with Muhammad Ali to write a cover feature about his life.
According to Cal himself--"Questions have guided my life ever since I was seven years old and sent a letter with a question to the President of the United States, and got a reply. Over the years, questions have taken me around the world and into interviews with hundreds of the most talented, compelling and powerful people on earth.:
In today’s episode, Cal discusses the art of listening and the main reasons why he has devoted his life to reshaping health care. He also discussed, in detail, the lessons he learned from interviewing former Soviet Union leader Mikail Gorbachev in an Esquire article published in September 2008.
Be sure to check out Cal’s work at calfussman.com and subscribe to his wonderful podcast on Apple podcasts, Stitcher or Google podcasts or tune into his podcast website at calfussman.com/podcast.
Connect With Cal:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/calfussman
Website: https://www.calfussman.com/
Big Questions Podcast
Cal's Keynote talk can be found here
Mohammad Ali's Astounding Bursts of Physical Brilliance