In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler introduces historian and author Joseph Moore to filmmaker and producer Simon Egan for a conversation about creativity, failure, storytelling, and what happens after a big project finally reaches the world.They discuss Joseph’s national bestselling book How to Get Rich in American History, Simon’s journey with The King’s Speech, the emotional cost of creative work, and why failure can become the feedback that leads to meaningful work.Main topics coveredJoseph Moore’s unexpected path from historian to personal finance authorSimon Egan’s story of discovering and championing The King’s SpeechWhy some stories feel like they have to be toldThe role of rejection, risk, and persistence in creative workHow failure becomes feedback for writers, filmmakers, and creatorsThe emotional crash that can follow finishing a major creative projectWhy success can create pressure instead of satisfactionThe tension between creativity, business, family, and focusHow creators manage distractions, deep work, and multiple projectsWhy great storytelling often comes from personal pain, curiosity, and lived experienceThe importance of being a fan before becoming a creatorStorytelling, story editing, and story selling as the heart of creative workTimestamps00:00 Why Joseph Moore needed to meet Simon Egan03:02 The Just Press Record blind introduction format05:41 Joseph Moore on How to Get Rich in American History07:49 Why taking creative risks matters09:31 Simon Egan’s path from finance to filmmaking12:18 Discovering The King’s Speech15:00 Fighting to get The King’s Speech made18:54 The moment you decide not to quit on a story20:22 Choosing the project over the original dream22:00 How Geoffrey Rush became part of The King’s Speech journey25:08 Joseph Moore’s parallel book journey26:00 The 2008 financial crisis and the origin of Joseph’s book28:15 Rejection from publishers and literary agents30:31 The agent who finally saw the book’s potential32:00 Writing a book in five months35:04 The joy of immersive creative work36:05 Why creation can make time stop39:49 Balancing creative ambition with the reality of collaboration41:19 Simon on addiction to the creative process43:35 What happens after reaching the top of the mountain44:39 The emotional crash after The King’s Speech success46:07 Joseph on wanting the next creative challenge48:25 The danger of trying to reverse engineer success52:33 The sugar rush and crash of deep creative focus55:00 Joseph’s post-manuscript crash58:06 Is the creative crash part of the process?59:38 Anxiety after handing work over to the world01:01:17 Advice Simon would give to a younger creator01:04:18 Joseph on failure as feedback01:06:06 Why nothing works out the way you expect01:08:03 How success changes the pressure to keep going01:11:00 The difference between creative work and business work01:18:00 Learning to be more pragmatic with creative projects01:21:15 Managing distractions, notifications, and family life01:24:49 How Simon structures creative work01:26:14 Why deep creative work does not fit into short blocks01:28:00 Designing space for creative failure01:29:48 Why creators need to be fans first01:32:32 Finding unexpected connections through reading and research01:33:25 How personal experience shapes the stories we tell01:38:15 Joseph on the stories he still wants to write01:41:06 Guessing why Matt made the introduction01:42:28 Storytelling, story editing, and story selling01:42:48 Where to find Simon Egan and Joseph Moore01:44:17 Closing thoughts and disclaimer

Megan Lurtz joins Just Press Record to unpack what a conversation with Chuck Marohn and Aaron Hurst reveals about community, trust, social connection, and the psychology of change.This episode explores why talking to strangers, third places, shared culture, liminal space, and group thinking matter in a world shaped by algorithms, loneliness, and constant transition.Main topics coveredWhy talking to strangers often feels uncomfortable but leaves people more connectedHow introverts and extroverts both benefit from meaningful social interactionWhy life transitions create openings for change, learning, and identity shiftsThe role of liminal space in travel, work, money, relationships, and personal growthHow convivial infrastructure and third places help build stronger communitiesWhy shared beliefs, shared songs, and shared rituals accelerate trustHow algorithms fracture common culture and make connection harderWhy self-help often fails when change is attempted aloneThe argumentative theory of reason and why humans think better togetherHow feelings, knowledge, community, and environment shape real behavior changeWhy building community requires intentional structures, not just good intentionsTimestamps00:00 Why Meg Lurtz needed to see this conversation04:29 When a short clip turns into a full rabbit hole06:10 Why talking to strangers builds connection12:13 Liminal space and why transitions open people to change17:14 Coffee, sour cream, and how travel changes perspective20:36 Convivial infrastructure, third places, and everyday community24:15 Trust, shared beliefs, and believing unbelievable things together25:39 Sweet Caroline, shared culture, and the loss of a common language30:31 Keynes beauty contest, algorithms, and group decision making31:28 The argumentative theory of reason and why thinking is social37:11 Building community instead of just talking about it38:44 What Spain during COVID revealed about togetherness41:02 Introverts, extroverts, ambiverts, and social energy45:36 The transtheoretical model of change and why feelings come first48:00 What people need to know and feel before they can change52:12 Why internal change needs external community55:26 Where to find Megan Lurtz

This solo episode of Just Press Record explores why purpose, place, and people are essential to meaningful experiences, personal transformation, and human connection.Matt Zeigler connects recent trips to Chicago, St. Louis, and a World Cup match in Philadelphia with lessons from Chuck Marohn, Aaron Hurst, Joe Pine, Shannon Staton, Kate Bradley Chernis, and D.A. Wallach on travel, serendipity, community, and belonging.Main topics coveredWhy travel makes us more open to new experiences and better decisionsHow life transitions create moments where people are ready to changeWhy saying yes to small opportunities can lead to memorable experiencesThe power of programmed serendipity in work, travel, and relationshipsWhy in-person meetings still matter in a remote work worldHow unplanned conversations create deeper professional and personal bondsThe difference between efficiency and connectionWhy live sports and shared culture create powerful human experiencesHow taste tribes help people find belonging outside politics and workWhy purpose, place, and people are a useful framework for building a more meaningful lifeTimestamps00:00 Why purpose, place, and people matter02:19 How travel opens us up to transformation03:32 Saying yes to the hotel upsell in Chicago06:00 Why the best travel moments are often unplanned07:29 Taking the train to St. Louis and returning to the office09:10 Programmed serendipity and transformative experiences11:12 Why the best work trip moments are not on the agenda12:31 How in-person time turns handshakes into hugs13:23 Deciding to go to the World Cup15:27 Taste tribes, culture, and belonging18:03 The power and pageantry of a live World Cup match19:42 Purpose, place, and people as a framework for life21:31 Why meaningful experiences are worth prioritizing22:00 Final thoughts and where to find more from Matt Zeigler

Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns and Aaron Hurst of the Chamber of Connection meet for a conversation about how communities are built, why trust is breaking down, and what cities can do to rebuild social connection.They explore small-town roots, life transitions, relocation, purpose, urban planning, pluralism, and why connection may be the central challenge facing modern America.Matt Zeigler introduces two people who have spent their careers thinking about place, purpose, and belonging from very different starting points.Chuck comes from deep roots in Brainerd, Minnesota and the Strong Towns movement, while Aaron brings the perspective of a lifelong mover, social entrepreneur, and founder focused on rebuilding connection in cities.Topics covered:Why small-town life creates deep community ties and unavoidable social consequencesHow moving frequently can create relationship cliffs and force people to rebuild connectionWhy travel, relocation, and life transitions can change identity and worldviewChuck Marohn’s life-changing experience getting lost in Southern ItalyAaron Hurst’s path from Silicon Valley startups to social entrepreneurshipHow Strong Towns grew from a blog about broken development patterns into a national movementWhy the decline of trust and connection may be America’s biggest social problemHow the Chamber of Connection is designing cities around social connection and life transitionsWhy diversity can strengthen society while also creating real trust challengesHow onboarding, neuroscience, and cognitive science can help people become open to changeWhy group decision-making often breaks down even when individuals agreeHow bottom-up connection can become a force multiplier for communitiesTimestamps:00:00 Why Aaron Hurst and Chuck Marohn needed to meet02:47 The Just Press Record format and guest introductions05:01 Aaron Hurst’s unusual childhood, movement, and early ideas about belonging06:05 Chuck Marohn’s deep roots in Brainerd, Minnesota09:24 The tradeoff between rootedness, travel, and family drama14:02 Aaron’s 12 moves and the relationship cliffs of relocation16:00 Chuck’s first major trip outside Brainerd and joining the National Guard20:03 What traveling near war taught Aaron about media and reality22:30 Chuck’s failed Italy exchange and the trip that changed his life24:00 Having a midlife crisis at 24 and changing careers27:32 Aaron’s move from Chicago nonprofits to Silicon Valley startups32:21 The origin story of Strong Towns34:00 Why the development pattern was making cities broke36:46 Aaron Hurst’s path from Taproot Foundation to the Purpose Economy38:00 Why declining connection and trust may be America’s core issue39:00 The idea behind the Chamber of Connection40:32 Why life transitions are the key moments for rebuilding social connection42:00 Building connection councils in cities across the country43:04 Religion, shared belief, and the foundations of trust45:16 Why diversity creates both strength and trust problems46:12 How to build trust between people who would not normally talk48:11 Why life transitions can create connection across difference48:49 How transition rewires the brain and opens people to change50:12 Why onboarding is a magic moment in companies and cities52:37 Keynes’ beauty contest and the group decision-making problem54:47 The transtheoretical model of change and helping people act55:44 Aaron invites Chuck to the Connected Cities Summit56:56 Why Matt thought Chuck and Aaron should meet58:05 Connection as a force multiplier58:17 Where to find Aaron Hurst and the Chamber of Connection58:30 Where to find Chuck Marohn and Strong Towns

In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler and Dave Nadig react to Kate Bradley Chernis on radio, storytelling, media training, and why the human voice still matters.They explore how great communicators use theater of the mind, cadence, nostalgia, emotion, and preparation to make an audience feel pulled into the story.Topics Covered:Why radio creates a unique theater of the mindHow great communicators make the audience feel like part of the storyWhy media training still matters in business, finance, and public speakingThe difference between speaking well and projecting the right imageWhy it is so hard to say “I don’t know” on cameraHow overthinking can ruin an interview or presentationWhy spoken word, cadence, pacing, and breath change how a message landsWhat separates good storytelling from bad storytellingWhy the best interviews feel like you are the only person listeningHow podcasts created a new version of the fly-on-the-wall experienceWhy stripped-down, human communication may be making a comebackWhy text-to-speech still cannot fully replace the imperfect human voiceTimestamps:00:00 Why Dave Nadig needed to see the Kate Bradley Chernis clip02:15 Introducing Dave Nadig and Just Press Record06:06 Kate Bradley Chernis on radio and theater of the mind07:44 Why media training is a dying business skill09:05 Dave’s early theater background and CNBC media training10:35 How Zoom, smartphones, and social media changed communication12:35 Why saying “I don’t know” on camera is so hard12:53 How overthinking ruins an interview13:35 Why spoken word should be treated like a product14:55 Text-to-speech vs an author reading their own work15:53 What makes a great oral storyteller18:45 The difference between good story and bad story19:35 How Dave prepares for stage presentations20:45 What ghostwriting speeches taught Dave about voice23:13 Why great interviewers make people feel instantly comfortable24:23 The fly-on-the-wall magic of podcasts27:15 Why stripped-down media feels valuable again31:00 It’s all theater: voice, nostalgia, and human connection31:33 Why the human voice still matters in an AI world

In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler brings Justin Castelli back to react to a Drew Feldman clip about willpower, boundaries, workarounds, and designing a life around who you really are.The conversation turns into a deeper discussion about self-awareness, authentic living, money alignment, accountability, and whether willpower comes from discipline or from being aligned with your values.Topics Covered:Why Drew Feldman says he does not rely on willpowerHow workarounds can help us design around our weaknessesThe difference between internal boundaries and external boundariesWhy pushing personal boundaries is often where real growth happensHow self-awareness helps people build better systemsJustin Castelli’s framework for living an authentic lifeWhy accountability works better when it connects to a larger purposeHow spending money can reflect personal valuesThe connection between budgeting, alignment, and financial behaviorWhy scarcity mindset and misalignment can create money stressHow planting seeds can help people change when they are readyWhether alignment creates willpower or willpower creates alignmentTimestamps:00:00 Willpower, alignment, and workarounds03:30 Why Matt brought Justin Castelli back05:27 Drew Feldman on designing around yourself06:22 Justin’s first reaction to the clip08:11 Why pushing boundaries creates growth09:43 Internal boundaries vs external boundaries12:05 How self-awareness creates better workarounds14:43 The role of accountability17:14 Spending money in alignment with your values19:00 Seeing potential in other people21:00 Just because you can, should you?24:18 Money, values, and the personal balance sheet26:00 Money stories, abundance, and scarcity29:31 Why you cannot force someone to see differently31:00 Misalignment as a risk to financial stability33:20 Planting breadcrumbs for future growth34:44 Does willpower or alignment come first?35:19 Why alignment creates willpower37:21 Where to find Justin Castelli

Chris Vasseur (aka Coach Vass) is back.He's a football coach turned finance student who went all-in on CANSLIM after reading Market Wizards, hit major gains as a beginner on early tech trades, then discovered futures trading unlocked emotions he'd never experienced before: greed, revenge trading, bargaining, and things that made him unrecognizable to himself.Matt brings him back to react to a Tony Greer and Bogumil Baranowski clip about trading psychology, selling, and position attachment, and the conversation opens up into self-awareness, domain-switching, trusting your instincts, and why AI disruption changed his mind about becoming a financial advisor.This is an "Oh Snap, Guess What I Saw" episode where Matt pulls back a prior guest to react to a clip and see what it reveals about style, personality, and knowing yourself across domains.In this conversation, they get into:Why the same person can feel calm cutting losses in equities and completely freeze in futuresTony Greer on selling winners and why most people can't part with their "best girlfriend" stockBogumil Baranowski's options lesson from a train in Italy and the moment he knew it wasn't for his stomachCANSLIM, William O'Neil, IBD, and why Chris chose the "caveman strategy" that fits his wiringBeginner's luck on early tech trades and realizing "I'm not this smart" after major winsRevenge trading, greed, and emotions Chris had never experienced until futuresFootball play-calling, thin slicing, and making split-second decisions under pressureHow learning to invest made Chris better at asking questions as a coach and consultantWhy there's no scoreboard in investing and the danger of hitting a grand slam too earlyGood process vs. bad outcome: the Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl and why coaches see it differentlyFantasy sports, competing investing religions, and the risk of having opinions before expertiseAI disruption, technology trends, and reconsidering the financial advisor pathFinding teachers, teaching yourself, and knowing what style you're not

Matt Zeigler and Jack Forehand look at what recent Intentional Investor conversations can teach us about creativity, investing, YouTube, AI, mentorship and building a media business.Using clips from Michael Perry, Marc Rubinstein and Mat Cashman, they explore why knowing your limits, understanding your strengths, learning from mentors and building real relationships still matter in a world of algorithms and LLMs.Main topics covered:• Why personal stories reveal how investors and creators actually think• Michael Perry on accepting ceilings and learning from people you may never catch• What YouTube creators can learn from studying bigger platforms without copying them• Why different shows and platforms require different strategies• Marc Rubinstein on being a slow, methodical thinker and finding the right role• Shared values and complementary skills in creative partnerships• How Substack, YouTube, Twitter and audio platforms each serve different audiences• Why attention is the scarce resource in modern media• Mat Cashman on learning options from a real-world mentor on the CBOE floor• How AI and LLMs can become virtual mentors and strategy partners• Why relationships, trust and networks remain the edge technology cannot replaceTimestamps:00:00 What Intentional Investor can teach Just Press Record and Excess Returns03:32 Why personal stories matter in finance and investing conversations06:35 Michael Perry on ceilings, competition and accepting limits09:17 Learning from bigger creators without trying to become them13:40 Marc Rubinstein on slow thinking, research and knowing your strengths15:54 Shared values, complementary skills and creative collaboration18:21 Push and pull decisions, networking and building credibility over time19:56 Different strategies for YouTube, Substack, Twitter and audio21:05 Differentiated and discoverable content23:00 Why five lessons posts resonate with guests and audiences23:59 Attention as the scarce resource in the clip economy26:10 Mat Cashman on learning options from Lanny on the CBOE floor30:18 Direct mentors, indirect mentors and learning from the internet32:03 How AI and LLMs change the learning curve33:26 Why curiosity and hard work still create an edge35:08 Leaning into AI before it becomes table stakes36:20 Networks, relationships and the human edge that will not go away38:13 Closing thoughts and disclosures

In this Oh Snap “Guess What I Saw” episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler brings workplace communication strategist and keynote speaker Nancy Burger back to react to a clip from psychologist Naomi Win on language, repair, and trust. Together, they unpack how the words we use — and the meanings we quietly attach to them — can deepen connection, create misunderstanding, and shape how we lead, work, and show up in our relationships.They dig into why repair matters more than compatibility, how curiosity can beat blame in hard conversations, and what it really means to co-create every relationship you’re in. Nancy shares stories from her non-linear career, including Wall Street, her new keynote “Who Do You Think You Are?”, and how leaders can use vulnerability, accountability, and self-reflection to build durable trust.This special Oh Snap format pulls a prior guest back to watch a clip and see what it reveals about their work in the wild. Naomi Win’s riff on language, apples, and misunderstanding becomes a launchpad for talking about fear, internal narratives, and “garden glove” change — the kind where everyone gets their hands a little dirty in service of growth.In this conversation, they get into:How language can connect us and still open the door to misunderstandingWhy the meanings we attach to words shape reactions, stories, and relationshipsCuriosity vs. responsibility as a frame for hard conversations at work and at homeHow assumptions and old narratives distort workplace conflict and team dynamicsWhy persuasion and the “perfect story” are not enough to build trust as a leaderHow leaders build trust by admitting mistakes and sharing vulnerability in publicNancy’s journey from finance to fear-focused communication work, and how she reframed itInternal repair vs. external repair, and why we co-create every relationship we’re part ofHow conflict, handled well, becomes “scar tissue” that strengthens trust over timeWhy sustainable change in organizations looks more like garden gloves than white glovesIf you like overhearing smart, slightly weird, very human conversations about leadership, relationships, and the stories underneath all of it, hit subscribe and come hang out with us.Chapters00:00 Naomi Win on language, apples and misunderstanding03:03 Introducing Nancy Burger and the Oh Snap Guess What I Saw format06:06 Nancy’s new keynote on self-limiting thoughts07:16 Why repairs matter more than compatibility09:31 How words carry different meanings for different people11:43 Replacing responsibility with curiosity13:11 How assumptions and personal stories shape conflict15:42 Why persuasion alone does not build trust16:05 How leaders build trust through vulnerability17:50 Nancy on rewriting the story of her finance career19:27 How we participate in creating the things we say we do not want21:10 Curiosity in parenting, marriage, friendship and work23:37 The difference between internal repair and external repair24:23 Why every relationship is co-created26:04 Why trust is always a story with tension27:20 How conflict creates scar tissue and stronger relationships29:27 Why workplace relationships require learning the stories behind behavior30:16 Why Matt wanted Nancy to see the Naomi Win clip31:28 Garden glove services and sustainable change32:38 Where to find Nancy Burger

The Experience Expert met the Event Curator, and it turns out they’d been working on the same problem from opposite directions. Joe Pine, author of The Experience Economy and The Transformation Economy, and Shannon Staton, founder of Collective Experiences, sit down to talk about how you actually design, customize, and protect experiences that move people from simple “nice event” to something that changes them.They get into mass customization with Lego bricks and Coca-Cola machines, the progression from commodities to transformations, high-touch investor retreats, membership communities, and what it really means to take people from awkward handshakes to real hugs in just a few days.Topics coveredWhy “mass customization” is more than a business buzzwordHow Lego bricks explain the power of modular experience designJoe Pine’s path from IBM to Mass Customization and The Experience EconomyShannon Staton’s path from retail to Mauldin, Real Vision, and Collective ExperiencesWhy great events are built around people, not just content or speakersHow Collective Experiences creates high-trust, high-touch membership retreatsThe difference between goods, services, experiences, and transformationsHow companies and events get commoditized when they lose what made them specialWhat Starbucks reveals about the risk of making experiences feel less humanHow transformation happens when experiences help people become who they want to beWhy “handshakes to hugs” might be your best signal that an experience changed peopleThe challenge of keeping people genuinely connected after an event endsHow to “program serendipity” without over-scripting an experienceWhy structured reflection matters after meaningful experiencesHow frameworks can give language to things practitioners already do intuitivelyTimestamps00:00 Mass customization, experiences, and transformation03:00 Why Just Press Record puts two strangers together05:40 Meet Joe Pine06:00 Meet Shannon Staton08:39 Joe’s first job as a ride operator10:52 Shannon’s first job at Bed Bath & Beyond12:07 How Shannon’s early work led to finance and events17:12 How getting fired helped launch Joe’s career20:48 IBM, AS/400, and discovering customer uniqueness23:58 Shannon hears “mass customization” for the first time28:59 Lego building blocks and modular customization29:53 Dell, negative working capital, and customized computers31:08 How customized goods become services33:46 How customized services become experiences35:26 Shannon on the personal side of bringing people together36:47 Designing investor retreats around conversation and place40:39 What Collective Experiences is43:18 Joe Pine analyzes Shannon’s membership model45:34 The progression of economic value47:15 Why experiences can become commoditized47:16 Starbucks, sensory design, and losing the human touch49:02 The Transformation Economy50:01 Memorable, meaningful, transporting, and transformative experiences50:38 Shannon on keeping Collective different01:12:00 Third places, chrysalis moments, and introverts at events01:13:00 Frameworks, intuition, and experience design01:17:00 Handshakes to hugs as a signal of transformation01:18:00 Giving language to what people already do01:19:07 Programming serendipity01:22:48 Keeping people connected after the experience ends01:23:36 Reflection and making experiences last01:25:08 Where to find Joe Pine