You're listening to the Impact Theory Podcast, your source of empowering ideas and actionable techniques from the world's highest achievers.

Join host Tom Billio, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the billion dollar brand Quest Nutrition, on a journey to unlock your potential and realize your vision of success.

Welcome to Impact Theory.

Welcome to Impact Theory. You are here, my friends, because you believe that human potential is nearly limitless, but you know that having potential is not the same as actually doing something with it.

So our goal with this show and company is to introduce you to the people and ideas that will help you actually execute on your dreams.

To paraphrase Stephen Pressfield, today's guest is one of the greatest thinkers of our generation.

He's a multiple-time best-selling author who's written a seemingly impossible six books in the last five years.

His meditation on Stoic philosophy, the obstacle is the way, is not only a true perennial seller, it's been translated into more than 20 languages, and has a devoted following of some of the most driven and successful people on the planet, including NFL coaches, world-class athletes, entrepreneurs, TV personnel,

and even political leaders. By my estimation, it is one of the ten most important books you must read if you want to develop a mindset for success.

And even if this were his only book, I'd sit at his feet to learn, but every book he's written delivers a similar level of impact.

This guy is without question my intellectual man, Crush Monday. The systematic and practical nature of his thinking is so powerful it's nuts, especially considering that he dropped out a college at 19,

so he could apprentice with the master author Robert Green. And by all accounts, my friends, he learned his lessons very well, as he went on from there to not only become an amazing author in his own right, but in his early 20s became the director of marketing for the billion-dollar public company, American Apparel, helping it achieve its astronomical levels of success, and in the process becoming one of the most sought-after voices in the field of media strategy.

His incredible marketing tactics detailed in the book, Trust Me I'm Lying, not only became a bestseller, it helped him launch his own media consulting company, Brass Check, which is advised companies like Google, Taser, and Complex, as well as world-renowned authors such as Neil Strauss, Tim Ferris, and Tony Robbins.

So please, help me in welcoming the best-selling author of Ego as the Enemy, and most recently, Perennial Seller, the modern-day philosopher king, Ryan Holliday.

Yeah, you're reacting to that last part, was amazing. Well, that was very kind, I appreciate it.

Now, I've been effusive with my direct-to-your-face praise for quite some time now, so hopefully you know that all of that is truly sincere, that isn't hyped for the show. Like, reading your books, meeting your own person, the way you think really does hit me like that.

Well, no, that means a lot. It's just, it's overwhelming to have to stand there and watch you say. Yes, that, that I imagine.

Yeah, but no, thank you, I appreciate it. Of course, dude. So, where I want to start with you, you talk a lot about people only write the book that you couldn't not write. It's got to be something that really compels you, and I love that, and I totally agree.

Sure. What drives you?

I think what drives me is trying to figure out the things that I wish that I was taught, that I wish were part of what you're supposed to learn in elementary school, in middle school, in high school.

You know, philosophy was supposed to be historically this. They would call it the guide to the good life, right?

So, it's something we've been thinking about for a long time. But where is this guide? You know, like, no one gave it. I read a lot of books in school. There were a lot of, you know, things that they made us look at, and nowhere did I ever get this guide.

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