The Problem With...

The Problem With Splitting The Difference: Chris Voss

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Chris Voss's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@NegotiationMastery⁩ Chris Voss On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thefbinegotiator/ Chris Voss joins James Smith for a masterclass on the psychology of negotiation, trust, and getting what you want without ever splitting the difference. A former FBI hostage negotiator and the bestselling author of Never Split the Difference, Voss breaks down why most people negotiate badly, how loss aversion quietly runs the room, and why the goal is never to win the moment but to build something that lasts. He explains: ◼️ Why splitting the difference leaves everyone feeling cheated ◼️ How to catch a liar off guard and then get them to tell the truth ◼️ Why predictability, not charm, is what actually builds trust ◼️ The grocery store move that turns a stranger into an ally ◼️ Why walking away only works when you genuinely mean it Chapters: 00:00 The Problem With Splitting the Difference 02:23 Why We Overreact to Loss 03:26 The Emotions You're Born With 03:59 Loss Aversion, Jiu Jitsu and the Submission 05:20 Catching Liars in Their Own Web 06:14 How a Polygraph Really Works 08:01 Shu Ha Ri and the Art of Mastery 10:34 Sending Students Into the Wild to Practice 11:15 The Three Commodities in Every Negotiation 12:36 The Broccoli Sprouts Masterclass 13:30 Priming and the Power of Pattern Interrupt 15:10 Why Using Someone's Name Defuses Violence 18:33 The Hardest Part Isn't Catching the Lie 20:25 Short Term Loss vs The Loss That Kills You 22:32 Why Entrepreneurs Make Weak Negotiators 23:18 How to Actually Ask Your Boss for a Raise 26:03 The Hidden Power of Deference 27:21 The Sales Tricks That Have Been Weaponised 29:49 Why Honest Sellers Win More Deals 31:33 Predictability Is Trust in Disguise 33:15 Inside the Black Swan Community 35:47 Buying a Car With Empathy Instead of Ego 37:19 Is Walking Away a Skill or a Bluff? 40:29 Relationships Are Ongoing Negotiations 42:17 Never Be So Sure You'd Miss Something Better 44:50 Cadence, Silence and Sounding Important 46:08 Using Humour to Disarm a Cold Room 48:25 Deactivating Fear Instead of Fighting It 50:10 Negotiation, Dating and the Renewals Process 52:11 Should You Ever Touch During a Negotiation? 53:13 Where to Start If You Want to Get Good 55:35 The 48 Hour Challenge That Will Change Your Day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Problem With Training After 30: Sonny Webster

Sonny Webster joins James Smith for an honest conversation about what training, money and ambition actually look like once you hit your 30s. A British Olympic weightlifter who competed at Rio 2016, Sonny is now a fitness entrepreneur building global training platforms, and he doesn't hold back on the realities of optimisation culture, the TRT debate. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Sonny Webster's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@sonnywebsterGB Sonny Webster On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sonnywebstergb/ He explains: ◼️ Why training after 30 becomes a completely different ball game ◼️ How peptides and GLP-1s are quietly reshaping the fitness industry ◼️ What moving to Dubai really costs (and why money evaporates faster) ◼️ Why handing over money is the thing that actually makes people change ◼️ Where testosterone sits for the everyday athlete who'll never compete Chapters: 00:00 The Testosterone Debate and Sonny's WADA Ban 00:57 Why Training After 30 Hits Like a Brick Wall 02:10 Olympic Lifting for Longevity, Not Platforms 04:15 Going Sober and the Death of the Wild Weekend 05:07 Peptides, TRT and the World of Optimisation 06:26 Why GLP-1s Make You Hate Alcohol 07:50 Grabbing the Low-Hanging Fruit First 08:32 Becoming a Slave to Your Wearables 12:24 How Dubai Changed Sonny's Physique 16:22 Tax-Free Living and the Money That Evaporates 18:45 Going Back to the UK and Embracing London 20:54 Why Your Friendship Circle Shrinks in Your 30s 23:31 Sonny's Goals: Minimal Effective Dose 26:27 Body, Business, Relationships, You Can't Have All Three 28:05 The Power of a Business Coach and Cutting the Noise 30:16 Why Paying for Something Makes You Actually Do It 31:00 Why Free Codes Create the Worst Clients 32:32 No Transformation Without the Pain 34:48 As Close to 50 as I Am to 23 35:34 Testosterone, the Enhanced Games and Masters Lifting 38:28 The Track Car Logic of TRT 40:34 The Double Standards of Optimisation 41:31 Are We the Peak Optimisation Generation? 43:34 Relationships, Freedom and Finding Hannah 44:56 Having Kids and Knowing When You've Got "Enough" 49:30 The Fair Points Podcast and Missed Opportunities 51:52 Taboo Topics and Creating a Safe Space 52:36 Building a Legacy in Dubai 56:14 Speed Cameras, Statham and Going Bald Gracefully 59:14 The Russian Banya Near-Death Experience 01:01:45 Scaling The Lifting Zone and the Clothing Brand 01:03:09 Wrapping Up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Problem With Work-Life Balance: Paul Mort

Paul Mort joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on work-life balance, building a business you don't want to escape, and why most people are chasing a version of freedom they haven't earned yet. A two-time Master Coach of the Year, bestselling author, and podcast host, Paul Mort makes the case that work-life balance isn't a time problem or a workload problem; it's a clarity problem, and you can't hit a target you can't see. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Paul Mort's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@paulmortofficial Paul Mort on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/paulmort/ He explains: ◼️ How boundaries — not balance — are what actually protect your life ◼️ Why a great hire is an investment, not a cost ◼️ What a "shitty job" teaches you that Gen Z has been sold out of ◼️ Why you should buy back time before you buy the Ferrari Chapters: 00:00 The Real Problem With Work-Life Balance 03:10 You Haven't Earned Chapter 20 Freedom Yet 04:45 Boundaries Are How You Protect What Matters 06:26 Hire People Who Manage You, Not the Other Way Round 08:55 Bringing Other Humans Into the Business 09:45 Death By a Thousand Requests 12:27 A Ferrari or a Member of Staff? 13:45 Why a Great Hire Is an Investment, Not a Cost 14:30 Has Gen Z Been Sold a Pipe Dream? 15:07 Why James Only Hires People Who've Had a Shitty Job 16:50 The Hires That Went Wrong 17:32 Your Biggest Haters Are Former Fans 20:25 Chasing Clout and Why It's Never About You 21:13 When the Comments Feel Like the Whole World 22:39 Defending Your Friends but Not Yourself 25:49 Practising Gratitude as Success Gets Complicated 27:01 Your Values Shift — and That Becomes a Boundary 29:14 Lying to Yourself About Being Happy "Later" 30:09 Could You Actually Retire? And Would You? 32:38 The Curse of the Creator-Led Business 34:06 The Fear of Losing Relevancy 35:02 Paul's 18-Month Disappearance and Comeback 35:54 Doing Less of the Stuff You Hate 36:51 The 2014 Ad That Turned James Into a Marketer 38:17 Why the Old Marketing Still Works 39:35 What Gen Z Doesn't See About the Grind 41:56 Eating Shit: Empty Seminars and Worse 42:08 The Boot Camp Disaster Story 42:47 The Hidden Work-Life Balance of a 9-to-5 45:11 A Shrinking Runway With the Kids 45:31 Jealous of People Sinking Beers at the Airport 47:34 Shedding Your Old Skin 47:42 Four Years Booze-Free and Training at Lunchtime 49:14 The Eight Sleep Obsession 53:57 Japanese Toilets and Things You Don't Value Till You Try 55:25 Why a Nice Car Is Integral to How You Feel 58:54 Being Sensible With Money to Buy Back Freedom 58:43 Swapping Time for Money, Money for Time, Money for Money 59:14 The Retirement Gamble Nobody Talks About 01:00:41 Diminishing Returns and Setting Up Your Kids 01:02:56 Getting Kicked Out of School and the Job Centre Story 01:04:48 Raising Kids to Know What Hard Work Feels Like 01:06:02 How Do You Feel About Tax? 01:08:00 Is the UK a Good Place to Build a Business? 01:09:02 Strong Opinions From People Who've Never Done It 01:10:18 Brown Belt Humility and Getting Touched Up by Pros 01:11:33 Getting Outclassed by Your Own 15-Year-Old Son 01:12:34 Seasons of Training — and the Hypocrisy of It 01:13:11 Why "Work a Bit Less" Is Too Vague to Work 01:14:08 How Do You Grow a Business in 3.5 Days a Week? 01:15:03 Ask Better Questions, Set Clearer Goals 01:15:44 What Paul's Working On: The 90-Day Transformation Returns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Problem With Not Understanding The Economy: Tom Bilyeu

Tom Bilyeu joins James Smith to discuss how broken the modern economy really is. The host of Impact Theory and co-founder of Quest Nutrition argues that inflation is theft, that you cannot save your way to success anymore, and that elites are quietly funneling wealth from the working class. He explains: ◼️ Why a balanced budget changes every policy argument ◼️ How property markets get fixed by deregulation, not taxes ◼️ Why men should be encouraged to go hard in the paint ◼️ How AI is shrinking headcount while multiplying output ◼️ Why paying down debt can quietly beat the stock market 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Tom Bilyeu's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu Tom Bilyeu On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/ Chapters: 00:00 The Problem With Not Understanding The Economy 02:30 Inflation Theft and The Hidden Wealth Transfer 03:10 Australia's Capital Gains Tax Bombshell 05:03 The Negative Gearing Property Trap 08:01 Why The Stock Market Is Basically Gambling 11:19 Tom's Advice For An Ambitious 22-Year-Old 13:11 Why Society Now Hates Male Ambition 15:39 Women, The Patriarchy and Sexual Selection 17:48 Why People Demonise Billionaires 21:41 The American Buying Mentality vs The UK 23:14 What Actually Made America Great 26:42 Generational Amnesia and Forgotten Hardship 30:43 Living in Los Angeles and California 33:01 Can The Whole World Live The American Dream? 35:46 Japan, Assimilation and Shared Values 38:38 American Political Corruption as Entertainment 42:01 Human Nature, Greed and AI Government 45:00 Why AI Is The New Internet Moment 45:59 How AI Is Transforming Tom's Business 49:09 Video Games, VR and Escaping Reality 54:04 Addictive Personalities and Gaming 55:34 The Simple Financial Playbook 58:06 The Truth About Paying Down Your Debt 1:01:46 Should You Be Buying Bitcoin? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Problem With Linkedin: Lara Acosta

Lara Acosta joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation about LinkedIn, the corporate world, and what it really takes to build a personal brand that actually moves the needle. A LinkedIn growth expert and founder who's helped thousands of professionals turn themselves into trusted authorities, Lara breaks down why most people are doing LinkedIn wrong — and why the platform isn't the problem, corporate is. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Lara Acosta's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@Laraacosta Lara Acosta On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/laraacostar/ She explains: ◼️ Why LinkedIn isn't cringe — corporate is ◼️ What's actually changed in the algorithm and how to ride it ◼️ Why AI slop is killing engagement (and why Lara doesn't care) ◼️ How to micro-dose failure instead of betting the house ◼️ Why following your skill beats following your passion every time Chapters: 00:00 The Real Problem With LinkedIn 01:16 Why LinkedIn Feels So Cringe 03:19 James's Years in the Corporate Trenches 05:46 Hacks to Leave Work Early Without Being Noticed 08:06 Sales, Recruitment, and the Posh Hotel Voice 11:11 What's Actually Wrong With the Algorithm 12:48 Carousels and Picture-First Posting 14:21 The Great LinkedIn Articles Debate 21:06 The Three-Hour Workday Conspiracy 24:05 Social Loafing and Bloated Departments 26:06 Cocaine, Cider Hands, and Surviving Corporate 28:18 Three Weeks at Activision Doing Nothing 30:35 Failing First Year of University 33:00 The Birmingham Housemates Story 35:00 Failing Spanish as a Native Speaker 38:31 The AI Slop Problem on LinkedIn 40:29 Why Engagement Prompts Actually Work 43:53 Entrepreneur vs Business Owner in Britain 45:45 The Texas Barbecue New Tonic Story 50:15 The Zero Sum Mentality Trap 52:57 Lara's NPower Door-to-Door Scam Job 56:00 James in a Prom Suit Selling Energy 58:32 One in a Hundred and the Power of Rejection 01:01:35 Enjoying Every Stage of Business 01:02:55 The Problem With Remote Working 01:09:03 Giving Your Team Rope to Climb or Hang 01:10:44 The Problem With Leadership on LinkedIn 01:15:32 The Goalposts That Never Stop Moving 01:16:00 James's Complacency in Lockdown 01:19:13 Closing Takeaways: Follow Skill Not Passion This conversation is part LinkedIn masterclass, part corporate exorcism. Lara's clear-eyed take on the platform — what the algorithm rewards, what AI is doing to the feed, and why most leadership content is fake — meets James's lived experience of faking pisses to scroll Twitter, calling Cornwall County Council 100 times a day, and getting binned from a job he never figured out. The result is a candid look at why so many people stay stuck in jobs they hate, and a practical case for micro-dosing failure until you build the life you actually want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]