Authors

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk about writing. I wrote and published my memoir The Cage: Escaping the American Dream and one of my favorite parts about having a podcast is the chance to talk to some of my favorite authors about the craft. Here are some episodes where I chat with authors about their books.

Ep. 56 – Matthew Bocchi on Losing His Father on 9/11

Sway
In this book, Matthew Bocchi writes about losing his father in the 9/11 attacks and how he coped with it. But it doesn’t end there. In his vulnerable state, he was sexually abused by an older man and later he turned to drugs and spiraled out of control.

Ep. 54 – Nils Parker on Ghostwriting, Humor, and Storytelling

Nils Parker is a ghostwriter who has written many NYT bestsellers. His most recent book was with radio personality Guy Raz: How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs. He has helped produce and edit books by people like Ryan Holiday, James Altucher, and Tucker Max.

Ep. 49 – Kim Macquarrie: The Incan Empire, Peruvian History, and the Amazon

Life and Death in the Andes: On the Trail of Bandits, Heroes, and Revolutionaries
Kim traveled South American from north to south and along the way dives into historical stories and reveals the history and culture of the places he visits along the way.

The Last Days of the Incas
Kim writes about the history of Peru and how the Incan Empire was conquered by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.

Peru’s Amazonian Eden: Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve
Kim spent a ton of time in a remote corner of the Peruvian Amazon and put together this book to capture the beauty and intrigue of the region.

Ep. 46 – Sam Sheridan: On Fear, Writing, and the End of the World

Sam Sheridan
Sam Sheridan

The Disaster Diaries: One Man’s Quest to Learn Everything Necessary to Survive the Apocalypse
Sam travels the world and meets with survival experts and learns how to prepare for a zombie apocalypse or nuclear winter.

The Fighter’s Mind: Inside the Mental Game
Sam travels and visits the best minds in martial arts and combat sports in order to learn their secrets into the mental game of competition.

A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting
Sam travels around the world and trains Muay Thai in Thailand and jiu jitsu in Brazil in order to prepare himself for an MMA fight.

Ep. 37 – Paul Rosolie: Anacondas, Amazon Conservation, and Ecotourism

Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Paul tells his story of the years he spent working and guiding groups in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. He tells crazy tales of wrestling anacondas and caimans and going on solo treks deep into the jungle.

The Girl and the Tiger
This is a beautiful novel about a girl in India who rescues a tiger cub and tries to bring it back to the wilderness.

Ep. 28 – Turney Duff on Wall Street, Sobriety, and Writing

The Buy Side: A Wall Street Trader’s Tale of Spectacular Excess
In this book, Turney tells the story of his wild and depraved days as a Wall Street trader for an infamous hedge fund called Galleon. He details the drugs and debauchery that he participated in, eventually leading him to rehab.

Ep. 27 – Mike and Anne from HoneyTrek on the World’s Longest Honeymoon

Comfortably Wild: The Best Glamping Destinations in North America
Bloggers Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek.com travel around North America and visit their favorite glamping sites and give travelers tips on how to make the most of the experience.

Ultimate Journeys for Two: Extraordinary Destinations on Every Continent
Mike and Anne Howard spent years traveling the globe on The World’s Longest Honeymoon and in this book they share their favorite destinations.

Ep. 25 – Mark Metry on Overcoming Social Anxiety

Screw Being Shy: Learn How to Manage Social Anxiety and Be Yourself in Front of Anyone
Mark Metry grew up a socially anxious child. And he has gone on to create a global top 100 podcast. In this book, he talks about how to overcome social anxiety.

Ep. 24 – Rolf Potts on Vagabonding and Travel Writing

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Rolf’s book about how to do long term travel has become the Bible for travelers. It offers so much useful advice on things like creating a plan or selecting an accommodation. When blogger/podcaster Tim Ferriss traveled the world, this was one of two books that he brought with him.

Souvenir
Rolf takes a look at the history of souvenirs and how that has evolved over time and what meaning we draw from them.

The Geto Boys
Rolf takes a break from the travel genre to dive into the story of gangster rap group The Geto Boys.

Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer
This is a collection of Rolf’s work as a travel writer around the world. What makes it unique is that he provides postscripts for each piece about the backstory of writing it. A treasure trove for any aspiring travel writer.

Ep. 20 – Daniele Bolelli on History, Martial Arts, and Podcasting

Not Afraid: On Fear, Heartbreak, Raising a Baby Girl, and Cage Fighting
Daniele writes this memoir about losing his wife and raising his baby daughter, while tying in principles he has learned from the world of martial arts.

On the Warrior’s Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology
In this book Daniele explores the history and philosophy of martial arts and why it’s important to learn.

Create Your Own Religion: A How-To Book without Instructions
In this book Bolelli takes aim at organized religion and critiques the institutions which provide answers to life’s most profound questions.

50 Things You’re Not Supposed To Know: Religion
The title says it all in this book by professor Daniele Bolelli.

Ep. 17 – Bruce Poon Tip on Founding G Adventures and the State of the Travel Industry

Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business
This book details the story of how Bruce founded G Adventures, a globally recognized travel company with operations in 100 different countries. Bruce talks about the influence of the Dalai Lama and creating a socially conscious company.

Do Big Small Things
This book provides playful prompts that help you get the most out of your travels.

Unlearn: The Year the Earth Stood Still
This short, topical book is about the lessons that we have learned as a society from the covid pandemic and how the travel industry will be different.

Ep. 16 – Charlie Brenneman, from High School Spanish Teacher to UFC Fighter

Driven: My Unlikely Journey from Classroom to Cage
This memoir tells Charlie’s story of growing up wrestling, then becoming a high school Spanish teacher, and eventually leaving that career behind to fight in the UFC.

Becoming the World’s Toughest Lifelong Learner: A Book for Anyone Who Wants to Pursue Anything
This book is about Charlie’s lifelong quest to continue learning and growing as a person. And his journey into podcasting.

Ep. 13 – Andy Steves, Guidebook Author and Founder of Weekend Student Adventures

Andy Steves’ Europe: City-Hopping on a Budget
This guidebook provides everything you need to know as a young person traveling around Europe on a budget.

Ep. 09 – Dan Cleland talks Ayahuasca and Entrepreneurship

Pulse of the Jungle: Ayahuasca, Adventures, and Social Enterprise in the Amazon
This book tells Dan’s story of coming from Canada to Peru to start an ayahuasca center deep in the Peruvian Amazon. .

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