The Power of Communication with Cal Fussman

Cal Fussman is an American journalist and author. He was a writer at large for Esquire magazine, known for the What I've Learned column, where he interviews leaders in various fields, which have included Larry King, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro, Julio Ceasar Chavez, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Barbara Walters, Serena Williams, John Wooden, and Muhammad Ali to name a few.

Cal has the gift to ask the right questions, which has taken him on adventures all over the world. He has met and learned a great deal from those he has the pleasure to sit down and just break bread with.

→IN THIS EPISODE...

Cal tells Joe stories from his incredible career. He has had an envious journalistic journey that brought him to learn how to ask the right questions to discover the most engaging, real answers

 

🔍 Breakdown The Power of Communication with Cal Fussman:

 

Chapter 1 (0:00​) Intro Cal Fussman - Training for Julio Ceasar Chavez (pt1)

Joe introduces Cal and asks which was harder, training for a Spartan Race or a fight with Julio Ceasar Chavez. The answer is the fight with Julio and what a journey that was!

 

Chapter 2 (5:12) Spartan: Exit Strategy

Cal went from not being able to do one pull-up to completing the hardest Spartan experience.

 

Chapter 3 (13:51​) Journey to the Ring

When Cal was 16 he entered Golden Gloves from a pure love of boxing. He was advised to wait a year, but Cal would not hear be deterred. The match did not go in his favor which led Cal to his match with Julio Cesar Chavez 20 years later in this tale of redemption.

 

Chapter 4 (22:50​) I Came Back the Next Day - Training for Chavez (pt2)

After seeing Chavez fight, Cal got to do a 1-round fight with Chavez for GQ magazine. Training is far more grueling than Cal was prepared for, but he never quit, gave him his redemption story, and saved his life.

 

Chapter 5 (31:02​) The Fight

The dance is finally here. Cal had a chance to go toe to toe with Julio and he lasted more than the one round planned with the greatest fighter at the time. 

 

Chapter 6 (33:07​) My Training Saved my Life

During an assignment reporting on Carnival in Brazil, Cal was able to use his training when confronted with a harrowing situation.

 

Chapter 7 (44:29​) Full Immersion

Cal counts himself fortunate to be able to immerse himself and travel to experience his stories and articles, and to begin his writing career when there was an absence of the internet. 

Chapter 8 (51:10​) World Traveler

In the early 80’s, Cal found himself out of work after the magazine, Inside Sports,  he was writing for folded.  He decided to take some time off and do some traveling. Little did he realize, this would turn into a 10 year journey which transformed the way he interviewed and conversed with people, often without the use of language.

 

Chapter 9 (1:01:53​) Robert Duvall - A Short Story

Cal shares a short story about interviewing Robert Duvall and a horse.

Chapter 10 (1:03:21​) Listen to your Gut

When traveling, Cal had to rely on the kindness of strangers, and would use his gut and simply trust his instincts on who to converse and go home with.

 

Chapter 11 (1:07:05​) Robert De Niro

Cal had an unconventional, but transformative interview with Bobby De Niro.  Cal used De Niro’s regret to have a beautiful family memory.

 

Chapter 12 (1:19:50​) How I Met Your Mother

Cal shares the story of how he met the love of life, which is an amazing piece of his 10 year world travels.

 

Chapter 13 (1:27:09​) Larry King My Friend

They had an agent in common, and Cal asked to help with Larry’s book.  This project is what cemented their relationship, and is what kicked off Cal joining Larry’s legendary breakfast group.

 

Chapter 14 (1:34:24​) Laird Hamilton - A Short Story

Cal shares a short story about interviewing Laird Hamilton and riding large waves.

 

Chapter 15 (1:37:02​) Thoughts on Health Care

During this pandemic, Cal ponders the sad connection of furloughs and layoffs and the loss of healthcare amidst coronavirus.

 

Chapter 16 (1:40:02) Closing conversation with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

Laurent was put in a hard situation, he was a doctor in Canada, as well as a guard for the Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs. He had to choose between working on the Covid front lines or continue on with his NFL career.

 

Material Referenced in this interview:

→Spartan: Exit Strategy Documentary Amazon Prime

→Paper Lion by George Plimpton

→Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas  by Hunter S Thompson

→My Remarkable Journey by Larry King and Cal Fussman

→Viome Gut Health Diagnostic Health by Naveen Jain

 

📞 Connect with Cal

→https://www.calfussman.com/

→https://www.calfussman.com/podcast​ (link for podcast)

 

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→ Not Almost There http://notalmostthere.com/​

 

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