MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: Storytime with MrBallen | Oz Pearlman

Date: November 21, 2025
Guest: Oz Pearlman ("Oz the Mentalist")
Host: John Allen a.k.a. MrBallen

Episode Overview

This special "Storytime" episode features world-renowned mentalist Oz Pearlman, who shares his journey from humble beginnings to captivating some of the world's toughest audiences, including celebrities, professional athletes, and skeptical hosts. The conversation explores Oz's unique blend of psychological insight, magic, and mental endurance, both onstage and in ultra-endurance running. Throughout the episode, Oz demonstrates his mentalist skills live with MrBallen, leaving the host repeatedly astonished. This is both a deep-dive into the psychology of performance and an inspiring look at the role of persistence, failure, and mental toughness in achieving the extraordinary.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

What is a Mentalist? (04:08 – 08:21)

• Oz clarifies the difference between magic and mentalism.
  • Oz: "A mentalist is a form of magic… I’m not a psychic. I’m not supernatural. Instead, I have a series of skills I’ve developed… It’s psychology, misdirection, deception, influence. It’s all these different skills baked into one cake." (04:22)
• Describes mentalism as a "magic of the mind," with minimal props and rooted in understanding how people think.

Talent, Practice, and the Learning Curve of Mentalism (06:03–08:21)

• Oz addresses whether mentalism is teachable, likening it to music.
  • "Absolutely. People can be taught...but there might be a ceiling. I have a gift for it. And I've also been very, very persistent." (06:22)
• Stresses how failure and persistence are crucial: "The only way I can get better is by doing it for an audience...the first few hundred times you do it, you're going to eat, pardon my French, you're going to eat shit." (07:19)
• Oz's career "forked" after America's Got Talent, where he committed fully to mentalism.

Mental Toughness: Ultra-Running and Mindset (08:21–14:11)

• Discussion of extreme distance running as a training ground for mental control.
  • John: "This dude's done like 153 miles."
  • Oz: “It’s more mental than physical...the mind controls the body...my mind crumbled” (08:53)
• Spartathlon story: first attempt ended in failure (DNF), but Oz returned and finished the second time.
• Parallels between running and mental performance: maintaining calm under stress is essential to both.

Performing Under Pressure: NFL & Celebrity Audiences (11:58–18:59)

• MrBallen highlights Oz's viral stunts, like predicting NFL quarterback Joe Burrow's actions.
  • John: “...he'll tell the players, like the quarterback, Joe Burrow, and he's like, I'm going to write down who you're going to throw it to...” (11:51)
• Oz discusses converting skeptics and maintaining composure in high-stakes situations: "Getting somebody who...thought they wanted nothing to do with me...have a monster reaction...has helped change my life." (14:19)
• Oz asserts that reading and influencing people is applicable everywhere: business, relationships, parenting.

The Thrill of Danger, Commitment, and Charisma (18:59–25:36)

• Both discuss the allure of live, high-risk performance.
  • Oz: “The audience can sense the danger, the risk. That's what's exciting...That's why you get the big reactions." (19:28)
• MrBallen on committing fully to live storytelling, with "no safety net."
• Oz breaks down the psychology of charisma, memory manipulation, and how to be memorable:
  • "Memory is malleable...I’m narrating the story that you will tell the next person about me." (21:11)
  • "Anyone that ever walks into a room and is the most memorable person in the room will achieve their goals the most effectively." (24:53)

Practical Perception: Human Instinct & Reading People (28:01–35:52)

• MrBallen shares SEAL Team experiences in reading nonverbal cues during civilian interactions in Afghanistan.
• Oz relates, reinforcing the importance of intuition but distinguishing stage skills from, say, playing poker or interrogation.
• Demonstrates that while entertainment mentalism is powerful, it is context-dependent and not universally applicable.
• Live card trick (31:10–33:37): Oz "reads" MrBallen’s imaginary card selection—correctly identifies the Ace of Spades.
  • Oz: “You decided because poker on the back of the box. Ace of spades is the card in your hand, isn't it?” (33:22)
  • John (shocked): “What the hell, dude? That's crazy.” (33:28)

Applied Persistence and Building Resilience (37:28–44:26)

• Oz on his upbringing: “I was supporting myself [at age] 16...I had to figure life out early. Which at the time I felt pissed...but now in hindsight that set me up for success...” (37:28)
• On parenting: desire to instill work ethic when children don't face the same hardship.
• Central life lesson: “Deciding on a goal and not giving up is...so much more important than natural talent, skill...persistence.” (38:44)

Defining Failures and Transformative Experiences (43:35–47:57)

• MrBallen recounts his SEAL "pool competency" ordeal—repeatedly failing a terrifying underwater test, only to pass when his mindset became "I will literally die before I fail this test." (43:35)
  • John: "Calm comes over me...I had fully committed...and I passed." (43:50)
• Oz's comparable “Do Not Finish” moment in Spartathlon leads to a major internal shift after an encounter with another runner:
  • Oz: “If you cannot run, you walk. If you cannot walk, you crawl. But you never. You never stop.” (45:04)
• Both agree: pushing to the point of no return can unlock dormant capacity and build self-belief.
  • John: "That knowledge...changes the way your mind is wired, because now you go, ‘what else could I do?’" (47:33)
  • Oz: "The book is designed...to be action-oriented...proven habits for success." (47:57)

The Role of Influencing People & Oz's Book (47:57–50:16)

• Oz promotes his new book, "Read Your Mind," as a blueprint for achieving goals and mastering interpersonal influence.
  • Oz: “My whole training has been how to win over people, how to know what they’re thinking, how to influence them. How to get rid of the fear of rejection and failure...” (49:20)
  • Endorsed by David Goggins: “Learn to master the most powerful weapon, your mind.” (49:20)

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Oz Perlman:

  • "I'm not supernatural. Instead, I have a series of skills that I've developed, kind of like an arsenal, tools over decades of learning how people think." (04:22)
  • “The only way that I can get better is by doing it for an audience. ... The first few hundred times you do it, you're going to eat shit.” (07:02)
  • “It’s more mental than physical... Why did they finish when I didn’t? Because my mind crumbled.” (08:53)
  • “The audience can sense the danger, the risk. That’s what’s exciting. ... That’s why you get the big reactions.” (19:28)
  • "Memory is malleable. ... I’m narrating the story that you will tell the next person about me." (21:11)
  • "If you cannot run, you walk. If you cannot walk, you crawl. But you never. You never stop." (45:04)
  • "My whole training has been how to win over people, how to know what they’re thinking, how to influence them. How to get rid of the fear of rejection and failure..." (49:20)
  • "I want to be the name brand for this art... If I’ve done my job right, the instant answer to [‘Who’s your favorite mentalist?’] is Oz the Mentalist." (62:00)

• John (MrBallen):

  • "This isn't staged. This is crazy. I'm blown away. Right. Welcome back to story time with Mr. Ballin. ... Today's guest... they're gonna blow your mind." (01:11)
  • "That's crazy. I was actively trying to, like, subvert you." [after Ace of Spades trick] (33:44)
  • "Holy shit, I'm gonna fucking die in that pool before I fail this test. ... I had fully committed ... And I passed." (43:35)
  • "This is not staged. This is crazy... That's crazy, man. I don't even know what to say." (57:37)

Notable Live Demonstrations & Audience Reactions

• Joe Rogan’s ATM trick: Oz retells how Joe Rogan’s live, unfiltered reaction proved the authenticity of his mentalism. (02:40–04:08)
• NFL/celeb stunts: Highlights with Joe Burrow and Bengals ("Tanner fakes to Jamar, throws to Tanner")—audiences predictably stunned. (11:51–12:24)
• Live card trick on John: Correctly identifies an invisible card (Ace of Spades). (31:10–33:44)
• Book/Palm Reading Trick: Guides John to imagine opening a book to a random page and writing down a page number and a word. Oz identifies both the page number (67) and the chosen word ("chastise"). (51:13–58:17)
  • Oz: “My goal is I just put a splinter in your brain.” (58:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oz explains mentalism: 04:08–06:03
• Persistence & learning: 06:03–08:21
• On ultra-running / Spartathlon: 08:21–10:05, 39:13–46:44
• Joe Rogan/NFL stories: 02:40–12:24
• Live mentalist trick (imaginary card): 31:10–33:44
• Discussion of charisma & memory: 21:11–25:36
• John’s SEAL pool comp story: 43:35–47:12
• The “if you cannot run, you walk...” story: 45:04–46:44
• Oz’s philosophy on success & book: 47:57–50:16, 62:00–63:08
• Live reading: Book, page, and word (“chastise”): 51:13–58:17

Final Thoughts

This episode dives deep into the psychology behind high-level performance, the power of persistence, and the specifics of what makes Oz Pearlman’s mentalism so astounding and applicable beyond the stage. With stories ranging from grueling athletic feats to the art of influencing high-profile audiences, the conversation is both instructive and inspiring. The live demonstrations are jaw-dropping and perfectly illustrate the principles discussed.

If you want to better understand how confidence, focus, perception, and resilience shape remarkable lives—or just want to be amazed—this episode is not to be missed.

For more, check out Oz Pearlman’s book “Read Your Mind,” and follow his ongoing adventures as he continues to redefine the boundaries of mentalism.