I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Stor...
MrBallen (Former Navy SEAL): I Wasn't Sleeping, I Became A Raging Alcoholic! I Was Disowned By The SEALS! This Will Turn Your Life Around In 2025!
From rock bottom to Navy SEAL, and then to storytelling YouTube star from John Ballen to MrBallen, he reveals what it takes to reimagine your life's path
John Ballen, best known as MrBallen, is a former US Navy SEAL and founder of Ballen Studios. He is the host of the ‘MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories’ and author of the book ‘MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories’.
In this conversation, John and Steven discuss topics such as, the 5 words that transformed John’s life, the benefits of storytelling, why he was disowned by the SEAL’s, and how to turn your life around in 2025.
(00:00) Intro
(02:13) Becoming MrBallen
(10:25) The Self-Awareness to Take Responsibility Changed Me
(15:09) How You React After Making Mistakes Changes Everything
(16:54) What Is the Navy SEALs?
(19:31) How Long Is Navy SEAL Training?
(23:15) The Difference Between Those Who Made It or Not
(27:18) The Mentality of MrBallen Before and After SEAL Training
(30:02) Hitting Rock Bottom
(33:03) Advice for People Who Feel Stuck
(36:33) I Almost Died: Finding Your True Motivation
(39:54) Retiring Due to War PTSD
(45:44) I Was Dishonored by the Navy SEAL Community
(49:26) I Crossed the Line...
(01:01:33) What Happened to Those Nine Hikers
(01:03:45) Advice to Discover What Motivates You
(01:07:09) The Best Things in Life Are on the Other Side of Fear
(01:14:34) Dealing With People Hating What I Love Doing
(01:18:54) Will You Stop Being MrBallen?
(01:21:26) What Would Make You Leave MrBallen Behind?
(01:25:49) Finding the Next Thing to Check Off Your List
(01:27:29) Dealing With PTSD and Alcoholism
(01:34:03) Coming to Terms With Everything I Did
(01:36:52) Your Demons and Therapy
(01:38:45) The Only Way to Cope With Your Demons
(01:41:03) Ads
(01:42:07) Reconciling With My Dad
(01:46:02) How to Help Men Experiencing Mental Health Issues
(01:50:30) How to Be a Great Storyteller
Follow John:
Instagram - https://bit.ly/3BjQjbv
Twitter - https://bit.ly/3Bd3evX
MrBallen YouTube - https://bit.ly/4irOnhN
Ballen Studios Website - https://bit.ly/3ZzRv2A
MrBallen Podcast - https://spoti.fi/49xFsY0
You can purchase John’s book, ‘MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories’, here: https://amzn.to/4g7fq0p
🚀The 1% Diary is live - and it won’t be around for long, so act fast! https://bit.ly/1-Diary-Megaphone-ad-reads
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsor:
PerfectTed - https://www.perfectted.com with code DIARY40 for 40% off
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2:04:15
The Body Language Expert: Stop Using This, It’s Making People Dislike You, So Are These Subtle Mistakes! Your Resting Face Matters & How To Fix It!
What if you were told that there is a secret language that makes up 98% of your communication? Impacting your work, socialising, and romantic life
Vanessa Van Edwards is the founder of ‘Science of People’, which gives people science-backed skills to improve communication and leadership. She is also the bestselling author of ‘Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People’ and ‘Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication’.
In this conversation, Vanessa and Steven discuss topics such as, why your resting face matters, the 3 science-backed tricks for confidence, the best gestures for building trust, and how to spot a liar fast.
00:00 Intro
01:45 The Crucial Role of Cues for Success
03:16 I'm a Recovered Awkward Person
05:07 What's an Ambivert?
07:00 One Word That Can Change the Way People Think
09:11 The Most Fundamental Skill to Invest In
12:13 The Resting B*tch Face Effect
15:33 Do Not Fake Smile!
18:00 The 97 Cues to Be Warm and Competent
21:15 The Formula to a Perfect Conversation
24:09 Science Reveals Why Some People Are Extremely Popular
28:06 Message People Telling Them This...
32:53 The Luck Experiment
34:36 Being Around Successful People Is Contagious
41:26 The Importance of Hand Gestures
43:10 Hand Tricks to Be Liked
53:46 The Scientific Formula to Be More Charismatic
56:19 The Danger Zone of Being Too Warm or Competent
58:16 The Power Cues
1:07:26 How to Spot a Liar
1:14:54 If You've Been Told You're Intimidating, Do This
1:18:09 Don't Let Anyone Use This With You
1:21:16 The 6 Questions to Connect With Someone
1:33:52 Leaning Too Much Towards Someone...
1:38:34 How to Greet Someone
1:49:13 How to Master Messaging
1:54:12 Personal Branding
1:58:32 Improve Your Dating Life With These Tips
2:03:58 Body Language and Brain Connection
2:06:05 Are You Awkward? Watch This
2:09:45 How to Get Someone to Approach You
2:14:39 How to Make Friends as an Adult
2:18:28 AirPods Are Killing Friendships
2:21:48 Ads
2:22:39 How to Spot a Liar (Repeat Topic)
2:28:36 Toxic Relationships
2:31:06 How to Start a Conversation With a Stranger
2:35:32 How to Get Started With All This Knowledge
Follow Vanessa:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/cm3A7r1O6Ob
Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/IVgMiQ3O6Ob
Science of People - https://g2ul0.app.link/5LJ8mO5O6Ob
You can access the images mentioned, here: https://linktr.ee/diaryofaceostudies
You can purchase Vanessa’s book, ‘Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/HjfkOgZO6Ob
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
ZOE - http://joinzoe.com with code BARTLETT10 for 10% off
Colgate - https://www.colgate.com/en-gb/colgate-total
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2:44:20
Moment 190: Everything You Definitely Don’t Know About Marketing (But Should), From 4 World Leading Experts!
Why is marketing so important for businesses? In this episode, we've picked the highlights from our conversations with Josh Kaufman, Scott Galloway, Rory Sutherland, Whitney Wolf Herd to bring you the TL;DR on how to succeed at marketing your business.
Head to https://www.linkedin.com/doac24 to claim your credit.
Watch the Episodes On Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos
Josh: https://joshkaufman.net/
Scott: https://www.profgalloway.com/
Rory: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland
Whitney: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fwhitney%2F%3Fhl%3Den&is_from_rle
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31:09
Orgasm Queen: Do This For 20 Minutes Before Having Sex & Have Sex With Them Like When You First Met! I Never Orgasmed Until He Tried This!
From sexless to sizzling, Susan Bratton shares the sexual secrets to ignite intimacy and make it last.
Susan Bratton is a renowned relationship and intimacy expert. She is the CEO of ‘The 20’ and ‘Personal Life Media’ and the bestselling author of 34 books including, ‘Relationship Magic’, ‘Revive Her Drive’, and ‘Sexual Soulmates: The Six Essentials for Connected Sex’.
In this conversation, Susan and Steven discuss topics such as, how to fix a sexless marriage, how cheating can save your sex life, the best way to last longer in bed, and how to get unlimited orgasms.
00:00 Intro
02:04 What Do You Do and Why Do You Do It?
02:36 Advice for Someone Struggling With Their Sex Life
04:57 Common Questions From Women
05:35 Common Questions From Men
06:27 Quality vs. Quantity
06:41 Susan's Journey to Becoming a Sexpert
08:35 Lessons Learned From Sexual Trauma
09:52 What Is Dissociation?
12:38 Susan’s Personal Issues With Sex Life
15:49 Are You Giving Mercy Sex?
17:34 How Did You Fix Your Trauma?
20:34 Identifying Problems in a Relationship
21:41 Sex Injustice and Trauma
24:15 Affair in Susan's Marriage
28:46 Non-Monogamy
31:20 How to Talk About Sex With Your Partner
34:02 How Did You Become Polyamorous?
36:20 First Audience Question
42:07 Body Image Issues
43:01 Reconnecting With Your Partner: Two Techniques
46:47 Comparisons With Other People
48:53 Removing Pressure Around Sex
50:30 Erotic Playdates
54:25 Dealing With a Partner Who Mocks Sexual Fantasies
57:04 Managing Opposite Sex Communication in Relationships
59:23 Safety + Novelty = Desire
01:01:53 Early Ejaculation
01:07:26 What’s the Most Effective Sex Toy?
01:09:36 The Pulse Queen
01:10:11 The Vibe
01:13:45 Types of Orgasms
01:19:23 Third Audience Question
01:20:13 How to Have an Expanded Orgasm With a Partner
01:20:33 Women’s Favorite Sex Toy
01:22:17 The Pleasure Protocol
01:25:55 Fourth Audience Question
01:27:35 Ads
01:28:40 Menopause vs. Libido
01:29:12 Libido, Desire, and Arousal
01:29:59 Testosterone Levels and Libido Decrease
01:31:10 When Sex Becomes Routine
01:35:37 Pornography and Masturbation
01:40:05 STI Testing
01:42:35 Knowing When to Walk Away From a Partner
01:47:25 Question From the Previous Guest
01:48:11 Question for Steven
🚀 The 1% Diary is live - and it won’t be around for long, so act fast! https://bit.ly/1-Diary-Megaphone-ad-reads
Follow Susan:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/Ivv8wcFA3Ob
Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/EPecOdHA3Ob
Website - https://susanbratton.com/
You can purchase Susan’s book, ‘Hot To Trot’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/N9bCRMMA3Ob
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
PerfectTed - https://www.perfectted.com with code DIARY40 for 40% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:55:40
Brian Keating: I’m Spending $200 Million To Explore Why We Exist! How God Fits Into Science Finally Explained, Is God Real?
Could understanding the mystery of the Big Bang and how the Universe came into creation mean that we can finally know for sure if there is a creator?
Professor Brian Keating is a cosmologist and experimental physicist at the University of California San Diego. He is the host of the ‘Into The Impossible’ podcast and author of the books, ‘Losing The Nobel Prize’ and ‘Into The Impossible: Think Like A Nobel Prize Winner’.
In this conversation, Brian and Steven discuss topics such as, how the discovery of the telescope changed the world, the link between our blood and the stars, the origins of the universe, and the scientific debate on God’s existence.
(00:00) Intro
(02:15) What Mission Are You On?
(03:08) What Are Some Of The Most Controversial Questions You Set Out To Answer?
(05:44) How Does God Tie Into The Creation Of The Universe Through A Scientific Lens?
(08:26) $200 Million Project – Move Earlier
(11:45) Meteor And 4-Billion-Year-Old Comet
(15:38) Capturing The Origin Of The Universe
(19:15) What Do You Suspect Is The Origin Of The Universe?
(21:47) What Is The Most Compelling Evidence Of A God?
(30:53) What Practices Help You Move Away From Being An Atheist?
(39:09) Are We Searching For The Wrong Thing When It Comes To God?
(41:30) If I Pray To This God, Will They Hear Me?
(49:41) If It Was Proven God Wasn’t Real, How Would Your Life Change?
(53:48) What Is The Simulation Theory?
(01:02:42) Do Aliens Exist?
(01:17:45) What Is The Probability We’re Alone?
(01:24:31) Ads
(01:25:31) Star Signs And Horoscopes
(01:27:51) How Is Astrology Different From Religion?
(01:30:07) What Is The Meaning Of Life?
(01:32:43) What Was The Meaning Of Your Life Before Kids?
(01:34:18) Do The Greats Feel Like Imposters?
(01:40:13) The Importance Of Always Experimenting
(01:41:09) Would You Ever Trade The Lack Of Privacy And Fame For Something Else?
(01:43:25) The Last Guest’s Question
Follow Brian:
Instagram - https://bit.ly/4157xnt
Twitter - https://bit.ly/4eSKmjv
YouTube - https://bit.ly/4fQ9k4d
Podcast - https://bit.ly/3ZqRD5s
YouTube: You can purchase Brian’s book, ‘Losing The Nobel Prize’, here: https://amzn.to/4fOPR3M
Spotify: You can purchase Brian’s book, ‘Losing The Nobel Prize’, here: https://amzn.to/4fOPR3M
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Linkedin Jobs - https://www.linkedin.com/doac
Colgate - https://www.colgate.com/en-gb/colgate-total
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
À propos de The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Story – a marketing and communications company, and thirdweb - a software platform, making it easy to build web3 applications. I then launched private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns. During this time I decided to launch 'The Diary Of A CEO' podcast with the simple mission of providing an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers. Thank you for listening.
My New Book: https://g2ul0.app.link/DOAC
IG: https://www.instagram.com/steven
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbartlett-123