Afleveringen

  • Join legendary musician Paul Shaffer, famed as David Letterman’s long-time musical director, as he shares his extraordinary career journey—from his childhood in Thunder Bay to iconic roles on Saturday Night Live and The Blues Brothers. Shaffer sits with host Paul Ollinger and reflects on his early love for music, working alongside comedy greats like Martin Short and Bill Murray, and how rock and roll’s raw simplicity shaped his passion. Packed with nostalgic Hollywood and Broadway stories, this conversation is a must-watch for music and comedy fans alike. 🎵🎭

    Get Paul Ollinger's book Here: "Reasonably Happy: Essays on Money, Work and Other Things that Piss Me Off" https://www.amazon.com/Reasonably-Hap...

    Read Paul's Substack: https://words.paulollinger.com/

  • Paul sits down to talk happiness with Deepak Chopra who is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation alongside award winning author, professor, writer and speaker Dr, John Kaag.

    Visit Rebind at https://s.rebind.ai/0PmPOV and use the promo code reasonablyhappy to get 15% off your first Rebind book experience

    Get Paul's book Here: "Reasonably Happy: Essays on Money, Work and Other Things that Piss Me Off" https://www.amazon.com/Reasonably-Happy-Essays-Money-Things/dp/0997270659

    Read Paul's Substack: https://words.paulollinger.com/

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  • Paul sits down with comedian and syndicated radio legend Rickey Smiley and talk about happiness in the face of grief after losing a son to opioid addiction, surviving being shot at point blank range and continuing a life in comedy in the face of tragedy.

    Check out Rickeys book: "Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith"
    https://www.amazon.com/Sideshow-Livin...

  • Paul is joined by SNL music director Eli Brueggemann to discuss everything from what landing a gig like Saturday Night Live does for a musician to how quickly a masters level university degree can become outdated because of simple technology.

    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • Paul sits down with the insanely funny comedian Mandal to discuss his rise, fall and rise again that lead him to be a go to opener for John Mulaney and performing at the world famous Hollywood Bowl. Paul and Mandel dive into the world of stand up comedy and how Mandel finds purpose and happiness and why it is the driving force in all of his artistic endeavors.



    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • Paul sits down with lawyer turned comedian Liz Glazer to discuss how a successful lawyer and law professor can find happiness by saying goodbye to a tenured career by pursuing a life in the arts.

    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • Paul sits down with comedian and actor Mehran Khaghani and gets deep into the psyche of a man who was brought to America from Iran as a 3 year old who discovered himself after years of addiction and psychedelics only to emerge on the other side as one of the funniest comedians working today and starring in the hit Off Broadway Steven Soderbergh show "The Fears".

  • Join us for an insightful conversation with Adrian Brambila and Brad Klontz, authors of "Start Thinking Rich," as we dive deep into the mindset strategies that lead to success. Discover how your background, no matter the challenges, should never hold you back from achieving your goals. Learn practical tips and valuable lessons on how to develop a wealth-focused mindset, overcome obstacles, and leverage the experiences of others to create the life you've always wanted. Whether you're aiming for personal or financial success, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you think rich and succeed in any area of life.

    Pick up a copy of "Start Thinking Rich: 21 Harsh Truths to Take You from Broke to Financial Freedom" by Adrian Brambila and Brad Klontz:
    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/start-thinking-rich-brad-klontz/1146212034;jsessionid=9ADBFA21F7779A45F34745CE6E50B715.prodny_store01-atgap15?ean=2940191065052


    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • We are joined by Lydia Fenet, the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. Lydia is a best selling author and ground breaking art auctioneer who sits with us to talk about art, confidence and how to decide what success means to you.

    Pick up a copy of "Claim Your Confidence" by Lydia Fenet: https://lydiafenet.com/the-book/

    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • We are joined by New York Times best selling author and former Wall Street wild man Turney Duff to discuss Hookers, Blow, Million-dollar bonuses on Wall Street and the journey through recovery and what lies the other side of the Wall Street hustle.

    Pick up a copy of "The Buy Side" by Turney Duff: https://www.amazon.com/Buy-Side-Street-Traders-Spectacular/dp/0770437176

    Follow Reasonably Happy host Paul Ollinger: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

  • What did Ray Kroc, Maya Angelou, Margaret Thatcher, and Malcolm X all have in common? (Don’t worry - this isn’t a dirty joke!) They were all opsimaths, i.e. a person who blooms late in life. In his new book SECOND ACT: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Success and Reinventing Your Life, author Henry Oliver shares the stories of well-known people whose greatest accomplishments happened in or past middle age. In other words, there’s still hope for you! Maybe you’re 45 and haven’t written the great American Novel yet. There’s still time! You’re 55 and haven’t made your first million or billion? There’s still time! You’re 65 and havne’t gotten elected to political office? Well, let’s not push it, but you never know. If you are indeed an opsimath, you’ll keep working toward your goal for the sake of the thing and not in hope of any extrinsic rewards. In this informative and sometimes humorous conversation, Henry and I—two urbane gentleman that we are—discuss the following:

    Fluid intelligence v. concrete intelligence

    Why motivation is the closest thing we have to magic. 

    How and why to stay in the game as you get older

    The commonalities among late bloomers include hard work, intrinsic motivation and a willingness to keep trying and learning.

    The similarities between Ray Kroc’s relationship with the McDonald brothers and Mark Zuckerberg’s relationship with the Winklevoss twins.

    How Katharine Graham’s family’s suffocating wealth both helped and hindered her development


    Pre-order Henry's book here. Subscribe to his Substack here. 


    WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
    This episodes Keywords:
    late bloomers, success, age, intelligence, motivation, hard work, meandering path, passion, experience, network, late bloomers, success, reinventing life, Ray Kroc, McDonald's, Katharine Graham, Washington Post, David Duffield, Workday, internal motivation, careers, second careers, reinvention

  • Nobody gets into poetry for fame and fortune. And yet, there might be a tiny bit of each happening for In-Q, my guest this week who is a renowned poet and spoken word artist. When he started freestyling (aka, “rapping" for you old people) with his friends at age 13, In-Q felt an empowerment that didn’t exist in the rest of his life. The words inside him took on a life of their own and, after he started writing poetry at 19, In-Q found himself in the embrace of L.A.’s slam poetry community. He never really considered poetry taking him to a place where could make a living, "let alone live in abundance.” But through dedication, perseverance, and perhaps, the sheer inability to quit, he’s now selling out theaters, writing hit songs, and publishing books and albums. In-Q has appeared on A&E, ESPN, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. His stand-up poetry special, 'Live at the Ace Theatre', is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. To top all that, Oprah (you know “Winfrey”) named him to her SuperSoul 100 list of the world’s most influential thought leaders.

    On this week’s episode, In-Q and I discuss:

    Why he has a tattoo with the Hebrew word he thought meant “forgiveness"

    The perilous childhood moment that could have changed his life forever 

    How his learning disability contributes to his success

    Why ‘Hamilton’ is a perfect work of art

    The day he decided that Nas was God

    His creative process


    Watch his special, Live At the Ace Theater and listen to his album The Never Ending Now


    WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
    This episodes Keywords:
    IN-Q, poet, spoken word, slam poetry, creativity, self-expression, learning disabilities, dyslexia, art, IN-Q, poetry, creativity, writing process, empowerment, tattoos, Amazon special, immersive experience, album, book, events, forgiveness


    Paul loves you. 

  • The spirit of the working class is crushed. So argues Batya Ungar-Sargon in her new book 'Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women’. Batya says that working men and women in the United States have been abandoned by both political parties and left to fend for themselves all while unchecked immigration makes an already challenging job market untenable. As her title suggests, she believes “elites” are causing this problem. And though you hear the word used more often and somewhat scornfully on Fox News, “elites”  doesn’t just progressives. It’s alll of us who are educated, have stable jobs, and aren’t worried aobut making rent next month. But just because Batya uses the word doesn't mean her main argument—that unchecked immigration is making life untenable for working Americans—is wrong. At the very least, it is inarguable that immigration is putting a strain on our housing, educational and medical infrastructure. And all of us foot the bill for that. What’s really odd about this to me is, despite the fact that Batya defends Donald Trump as a friend of the working people, that the policies she recommends to fix the problem feel like Democratic policies from an earlier time. Unions, tarriffs - that sort of thing. Whichever side they’re from, she is passionate about the importance of a thriving middle class for a stable democracy. Batya is The Opinion Editor at Newsweek. She holds a BA from the University of Chicago and earned her PhD at UC, Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, The Daily Beast, and The Free Press. Buy ’Second Class’ here.

    WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.
    This episodes Keywords:
    elites, working class, income inequality, immigration, Trump, unions, working conditions, middle class, stable democracy, vice president, politics, kamalaharris, election, timwalz, joshshapiro

    Paul loves you. 

  • **Hi friends - this is Paul writing to confess to an error in my introduction in this week's episode. The name of Angus Hervey's podcast is "Hope Is a Verb," not—as I called it—"Hope is NOT a Verb," which is kind of the opposite (insert winky emoticon). Unfortunately, I am unable to re-record the intro as we are traveling, but I can change these show notes, so that's what I'm doing. Sincere apologies to my most gracious guest for this ridiculous foul-up.**

    The news is always bad, and that’s not an accident. “If it bleeds, it leads” has long been the theme that drives networks and newspapers to accentuate the negative because that’s how you earn ratings and pageviews, baby! This week, Dr. Angus Hervey, founder of 'Fix the News’ and the co-host of the podcast ‘Hope Is A Verb’ joins Paul to discuss the evolutionary and economic reasons behind this phenomenon and how it hurts us as a society. The dreadful headlines disguise the truth that we humans are making terrific progress fighting poverty, eradicating disease, finding alternatives to fossil fuels, and expanding human rights. But you wouldn’t know that reading the New York Times or scrolling your Facebook feed. Of course everything isn’t perfect. But thanks to technology and perhaps to the fact that—as Dr. King said—the arch of the moral universe bends toward justice, things are way better than they have ever been and they continue to improve. We ignore this to our peril and at the cost of our happiness. As Dr. Hervey cautions negative news is an addictive product that divides us as a society, "breeding cynicism, apathy, hopelessness, and even hate.” As if that weren’t bad enough, it also prevents us in believing that progress can be made, saying “If we want more people to devote themselves to making progress, maybe we should tell more people that it’s possible to make progress.” Further, he says that all these predictions of an AI apocalypse are highly-overblown. Angus earned his PhD in Political Econmomy at London School of Economics. His two TED Talks have generated millions of video views, 
    He lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia whence he spoke to Paul before his children woke up. Listen to Hope Is A Verb and read Fix The News today!

    WAIT - don’t go until you’ve done 2 out of these 3 things:
    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.

    This episodes Keywords:
    News, good news, bad news, negative filtering, evolution, negative news, perception, progress, media, incentives, bias, optimism, technology, AI, biotechnology


    Paul loves you.

  • Stephanie Stuckey used her life’s savings to buy the company that is her family’s legacy. At it’s height in the1960’s and 70’s, there were hundreds of Stuckey’s stores selling gas, pecan candy, cold drinks, and quick meals near highway exits around the United States. But after her grandfather was bought out by a big corporation, the neglected enterprise and its stores fell into disrepair. Since buying what remained of the company five years ago, Stephanie—an attorney and former Georgia State Representative with no prior business experience—has been on a mission to restore the brand to its former glory. She relishes Stuckey’s history and philosophy of hospitality that welcomed *all* travelers during an era when segregation was the rule. Her inspiring story is that hopeless romantic who puts it all on the line to celebrate what’s good and authentic in the world. Stephanie lives in Atlanta. She loves sweet tea, R.E.M., and the Georgia Bulldogs. Follow Stephanie on Instagram and LinkedIn and getcha some Pecan Log Rolls on the Stuckey’s website. Oh, and buy her book here. 

    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible Substack newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.

  • Nicole Avant is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas and author of a new memoir, 'Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude’ which tells the story of her extraordinary family and her mother’s tragic death by murder. Her mom, Jacquie was a philanthropist and community activist whose example taught Nicole kindness, respect, and humility. Nicole’s father was Clarence Avant, a highly successful music executive who gathered in their Beverly Hills home a mélange* of the most prominent musicians, producers, actors, and politicians. Indicative of the environment in which she grew up, Nicole’s godfather is legendary producer, Quincy Jones. Speaking of godfathers, Nicole produced a documentary about her dad called 'The Black Godfather,’ which is available on Netflix and is totally amazing. After college, Nicole worked in the music business but got into politics, eventually becoming the Southern California finance co-chair for the 2008 Presidential campaign of Barack Obama who appointed her Ambassador. Nicole’s film about the contributions of Black servicewomen during WWII, 'The Six Triple Eight,’ was directed by Tyler Perry and comes out later this year. Check out The Black Godfather trailer here and learn more about Nicole’s book here. (So you understand the context, the “Ted” to which Nicole refers in this interview is her husband, Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix.)

    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    *I said it - mélange, baby!

    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.

  • On this introspective episode of Crazy Money, Paul sits alone in his empty Atlanta house and talks openly about the thoughts and feelings that drew him back to Atlanta, and the head trauma that may or may not have initiated his desire to sell everything and move to New York City.
    Oh, by the way, my name is Mike Carano and I’m writing these surely-to-be-deleted episode notes. Paul is occupied with the chaos of moving, but I suspect he’s more likely trying to get to the bottom of the, “which Ray’s Pizza is the REAL Ray’s Pizza.” In between mumbling, “miles to go before I sleep,” he asked if I could handle this writing task. Inspired by he and Stacey’s decision to embrace a big change and wring every drop out of this thing called life, I said uhh, okay. 
    In this intimate podcast Paul talks about how this move came about, how he, Stacey, and their two kids, kid #1, and kid #2, ended up in Atlanta, and his plan to put the pedal to the metal and maximize opportunity, expand horizons, and have coffee with the dude from TED.
    I found this be be genuinely inspiring, and I’ve decided to do the same thing. Only I’m going to Barstow, because I’m broke.
    Please enjoy this thoughtful episode.


    HEY - want to help Paul grow this great podcast? DO THESE THINGS:

    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰

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    About Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth management, culture, society, status, ambition, accomplishment, perfectionism. Today’s episode covers:  Constitution, originalism, living constitutionalism, individual rights, common good, abortion rights, free speech, society, interpretation, democracy, government, people, age and health of the president, executive orders, Supreme Court, Constitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you. 

  • Yes, there was actually a guy named Rudolf Diesel who actually invented the diesel engine, which was incredibly revolutionary for its time. It earned Diesel a massive fortune and had huge implications for how war—especially maritime war in the early 1900’s—would be waged. As European countries scrambled for dominance just prior to WWI, Diesel disappeared, leading to speculation that he was murdered by either Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II or by America’s John D. Rockefeller whose young petroleum empire Diesel's motor threatened. Or maybe Diesel leapt to his own death. Or maybe...something else happened. Author Doug Brunt’s new book 'The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I’ tells the story of this incredible innovator and the impact his machine continues to have on the world. Doug Brunt grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Duke University. A former technology executive turned writer, his previous novels include 'Ghosts of Manhattan’ (which is f-in great!), 'The Means’, and 'Trophy Son'. He lives with his wife, journalist Megyn Kelly, in Connecticut. Check out Doug’s website here. 💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤About Paul Ollinger and Crazy MoneyAfter working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.

  • Charlie Wheelan is a professor of economics and public policy at Dartmouth College and the author of several books, including Naked Money, Naked Economics, (no nudity in either), and The Centrist Manifesto, all of which we discuss in this episode. The Chicago Sun-Times describes Charlie as someone who “combines a razor-sharp mind with a boatload of charm and impressive expertise in economics and foreign policy,” which might be why his students regularly pick him as one of Dartmouth's 10 best professors. Charlie is also the founder and Co-director of Unite America, a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working together to to put voters first by fostering more representative and functional government. In March, 2009, Charlie ran unsuccessfully for the Congressional seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel who went on to become President Obama’s Chief of Staff. Charlie is a graduate of Dartmouth and holds a Master’s from Princeton and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. In today’s conversation, we talk about:


    Why our political process has become so polarized,

    Why it’s near impossible to get reasonable candidates elected, and 

    What each party is either right or wrong about.

    Most importantly, Charlie lays out some very practical ideas for how we can restore sanity to our governing bodies.


    Check out Charlie’s website here.

    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰
    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥
    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤


    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul.
    In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals.
    Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.

    This episodes Keywords:
     Taxes, tax policy, inequality, infrastructure, Civics government, elections, voting, Dartmouth, federal debt. Please stop reading and have a great day. Paul loves you.

  • Mike Posner is a Grammy-nominated rapper, singer, songwriter, and music producer from Detroit. His Spotify channel has generated over 3 billion plays and his song 'I Took a Pill in Ibiza' reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. Mike "had it all" at a young age and captured his lifestyle in the lyrics of his biggest hit: “A real big baller (who) made a million dollars and...spent it on girls and shoes.” But Mike wanted more—he wanted to live a life of meaning and purpose - to become the person he was supposed to be. As he shares in his recent TED Talk, '5 Lessons on Happiness – from Pop Fame to Poisonous Snakes,’ he began a 3,000 mile on-foot trek across the United States, starting in New Jersey and making it all the way to Colorado where he was waylaid by a rattlesnake bite. After a few weeks of recovery, he set back out on the road, completing his walk with a run into the Pacific Ocean at Venice Beach, CA. In this joyous conversation, Paul and Mike cover:

    Mike's journey from pop star to becoming his own person

    Mean things people said about him on social media

    What he rapped about when he was 8 years old

    Mike’s youthful collaboration with Big Sean 

    The duality of human nature and how we all have good and bad within us

    Self-awareness and the importance of compassion

    Following one's own path, rather than relying on external validation. 

    Why we must embrace our mortality, and the reason others want you to forget it

    The importance of faith

    Check out Mike’s TED Talk: 5 Lessons on Happiness and his Spotify profile.


    💰Rate and review Crazy Money here. 💰

    🔥 Register for Paul’s incredible newsletter here.🔥

    🎤 See Paul LIVE for telling of comedy jokes here. 🎤



    About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money
    After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Daniel Tosh, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Norm Macdonald, Styx, and Collective Soul.
    In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals.
    Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.