The Why with James Hsu

Arun Rajappa is the Country Manager for RIOT Games India & South Asia. He is also the author of "Failing Well - A Short Book on Product Management." 0:00 Introduction 3:09 Communicating as a leader 5:49 Being in the back vs. front of the room 9:11 Leadership unlocks great products for customers 13:39 Product failure unlocked Arun's true potential 20:14 Finding balance as a parent (or mentor)  23:34 Empathy is about recognizing differences  27:23 Coaching and understanding context 31:09 How Arun improved his listening skills 33:10 Meditation for beginners 40:35 "Four Thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman 46:12 The ultimate meaning of it all 48:59 Why frame the book around "failing well"? 53:52 Process of writing and editing a book 58:12 Getting feedback on the book 1:02:31 On preserving one's legacy Arun on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-rajappa-bb9a822/ Arun's book, "Failing Well - A Short Book on Product Management" → https://www.amazon.com/Failing-Well-short-product-management/dp/B0D2LFCQM8?ccs_id=579cebd0-b1c5-4f0e-aed9-c2c7bfd800e4

David Thomas Tao is the founder of BarBend, a strength sports content site. David started the company in 2016 and had a successful startup exit in 2023. 0:00 Intro 1:00 David’s background 5:25 The truth about pre- and post-entrepreneur life 6:29 James’s story, mindset on building wealth 9:07 Life after the startup exit 10:52 BarBend origin story 13:07 The hardest things to do as the CEO 15:18 Mistakes were made 21:40 Guilt 22:53 Support system 25:01 Selling the company, transition period, walking away 28:45 BarBend’s legacy 32:06 Today’s fitness content industry 37:37 Journalistic standards 40:06 Advice for younger entrepreneurs 42:38 David and James get real 44:33 David’s family heritage, post-911 feelings

Dan Campbell is the co-creator of the "Hobbies + Happiness" YouTube channel, which covers a wide range of tabletop and trading card games.

Noah Weil is a magistrate judge based in Seattle, Washington. I've known Noah for a few years and first connected with him from a shared interest we have in a competitive card game called Magic: The Gathering. I'm honored to have this conversation with Noah to explore his "why."

Josephine McAdam is an actor, performer, producer and streamer. She recently produced and premiered a new film at Gen Con. If there's one overall theme to Josephine's creative output, it's that she's incredibly dynamic and intentional about her craft. Here, Josephine talks candidly about the mental aspect of being an actor/performer, and shares some of her career aspirations. I had a great time chatting with her and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Monica Macias is the daughter of Equatorial Guinea's first president, Francisco Macias. She was raised in North Korea by Kim Il Sung. Monica's new book, "Black Girl from Pyongyang," chronicles her childhood in North Korea and subsequent attempts to understand her father's complicated legacy. Monica and I had a deep, nuanced conversation. Enjoy.

Ivan Lee is the founder and CEO of Datasaur.ai, a data labeling and training data platform in the AI space. Ivan previously co-founded Loki Studios and worked in various product management roles at Apple, GoButler and Yahoo. Ivan offers MANY insights here for both startup founders and product managers. Enjoy.

Rui Ma is an angel investor, tech analyst and influencer. She is currently the COO of Alphawatch.AI. Rui shares a number of insights about China tech -- where it was, and where it's headed. Enjoy.

Fernando Delgado is an entrepreneur based in Boulder, Colorado. He previously worked in product management roles at YouTube, Google and Yahoo. I've known Fernando ever since our career paths intersected at Yahoo almost a decade ago. He is a good friend and mentor. It is my absolute pleasure to give Fernando a forum here to share his life and career lessons.

Joseph Johnson, Jr. is a performer, actor, and comedian based in Los Angeles.

Stephenie Lee is the Founder of Beacon Learning, an education startup focused on strengthening the learning and social skills of kids with special needs. We talk about spirituality, career development, running a company, and dealing with life's highs and lows. Enjoy.

Bryan Gottlieb is a Senior Game Designer for the Flesh and Blood Trading Card Game. In the past, Bryan has been a bartender, poker player, lawyer, and content creator for another game called Magic The Gathering. In this conversation, we sit down and explore the fundamentals of game design, and what it's like to move from the US to New Zealand. Bryan's passion for his craft shines through here, and you're going to get a very strong sense that he's found his calling card. Enjoy.

Zac Hill is the Chief Operating Officer of the Office of American Possibilities, which coordinates and launches "moonshot" ideas to address social challenges. The Office coordinates and launches "moonshot" ideas to address social challenges. Zac is mission-focused, deeply involved in politics, and I'm so happy to have him as my first guest. In this conversation, Zac takes us through what it takes to make big ideas happen. He also offers commentary on where the world is going, with regards to the major geopolitical powers. Enjoy.