Change Your Questions. Change Your Life

Cal Fussman is a New York Times bestselling author, writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine, keynote speaker, interviewing consultant, entrepreneur, and podcaster. Today on the EO Podcast, Cal reflects on the origins of his own curiosity and retells key lessons from interviews he has hosted with celebrities. Tune in to learn how to ask the right questions, what you can do to really listen, and why these skills are key to being a successful entrepreneur.

Key Points:

1. Genuine curiosity will turn an interview into a conversation.
2. Put yourself in situations to ask questions, truly listen, and learn from people.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask interesting or “weird” questions; they’ll make you stand out and make your interview memorable.

Cal Fussman is a keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author, writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine, and corporate culture consultant.

His keynotes and interactive workshops are derived from decades of interviewing hundreds of the world’s most extraordinary people. They inspire organizations to take a new look at the fundamental aspects of their business by changing their questions and improving communication skills through storytelling.

In the last year, Cal has spoken at Facebook, General Motors, Pixar, Twitter, Apple Music, Samsung, Twitter, Van’s, and Lululemon; colleges like UCLA and Georgetown; and conferences around the world.

His speaking career blossomed after millions heard him interviewed on Tim Ferriss’s podcast. “When I told my podcast listeners that I was doing a second interview with Cal,” said Ferriss, “dozens replied with some variation of ‘Please just let Cal talk for three hours. I could listen to him tell stories forever.’ ”

As a writer for Esquire, he has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons who’ve shaped the last half-century of world history: Mikhail Gorbachev, Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Jack Welch, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones and Muhammad Ali. The Austin Chronicle has described Fussman’s interviewing skills as “peerless.”

Born in Brooklyn, Fussman has spent ten straight years traveling the world, swimming over 18-foot tiger sharks and rolling around with mountain gorillas in Rwanda. He’s boxed against then-undefeated champion Julio Cesar Chavez, won a James Beard Award, and served as sommelier atop the World Trade Center.

He lives with his family in LA, where he eats breakfast every morning with Larry King.