Podcast
Greatness
Hosted by Jonathan Watts · EN
Learn from history’s greatest.
Each week, Jonathan Watts dives into the lives and moments of the world's most extraordinary people, uncovering timeless lessons and unforgettable stories.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
145. Franklin D. Roosevelt - The Power of a Mission
Feb 2700:19:48Tap to summarizeDiving into a short story on Franklin D. Roosevelt and the power a mission can have. -----“When you’re a person who always has a goal, who always has a mission, the less time you have to think, ‘How do I feel today? Am I depressed today? Do I feel sorry for myself? Have I become a victim? Oh my god, I feel so bad about myself.’ I don’t have time for this crap. A lot of times, it’s people who don’t work enough. When you’re busy all the time, you don’t have time to think about this stuff.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger-----Sources: Leadership - Doris Kearns Goodwin -----Check out my books below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence
Transcribe →144. Baseball Legends: Ted Williams, Derek Jeter, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, and More
Feb 2401:01:15Tap to summarizeDiving into some of the very best stories from a few baseball legends. -----Sources: Baseball 100 - Joe Posnanski-----Sources0:00 - Brooks Robinson - An essay from a 13-year-old boy4:34 - Justin Verlander and Ted Williams - The power of negative energy13:25 - Ted Williams - Put it on the line14:38 - The infectious joy of Enrnie Banks19:00 - Derek Jeter - One hit at a time and loving the truth25:05 - Ichiro Suzuki and Jeter - Small wins26:30 - The unlikely path of Larry Walker 29:10 - Frank Thomas - Meaning > Talent32:00 - The approach of Tom Seaver38:40 - Hank Aaron - The burden of greatness43:40 - Mariano Rivera, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson - Some short stories52:23 - Joe Dimaggio - You need some luck54:20 - Mike Schmidt - Keep the joy alive-----Check out my books below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----Check out our other episodes on baseball legends:#116. Derek Jeter#135. Clayton Kershaw
Transcribe →143. Morgan Housel - Essays on Human Nature, Failing Well, and Timeless Lessons
Feb 1700:45:18Tap to summarizeDiving into some of the very best ideas from one of my favorite writers and thinkers, Morgan Housel.-----"People can be led to believe and defend almost anything, because the goal of a belief is often not to discover what’s true – it’s to justify past actions, or protect your reputation, or provide hope when it’s lacking, or to maximize your income, or to signal to others that you belong to the tribe."- Morgan Housel-----Sources/Essays are linked in the time stamps below1:15 - Why You Beleive What You Do14:21 - The Power of Failing Well 18:40 - The Freakisly Strong Base26:25 - You Have To Live It To Believe It 36:07 - How it All Works (Short Stories on Big Things)42:00 - Little Rules About Big Things-----Check out my books below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →142. George Pocock - The Life of a True Craftsman
Feb 1200:46:51Tap to summarizeDiving into the life of craftsman and boatbuilder, George Pocock-----“It’s a great art, is rowing. It’s the finest art there is. It’s a symphony of motion. And when you’re rowing well, why it’s nearing perfection. And when you’re nearing perfection, you’re touching the Divine. It touches the you of yous. Which is your soul.”- George Pocock-----SourcesReady All - Gordan Newell and Dick EricksonBoys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown-----Time Stamps3:40 - Why be a craftsman4:55 - George's origins5:45 - A motto for life - amor fati9:22 - The apprenticeship10:50 - The lesson from his dad: “Now you can build your own boat for this race, and I will give you one bit of advice. No one will ask you how long it took you to build it, they will only ask who built it.” 16:20 - Good work leads to good oppotunities18:55 - Great opportunity, followed by great disaster20:45 - The craftsman banishes negativity and bullshit23:45 - How building boats opened up new opportunties26:50 - How Geroge Pocock helped build/get the Boeing company off the ground28:45 - Choosing meaning > money30:05 - How he dealt with the tough early days as a full-time boat builder34:10 - A beautiful story on loyalty38:20 - The character building of rowing and finding your "rowing" activities42:15 - The craftsman ultiamte goal42:53 - Lose yourself in the work44:18 - Good work needs good thoughts45:00 - The work should touch your soul-----Check out my books below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →141. Thomas Edison's Superpower
Feb 1000:18:40Tap to summarizeDiving into the single trait that was at the root of Thomas Edison's greatness.-----SourcesThomas Edison - Matthew Josephson -----Check out my books below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →140. Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson: Two Great Managers and Their Greateast Ideas and Lessons
Jan 2800:32:37Tap to summarizeDiving into the biggest lessons and ideas from the two greatest soccer managers ever, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola-----Listen to the full epsiodes on Ferguson and Pep below.124: The Leadership Genius of Sir Alex Ferguson139: The Mastermind of Pep Guardiola -----Time Stamps0:00 - Trajectory > Results6:55 - Be a _____ man 10:02 - Observe obsessively12:00 - Stick like glue14:05 - Understand the human condition16:50 - Look for bad losers18:30 - Excellence first, winning second20:37 - Reduce your experience22:45 - Burn your youth24:20 - Obsess the details26:45 - Be a relentless consumer28:22 - Top to bottom excellence30:18 - Love the pieces, not the puzzle----- NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →139. The Mastermind of Pep Guardiola
Jan 2201:04:17Tap to summarizeDiving into the life and mastermind of soccer coach and legend, Pep Guardiola -----"Each night when you are going to sleep, ask yourselves if you like football or not; ask yourselves if right then, you’d get up, grab the ball and play for a bit. If the answer is ‘no,’ then that is the day to start looking for something else to do."- Pep Guardiola-----Sources: Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning - Guillem BallagueThe Greatness of Pep Guardiola, in a Blade of GrassInside the Pep Guardiola bubble – as told by his assistantsHow Pep Guardiola is inspired by other sports, from basketball to chess to swimmingPep Guardiola: The man behind the geniusChasing Perfection Documentary-----4:20 - A young Pep5:30 - Pep's superpower6:40 - Win without talent8:30 - The question/the sign11:40 - Preparing to be a coach/Being a sponge15:05 - The LBJ Motto18:00 - There is no good or bad work20:35 - Stickler for the details/controlling everything22:18 - Building a great culture28:20 - Taking over Barcelona31:00 - The reward is the puzzle32:40 - Treajectory > Results39:45 - His greatest trait43:42: What gives his work meaning45:25 - Great coaches are great psychologist48:20 - One of my favorite stories 50:03 - A blade of grass52:20 - Ferguson and Pep - the importance of observation57:50 - Find an enemy1:00:40 - Find your Cato----- NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →138. The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin (Part 2)
Jan 1300:48:32Tap to summarizeDiving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin.Part II focuses solely on Rubin's life and how he works.-----Sources: The Creative Act - Rick RubinIn the Studio - Jake Brown-----2:00 - How Rubin operates in the studio17:28 - Everything was unintentional19:50 - Music was his drug20:45 - Rubin, Kubrick, and creative supporting habits23:30 - Future plans: law and philosophy 24:25 - Be around the game & scratching your own itch 28:35 - Creating his company30:00 - Working with LL Cool J31:15 - Make what you want to make 33:00 - The power of taking time35:25 - Be strict with who you work with37:30 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers, what creativity needs, and the power of changing things up.41:38 - Johnny Cash, AC/DC, and the importance of volume----- NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →137. The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin (Part 1)
Jan 501:11:11Tap to summarizeDiving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin.Part I focuses solely on Rubin's creative philosophies.-----Sources: The Creative Act - Rick RubinIn the Studio - Jake Brown-----2:10 - Creativity is something you are, not something you do4:05 - Developing a noticing habit9:07 - Listening 10:38 - The beginner mind/the danger of wisdom16:50 - Pursue excitement19:12 - Balancing joy with seriousness22:30 - Finding your rhythm26:32 - Rules are limitations 32:12 - Keep the joy alive35:05 - Temporary rules36:55 - Tools for finishing the work39:45 - Defining success41:50 - Non-competition43:12 - Habits and art45:30 - Patience and tuning out 49:05 - Self-doubt 56:18 - Try everything57:12 - Submerge yourself in great work58:45 - Spirituality and work59:52 - Inspiration and diligence1:03:50 - Some short and final ideas ----- NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBooksInstagramXLinkedIn
Transcribe →104. Roger Federer
May 21, 202500:45:25Tap to summarizeDiving into the life and greatness of a tennis legend, Roger Federer. ----“When you're good at something, make that everything."- Roger Federer-----SourcesThe Master - Christopher Clarey-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ApparelInstagramX
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