I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Stor...
MrBeast: If You Want To Be Liked, Don't Help People! I Lost Tens Of Millions On Beast Games... But I'm Worth $1 Billion!
Inside the mind of MrBeast: from 0 to 363 million subscribers, broke to billions, and then millions lost, MrBeast reveals the reality of running YouTube’s biggest channel
MrBeast is the world’s most successful YouTuber, media personality and businessman. He is also the host of Beast Games, the largest reality competition show where 1,000 people compete for the biggest cash prize in entertainment history: $10 million.
In this conversation, MrBeast and Steven discuss topics such as, how MrBeast lost 10s of millions of dollars, why he has considered quitting YouTube, how the average person would be miserable in his head, and what it was really like for MrBeast growing up.
00:00 Intro
02:42 What Made MrBeast the Way He Is?
05:26 The Influence of MrBeast’s Parents
10:05 How Was MrBeast Doing at 10 Years Old?
10:24 Why Did MrBeast Want to Do YouTube?
15:05 Jimmy’s Illness
18:15 Is MrBeast Neurodivergent?
18:56 Core Components That Made MrBeast Successful
20:26 MrBeast’s Handbook
21:31 Extreme Ambition
24:16 Characteristics Needed to Be Successful
25:34 [Missing Title]
27:04 The Single Worst Trait in an Employee
28:48 Do You Get Frustrated When People Can't Match Your Obsession?
29:41 MrBeast’s Thoughts on Hiring
32:56 Dealing With Negativity
37:28 Has Negativity Ever Gotten to MrBeast?
43:33 Workaholism
47:04 How Is MrBeast Feeling Right Now?
47:36 Ads
48:45 MrBeast’s Mental Health
52:06 Is MrBeast Happy?
55:32 Has MrBeast Ever Wanted to Stop YouTube?
58:01 MrBeast’s Love Life
1:00:28 Will MrBeast Have Kids?
1:01:23 How Big Are MrBeast’s Businesses?
1:02:49 When Is Enough, Enough?
1:03:44 Does MrBeast Struggle With Focus?
1:04:29 MrBeast and Ethical Sourcing for Feastables
1:08:20 Why Does MrBeast Care So Much?
1:08:41 Would MrBeast Sell Feastables or His YouTube Channel?
1:11:14 MrBeast’s Advice and Focus on Details
1:13:28 Obsession With Details
1:17:17 Constantly Fighting to Raise Standards
1:18:26 Does MrBeast Worry About Views?
1:21:05 How Experimentation Helps MrBeast
1:22:37 Ads
1:24:36 Beast Games
1:28:34 Giving Away So Much Money
1:31:48 How Successful Was Beast Games?
1:32:55 Where Will MrBeast Be in 10 Years?
1:34:43 What Would MrBeast Say to His Younger Self?
1:35:45 What Would MrBeast Have Told His Mom When Younger?
1:39:50 The Guest’s Last Question
Follow MrBeast:
Instagram - https://bit.ly/3Qob9dx
MrBeast YouTube - https://bit.ly/3D9YaZU
Beast Philanthropy - https://bit.ly/3D6HJxt
Beast Games - https://amzn.to/3EJJ26a
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Vanta - https://vanta.com/steven
PerfectTed - https://www.perfectted.com with code DIARY40 for 40% off
WHOOP - https://JOIN.WHOOP.COM/CEO
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
1:43:25
Behavioural Psychologist: We're Not Having Enough Sex! Fat Makes You Attractive & The Poorer You Are The Friendlier You Are!
Are we fighting against our own biology? Dr Bill von Hippel reveals how evolutionary psychology impacts love, success, and happiness.
Dr Bill von Hippel is a renowned social psychologist, evolutionary specialist, and Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland. He is the author of books such as, ‘The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come From, and What Makes Us Happy’.
In this conversation, Dr Bill and Steven discuss topics such as, why high-achieving women struggle to find love, the top trait that makes you more attractive, the link between your wealth and social skills, and the future impact of falling birth rates.
00:00 Intro
02:21 What Does Dr. Von Hippel Do?
05:35 What Are We Getting Wrong as a Species?
09:01 Were Our Ancestors Happier Than Us?
12:45 Are We Forgetting to Be Grateful?
15:10 What Is the Price We Pay for Living in Cities?
17:07 Does Money Make You Happy?
18:03 What Is the Perfect Combination to Achieve Happiness?
20:56 How to Be Attractive
23:08 Why Is Humor an Attractive Trait?
24:11 Do Nice Guys Finish Last?
24:55 What Makes a Woman Attractive?
26:10 Is Attraction an Evolutionary or Social Construct?
27:22 Do Men Care If Women Are Rich?
29:09 Evolution and Homosexuality
31:40 The Economic Mismatch in Finding a Partner
34:52 What Tinder Tells Us About Matchmaking
37:06 What Are Dating Apps Like for Women?
39:59 What Is Pornography Doing to Us?
43:19 Are Populations Declining?
46:24 Are We at Risk of Extinction Due to Lack of Sex?
46:56 How Bill Would Encourage People to Have Children Again
49:11 Robots Raising Our Kids
52:44 Robot Experiments on Monkeys
53:27 Marriage and Happiness
56:33 Ads
57:28 Is There an Evolutionary Basis for ADHD and Neurodivergence?
59:57 Will There Be Less Neurodivergence With AI Development?
1:00:17 Will We Merge With Technology?
1:01:19 What Is the Evolutionary Basis for Depression and Anxiety?
1:02:53 Religion and Its Effect on Happiness
1:05:56 Why Do We Want to Believe in Something?
1:06:58 What Is the Meaning of Life?
1:10:07 How We Band Together in Tough Times Against Others
1:11:54 What Bill Knows About Power in Evolutionary Terms
1:12:53 What Is Powerful Body Language?
1:14:29 What Designer Brands Say About You
1:15:18 What Bill Learned About the Hadza Tribe and Living a Happy Life
1:17:06 Who Needs Each Other More, Men or Women?
1:19:06 Are We Meant to Be Monogamous?
1:20:22 Is Cheating Natural?
1:26:12 Ads
1:28:12 What's the Problem With Money?
1:30:53 The Benefits of Doing These 5 Things
1:34:04 What Is the Cost?
1:38:38 New Findings on Exercise and Unhealthy Habits
1:43:45 Do We All Need the Same Amount of Sleep?
1:48:44 Coffee's Impact on Our Bodies
1:49:12 How Can We Be More Social?
1:51:43 How Would You Save Humanity?
Follow Dr Bill:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/aLJcqJMR0Qb
Twitter - https://x.com/BillvonHippel
Research document:
https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DOAC-Bill-Von-Hippel-Independent-research-further-reading.pdf
You can pre-order Dr Bill’s book, ‘The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/pRZgxqRR0Qb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
WHOOP - https://JOIN.WHOOP.COM/CEO
PerfectTed - https://www.perfectted.com with code DIARY40 for 40% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
1:56:23
Moment 200: Love Expert Reveals Why 80% Of Modern Relationships Fail
We give our best energy to work, but what about our relationships? In this moment, Esther Perel reveals how small moments of disconnection—like looking at your phone instead of your partner—can erode intimacy over time. Discover how to bring attention, creativity, and presence back into your relationships before it’s too late.
Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify- https://g2ul0.app.link//qmlJPkdxXQb
Apple - https://g2ul0.app.link//TgMnzfgxXQb
Watch the Episodes On Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
10:46
The Man That Makes Millionaires: Turn $100 to $10k With This Step By Step Formula & Build An Audience From 0 Followers! Alex Hormozi
Are these simple things keeping you broke? Alex Hormozi reveals the biggest business lies you’ve been told and the formula to turn $1,000 into $100 million
Alex Hormozi is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and founder of Acquisition.com. He is the author of books such as ‘$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff’ and $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No’.
In this conversation, Alex and Steven discuss topics such as, how to escape a 9 to 5 life, the exact formula to triple your net worth, how to build an audience from 0 followers, and how to REALLY succeed with your business model.
00:00 Intro
02:13 What Would You Say to the Millions of Entrepreneurs That Follow You?
03:18 What Entrepreneurs Really Need
12:03 Is There a Framework for Knowing When to Quit?
16:05 Fear vs. Logic: How to Think Rationally
19:08 Your Decisions Are Driven by Self-Awareness
23:35 What to Do When You Quit Your Job: The 4 P's
24:42 Pain as a Driver
27:29 Mercenaries and Missionaries in Business
32:30 Just One P Will Make You Succeed!
35:47 What's the Cheat Code to Win at the Game of Attention?
39:33 The Winning Strategy for 2025
49:08 How Important Are People in the Business Journey?
56:46 First-Time Founders Need to Know This About Recruiting
59:09 A-Players Hire A-Players
01:01:40 The Ability to Have Hard Conversations Sooner
01:09:31 Be Kind, Not Nice, as a Manager
01:15:42 How to Not F*ck Up in the Hiring Process
01:23:40 How Do You Know They're Not BSing You in the Interview?
01:24:42 How to Hire Great People If You Don't Have the Money
01:27:56 The Pros and Cons of Experienced vs. Less Experienced Employees
01:29:58 The 4 R's
01:33:08 How to Be Prepared for the Rollercoaster of Building a Business
01:55:35 What Successful Companies Do
01:57:58 How to Double Your Business Growth
02:10:45 How to Help a Founder Who's About to Quit—They Can't Take It Anymore
02:16:40 The Old Innovators' Dilemma and How to Adapt
02:25:46 Your Rate of Experimentation Has to Be Higher Than Your Competitors!
02:29:03 Do Mentors Matter in Our Journey?
02:37:18 Parrots vs. Practitioners: The Best Way to Learn
02:42:16 The Founder Mode
02:46:44 Founders and the Competitors Around Them
02:49:07 Work-Life Balance
02:56:28 The Mantra That Helped Me
03:03:36 How to Drive Meaning from Your Life
03:09:43 What Is the Meaning of Life?
Follow Alex:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/EBxnhGYpNQb
Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/wucQ8x0pNQb
YouTube: You can purchase Alex’s book, ‘$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff’, here: https://amzn.to/413cH2K
Spotify: You can purchase Alex’s book, ‘$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/WcEZGF3pNQb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Adobe - https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/spotlight/stevenbartlett?sdid=5NHJ82ZD&mv=social
ZOE - http://joinzoe.com with code BARTLETT10 for 10% off
Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
3:14:39
The No.1 Brain Doctor: "This Parenting Mistake Ruins Your Kids Brain!", "Alcohol or Marijuana Will Destroy Your Brain!", "A Stagnant Career Can Increase Your Chance Of Alzheimers!" - Dr Daniel Amen
Are our brains under attack? Based on a bank of over 200,000 brain scans, Dr Daniel Amen reveals the hidden threats silently destroying our minds and steps to fight back
Dr Daniel Amen is a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist, and founder and CEO of the Amen Clinics. He is the bestselling author of books such as, ‘Change Your Brain Every Day’ and ‘Raising Mentally Strong Kids’.
In this conversation, Dr Daniel and Steven discuss topics such as, how alcohol shrinks your brain, the link between Alzheimer’s and depression, how heartbreak is equal to heroin withdrawal, and and the impact of social media on the brain.
00:00 Intro
02:25 Why This Conversation Is Important
03:58 How Many Brains Has Daniel Scanned?
04:45 Brain Rot: Why Are People Caring About Their Brains Now?
05:38 Is There a Link Between Porn Consumption and Brain Health?
08:34 Can I Fix My Brain?
09:52 Why Do People Come to See Daniel?
11:10 Alcohol Is Bad for the Brain
15:11 What Does a Brain Look Like After Heavy Drinking?
16:39 Why Does Brain Size Matter?
20:10 Alcohol Is Aging Your Brain
21:36 How Bad Are Drugs for the Brain?
26:38 What's Wrong With Magic Mushrooms?
33:01 Are Antidepressants Being Oversubscribed? Proven Alternatives
39:26 Can You See Trauma on the Brain?
42:59 Things You Can Do at Home to Help Trauma
45:27 The Impact of Negative Thinking on the Brain
46:48 Low Anxiety Will Kill You
48:46 How to Become More Disciplined and Motivated
53:21 How to Calm Your Worries
59:50 Can Extremely Negative People Become Positive?
1:00:29 Ads
1:01:28 Who Is Elizabeth Smart?
1:03:35 Horrific Events Don’t Necessarily Define Who You Are
1:05:23 The Impact of Stress During Pregnancy on Your Child
1:09:03 The Cause of Alzheimer's
1:14:03 The Impact of a Fatty Fish Diet
1:16:12 The Impact of Hope and Grief on the Brain
1:23:55 How Do You Raise the Perfect Brain?
1:30:07 What Are the Non-Obvious Ways to Help Children's Brains?
1:33:57 Ads
1:35:01 Is ADHD Increasing in Our Population?
1:40:32 Daniel Amen’s Daughter
1:43:11 Different Types of ADHD
1:46:12 Can You See Love on the Brain?
1:47:46 What Change Would Daniel Like to See in the World?
1:53:20 Mindfulness and Meditation
1:54:45 Ice Baths
1:55:10 Loving Your Job
1:56:17 Breath work
1:56:56 Social Media and Its Effects on the Brain
1:57:07 Hustle Culture
1:57:42 Microplastics
1:58:06 Noise Pollution
1:59:31 Is AI Going to Be Good or Bad for Our Brains?
2:01:46 Are Brains Getting Bigger or Smaller?
2:03:16 What's the Most Important Thing We Didn't Talk About?
2:05:14 Has Scanning Brains Changed Daniel’s Belief in God?
2:05:32 The Effects of Religion on the Brain
2:09:21 The LA Fires and Their Impact on the Brain
2:13:00 Guest’s Last Question
Follow Dr Amen:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/t3fyeyooNQb
Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/UmRfScqoNQb
Podcast - https://g2ul0.app.link/Lfnd1rmoNQb
Amen Clinics - https://g2ul0.app.link/W1oBV9roNQb
BrainMD Supplements - https://g2ul0.app.link/SZLrxBtoNQb
To support Change Your Brain Foundation - https://g2ul0.app.link/Uq3shdvoNQb
You can purchase ‘Raising Mentally Strong Kids: How to Combine the Power of Neuroscience With Love and Logic to Grow Confident, Kind, Responsible, and Resilient Children and Young Adults’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/lavOHXyoNQb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Independent research - danielamen.tiiny.co
Sponsors:
Linkedin Ads - https://www.linkedin.com/DIARY
PerfectTed - https://www.perfectted.com with code DIARY40 for 40% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Story – a marketing and communications company, and thirdweb - a software platform, making it easy to build web3 applications. I then launched private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns. During this time I decided to launch 'The Diary Of A CEO' podcast with the simple mission of providing an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers.
If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow button! That's a small way you can help us carry on doing this, thank you for listening.
My New Book: https://g2ul0.app.link/DOAC
IG: https://www.instagram.com/steven
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbartlett-123