Cal Fussman: The Power of Questions

As a species, we have achieved unimaginable feats over the past millennia. These great achievements have been reached largely due to our never-ending curiosity. Our drive to know, discover, understand, and explore has lead to wondrous creations.

But the roots of our limitless curiosity arise from question asking.

Cal Fussman's entire life has been guided by the power of asking good questions.

Born in Brooklyn, Cal spent ten straight years traveling the world, swimming over
18-foot tiger sharks, rolling around with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, and searching for
gold in the Amazon. He boxed against then-undefeated world champion Julio Cesar
Chavez, won a James Beard award and served as sommelier atop of the World Trade
Center.

For over four decades, Cal has interviewed hundreds of the world’s most
influential individuals: Muhammad Ali, Jack Welch, Mikhail Gorbachev, Serena Williams,
Jeff Bezos, Jimmy Carter, Kobe Bryant, Richard Branson, and the list goes on.
Now, as a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, world-renowned
interviewer, and host of the Big Questions podcast, Cal travels the world teaching
the world’s largest companies, universities, and associations about leadership,
storytelling, innovation, teamwork, and more. When Cal speaks, you’re listening to
everyone he’s ever interviewed. Lessons and stories from hundreds of world icons, all
coming through one man in a fedora.

In this episode, Cal gratefully shares with us the stories that have prepared him for his next chapter in life, healthcare.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

- How Cal and Chris met (3:02)
- Curiosity as a tool to turn a bad moment into a positive one (5:35)
- The importance of closing your eyes, listening, and seeing where life takes you (14:28)
- How the novice, not the expert, makes change occur (20:06)
- Everything you do is practice and preparation for what's coming (24:43)
- Fixing healthcare through communication (28:04)
- Vulnerability as the key to story telling (34:13)
- The work of Phil the Pharmacist (38:04)
- Cal's JFK story (51:47)
- Climbing up the rope (1:01)
- Cal's message to his dad (1:03)

Links:

- Connect with Cal on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/calfussman/
- Cal's Website - https://www.calfussman.com
- Cal's Podcast - https://www.calfussman.com/podcast