THE ED MYLETT SHOW
Episode: Why Surrounding Yourself with Different People Changes EVERYTHING
Host: Ed Mylett
Date: September 13, 2025
Brief Overview
In this inspiring solo episode, Ed Mylett dives deep into the transformative power of diversity in both relationships and experiences. Drawing from emotional personal stories and hard-earned business lessons, he explains why seeking out different people and new experiences is the ultimate key to personal growth, happiness, financial success, and resilience. The episode offers concrete tactics for enriching your network and your mindset, with a strong emphasis on self-belief, delayed gratification, and discipline.
Main Theme
Diversity is the pathway to richness.
Ed explores two core forms of diversity:
- Diversity in the people you surround yourself with
- Diversity in your life experiences
He argues that intentionally welcoming variety into your life is essential not only for happiness and growth but also for developing resilience, wealth, and brain health.
“Variety is the spice of life... and you can do it for free, on no budget.”
— Ed Mylett [05:25]
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why Diversity Matters
- Personal Story: Ed shares the emotional experience of dropping his son off at college, highlighting how the diversity of people and experiences ahead will be transformative for his son—and how adults must pursue the same for ongoing growth.
- “He’s about to have the most diverse experience of his lifetime...” [06:42]
- Happiness and personal development are strongly linked to exposure to new people, ideas, and environments.
- As we age, we tend to avoid novelty and gravitate toward routine and sameness—a recipe for stagnation.
2. Identity and Decision-Making
- Ed’s advice to his son (and listeners): When faced with new situations, always ask:
- Who am I?
- What do I stand for?
- Consistently making decisions that align with your core identity and values helps navigate unfamiliar or challenging territory.
“If every decision comes your way, you just remind yourself: Who am I and what do I stand for? ... You’ll make the right decision.”
— Ed Mylett [08:54]
3. Combatting Tribalism and Unconscious Bias
- Ed laments the current state of political and social polarization, urging listeners to intentionally seek out and learn from those on “the other side.”
- Acknowledges the natural human tendency for unconscious bias—liking people who are like us—but warns that this limits our lives and businesses.
“It’s not horrible to have [unconscious bias]. It’s horrible not to be aware of.”
— Ed Mylett [24:12]
4. Diversity in Business and Team-Building
- The exponential growth of Ed’s audience and business is directly attributed to hiring and collaborating with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, not just gender or race, but also age, religion, and life experience.
- Cites the structure of his own organizations as proof—a leadership team primarily comprised of women from varied backgrounds, plus cultural and age diversity throughout.
“My podcast... fastest growing show in the world... It’s diverse. Why is that? Because, obviously, I’m that same guy that when I was 25 surrounded himself with sameness. Not anymore.”
— Ed Mylett [26:19]
5. Practical Tips for Pursuing Diversity
- Proactively reach out to colleagues or acquaintances from different backgrounds.
- When in routine settings (e.g., an Uber), engage the driver—people are gifts waiting to be unwrapped.
- Introduce novelty: new music, new hobbies, unfamiliar places, different conversations.
- In relationships: avoid dying routines. Introduce new shared experiences.
- Encourage diverse collaboration within teams; sometimes just pairing unlikely colleagues for lunch can spark growth.
6. Learning from Every Encounter
- Shares illustrative stories from his time at an orphanage, where as a young man, he learned gratitude and perspective from underprivileged children—showing that even those you’re “supposed to teach” can transform you.
“If I could learn from 8- and 9-year-old inner city boys, don’t you think you could learn from someone who thinks completely differently than you?”
— Ed Mylett [31:17]
7. Ed’s Recipe for Resilience and Growth
- Draws from personal and family stories about facing hardship, including a formative tale of wanting to quit college baseball, and his father's powerful advice about staying aligned with identity and values.
- Stresses the importance of perseverance and how diversity in thought made the difference in turning setbacks into success.
8. Diversity and Brain Health
- Ed references scientific research on neuroplasticity, citing Dr. Andrew Huberman—learning new things and having novel experiences literally rewires, strengthens, and protects the brain from decline.
- Boredom and lack of diversity have direct negative health consequences (higher rates of heart disease and even accelerated cognitive decline).
“Turns out this diversity variety thing is the only way you change your brain for the better.”
— Ed Mylett [33:01]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Diversity Bringing Wealth:
- “There’s a direct correlation between the amount of diversity in our life and how happy we are, how much we’re growing, by the way, how wealthy you’ll get, too.” [07:44]
-
On the Power of Diverse Teams:
- “The reason [my brand] has grown like it has is because of the diversity and the variety and the spice around me.” [27:32]
-
On Unconscious Bias:
- “We like people like us... It’s not horrible to have [the bias]. It’s horrible not to be aware of.” [24:12]
-
On Small Graces and Gratitude:
- “Little Marcus... said, ‘No gunshots on this way to school, Mr. Eddie.’ And I went, yeah, that is cool, Marcus.” [29:45]
-
On Handling Hardship:
- “Is that consistent with who you are as a man? Is that what you stand for? ... You got me.” (Ed recalling his dad’s pivotal question) [32:10]
-
On Pushing Past Routine:
- “If everything in your life is routine... that’s a relationship that’s dying, not growing.” [19:59]
-
On Self-Belief:
- “There’s a disease going around the world right now, which is that people don’t believe they deserve to win.” [36:30]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Main Theme—Diversity as Richness: 03:40–08:12
- Personal College Story & Advice to Son: 06:00–10:00
- Tribalism & Social Commentary: 11:25–14:40
- Business Diversity & Company Structure: 24:50–28:00
- Lessons from the Orphanage: 29:10–32:50
- Brain Plasticity & Science: 33:00–35:00
- Foundational Advice—Self-Belief: 36:10–38:00
Action Steps & Challenges
- Reflect on the last 90 days: Have you had conversations with people different from yourself?
- Reach out this week to someone who sees the world differently.
- Listen to ideas that oppose your own; aim to learn, not to change your mind, but to grow.
- Infuse your relationships, routines, and work with variety—force yourself into new, diverse settings.
- If you run a business, intentionally build teams that span age, background, and experience.
Tone & Language
Ed is heartfelt, direct, and motivational. He uses personal stories, practical examples, and a “tough-love” approach—encouraging listeners with a sense of urgency and warmth. Signature Ed: enthusiastic, sincere, sometimes emotional, relentlessly practical.
“You were born to do something great with your life... Max out your life!”
— Ed Mylett [01:00]
Conclusion
Through honest self-reflection, data, and heartfelt storytelling, Ed Mylett makes a powerful case: living a diverse, varied life isn’t just interesting. It’s essential for happiness, growth, wealth, and resilience—and it’s available to everyone, regardless of budget or background.
His message? Challenge your routines, expand your circle, have new experiences, and believe you deserve all the richness life has to offer.
This summary covers the main content and wisdom of the episode, omitting advertisements, standard intros/outros, and non-content banter.