Travis Makes Friends

FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss: How to Negotiate with Bank Robbers, Your Girlfriend, or Anyone!

Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss joins Travis to unpack how he went from being "eminently unqualified" to negotiating life-or-death situations at Chase Manhattan Bank and beyond. He shares the moment a team leader told him to volunteer on a suicide hotline—advice she gave to 1,000 people but only two ever acted on—and how that single decision opened the door to a 24-year FBI career. Chris walks through the Chase Manhattan Bank robbery in Brooklyn, where he coached a crafty bank robber into surrendering, only to have the doors accidentally locked from the outside while SWAT moved in behind ballistic shields. He explains why "yes" always creates anxiety, why saying "I understand" is weaponization, and how mirroring 1-3 words can get anyone talking involuntarily. This conversation is a candid look at tactical empathy, engineering serendipity, and how negotiation skills apply to everything from business deals to ordering Cheesecake Factory with your girlfriend. ON THIS EPISODE, WE CHAT ABOUT: — How Chris Voss went from SWAT team aspirations to FBI hostage negotiator after re-injuring his knee. — The "eminently unqualified" conversation with Amy and why only 2 out of 1,000 people took her suicide hotline advice. — What really happened during the Chase Manhattan Bank hostage situation in Brooklyn and the "Where's Chris?" moment. — Why "yes" creates anxiety and going for "no" makes people feel safe and in control. — The difference between tactical empathy and saying "I understand"—and why one builds trust while the other is weaponization. — How mirroring works: repeating 1-3 words with curiosity or comprehension to pull information out of people involuntarily. — The power of silence in negotiation and why Travis's 1-minute pause closed a high-ticket deal. — "Engineering serendipity"—how to position yourself in the path of luck by taking action others won't. TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS Competitive advantage comes from doing what others won't—1,000 people got advice to volunteer on a suicide hotline, only 2 did it. "Yes" creates anxiety; "no" makes people feel safe. Go for "no" to give the other side control and lower their defenses. Tactical empathy isn't agreement—it's demonstrating comprehension of where someone's coming from without liking it or agreeing with it. Mirroring (repeating 1-3 words) gets people talking involuntarily and makes them feel heard without you having to solve anything. Never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn't take something better—focus on outcomes can blind you to superior alternatives. **Join the Black Swan Community [https://join.blackswanltd.com/] with Chris Today!** ✖️✖️✖️  If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

How a Former Nightclub Promoter is Solving the Water Crisis

Former New York City nightclub promoter Scott Harrison joins Travis to unpack how a decade of chasing status and excess led him to walk away from everything and start Charity: water. He shares the health scare and existential crisis that pushed him onto a hospital ship in post‑war Liberia, where he saw firsthand that up to half of local disease was caused by dirty water and that clean water projects can cut sickness in some villages by as much as 80 percent. Scott explains the human cost of the global water crisis, including the hundreds of millions of hours women and girls spend every day walking for unsafe water, and why widespread distrust of charities forced him to build a radically transparent model where 100 percent of public donations fund water projects that are tracked and proved. This conversation is a candid look at addiction, meaning, faith, and how one person can repurpose a “promoter” skill set to mobilize millions toward solving a solvable problem. If you like this, click subscribe, like, and share with a friend. ON THIS EPISODE, WE CHAT ABOUT: — How Scott Harrison went from top nightclub promoter in New York City to the founder of Charity: water. — The health scare and existential crisis that forced him to confront the emptiness behind his “successful” lifestyle. — What he witnessed on a hospital ship in post‑war Liberia and how it exposed the link between dirty water and disease. — The scale and human cost of the global water crisis, especially for women and girls who spend hours every day collecting unsafe water. — Why public distrust in charities is so high and how Charity: water’s 100% model and radical transparency were designed to rebuild trust. — How Scott repurposed his promoter skill set to tell better stories, raise money, and mobilize millions toward clean water projects. TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS 1. Material success without service can feel profoundly empty, even when it looks glamorous from the outside. 2. Clean water isn’t just a convenience—it’s foundational healthcare that can slash disease rates in entire communities. 3. Donor skepticism is rational; nonprofits that want to grow must design around trust, proof, and accountability. 4. Skills built in “selfish” environments (sales, promotion, hospitality) can be transformed into powerful tools for impact. 5. The global water crisis is solvable within our lifetime if enough people and capital are pointed at the problem with a clear, credible model. 💬 NOTABLE QUOTES “The best I could come up with for my tombstone was, ‘Here lies a selfish man who got a million people drunk.’” “I wanted to know: what would the exact opposite of my life look like?” “According to the World Health Organization, about half of the disease in some regions is caused by bad water and lack of sanitation.” “In many of these villages, when you bring clean water, you see up to an 80 percent reduction in disease.” “Just today, women and girls will spend hundreds of millions of hours walking for dirty water.” “People loved the idea of giving water to others—they just didn’t trust charities with their money.” “We built Charity: water so that 100 percent of public donations would go to water projects, and we’d prove every single one.” ✖️✖️✖️ Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

Jack Carr on The Future of The Terminal List, Ideas for James Bond, and Potential Video Game

Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and creator of The Terminal List. In this episode, Jack joins Travis Chappell to talk about the future of the Jack Carr universe, including The Terminal List, Dark Wolf, True Believer, The Fourth Option, and the possibility of video games. Jack shares how his books became a Prime Video series starring Chris Pratt, why Taylor Kitsch changed the way he saw Ben Edwards, how he thinks about Hollywood adaptations, and why every new story has to earn the reader’s time. If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

What Fighter Pilots Actually Think About Leadership, War Movies, and the Myths People Believe

Retired Marine Corps officer, combat veteran, and former F/A-18 pilot, Dave Berke deployed twice from the USS John C. Stennis in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He served three years as an Instructor Pilot at TOPGUN as Training Officer and senior staff pilot. He also worked as a Forward Air Controller during urban combat in Ramadi, Iraq, supporting SEAL Task Unit Bruiser. Dave was the first operational pilot qualified in both the F-22 Raptor and F-35B, commanding the Marine Corps' first F-35 squadron. Now at Echelon Front (founded by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin), he teaches leadership as a learnable skill. Michelle "Mace" Curran is a former U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot who flew combat missions in Afghanistan and served as Lead Solo pilot for the Thunderbirds (2019-2022). With over 2,000 hours in the F-16, she broke barriers as one of the elite demonstration team's first female lead solos. Author of The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower, she now delivers keynotes on overcoming fear, building trust, and decisive action. Based in Las Vegas, she empowers teams through her military-honed insights. If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

Life Lessons from a Top Gun Instructor | Dave Berke

Dave Berke is a retired US Marine Corps Officer, TOPGUN Instructor, and now a leadership instructor and speaker with Echelon Front, where he serves as Chief Development Officer [https://echelonfront.com/services/leadership-consulting/]. As a F/A-18 pilot, he deployed twice from the USS John C Stennis in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent three years as an Instructor Pilot at TOPGUN where he served as the Training Officer, the senior staff pilot responsible for the conduct of the TOPGUN course.  If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell