Obstacles, Persistence & Success Beyond Fear with Ryan Holiday
Media Mayhem with Allison Hope Weiner
Episode 154
Episode Synopsis
The Obstacle Is The Way, author Ryan Holiday discusses American Apparel, how to reshape perception, and overcoming adversity to find success in business and personal affairs. Is modern culture’s focus on immediacy something standing in the way of excellence? We pick Holiday’s brain on working, problem solving, Ulysses S. Grant and John Glenn in this uncensored Media Mayhem interview.
Guest Bio
Ryan Holiday is media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under the strategist Robert Greene, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, where his work in advertising was internationally known. His strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube and Google and have been written about in AdAge, the New York Times, Gawker and Fast Company. His latest book is “The Obstacle Is The Way.”
Hosts
Allison Hope Weiner
Episode Breakdown
00:01 Welcome to Media Mayhem.
01:00 Introducing Ryan Holiday.
01:50 Reasons for writing “The Obstacle Is the Way” and the ethics of overcoming obstacles to achieve success.
06:00 Advertising consulting with American Apparel as their Director of Marketing.
11:10 Common errors people make when trying to control their perception of things.
15:00 Is “The Obstacle Is the Way” made for men, or is it directed towards women too?
21:50 Ulysses S. Grant, focusing despite distractions, and getting around the next obstacle.
25:50 John Glenn and fixing a problematic situation without being paralyzed with fear.
33:20 Stoic philosophy and presenting a framework that successful people have used throughout history.
40:00 The notion of persistence and the culture of immediacy.
49:10 Thanks and goodbye.
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