WE STUDY BILLIONAIRES: RICHER, WISER, HAPPIER Episode RWH061: “How To Thrive No Matter What” w/ Arnold Van Den Berg
Date: October 5, 2025
Host: William Green
Guest: Arnold Van Den Berg

Episode Overview

This episode features a richly insightful and deeply personal conversation between William Green and legendary investor Arnold Van Den Berg. Drawing from Van Den Berg’s extraordinary life — surviving the Holocaust as a child, overcoming immense early adversity, and building a highly successful 50-year career with Century Management — the discussion centers on the powerful, practical applications of mastering the mind, achieving one-pointedness (deep focus), and cultivating character and happiness, not just for investing but for thriving in all areas of life. Arnold shares wisdom and personal stories illustrating how to program our subconscious, enter flow states, and use tools such as breathwork, hypnosis, and affirmations to unlock inner resources in even the most extreme circumstances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mastery of the Mind: Origins and Importance

• Early Inspiration: Arnold has studied the subconscious mind for 50 years, sparked by his father’s survival of Auschwitz through sheer focus during a death march, and his own drive to overcome weakness from war and malnutrition.
• Central Insight: Profound mental focus — “one-pointedness” — unlocks hidden reserves of energy, resilience, and creativity. (07:25–13:30)

Quote:
"There’s one thing we don’t understand about the mind, but it has a power that we don’t understand... Something happens when you focus the mind."
— Arnold Van Den Berg [10:14]

2. Science of Focus, Flow, and Breath

• Yogic & Scientific Validation: Van Den Berg details how yogis, tested by scientists at the Menninger Foundation, demonstrated physical feats through breath and focus — e.g., changing body temperature, sustaining “delta” brainwave states while awake.
• Modern Corroboration: “Flow” states in psychology (referencing Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) echo ancient teachings: deep absorption releases neurochemicals (dopamine, oxytocin, anandamide) that enable high performance and states of happiness (“bliss”).
  (13:30–20:00)

Quote:
"When you get into that state, it releases neurotransmitters, chemicals into the brain, which creates different states of mind. In one of them, you can literally block out the pain. In the other one, you have bliss...”
— Arnold Van Den Berg [21:22]

3. Real-life Examples of Mental Mastery

• Extreme Adversity: Survival accounts from Viktor Frankl (Auschwitz), Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian gulag), Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Soviet camps) — all found meaning, focus, and even bliss in direst conditions by mastering their attention and thoughts.
  (15:30–34:00)
• Subconscious Programming: Both positive (love, character) and negative (lying, self-deception) self-talk profoundly shape reality — not only in crisis, but in everyday performance and relationships.

Quote:
"What we found out... is that you get into different states that can help you achieve whatever it is you want to achieve... But think about when we are talking about analysts, what could be more critical... than his ability to discern the truth in himself and others?"
—Arnold Van Den Berg [28:50]

4. Practical Tools for Listeners

(63:00+; 77:37+)

a. Self-Hypnosis & Daily Routine

• Technique: Lie down, relax, count backwards (e.g. 100 to 1) to induce alpha/theta state, then use positive suggestions and visualization (e.g. “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better”).
• Application: Effective for energy, healing, focus, overcoming blocks; practiced by Arnold and used in coaching his son to athletic success.

Quote:
"I think the easiest thing... is hypnosis. Hypnosis can get you into that ‘flow’ state in 7 to 11 minutes."
—Arnold Van Den Berg [69:50]

b. Breathwork

• Simple Breathing Exercise: Dr. Weil’s “4–7–8 method” (inhale 4 seconds, hold 7, exhale 8), practiced regularly, increases lung capacity and is linked to longevity and calm.
• Reference Works: James Nestor’s Breath, reports from yogic research, and a summary of techniques compiled by Arnold (offered free to listeners).

c. Affirmations / Autosuggestion

• Example Mantras:
  • “I am a loving, kind person, and I am happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
  • Emil Coué: “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.”
• Mechanism: Repetition imprints beliefs and intentions into the subconscious — advertising uses this principle, but we can choose our own “programming.”

Quote:
"What your subconscious is, it’s your servant. It’s your computer... Whatever you type into it, whether it’s true or false... If you keep on believing it and repeating it, it’s going to happen."
—Arnold Van Den Berg [96:00]

d. Reading Recommendations

• From Poverty to Power by James Allen (Arnold’s favorite; “Not a problem you could have in your life that you can’t find the answer to in this book.”)
• “The Genie Within” by Harry Carpenter (self-hypnosis and subconscious programming)
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

5. Investment Approach and Current Outlook

(111:11+)

• Key Principle: Preparation, character, and “one-pointed” focus trump market timing; mindset matters most.
• Current Portfolio Guidance:
  • Heavy weighting in real assets/commodities (gold, silver, uranium, natural gas) as a hedge against inflation, dollar decline, and market overvaluation.
  • Cash position (15–20%) to pounce on bargains.
  • Bond positioning: Only short-term Treasuries (“no 30-year, no leverage”).
  • For most: Use sector mutual funds (e.g., Goehring & Rozencwajg) for easy access to commodities.

Quote:
"We have 25, well, at least, I’d say 15%... in most portfolios we have at least 15 to 20% in cash... There is always going to be a need for power. When you look at AI, there’s going to be a huge demand for power, for electricity; anything that produces what could be the greatest thing in the world is natural gas and uranium or nuclear energy..."
—Arnold Van Den Berg [112:11]

• Cautionary Advice: Avoid heavy leverage, high-flying indices (especially S&P 500 at current valuations); pay down debt.

6. Character, Happiness, and the Nature of Success

(124:55+, 129:16+, 130:09+)

• Core Lesson: Character — especially truthfulness, self-control, and the ability to love selflessly — is the foundation for surviving suffering, building wealth, and ultimately achieving fulfillment.
• True Happiness: Real meaning and satisfaction come not from money, but from sharing wisdom, helping others, and unconditional love.

Quote:
"The thing that made me the happiest... is when I can share things that have brought me happiness, such as understanding. What brings me the greatest happiness is knowing that I can share whatever I’ve struggled to learn, and it changes somebody’s life. There’s no greater satisfaction to me."
—Arnold Van Den Berg [129:41]

• On Self vs. Truth:
  "If you want to follow the truth, you have to go wherever it leads you. It’s not important who’s right or wrong. It’s: What is the truth?"
  —Arnold Van Den Berg [130:59]

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Mind Power:
  "Something happens when you focus the mind. As I went along, I gained this strength that allowed me to continue on." [10:14]

• On Survival and Bliss:
  "Even in a desolate place like Auschwitz, a person can receive bliss in the contemplation of those they love." [14:40]

• On Character and Truth:
  "Above all, do not lie. Because when you lie, you lose the ability to discern the truth in yourself and others. ... And you lose the ability to love." [24:17]

• On Practical Affirmation:
  "I am a loving, kind person. And I am happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise." [95:31]

• On Happiness:
  "What brings me the greatest happiness is knowing that I can share whatever I’ve struggled to learn and it changes somebody’s life. There’s no greater satisfaction to me." [129:41]

Notable Resources & References

• James Allen, From Poverty to Power
• Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
• Harry Carpenter, The Genie Within
• Dr. Weil, “4–7–8” Breathing
• Jose Silva Method (self-hypnosis)
• Harry Carpenter’s Genie Within audio (Track 2 for alpha, Track 3 for theta)
• Reveri App (self-hypnosis, by Dr. David Spiegel)
• Goehring & Rozencwajg Fund (commodity-focused mutual fund)
• William Green’s own “Richer, Wiser, Happier Masterclass”

Final Reflections

Arnold Van Den Berg’s story and wisdom offer a masterclass in resilience, mental training, and the deeper purpose beneath financial achievement. Whether facing unimaginable hardships or negotiating today’s uncertain markets, the central lesson is steadfast:
Master your mind, cultivate character, focus on truth and service, and become the architect of your destiny.

"You are the architect of your destiny... within your life, you have creative power." [66:23]

To receive Arnold’s comprehensive 37-page breathing and mind-training guide free, listeners can write into the show (details provided by host).