The Quest Pod with Justin Kan

You are sabotaging your own personal and professional growth if you're not finding time to read. Today I'm joined by my good friend Jason Tan (previously CEO of Sift) on books that shaped who are.

Here are the 9 books:

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
2. 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Chapman, Jim Dethmer, and Kaley Klemp
3. The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini 
5. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
6. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
7. Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
8. Shogun by James Clavell
9. Dare To Lead by Brené Brown

I also talked about the 9 books on my YouTube channel and Twitter. Drop a comment to let me know what you think! I'd love to get some book recommendations from you guys too.

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY | 📺 YouTube | 🍎 iTunes | 🎧 Spotify | 🗞 Print | 📌 Bio

Chris Best is the CEO and founder of Substack, an online publication platform that provides independent writers with distribution, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure. Chris represents an open challenge to both traditional media institutions and social media. I love the idea of empowering anyone to publish and monetize their ideas and own their audience.

In this episode, Chris and I explore the origin story behind Substack, discuss the effects of social media on writing and publishing, how to effectively distribute your content, media outlets, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people.

Check out the full uncut episode on YouTube!

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY | 📺 YouTube | 🍎 iTunes | 🎧 Spotify | 🗞 Print | 📌 Bio

We burned through $140 million dollars making these mistakes, so you don't have to. 

On this bonus episode, I'm joined by my friend James Beshara, CEO of Tilt, who also recently started Magic Mind. We talk about the mistakes we've made as founders, and our learnings through blood sweat, and tears. Here are some of them:

1. Don't wait forever to start your company.
2. Commit to truth, not consistency.
3. Don't start a services company.
4. Never lose your focus.
5. Don't start companies with co-founders that you've just met
6. Always do background reference check.
7. Don't raise money just because you can.
8. ...

Check out the full episode for more! (Here's the YouTube version) 

You can find James on Twitter and Instagram.

Go try out Magic Mind and use my code JUSTIN for 50% off. 

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY | 📺 YouTube | 🍎 iTunes | 🎧 Spotify | 🗞 Print | 📌 Bio

I explain the thinking behind some of my best tweets: starting with the product v. distribution debate. 

Check out the tweets here:

1. First v second time founders: tweet 1
2. Motivation in startups: tweet 2
3. Psychedelics meme: tweet 3
4. Real and fake friends: tweet 4

Watch this episode in 4K! It's so much more fun: YouTube link. 

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Check out The Quest Media: https://bio.thequest.media

Steve Huffman is the founder and CEO of Reddit. I’ve watched his whole journey since we both started as entrepreneurs in 2005: from founding Reddit, getting acquired by Conde Nast, leaving the company and coming back again as CEO in 2015. 

In this episode Steve opened up in a broad ranging conversation that covered the Reddit origin story, his personal growth journey, quitting alcohol, his sometimes contentious relationship to the Reddit community, and more.

Reddit just raised a Series F, bringing its total capital raised to $700M. I think this is a timely moment to revisit Steve's story. You can also check out Reddit's other co-founder Alexis Ohanian's episode here. 

(This episode was originally released as S1:E8 in 2020)

📺 Stream this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6ZbNt3XZ_fk

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Sasha Grey is one of the coolest personalities on the internet. While she is probably best known for her legendary tenure in the porn industry, she has since found success as an artist. Sasha has transitioned into a writer, musician, and popular Twitch streamer with almost 1 million followers.

Something that really struck me about Sasha is her tenacity and grit, qualities that I think are exclusive to the greatest creators and founders. She went from bussing tables at a steakhouse, saving up a couple thousand dollars, and betting it all on moving to LA to pursue her dream. We discuss her rapid ascent to stardom in the porn industry, why she left it all behind, and the struggle to be taken seriously by people who dwell on the past.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/k6wlWVuBS2I

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Alexandra and Andrea Botez are my favorite content creators in the game right now. The sisters run BotezLive, one of the biggest chess-streaming channels on Twitch and YouTube with over 900,000 subscribers. Since the age of six, Alexandra has fought tooth and nail to earn her recognition and success. These experiences developed the resilience that fueled her professional chess career, and transitioned her into the content creation grind. 

In this episode we dive deep into the gritty reality of what it really takes to become a full-time streamer, lessons from failed startups, learning how to take constructive criticism, and figuring out how to bring authenticity to content creation. If you are an aspiring creator yourself, the Botez sisters have some extremely valuable takeaways - so stay tuned.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/AphAW83yano

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

I’ve known Alexis Ohanian for almost fifteen years, ever since we were in the trenches together as part of the first Y Combinator cohort. He is best known as the co-founder of Reddit, a fellow former partner at YC, and the founder of his new venture fund, Seven Seven Six. 

Alexis and I became close friends during our time at YC together, and I witnessed the trials and tribulations he went through while building Reddit first-hand. I’ve had the pleasure of watching my friend grow into a great founder, leader, investor, and parent. In this episode, Alexis opens up about his personal struggles during the early days of Reddit, the challenges of modern parenthood, and the philosophy behind Seven Seven Six. I really appreciate Alexis for being so vulnerable in this episode, and I think it is a powerful message that all founders need to hear.

Follow Alexis on Twitter here, and find out more about Seven Seven Six here.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/k4x7fF6G2C8

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Austen Allred is the founder and CEO of Lambda School, an online coding school that doesn’t charge students tuition until they get hired. Growing up Mormon, Austen worked as a missionary and lived out of a car before applying to Y-Combinator. These experiences taught him about resilience, which kept him laser focused on candidate success through media praise and controversy. 

Austen’s mission to democratize education really resonates with me. In this episode, we discuss moving to the Valley, going through Y-Combinator and being caught in the political tensions surrounding free education. We dive into the concepts of ISAs, the future of education and American Dream as a service.

You can follow Austen on his Twitter, and check out Lambda School here.

The Quest x Universe Site-Building Contest (until 17th August):

The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple:

1. Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better,
2. Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose,
3. Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details on the attached entry form
4. Keep an eye on your Twitter DM’s - I’ll contact you if you win.

The entry form is available here.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/Moyq4j4bKBg

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Matteo Franceschetti is the CEO and co-founder of Eight Sleep, a smart mattress company focused on optimizing sleep quality, duration, and recovery through insights and analytics. The company has raised over $40 million since its inception in 2014.

In this episode, we discuss practical advice on improving health and longevity through optimizing sleep, the importance of prototyping your product, and the unique challenges of scaling a hardware company. Matteo recounts the development of his intense competitive drive as a boy growing up in Italy, his pivot into startups coming from a career as a lawyer, the YC experience, learning to be an effective communicator and leader, and the laborious process of finding product-market fit.

The Quest Pod x Universe Site-Building Contest:

The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple:

1. Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better,
    
2. Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose,
    
3. Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details here
    
4. Keep an eye on your Twitter DM’s - I’ll contact you if you win.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Experience this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/IOpF5W5ufjo

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

When Justin.tv launched in 2007, we had no idea what it would eventually become.

Don’t be fooled; the journey was far from glamorous. In this episode I sit down with my good friends and Twitch co-founders Michael, Emmett, and Kyle to reminisce on the glory days of building Justin.tv and Twitch. We laugh about behind the scenes stories you haven’t heard anywhere else, reflect on the best and worst moments, how we worked well as a team, discuss joy and motivation, and fantasize about solving the problems of tomorrow. 

You’ll hear the importance of building ‘bad’ things quickly, developing the right mindset for building a startup, and how to stay curious.

Check out the full episode on Justin Kan's YouTube channel here.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Experience The Quest in 4K: https://youtube.com/c/TheQuestwithJustinKan

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Missed Part 1 of this conversation? Check out last week’s episode, or head over to The Quest YouTube channel for the full episode.

Last week, Conor and I discussed augmenting collective and individual intelligence, evangelical churches, anthropology, and truth-seeking. 

Continuing from where we left off, we dive further into the philosophy behind Roam Research, the concept of networked thought, climate change, empowerment, and self-love. This was a powerful conversation about how communities allow all of us to hold each other accountable, and develop a deeply connected sense of trust.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

🎥 Check out the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/polm57MvmRE

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

You are listening to Part 1 of the episode. The full uncut conversation is available on The Quest Youtube Channel.

Conor White-Sullivan is the founder of Roam Research, a note-taking app that is taking the world by storm. Deeply curious about the ideas of ‘networked’ and structured thought, Conor spent nine months immersing himself and studying Evangelical Christian communities. 

The first part of our conversation revolves around the topics of Evangelical churches, anthropology and the paradox of choice. We talk about augmenting collective and individual intelligence, and the relationship between community, purpose, and truth-seeking. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive into the philosophy behind Roam, networked thought, climate change, empowerment, and self-love.

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/polm57MvmRE

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Gary Vaynerchuck (aka GaryVee) is the truest sense of the word ‘entrepreneur’ and has established himself as one of the most dynamic and charismatic business personalities on the Internet. Gary is the Chairman of VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia; he runs a vastly popular YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers, and has 20+ million followers across his social media platforms. One thing you can count on is Gary’s uncanny ability to recognize emerging trends in business: he was an early investor in Twitter, Uber, Tumblr, and Snap. As a fellow content creator, I really admire his passionate approach to empowering young entrepreneurs, and his vocalism on topics of consumer behavior and digital markets.

In this conversation, Gary and I talk about everything from his childhood to the idea of living life in a ‘cocoon’. Beyond the intense and, at times, polarizing presence he has online, Gary shares the vulnerable moments, stories, and lessons that you won’t hear anywhere else. We share thoughts on materialism, happiness, the power of being an influencer, and the journey to finding what you truly love.

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/mx8KdSAAxK0

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Robin Chan is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and one of my best friends. Last year, we co-founded Goat Capital, a $50 million seed fund. He has been an early investor in some of the biggest companies around the world from Silicon Valley to China, including Uber, Square, Twitter and XiaoMi.

Robin is someone I really admire beyond his business acumen and success. In this conversation, we talk about when we first met while I was still working on Justin.TV, investing in climate change, and meeting Jack Dorsey for the first time. We discuss learning to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, becoming a student of the world, and constantly asking questions. One thing I’ve learned from Robin is the importance of creating an environment focused on giving to others, with no expectations attached. You’ll learn to focus on building meaningful relationships instead of transactional connections.

You can find Robin on Twitter and Linkedin.

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Experience The Quest Pod in 4K: https://youtube.com/c/TheQuestwithJustinKan

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Odunayo Eweniyi is an inspiring and refreshing ambassador for female founders around the world, and I’m very excited to bring you her story. The co-founder and COO of Piggy Vest is a Nigerian business executive and activist. Her accomplishments have earned her recognition in Forbes Africa's list of 20 New Wealth Creators in Africa 2019, Bloomberg 50 2020, and Time 100. 

Beyond her accolades, Odunayo’s entrepreneurial journey was born out of determination and bravery to make a positive change for the world. As we explore her entrepreneurial path, you’ll learn the importance of not internalizing failure, projecting calmness in the face of stress, accepting imperfection, and the strength of patience. She is a reminder to the world that you don’t need to be a ‘tech bro’ from Silicon Valley to be a successful founder – you just need the right vision, unflinching determination, and a strong heart. 

You can find Odunayo on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Experience The Quest Pod in 4K: https://youtube.com/c/TheQuestwithJustinKan

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

You are listening to Part 2 of the episode. The full uncut conversation is available on The Quest Youtube Channel. Join the conversation there and drop a comment on what you've learned! 

Picking up where we left off last week, Balaji dives right into the future of Network States and crypto-voting. You’ll learn about the historical relationship between socio-economic ideologies and technological capabilities, and what this means for a crypto future. We discuss how building startups potentiates building cities in the near future, the concept of Crowdchoice, and revolutionizing voting systems with crypto technologies. The new digital frontier is waiting to be conquered, and Balaji is leading the charge.

You can find Balaji on Twitter, and read his personal blog here.

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

🎥 Watch the full episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/CHQi1HnCZGY

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

You are listening to Part 1 of the episode. The full, uncut conversation is available on The Quest YouTube Channel. Help us get to 50 comments on YouTube and we will make Part II available everywhere next week! 

It’s Balaji’s world, and we’re all just living in it. If you’ve been hanging out on tech Twitter long enough or listen to any other tech podcasts, then you’re probably familiar with Balaji. He is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and formerly the CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. 

In this epic two-part episode, you’ll hear topics ranging from decentralization, crypto, media tech, social networking, China, machine learning, digital privacy and much more. Balaji has one of the most incredible minds I have ever met, and I am excited to bring you along on this journey. 

There is a lot to take in from our conversation, which is why we have decided to release this in two parts. Help us get to 50 comments on YouTube and we will make Part II available everywhere! 

You can find Balaji on Twitter, and read his personal blog here.

The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:

Universe | The best command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

🎥 Watch the full episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/CHQi1HnCZGY

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

My first company, Twitch, sold for almost a billion dollars. My second one lost $75 million in 36 months. People love talking about success, but today I want to talk about failure. 

Early last year, I announced the closure of my company with a heavy heart. Atrium marks a sinister period in my life consumed by failure and pain, but also one of learning and reflection. Just over a year removed, it is time to be honest and tell the full story behind the fall of Atrium.

In this episode, you will hear about building for purpose, the importance of a clear mission, hiring too quickly, embracing failure, and asking yourself difficult questions. Will you let your failures define you, or emerge a stronger and better person? Read the full article on this topic here, or watch the video I made on this topic here.

📺 Experience The Quest Pod in 4K: https://youtube.com/c/TheQuestwithJustinKan

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Laura Deming is not your typical VC. She is the founder and partner of The Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm focused on the study of aging and life extension in humans. Home-schooled in New Zealand, she moved to the U.S with her family to work in an age genetics lab at just twelve years old before dropping out of MIT at fourteen following her acceptance as a Thiel Fellow. 

In this episode, Laura and I discuss her journey to become an effective leader, taking risks, dealing with failure, and being motivated to change the world for a better place. Beyond her impressive resume, she is a reminder that great founders can come from anywhere, so long as you have the passion to pursue something relentlessly and are not afraid to step outside your comfort zone. If you are interested in discussions about pushing the boundaries of science, technology, and concepts of biological immortality, you definitely don’t want to miss this episode.

You can find Laura on Twitter and check out her blog here. 

📺 Experience The Quest Pod in 4K: https://youtube.com/c/TheQuestwithJustinKan

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media