Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

I felt like I got punched in the gut when I saw Ben Wilson's most recent YouTube video this week.

For those of you who don't know, Ben Wilson is a podcaster. He's the brains and the voice behind How to Take Over the World. It's a podcast about leaders, and he tells the stories of the greatest ones who've ever lived.

HTTOTW is one of the best researched, best produced, most enjoyable to listen to podcasts I've ever found. It's basically a free college education on history and leadership, and it's been one of my favorite podcasts of the last few years.

So that's Ben Wilson.

Before I tell you about his recent video, I want to share my personal Ben Wilson story.

A couple years ago, I was working on my own podcast. I had a grand vision for a show that spanned many seasons, each season a deep dive into a different topic. I spent literally hundreds of hours producing my first season—which covered some of the most notorious fraudsters in the world and how to avoid fraud as an investor and entrepreneur—but then decided to hang it up. It was a huge amount of work, I didn't quite get it right, and I didn't have the time to keep it going.

But before that happened, I was looking for advice. A mutual friend of mine and Ben's connected us via email. I responded telling Ben I had a few questions and would love the opportunity to speak with him. He responded with his phone number.

A couple days later, I gave Ben a call. It was the morning and I could hear his kids in the background. I'm sure he had a lot of things to do. But he took my call. Not only did he take my call, but he had listened to an episode of my show and had feedback ready for me.

He graciously answered my questions, offered his feedback, and wished me luck.

I felt like a high school basketball player who got to call Michael Jordan.

Ben cared enough to make me feel that way. It would've been easy (and reasonable) to ignore the email. It would've been easy to take my call with no idea about my podcast. But he took the time to listen, to talk with me, to make me feel important and supported.

That was my only experience with Ben Wilson, but I'll never forget it. He cared when he had nothing to gain, and he proved to be a wonderful person.

So that's why his video this week took the breath out of my lungs.

He made the video to announce he has stage four high grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. He has tumors in his brain, bones, lungs, liver, and spine. His doctors told him he should expect to live another year.

Ben is probably a few years older than me. He has four little kids. And he's staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

One of the things he mentioned in the video is an experimental therapy that isn't covered by insurance. It's called Tarlatamab, and it costs $30k per month. His friend started a Go Fund Me to help pay for Ben's treatment.

The more dollars we get into that account, the more days Ben might get to spend with his kids.

I've sent this newsletter every single Friday for almost seven years, and I've never asked for a dime. That's not why I do it. But if you've ever felt inclined to support me or say thanks for my work, this is how you can do it.

I'm asking you now. Please donate to Ben's Go Fund Me. Please help out a person who really deserves your help.

If you'd like more details, this is the video he posted.

The rest of the newsletter today is dedicated to Ben's work. These are all my favorite episodes from his podcast, all of which I've shared at one point in this newsletter. I'm republishing those snippets today for you to explore.

John D Rockefeller

John D Rockefeller is one of those people I think everyone should study. Like Steve Jobs, the Wright brothers, or Elon Musk, Rockefeller shaped the course of American history.

This is a great podcast on his life, based largely on the excellent biography, Titan. It’s a good entry point to Rockefeller if you don’t know much about him, and it’s a nice refresher if you do.

My favorite takeaway from the episode was The Rockefeller Test:

If you're struggling to achieve a goal and you know it’s something you really want, ask yourself, ‘Have I failed twice as much as any reasonable person would?’

If the answer is no—and it probably is no—you need to keep trying.

This came from Rockefeller's approach to getting his first job. He applied to a long list of businesses, and they all said no.

So what did he do?

He just started over at the top of the list. He visited all the places he applied a second and a third time, refusing to quit.

Finally, one of them hired him. It was September 26. Rockefeller dubbed it ‘job day,’ and he would forever celebrate it with more enthusiasm than his birthday.

Wright Brothers Podcast

Speaking of the Wright brothers, they're a pair that everyone can learn from. I loved David McCullough's book on them. It's a quick read packed with more wisdom per page than almost any other book.

But if you don't have time for the book, I found another great resource this week. It's a two part podcast (part 1 & part 2) on the brothers and their accomplishments, based largely on the book.

If you're like me and you enjoy reading a book and listening to everything you can about it, here's another Wright brothers podcast based on the same book. I believe the information sinks in better when you hear it repeatedly and from different perspectives. These are all excellent.

Alexander Hamilton

The best way to understand the current moment is to study history.

I just listened to an excellent two part podcast on Alexander Hamilton (part I | part II). As much as it was biographical, it was also a history lesson on America in its infancy.

Two relevant points stood out to me:

First, as partisan as the United States feels today, it was more divided in its early days. Survival isn’t guaranteed, but it’s possible based on past performance.

Second, political leaders need to do more long form writing. Hamilton was a prolific writer. He might be most famous for the Federalist Papers, but he wrote long, detailed essays from the time he was a teenager.

Long form writing allows readers to understand the writer's point of view in a more thorough and nuanced way than TV interviews or social media clips. And understanding a candidate's beliefs and positions is crucial for a healthy democracy.

Great business leaders communicate through long form writing. Jeff Bezos, Paul Graham, Brian Armstrong, Howard Marks—those are a few that instantly come to mind, but there are many. So why don't politicians do the same? It seems like they used to, and I wish they would again.

Anyway, I highly recommend these two episodes. They make history entertaining, and they give you  perspective on current events that you won't find in the mainstream media.

The Trump Blueprint

Love him or hate him, President Trump is one of the most prominent figures of our time.

This podcast was a fascinating look into his life and the events that made him who he is today. Regardless of whether you love him or loathe him, it's valuable to understand him—as much as is possible of a sitting president.

This episode does a great job of helping you understand Donald Trump. Plus the production value is excellent which made it fun to watch.

My favorite insight from the episode was that Trump is particularly good at negotiating deals but particularly bad at managing people and operations, as can be seen in his decades long history in business and his time in the White House.

This podcast has a ton of great episodes on leaders, so if you enjoy this one—or even if you don't—I suggest browsing the rest of the catalogue.

Vladimir Putin Part 1

I knew basically nothing about Vladimir Putin before listening to this podcast which is a shame since he's one of the most important world-leaders of present day.

It was an interesting and enlightening episode covering his early life, his time in the KGB, and his rise to power.

I was surprised to learn that Putin was basically an unremarkable person with no notable accomplishments until his mid-forties. I was also surprised that he wasn't some KGB super spy. His time in the KGB was closer to paper pusher than Jason Bourne.

Listening to this episode will give you more perspective on the current war in Ukraine than any news article you'll read this weekend. I'm excited to listen to part two.

Quote of the Week

"It is not the young man who misses the days he does not know. It is the living who bear the pain of those missed days." - Marcus Aurelius

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Talk soon,

Joe