Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger

Latest Episodes:

How to Get Un-stuck with Merrick Furst, Ph.D. Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Do you ever feel stuck in life? As if you are in the wrong place or you’re in the right place but doing the wrong thing? What do you do when you find yourself at a crossroad? Today, I speak to innovation expert Merrick Furst about how seeing ourselves and the world more clearly can tell us how to move forward when the way isn’t clear. Merrick is a Distinguished Professor at Georgia Tech. His list of academic and commercial accomplishments are longer than your arm (see below) but today we’re putting his immense analytical skills to work to determine the questions we should ask ourselves when we’re not sure about which way to go. Merrick is the co-author of a new book, The Heart of Innovation, which guides start-ups and the humans that lead them how they can go about being themselves.
In today’s conversation we discuss:
What should you do when you feel stuck?
How blind spots keep us stuck and how to find out what your blind spots are
The importance of both radical candor and unconditional positive regard
…and, most importantly, how Merrick helped to inspire the Crazy Money podcast!
👝Shop SIDECAR’s stylish, hands-free travel accessories here. Use code CRAZY20 to get 20% off order over $75.👝
🔥Learn and laugh by reading Paul’s Substack here. 🔥
🚀 Follow Paul on Instagram here. 🚀
Merrick’s BIO:
Merrick L. Furst, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, runs commercialization and new venture creation and directs undergraduate programs and faculty development in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Prior to GT he was a professor at UC Berkeley, president of the International Computer Science Institute at Berkeley and CEO of Essential Surfing Gear, Inc., which grew to 53 employees before being sold in 2000. Earlier he was professor and associate dean in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Furst is known for seminal research in algorithms, complexity theory and AI. Merrick co-invented probabilistic circuit analysis and planning graphs, which are considered among the most influential breakthroughs in the field of AI planning. He is the founder of Flashpoint, one of the key developmental communities in Atlanta’s tech start-up scene.
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Paul Reads His Thanksgiving Essays Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

In this special “over the river and through the woods” episode, Paul reads four of his latest pieces from his Substack, Money and the Meaning of Life, so that you can drive or workout without reading. Latest posts include:
Every Day Is Thanksgiving
This One Question Will Help You Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Why the Jews? The holy roots of anti-semitism might surprise you
This is Us: Inconclusive Thoughts on Why We Kill Each Other
During this Thanksgiving week, Paul commands you to be grateful and to savor your good fortune and your loved ones. That is all.
🔥Paul publishes these essays (about) every other Tuesday. You should subscribe here. 🔥
🚀 Follow Paul on Instagram here. 🚀
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Ed Begley Jr. on Finding Serenity in Hollywood Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

✍️ Subscribe to Paul’s Substack ‘Money & the Meaning of Life’ here. ✍️
🎤 See Paul’s upcoming comedy dates here and random thoughts on Instagram here. 🎤
Ed Begley Jr. has been acting professionally since 1967 when he appeared in an episode of My Three Sons. 56 years later, Ed has acted in hundreds of movies and TV shows, including An Officer and a Gentleman, Batman Forever, The Larry Sanders Show, Better Call Saul, This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and—of course—St. Elsewhere for which he earned six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. His new memoir, To the Temple of Tranquility...and Step on It! is a joyous collection of anecdotes cataloging his career, addiction, recovery, commitment to the environment and—most importantly—his family. In this week’s interview, Ed and discuss:
Him drinking 32 oz of vodka every day for seven years
What Jack Nicholson taught him about acting
Why he once considered moving to Atlanta
The blessing of not getting the part he wanted on St. Elsewhere
Where, on a random night in 1972 you might see Elton John, the Eagles, Jackson Brown, Joni Mitchell, Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and Albert Brooks
Why being present in the moment is so important
👂Learn more about Ed on his website here. Buy the book here or at your favorite bookstore.👂
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Read my newsletter Money and the Meaning of Life here.
Paul Ollinger
http://PaulOllinger.com
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Pushing Our Kids Too Hard: On Toxic Achievement Culture with Jennifer Wallace Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

✍️ Subscribe to Paul’s Substack ‘Money & the Meaning of Life’ here. ✍️
Jennifer Wallace is a journalist and author specializing in psychology, parenting, and health. Her new book 'Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It' delves into our modern dilemma of busyness, achievement, credentialing, and status-seeking. Katie Couric calls the New York Times best-seller 'Never Enough; “a wake up call for all of us.” A frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, Jennifer’s work explores the intersection of societal trends and individual well-being. In this conversation, Jennifer and I discuss:
What Harvard can and can’t do for you (or your child)
The 6 factors that contribute to a great college experience
Why it matters that our kids know they matter
Stress, grind culture, and mental health\
The importance of chores for children and teens
The family chore that young Jennifer put off until Sunday night
What Alanis Morissette was telling us in her song ‘Perfect'
"Sometimes is never quite enough
If you're flawless, then you'll win my love"
-Alanis Morissette, Perfect
👂Check out the book on Jennie's website here and follow her on Instagram here.👂
🎤 See Paul’s stand-up and random thoughts on Instagram here. 🎤
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Lessons from an '80s Guitar god with Rik Emmett of Triumph Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Rik Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist and former member of the rock band Triumph, which earned 18 gold and nine platinum records in Canada and the United States in the late 1970s and early’80s. Triumph was known for its BIG live shows featuring lights, pyrotechnics, and lots of spandex (as was appropriate for the era!). Along with Rik's bandmates Gil Moore and Mike Levine, the power trio played loud, guitar-forward tunes with uplifting lyrics. 1981’s Allied Forces sold over a million copies in the US and included the songs “Fight the Good Fight” and “Magic Power,” which—if you haven’t heard it recently—merits a listen on your favorite music app. Eventually, disputes with the record label, the financial stress of touring / recouping advances, and intra-band competition lead to Triumph’s break-up. In his new memoir, Lay It on the Line: A Backstage Pass to Rock Star Adventure, Conflict and Triumph, Rik shares insights into the trials and tribulations of the rock n roll life and how he has found peace as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. The band and has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In this episode, ’Rik and I discuss:
How the pressure to churn out hits affects the songwriting process
Why he started sharing his songwriting royalties with his bandmates
Triumph’s performance at the 1983 US Festival, which was founded by Steve Wozniak
How a start-up network called MTV used a Triumph promo video to help fill its schedule
The cruel arc of celebrity and how an artist deals with "the whimpering disappointment of general disinterest."
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👂Check out the book here and Rik's website here.👂
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The NHL, Brain Injury, and Psilocybin with Daniel Carcillo Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

When Daniel Carcillo played in the NHL, he was known as an enforcer so tough and volatile that he earned the nickname “Car Bomb.” In his 12 seasons in the NHL, Daniel was a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams (2013 and 2015 Chicago Blackhawks), led the league in penalty minutes, and was fined or suspended by the NHL 12 times. He also suffered about a dozen concussions and was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at 30 years old. As he told me, “I know I have CTE,” a progressive and fatal brain disease that he believes drove him to the brink of suicide until—as he describes it—mushroom therapy saved his life. Today, Daniel is a brain health advocate and the Founder/ CEO of Wesana Health, a life sciences company that leverages psilocybin-based medicine to treat traumatic brain injuries. In this episode, Daniel and I discuss:
Whether winning the Stanley Cup made him happy
The culture of violence in the NHL.
The epidemic of brain injury among athletes.
How psilocybin, mushrooms, MDMA, Ketamine, and other non-traditional medicines are being used to treat depression, PTSD, and brain disease
Please note I neither endorse nor disapprove of Daniel’s POV here. I think there’s a lot to learn in this space that could potentially benefit a lot of people who are suffering.
Thank you to my friend Peter Fish for connecting me with Daniel.
👂Check out Daniel’s Instagram here and Twitter here👂
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Paul and Cal Fussman Talk Israel, Hamas Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Over the past 30 years, Cal Fussman has interviewed a breathtaking array of the world’s most fascinating people, including Nelson Mandela, Clint Eastwood, Barbara Walters, Richard Branson, Muhammed Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Neil Young, Serena Williams, Tim Ferriss, Kobe Bryant, Al Pacino, Pelé, and hundreds more. He co-authored Larry King’s memoir and won a James Beard Award for a story about his journey to become a sommelier. Today he hosts the Big Questions podcast and speaks on big stages, all over the world. Cal was in Atlanta last week for one such event so we scheduled time for him to swing by my house (this is Paul typing 👋) for a dual interview to run on our respective shows. In between the scheduling and his arrival, Hamas terrorists killed over 1,000 people (and counting) in Israel in one day. As such, it didn’t feel appropriate to do our typical episodes. So we just talked and tried to make sense of this kind of human behavior. We do our best to avoid political analysis but some inevitably slips in. I want to emphasize that though this episode focuses on Israeli dead at the hands of these Hamas lunatics, the lives of innocent Arabs are equally valuable in the eyes of God…speaking of whom, I hope He’s enjoying His vacation.
👂Listen to Cal’s Big Questions podcast.👂
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On Losing Billions with Victor Haghani Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Victor Haghani is the author of a new book called The Missing Billionaires: A Guide to Making Better Financial Decisions, which explores why family fortunes like the Vanderbilts' get destroyed in the hands of the heirs. Victor knows a lot about wild swings in wealth. As co-founding partner of the Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), Victor saw the hedge fund's value soar over the first years of its existence then plummet spectacularly, losing 90% of its value in the first nine months of 1998. It was bailed out by a consortium of banks that injected $3.6 billion under the supervision of the Federal Reserve. In this conversation and his new book, Victor graciously shares candid insights from this harrowing experience, discusses the emotional roller coaster of his fund’s very public implosion, and reminds us of some facts many have forgotten: that the banks got their money back as did most of the original investors. Unfortunately, a few investors got washed out, as did the founders. Victor tells Paul how he balanced regret with the need to move forward. Victor graduated from London School of Economics then started his career in 1984 at Salomon Brothers where he eventually became a managing director in the bond arbitrage group made famous by Michael Lewis in Liars Poker. His participation in the failure of LTCM was a life-changing experience that led him to question and revise much of the way he thought about the economy, markets, and investing. Through a careful study of the academic literature on investing and many thought-provoking discussions with friends, colleagues, and investors of all backgrounds,Victor concluded that savers can and should do much better. He founded Elm Wealth in 2011 to help investors, including his own family, manage their savings in a disciplined, research-based, cost-effective manner and to capture the long-term returns they ought to earn.
See more about The Missing Billionaires and Elm Wealth here and connect with Victor here.
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How Fear Can be Your Friend with Farnoosh Torabi Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Farnoosh Torabi is an Iranian American journalist and one of the country’s most trusted personal finance experts. In her new book, A Healthy State of Panic she examines the role fear can have in leading us toward the relationships, careers, and financial situations we are meant to have. For over two decades, Farnoosh has a strived to help people become financially empowered and lead richer lives. She’s written multiple books, hosted a CNBC program, and worked alongside Oprah’s editorial team. She hosts the Webby-honored podcast So Money, which has been downloaded over 30 million times. In today’s conversation, we discuss how her family came to the U.S. from Iran and what it was like grow up in America after the Iranian Revolution and Hostage Crisis. Always being the new girl, Farnoosh learned how to navigate new schools, her mom's embarrassing clothing choices, her teenage unibrow, achievement anxiety, and the fact that she wasn’t allowed to watch Punky Brewster. We discuss the strength and courage of her young mother, the resilience of her old dad, and what she learned from her biggest professional mistakes. Farnoosh holds a degree in finance from Penn State and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Buy the book here. Learn more about Farnoosh on her website.
You - yes you- stand still, laddy! And do this:
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How Much Should You Pay for College? with Ron Lieber (Encore) Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

After 15 years of financial reporting, Ron Lieber reports that “No consumer decision inspires more confusion and emotion than the question of what to pay for college,” which is understandable since four years at many state schools now costs over $100k in tuition and four years of private school can run over $300k! The "Your Money" columnist for the New York Times, Ron is the author ofThe Price You Pay for College, in which he lays out critical, in-depth information about one of the most important financial decisions your family will ever make. He explains that not only is college ludicrously expensive, but the admissions process is purposefully opaque, so it’s hard to know if you/your kid will get in and whether or not you/your kid will be able to afford to go. By throwing himself head-first into this stormy, complicated sea, Ron helps the reader find the best college or university for them, understand financial aid, and not destroy their family's savings in the process. His new online course about merit aid will help parents like you find grants and scholarships for which your child is eligible. Ron Lieber is a proud alumnus of Amherst College. Among his previous books is the bestseller, The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money, which he discussed with me on episode #4 of Crazy Money. It’s a great book about parenting and teaching your kids values through the lens of money. This episode originally aired in January 2021.
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