Sharing The Wisdom Of Remarkable People <\/span><\/h2>\n

Guy Kawasaki is probably best known for his role as Apple\u2019s second brand evangelist. He is a founder, venture capitalist, author, and keynote and TEDx speaker. Currently, he is an evangelist for Canva, and while he continues with the above activities, he has also added \u201cpodcaster\u201d to his resume.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guy\u2019s podcast, <\/span>Remarkable People<\/span><\/i>, is inspired by those he has met throughout his career and travels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the author of 15 books. I decided I had run out of things to say at this point, and wanted to tap into the wisdom of other people, instead,\u201d <\/span><\/i>he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspired by sociologist Studs Terkel\u2019s book, <\/span>Working<\/span><\/i>, and Studs\u2019 interviewing style, Guy knew he could follow the same techniques with his podcast. <\/span>\u201cI’m 66 years old, and I have made a lot of connections in my life. I’ve also come to believe that more important than who <\/span><\/i>you<\/span> know is who knows of you. Podcasting gives me an opportunity to interview remarkable people who have a lot of wisdom to share.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Many podcasters take several months to go from idea to launch; Guy did it within 30 days\u2014which, to Guy, was too long, due to his background in technology!\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Coming up with the name of the show was a challenge. Guy had just released his 15<\/span>th<\/span> book, <\/span>Wise Guy<\/span><\/i>, and from a marketing perspective, it made sense to title the podcast by the same name. <\/span>\u201cThere was one problem,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Guy muses. <\/span>\u201c\u2018Wise Guy\u2019 implies that it’s my wisdom I\u2019m sharing, and it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So, Guy began to consider the guests he would invite to his show, and every one of them had things in common in Guy\u2019s eyes: they were all famous, smart, wise, and remarkable. <\/span>Remarkable People<\/span><\/i> felt right. <\/span>\u201cTo my utter amazement,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Guy remembers, <\/span>\u201cI bought the domain remarkablepeople.com for a couple thousand. It was a no brainer!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Next, Guy went into full planning mode, coming up with specific guidelines for the show. One of those guidelines: 95% percent of every episode would be about his guest and 5% about him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy job as an interviewer is to bring out the remarkableness of my guests and to help them explain to my listeners how to be remarkable in their lives, too.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As a brand evangelist, Guy believed that <\/span>\u201cWhen you start a podcast, you really have to hit that first episode with something or somebody that will make people sit up and take notice.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

He also lives a charmed life, and exuberantly shared how he managed to \u201ccome out of the gates swinging\u201d with his first episode:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone knew of me, as opposed to knowing me personally, and that person happens to run TEDx Palo Alto. She had booked Jane Goodall, and after hearing about me because of my Macintosh background, she out of the blue reached out to me one day and said, <\/span><\/i>\u2018Guy, would you like to interview Jane Goodall at TEDx Palo Alto?\u2019<\/span> I was already booked on an out-of-town event for a paid speech, but I bagged it! I asked myself, \u2018<\/span><\/i>How often do I get the chance to interview Jane Goodall?\u2019<\/span> It literally cost me tens of thousands of dollars. But who is a better first guest for a brand-new podcast than Jane Goodall? Maybe Michelle Obama. Desmond Tutu. I’m running out of names. I would consider them a tie with Jane. I wouldn’t consider them better. So, my podcast began with her, and people did take notice.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Finding guests for future episodes was easy after that. Guy laughs as he says, <\/span>\u201cOne thing I learned is if you start with Jane Goodall, the fourth and fifth and 59th guests are easy. You just say, <\/span><\/i>\u2018My podcast is Remarkable People. I’ve featured guests like Jane Goodall. Would you like to be on the podcast?\u2019<\/span> And very few people say, <\/span><\/i>\u2018Wow, you know, I’m so far beyond Jane Goodall\u2026 no, I don’t want to be on a podcast with second-tier guests like her!\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Guy did an analysis of his first year\u2019s guests and was surprised that of 60 episodes, 27 were women. While he didn\u2019t plan it, he found that his podcast was gender-balanced and culturally inclusive. His guests have included Arianna Huffington, Kristi Yamaguchi, Andrew Yang, Julia Cameron, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Tim Ferris, Margaret Atwood, Governor David Ige, Andrew Zimmerman, and Steve Wozniak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And while many of Guy\u2019s guests are recognizable names, he also shares, <\/span>\u201cI don’t want to give the impression that this is a \u2018famous\u2019 or \u2018rich people\u2019 podcast. It’s a \u2018remarkable people\u2019 podcast. One guest is a woman who was smuggled from Mexico across the US border as a baby and today works for Adobe. You would not have heard of her, but she has a remarkable story. And I think each guest leaves a little bit of his or her soul on tape.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Guy says he loves research, and his process takes about 15-20 hours per episode. <\/span>\u201cI love the preparation. Yesterday, I interviewed Angela Duckworth. She is a social psychologist from Penn and MacArthur award winner. Before I interview someone like her, I have to read her scientific papers, and I have to read her book. I have to ask intelligent questions. I can’t just ask, \u2018<\/span><\/i>What makes you tick, Angela?<\/span>\u2019 I mean, that is such a dumb *&% question!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One of Guy\u2019s most joyful podcasting experiences has been in reading the positive reviews he receives and knowing that he is sharing his guest\u2019s remarkable wisdom with the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s no doubt in my mind that I was born to podcast. I feel like this is a calling. This will show how transparent I am. As I look back on my career, the work I’m doing for my podcast is the best work I’ve done. I will also tell you that it is among the least appreciated. I told my wife the quality of my podcast will not be appreciated until I die. It’s just like art. An artist in his or her own lifetime may not be appreciated.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Guy has only one small regret\u2014that he didn\u2019t begin his podcasting career earlier. <\/span>\u201cIf I had started six years ago, when everybody else did, I would have an audience like Joe Rogan has today.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Guy also offered a very interesting and candid observation on COVID-19\u2019s effect on podcast listenership:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe irony is that, at the start of the pandemic, I thought it would actually be the best thing for my podcast, because people had more time. They were working less and not commuting. But I was so totally wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThey get two hours back per day because they’re not commuting, right? But those are the very two hours people were listening to podcasts! So now, they don’t have the time. If people think that most Americans are sitting at home, sipping their chamomile tea while getting a pedicure and listening to podcasts because their perfect children are totally engrossed in Zoom and overachieving with virtual learning, they’re hallucinating. Suddenly, listeners are responsible for making Zoom work, playing teacher, and feeding children three times a day instead of once. And then, they have to go into endless and overbearing Zoom meetings for work\u201495% of which they don’t even need to be in, and the day is just ruined! I don’t think people are listening to podcasts nearly as much right now.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This past December, Guy received his first podcast award\u2014the Golden Crane Award for Best New Show given by the Asian American Podcasters Association.<\/span><\/p>\n

A true wise guy, Guy leaves us with this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI truly do enjoy podcasting. At my age, one of the side benefits is that I think it will delay the degradation of my mental capabilities. Because now, at least 52 times a year, I have to be able to conduct a conversation with someone who’s truly an expert in some field. By forcing myself to come to grips with roughly 52 subjects a year, it keeps my brain more active. I’m not sitting around watching news all day long.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

66 years young, Guy can often be found surfing the waves\u2026 or making waves of impact with remarkableness.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sharing The Wisdom Of Remarkable People Guy Kawasaki is probably best known for his role as Apple\u2019s second brand evangelist. He is a founder, venture capitalist, author, and keynote and TEDx speaker. Currently, he is an evangelist for Canva, and while he continues with the above activities, he has also added \u201cpodcaster\u201d to his resume. Guy\u2019s podcast, Remarkable People, is inspired by those he has met throughout his career and travels.\u00a0 \u201cI am the author of 15 books. I decided I had run out of things to say at this point, and wanted to tap into the wisdom of other<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":9846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[771,767,770,768,769],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n