The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast

Daniel Wood
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Entrepreneurship

Conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders sharing practical strategies to build wealth, create freedom, and design a life of impact. Hosted by Daniel Wood of the Swedish Wealth Institute. 

  1. 3d ago

    How to Grow a Podcast Into a Real Business | Marques Ogden’s 900-Episode Playbook|E56

    What separates a podcast that stays small from one that becomes a real business? For Marques Ogden, the answer isn't one viral episode. It's systems. Consistency. Guest collaboration. Marketing. Relationships. Follow-up. And years of doing the work. Marques returns to the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast as the show's first returning guest. In his first conversation with Daniel Wood, Marques shared his journey from the NFL to bankruptcy and rebuilding his life. This time, the conversation is about what he built next. His podcast, Get Authentic with Marques Ogden, has now published more than 900 episodes. In the conversation, Marques says the show ranks in the top 0.5% of podcasts globally and generates hundreds of thousands of downloads across strong months. But the most valuable part of this episode is that Marques doesn't keep the process vague. He breaks down the system. How guests are prepared. When interviews happen. How his team follows up. How clips are created. How guests are encouraged to share. How Instagram collaboration posts give the episode access to both audiences. How podcast swaps put Marques in front of entirely new listeners. How he uses LinkedIn to find podcasters without paying for advertising. And how one podcast interview turned into speaking engagements, consulting work, and an ongoing relationship with a major company. His biggest message: Treat your podcast like a business, not a hobby. You don't need four episodes a week. You don't need a big team. Marques started with one episode a week. What matters is creating a repeatable system, sticking with it, and improving it over time. In This Episode, You'll LearnWhy podcasting is a long-term gameHow Marques grew beyond 900 published episodesHow consistent publishing compounds over timeWhy a large back catalog becomes an assetHow Marques markets each interviewWhy he creates multiple clips around every guestHow guest collaboration can increase reachWhy Instagram collaboration posts are so valuableWhy guests are more likely to share when you do the work for themHow to make promotion almost effortless for your guestWhy Marques follows up after every interviewHow podcast interviews can create speaking and consulting opportunitiesWhy a podcast can build trust faster than a cold sales conversationHow Marques structures his weekly production scheduleWhy consistency matters more than starting at a huge publishing volumeHow to use podcast swaps to grow your audienceWhy Marques doesn't obsess over the size of the other podcastHow one new listener can consume dozens or hundreds of old episodesWhy being someone's first podcast guest can be valuableHow to find podcasters through LinkedInHow to use second-degree connections for outreachWhy LinkedIn outreach can become a free podcast-growth channelHow Marques thinks about titles and SEOWhy every Get Authentic title reinforces his core brandHow podcasting has created revenue, credibility, relationships, confidence, and opportunity for MarquesMARQUES' PODCAST GROWTH SYSTEMBefore the Interview Research the guestConfirm fitSet expectationsAsk about promotionConfirm recording datePrepare the conversationRecord Marques records on fixed days rather than scheduling episodes randomly throughout the week. That makes production easier to manage. Immediately After Send a follow-up. Thank the guest. Create another opportunity to continue the relationship. Don't let the relationship end when the recording stops. Create the Marketing For each episode, produce assets such as: Short video clipsTeasersGuest-focused clipsPromotional imagesSocial postsCollaboration postsPublish Consistently Marques' current volume is high. But his message to new podcasters is not: “Start with four episodes a week.” It's: Start with a schedule you can maintain. He started with one per week. Activate the Guest Don't simply send: “Here's the episode. Please share.” Make sharing simple. Give them the content. Tag them. Create the collaboration request. Remove every unnecessary step. Follow Up Ask: What else could we do together? Could Marques speak at their event? Could they refer someone? Could they collaborate again? Could he appear on their podcast? That's how the podcast becomes a relationship engine. THE PODCAST SWAP STRATEGYThis may be the most immediately actionable growth strategy in the episode. Step 1 Go to LinkedIn. Step 2 Search: Podcaster Step 3 Look first at: First-degree connections Then: Second-degree connections Step 4 Identify relevant active shows. Step 5 Send a simple message proposing a podcast swap. You appear on theirs. They appear on yours. Step 6 Promote both conversations. Now both hosts have access to audiences that already consume podcasts. That's the key. You're marketing a podcast to people who have already proven they listen to podcasts. Marques calls podcast swaps one of the fastest organic ways to expose the show to new listeners without buying ads WHY A BACK CATALOG MATTERSMarques has more than 900 episodes. That's not simply a vanity metric. It's inventory. When someone discovers the show today, they don't have one episode to consume. They have hundreds. One new fan might generate: 1 download. Or 10. Or 100. Or potentially hundreds over time. That's why consistency begins compounding. Every episode becomes another asset in the library. And the longer you publish, the more valuable a new listener can become. THE BIG LESSONYou don't need to launch at Marques' current scale. You don't need: Four episodes every week. Four employees. Hundreds of thousands of downloads. A giant guest. A massive audience. You need: Consistency + systems + relationships + promotion + time. Marques says podcasting is a long game, and his own show began with one episode a week before growing into the system it is today.  CONNECT WITH MARQUES OGDENPodcast Get Authentic with Marques Ogden Available on: YouTubeSpotifyApple PodcastsWebsite marquesogden.com Email marques@marquesogden.com 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUSClaim your free ticket to an upcoming Freedom Shift Summit: swedishwealthinstitute.com/events ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  2. Oct 14

    He Built a $30M Brand—Then Realized Success Wasn’t Enough | Ian Lopatin| E55

    What happens when you build the business you dreamed about — and discover you're miserable inside it? Ian Lopatin has lived both sides of that story. His journey took him from working at the White House to law school, entertainment law, yoga, international teaching, entrepreneurship, and eventually building Spiritual Gangster with his wife into a global apparel brand doing around $30 million in business. But Ian's story isn't simply about building a successful company. It's also about what happened when the movement he loved became more corporate, outside voices gained influence, internal conflict increased, and Ian gradually stopped trusting the instincts that had helped create the company in the first place. From the outside, his life looked extraordinary. Inside, Ian was struggling. Business pressure, grief, family challenges, anxiety, drugs, alcohol, and obsessive thinking pushed him deeper into what he calls a stress state. Eventually, he left for India. What was supposed to be a short trip became weeks of silence, meditation, and a completely different way of understanding his suffering. About a week into the experience, Ian had a realization: The problem wasn't simply the business. It wasn't simply alcohol. It wasn't simply the people around him. A large part of the problem was the way he was thinking. That insight changed the direction of his life. Ian eventually became sober, committed heavily to meditation and daily practices, and began studying how our internal state affects the decisions we make, the relationships we create, and the lives we experience. In this episode, you'll learn: How Ian went from the White House to lawThe chance encounter that introduced him to Bikram yogaWhy yoga helped Ian manage intense stressHow he spotted the growth of yoga before it became mainstreamWhy he quit a top entertainment-law career to open yoga studiosHow he became an international yoga teacherWhy hip-hop music helped differentiate his classesHow Spiritual Gangster started with a simple T-shirtWhy Ian calls it “a movement disguised as a clothing company”How community helped turn a small brand into a global companyHow early celebrity product seeding helped spread the messageWhy some of Ian's biggest wins came from ignoring expertsWhat happened when Ian and his wife stopped trusting their own instinctsWhy values alignment matters when choosing partners and executivesHow Spiritual Gangster grew to roughly $30 millionWhy external achievement didn't give Ian inner peaceHow stress led him toward alcohol and drugsWhy he traveled to IndiaWhat silence taught him about his own thinkingWhy he decided to become soberIan's concept of the stress state versus the “beautiful” or “Of Course” stateHow breathing, meditation, gratitude, journaling, movement, sauna, and cold exposure fit into his routineWhy presence is central to changing your stateWhy worry can become a destructive use of imaginationHow his new book The Way of a Spiritual Gangster shares these lessons through a fictional storyIan's story moves from entrepreneurship into something much deeper: success on paper means very little if you aren't present enough to enjoy the life you've created. Daniel's closing summary identifies trust in your instincts, building community, choosing aligned partners, separating achievement from happiness, and managing your state as the five central lessons.  Pasted text DANIEL'S 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS1. Trust Your Instincts When Ian entered yoga, he didn't follow the established formula. He used hip-hop. He made classes more playful. He created an apparel brand called Spiritual Gangster when people told him the name wouldn't work. Some of Ian's biggest wins came when he listened to his own judgment. His lesson isn't to reject advice. It's to avoid handing your judgment over to someone else. 2. Build a Movement, Not Just a Business Ian describes Spiritual Gangster as: “A movement disguised as a clothing company.” People weren't simply purchasing T-shirts. They were expressing: This is who I am. These are my values. This is my tribe. That sense of identity helped turn customers into advocates. For entrepreneurs, this creates a bigger question: What can people belong to through your business? Ian says Spiritual Gangster began as a yoga-studio house brand before spreading through studios, fitness communities, major retailers, celebrities, athletes, and customers around the world.  Pasted text 3. Choose Your Partners Carefully Growth brought investors. Executives. A board. Industry experts. Ian says he and his wife gradually began giving other people more influence over decisions they previously made themselves. The company became less creative. The movement became weaker. And Ian felt increasingly disconnected from what they had created. Growth requires talented people. But skill alone isn't enough. You also need alignment around: Values. Vision. Culture. Purpose. 4. Achievement Does Not Automatically Create Happiness Ian had built businesses. He had money. He had traveled the world. He had created a recognizable global brand. Yet he found himself stressed, anxious, drinking, using drugs, arguing about the business, and desperately looking for a way to escape what he was feeling. That creates one of the strongest questions in the episode: What good is building an incredible life if you don't enjoy living it? Achievement matters. But achievement isn't the same thing as peace. 5. Your State Affects Everything This became Ian's biggest personal lesson. He describes two states. THE STRESS STATE Fear. Anxiety. Defensiveness. Worry. Rumination. And: THE BEAUTIFUL / “OF COURSE” STATE Presence. Gratitude. Ease. Flow. Connection. Ian believes decisions made from these different states create very different results. So before reacting, sending the email, making the deal, having the argument, or making a major decision, ask: What state am I in right now? If you're deeply stressed, pause. Breathe. Move. Meditate. Get present. Then decide. A SIMPLE PRACTICE FROM THE EPISODEAsk yourself two questions: 1. What state am I in? Am I: Fearful? Anxious? Angry? Defensive? Or: Calm? Present? Grateful? Peaceful? 2. Where is my mind? The past? The future? Or right here? Ian's point is that the present moment is where you regain the ability to choose instead of simply reacting. THE WAY OF A SPIRITUAL GANGSTERIan also discusses his book: The Way of a Spiritual Gangster The transcript describes it as a fictional fable inspired partly by Ian's own experiences. The central character, Josh, is dealing with stress, illness, divorce, grief, and a career he doesn't enjoy. A journey around the world introduces him to teachers who help him change the way he experiences life. Ian describes the concept as having influences from books such as The Alchemist and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. CONNECT WITH IAN LOPATINInstagram: @iamianlopatin Ian Lopatin: ianlopatin.com Of Course Sanctuary: ofcoursesanctuary.com Ian also mentions a free morning meditation community and says Daniel will add the link to the show notes. Free Meditation: https://ianlopatin.com/morning-meditation Ian says the meditation runs at: 6:00 AM weekdays 8:30 AM weekends Arizona time. 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUSClaim your free ticket to an upcoming Financial Freedom Summit: swedishwealthinstitute.com/events The announced speaker lineup includes: Les Brown, Nick Vujicic, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, Marci Shimoff, Janet Attwood, John Gray, Dr. John Demartini, Joseph McClendon III, Rob Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, John Assaraf, and more ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  3. Oct 7

    Can We Reverse Aging? James Strole on Longevity, AI & Living Longer|E54

    What if aging isn't something humanity can only slow down? What if one day we can actually reverse parts of it? In this episode of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood sits down with James Strole, founder of People Unlimited, co-founder of the Coalition for Radical Life Extension, and author of The Gospel of Longevity. At 77, James says he feels better than ever and that his desire to keep living is stronger than at any other point in his life. His fascination with longevity began when he was just 11 years old after watching his grandmother die from cancer. When his mother tried to comfort him by saying he would see his grandmother again in heaven, James immediately asked: Why can't we have heaven here on Earth? That question became a lifelong pursuit. James has since spent decades around doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and researchers working on longevity and radical life extension. But this conversation doesn't begin with futuristic technology. It begins with the basics. Sleep. Sunlight. Movement. Breathing. Recovery. Making health part of the way you live rather than another task you're constantly trying to fit into your schedule. Then Daniel and James move into the possibilities being discussed at the edge of longevity research: gene therapy, regenerative medicine, longevity escape velocity, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and what it might mean if humans eventually gain greater control over biological aging. The conversation also raises a deeper question: What is the point of living longer if we don't create a life worth extending? Because for James, longevity can't be separated from love, relationships, compassion, purpose, peace, and humanity. In this episode, you'll discover: ✔ Why James became interested in longevity at just 11 years old ✔ Why he believes the desire to keep living matters ✔ What he does at 77 to support his own health ✔ Why he places so much emphasis on sleep ✔ How sunlight fits into his morning routine ✔ Why he keeps his body moving throughout the day ✔ How he incorporates breathing exercises into daily life ✔ Why health practices become easier when they're built into your lifestyle ✔ Why James warns against chasing every new therapy at once ✔ His personal approach to sleep tracking and experimentation ✔ His thoughts on wearables such as WHOOP and Oura ✔ Why he is interested in gene therapy and regenerative medicine ✔ What researchers mean when they talk about reversing biological aging ✔ What “longevity escape velocity” means in the conversation ✔ Ray Kurzweil's predictions about the future of longevity and AI ✔ The philosophical problem behind uploading a mind to the cloud ✔ James's experience with an AI digital twin ✔ Why he believes humans need to develop their humanity alongside technology ✔ Why living longer isn't enough unless we preserve love, connection, compassion, and meaning Daniel's 5 Takeaways1. Longevity Starts With Wanting to Live James repeatedly comes back to his will to live. At 77, he says that desire is stronger than ever. Supplements, therapies, science, and technology matter, but underneath them is a more personal question: Are you creating a life you actually want more of? Longevity means something different when you're excited about tomorrow. 2. Start With the Fundamentals Before Chasing the Future Gene therapy and regenerative medicine make fascinating headlines. But James's everyday habits are far less complicated: Sleep. Sunlight. Movement. Breathing. Consistent care for your body. You don't need access to experimental technology to begin paying more attention to your health today. 3. Make Health Part of Your Life James doesn't treat health as something separate from his normal schedule. He incorporates movement, recovery, breathing, sunlight, and other practices into the way he lives. That changes the question from: “Where am I supposed to find time for my health?” to: “How can I design my normal day so taking care of myself happens naturally?” 4. Longevity Technology Is Moving Fast Researchers and entrepreneurs are actively working on areas including: Gene therapyRegenerative medicineBiological-age researchAIDigital twinsAdvanced diagnosticsLongevity escape velocitySome of the outcomes James discusses remain experimental, speculative, or unproven in humans. But the direction of research raises an interesting reason to take care of yourself today: Stay healthy enough to see what becomes possible tomorrow. 5. A Longer Life Needs to Be Worth Living This may be the biggest lesson of the episode. Living longer means very little if humanity loses: Love. Connection. Compassion. Relationships. Peace. Meaning. Technology may help extend life. But it cannot decide what makes that life worth extending. Daniel summarizes the lesson beautifully: Don't simply add years to life. Add life to those years. Daniel's five closing lessons emphasize wanting to live, starting with basic health practices, integrating those practices into normal life, paying attention to emerging longevity technology, and maintaining humanity as lifespan increases.  Pasted text Important Health NoteThis conversation includes James Strole's personal practices, opinions, predictions, and discussion of experimental longevity research. Some therapies and claims discussed in the episode are not established medical treatments for reversing human aging. Listeners should speak with qualified medical professionals before using supplements, medications, peptides, hormone-related treatments, or experimental therapies. About James StroleJames Strole is the founder of People Unlimited, helped form the Coalition for Radical Life Extension, and has spent decades advocating for radical life extension and longevity research. He is also the author of: The Gospel of Longevity The episode also discusses RAADFest, an event centered around longevity and radical life extension. Connect With James People Unlimited: https://www.peopleunlimitedinc.com/ The Gospel of Longevity: https://www.thegospeloflongevity.com Coalition for Radical Life Extension / RAADFest: https://www.raadfest.com/ I would use the team's confirmed official links here rather than the transcript's spoken URL, since the transcription around James's website appears imperfect. 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUSAs an Action Taker Bonus, Swedish Wealth Institute listeners can claim a ticket to an upcoming Financial Freedom Summit. Speakers include: Les Brown, Nick Vujicic, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Marci Shimoff, Jay Abraham, Janet Attwood, John Gray, Dr. John Demartini, Joseph McClendon III, Rob Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, John Assaraf, and more. Claim your ticket: https://swedishwealthinstitute.com/events/ NEXT WEEKNext week, Daniel is joined by Ian Lopatin, founder of Spiritual Gangster. Ian's story moves from: The White House → law → yoga → entrepreneurship → building a brand worth tens of millions of dollars. Daniel and Ian discuss: Spotting opportunities before they become mainstreamBuilding movements instead of simply building businessesCreating communityTrusting your instinctsIgnoring expert advice when your conviction says otherwiseEntrepreneurship and rapid growthStress and suffering behind external successSobrietySilenceMeditationIndiaRedefining what success actually meansThe next episode moves beyond Ian's business success into what happened when the life that looked successful from the outside stopped feeling successful on the inside.  Pasted text ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  4. Sep 30

    6 Lessons on Purpose, Relationships & Designing a Life That Matters | SWI Anniversary|E53

    What is all the work, growth, ambition, business, and wealth actually for? That is the question behind Part 3 of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast's one-year anniversary series. Part 1 focused on mindset and resilience. Part 2 moved into business, sales, and wealth. Now Daniel Wood closes the series with lessons about the life all of that growth is meant to create. This episode brings together powerful ideas from Janet Attwood, Dr. John Gray, Celine DaCosta, Eric Edmeades, Tania de Jong, and more around passion, relationships, identity, health, environment, creativity, contribution, and meaning. You'll hear Janet Attwood on getting clear about what truly matters and learning to let go after you've done what you can. Dr. John Gray shares a simple relationship practice designed to create small moments of connection and support between partners. Celine DaCosta explains the “burning point” — the moment when the story you've inherited no longer fits the person you're becoming. Eric Edmeades challenges the modern environments we live in and asks what happens when human beings become disconnected from the conditions our bodies were shaped for. And Tania de Jong closes with a reminder that wealth is much bigger than money. Because the goal isn't simply to become richer. It's to have the freedom to spend time with people you love, pursue what matters, take care of your health, create meaningful experiences, and contribute something valuable. In This Episode, You'll Learn:✔ Why clarity matters before achievement ✔ Janet Attwood's idea of intention, attention, and no tension ✔ Why letting go can be part of moving forward ✔ How Daniel identified the things he most wants from life ✔ Why relationships often benefit from small daily acts rather than occasional grand gestures ✔ Dr. John Gray's “five-minute ask” relationship practice ✔ How inherited stories shape identity ✔ What Celine DaCosta means by the “burning point” ✔ Why dissatisfaction can sometimes signal that an old identity no longer fits ✔ How asking “Who do I want to be?” can change the direction of your life ✔ Eric Edmeades' view on how modern environments affect health and behavior ✔ Why the people around you can influence how you think and act ✔ Why self-development still requires personal responsibility ✔ How service changes the meaning of success ✔ Why Tania de Jong defines wealth as much more than money ✔ Why contribution, relationships, passion, health, and meaning belong inside any definition of wealth THE ANNIVERSARY SERIESPART 1 — MINDSET & RESILIENCE Rebuild you. Before you build anything outside yourself, you need the ability to keep going. PART 2 — BUSINESS, SALES & WEALTH Build the machine. Develop the skills, resources, business, and freedom that give you options. PART 3 — PURPOSE, RELATIONSHIPS & LIFE DESIGN Build the life. Use what you've created to spend more time on what matters. That completes the journey: Build yourself → Build your resources → Build the life that matters. 🎁 TWO WEEKS FREE — SWEDISH WEALTH INSTITUTE JOURNEYTo celebrate the first anniversary of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel is inviting listeners into the Swedish Wealth Institute Journey app with two weeks of free access. Inside, members begin with three questions: Where are you now? Where are you going? What is the #1 limiting factor keeping you from living your mission right now? SWI then helps members connect with relevant mentors, training, accountability partners, and other resources. You'll find training from mentors including: Jack Canfield Dr. John Demartini Jay Abraham …and more. 👉 Claim your two weeks free: https://swiwealthcreators.circle.so/checkout/2-week-trial-or-swedish-wealth-institute-journey-subscription NEXT WEEKThe anniversary trilogy is complete. Next week, Swedish Wealth Institute returns to its regular interview format with James Strole for a conversation about health and longevity. At 77, James has spent decades studying radical life extension and the possibilities surrounding longer, healthier lives. The conversation includes: SleepMovementSunlightBreathingEveryday health habitsLongevity scienceGene therapyEmerging treatmentsLongevity escape velocityArtificial intelligenceDigital twinsAnd one bigger reminder: Living longer means very little if we lose our humanity, relationships, passion, and love along the way. ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  5. Sep 23

    6 Powerful Business & Wealth Lessons From World-Class Mentors | SWI Anniversary|E52

    What does it actually take to build the business, skills, and wealth that give you the freedom to live your mission? For Part 2 of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast's one-year anniversary series, Daniel Wood goes back through the first year to bring together some of the strongest lessons on business, sales, focus, rejection, investing, and wealth creation. Part 1 focused on the inner world — mindset and resilience. Now we move outward. Because mindset gives you the foundation, but you still need to build something with it. In this episode, you'll hear Blair Singer explain why the hardest sale isn't always the customer — it's the sale you make to yourself after hearing “no.” Mark Victor Hansen shares what 144 publishing rejections taught him about persistence, asking bigger questions, and the four-letter word that kept him moving: NEXT. Stephen Shapiro challenges one of the most common problems in business: being incredibly busy working on things that shouldn't matter in the first place. We return to the story of Nike, Phil Knight, Sonny Vaccaro, and Michael Jordan to examine what happens when a company with limited resources decides to make one enormous bet. Troy Harris shares his approach to cryptocurrency allocation, established versus speculative assets, Bitcoin, and spreading risk. And the final lesson brings everything back to the person making the decisions: Trust yourself. Develop the skills you need. Build the right team. Follow the work you're called to do. These lessons aren't about making money simply to have more money. They're about creating the resources, skills, and freedom that allow you to build the life and mission that matter to you. In This Episode, You'll Learn:✔ Why sales is bigger than selling to customers ✔ Why the hardest sale may be the one you make to yourself ✔ What “salesmanship begins when the customer says no” really means ✔ How to recover from rejection without carrying it into the next opportunity ✔ What Mark Victor Hansen learned from 144 rejections ✔ Why NEXT can be one of the most useful words in business ✔ Why the size of your questions can influence the size of the problems you attempt to solve ✔ Why success often looks easier from the outside than it really is ✔ How being busy can hide a deeper business problem ✔ Why some companies waste resources chasing temporary differentiators ✔ How deciding what not to pursue can free time and capital ✔ Why Nike couldn't follow the same strategy as larger competitors ✔ How Nike made a massive bet on a young Michael Jordan ✔ What limited resources can teach entrepreneurs about focus ✔ Troy Harris's approach to established and speculative crypto assets ✔ Why he identifies Bitcoin as the starting point for someone entering cryptocurrency ✔ How he describes his “VC theory” approach to diversification ✔ Why skills, partnerships, and teams matter when pursuing a bigger goal ✔ Why business and wealth ultimately exist to create freedom THE BIG IDEAPart 1 of this anniversary series was about: Rebuilding you. Part 2 is about: Building the machine. The business. The sales ability. The decision-making. The allocation of time. The ability to handle rejection. The willingness to focus. The resources. The wealth. But none of those things are the final destination. The purpose of building the machine is to create enough resources, skills, and freedom to live your mission. That is what wealth is for. 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUS — TWO WEEKS FREETo celebrate one year of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel is inviting listeners into the Swedish Wealth Institute Journey app with two weeks of free access. Inside the community, you'll begin by answering three questions: Where are you now? Where are you going? What is the #1 limiting factor holding you back from your mission? From there, SWI's technology is designed to connect members with the mentor, training, accountability partner, or resource that can help with that limiting factor. The platform includes training from mentors including: Jack Canfield Dr. John Demartini Jay Abraham …and more. 👉 Claim your two weeks free: https://swiwealthcreators.circle.so/checkout/2-week-trial-or-swedish-wealth-institute-journey-subscription NEXT WEEK — ANNIVERSARY PART 3Part 1 focused on your inner world. Part 2 focused on the business and wealth that can create freedom. Next week, the anniversary series concludes with the question behind all of it: What is it all for? Part 3 focuses on: Purpose, Relationships & Designing Your Life Follow the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you don't miss the conclusion of the anniversary series. ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  6. Sep 16

    6 Powerful Mindset Lessons That Can Change Your Life | SWI Anniversary| E51

    What separates the people who keep moving forward from those who allow failure, fear, rejection, or old beliefs to define what happens next? To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood and the SWI team are going back through a year of conversations with some of the world's most recognized mentors, authors, speakers, and leaders. This is Part 1 of a special three-part anniversary series. The focus: Mindset & Resilience. You'll hear powerful lessons from Nick Vujicic, Les Brown, JR McIntyre, C.L. Stanford, Michelle Masters, and Moshe Gersht about trying before you know what is possible, refusing to let someone else's opinion define you, rebuilding after losing everything, reclaiming energy tied to painful experiences, identifying subconscious beliefs, and breaking the habit of postponing happiness until your next achievement. These aren't simply memorable moments from the first year. They represent one of the central ideas behind the Swedish Wealth Institute: Your inner world creates your outer world. Nick Vujicic explains why you cannot know what you're capable of until you're willing to try. Les Brown shares the teacher who changed his life by refusing to accept the label others had placed on him. JR McIntyre takes us inside the collapse of his business, filing for bankruptcy, becoming a janitor despite having a master's degree, and finding the strength to rebuild. C.L. Stanford explains how painful experiences from our past can continue consuming attention and energy long after the event itself has ended. Michelle Masters shows why subconscious beliefs can be so difficult to recognize — because instead of simply seeing them, we often see the world through them. And Moshe Gersht challenges the belief that happiness is waiting somewhere beyond the next achievement. Different stories. Different mentors. One powerful question: What needs to change inside you for your life outside you to change? In This Episode, You'll Learn:✔ Why you don't know what you can achieve until you try ✔ How fear of failure and rejection stops people before they begin ✔ Why failure can become a classroom instead of an identity ✔ How to create short-, mid-, and long-term goals ✔ Why Nick Vujicic recommends regularly reassessing what actually matters to you ✔ Why comfort can quietly kill ambition ✔ The lesson that changed Les Brown's view of himself ✔ Why someone else's opinion of you doesn't have to define your reality ✔ Why becoming someone you've never been is often required to do something you've never done ✔ Why talent without deliberate work isn't enough ✔ What JR McIntyre learned after his business collapsed ✔ How he went from business owner to bankruptcy and working as a janitor ✔ Why rebuilding begins with changing the way you speak to yourself ✔ How painful past experiences can continue consuming your attention ✔ Why old disappointment can make new goals feel harder ✔ How subconscious beliefs quietly shape money, success, relationships, and opportunity ✔ Why many beliefs feel like “reality” instead of beliefs ✔ The “if there, then” distortion behind postponed happiness ✔ Why external achievement doesn't automatically create inner peace ✔ What it means to live from joy instead of for joy ✔ Why becoming 1% better consistently matters more than changing everything overnight ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY MESSAGEOver the past year, the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast has brought together mentors, teachers, authors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from around the world. But the mission has remained simple: Connect you with the right mentor at the right time so you can live your mission. You don't need to change your entire life today. You don't need one miraculous breakthrough. You need consistent progress. One lesson. One decision. One action. One percent better every day. 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUS — TWO WEEKS FREETo celebrate the first anniversary of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel is inviting listeners into the Swedish Wealth Institute Journey app with two weeks of free access. Inside, the process begins with three questions: Where are you now? Where are you going? What is the one limiting factor holding you back from your mission right now? From there, the platform is designed to connect members with relevant people, courses, accountability, and resources. Training inside the community includes mentors such as: Jack Canfield Dr. John Demartini Jay Abraham …and more. 👉 Claim two weeks free: https://swiwealthcreators.circle.so/checkout/2-week-trial-or-swedish-wealth-institute-journey-subscription Featured MentorsNick Vujicic Resilience, vision, failure, purpose Les Brown Identity, possibility, discipline, personal growth JR McIntyre Failure, bankruptcy, rebuilding, self-belief C.L. Stanford Past experiences, emotional energy, personal change Michelle Masters Subconscious beliefs, money beliefs, self-sabotage Moshe Gersht Happiness, achievement, fulfillment, inner peace ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  7. Sep 9

    Ep 50: How to Build Healthy Habits With Your Kids Without Constant Battles | Candice Imwalle

    How do you get your kids to eat healthier, spend less time on screens, and build better habits without turning your home into a daily battle? In this episode of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood sits down with author and mother Candice Imwalle for a practical conversation about parenting, food, health, screen time, communication, and the habits children carry with them into adulthood. Candice began writing children's books because she wanted her own kids to understand why healthy eating matters. That work later grew into a book for moms with practical health, anti-aging, and parenting ideas. Her central message is simple: Children are far more likely to change when they understand why something matters to them. Instead of relying only on “because I said so,” Candice encourages parents to connect healthier choices to goals children already care about — getting stronger, performing better in sports, having more energy, becoming more independent, and being ready for adult life. Daniel and Candice also talk honestly about how hard this can be when parents are tired, schedules are packed, practices start at 5:00, everyone is hungry, and the drive-through feels easier. The answer is not perfection. It is baby steps, preparation, communication, and consistency. In this episode, you'll discover: ✔ Why healthy habits often begin much earlier than parents realize ✔ Why Candice compares unhealthy habits to other risks parents actively protect children from ✔ How to get kids to eat healthier without creating constant arguments ✔ Why meal prep can make healthy food almost as convenient as fast food ✔ Simple ways to start when you're exhausted and short on time ✔ Why a three-minute workout can be better than waiting for the “perfect” workout ✔ How to explain the “why” behind healthy choices ✔ Why kids respond better when healthy habits connect to their own goals ✔ How to handle screen time and phones during family time ✔ What to do when you're changing habits with teenagers ✔ Why changing everything at once usually backfires ✔ How to involve children in meals without creating more work ✔ Why giving kids choices can increase buy-in ✔ How respect changes the way children respond to parents ✔ Why yelling occasionally is different from making yelling the culture of the home ✔ How parenting and leadership share many of the same principles This episode is for parents who want their kids to become healthier, stronger, more independent, and better prepared for life — without expecting themselves to become perfect parents overnight. 5 Lessons From This Episode 1. Healthy Habits Start Earlier Than We Think The habits children develop around food, movement, screens, and self-care can stay with them for years. Food is not simply about today's dinner. It helps shape their relationship with health, discipline, energy, and caring for themselves. 2. Parents Still Have to Lead When It Is Inconvenient Candice makes a strong comparison: If your child ran toward traffic, you would immediately stop them. Parents already accept responsibility for protecting children from dangers they are too young to understand fully. Candice argues that building healthy habits belongs in that same broader responsibility. 3. Start With Baby Steps You do not need to change your family's entire life tomorrow. Start with: One healthier dinner One planned shopping trip One short workout One phone-free meal One better conversation Small improvements become routines. 4. Give Your Children the Why “Because I said so” may create short-term compliance. It does not always create long-term habits. Ask what your children care about. Do they want to: Get better at football? Run faster? Feel stronger? Make a team? Have more energy? Be prepared for college? Then connect healthier choices to their goals, not simply yours. 5. Make Them Part of the Process Let your children choose between healthy options. Ask what protein they want. Ask how they want something seasoned. Let them choose a recipe. Take them shopping when possible. People tend to care more about things they helped create — and children are no different. Practical Family Action Plan Step 1: Get the Adults Aligned If there are two parents or caregivers involved, agree on the direction first. Mixed standards create confusion. Step 2: Ask Your Kids About Their Goals Do not begin with food. Begin with them. Ask: “What do you want to get better at?” Then connect healthy habits to that goal. Step 3: Change One Thing Do not announce a total family revolution. Choose one improvement. For example: “This week, we're going to cook dinner at home instead of getting fast food.” Step 4: Give Them Choices Instead of: “You're eating chicken.” Try: “Do you want chicken, salmon, or burgers tonight?” You still control the available options, but they gain some ownership. Step 5: Create Phone-Free Moments Meals are an obvious place to begin. Put phones away and make the people sitting in front of you the focus. Step 6: Prepare for Busy Days Cook larger portions. Keep two or three meal options available. Use simple recipes. Make the healthy option the convenient option. 🎁 Free Gift From Candice Candice offers quick-start resources through her website with practical ideas for helping children begin healthier habits. She also has resources covering health and anti-aging habits for parents. Visit: candicesimole.com 🎁 Action Taker Bonus — Financial Freedom Summit You're also invited to claim a free ticket to the upcoming Financial Freedom Summit. North America September 10–13 Europe September 24–27 The announced speaker lineup includes: Les Brown, Nick Vujicic, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, Marci Shimoff, Janet Attwood, John Gray, Dr. John Demartini, Joseph McClendon III, Rob Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, and more. 👉 North America: https://events.swedishwealthinstitute.com/financialfreedomsummit-na6 👉 Europe: https://events.swedishwealthinstitute.com/financialfreedomsummit-eu5 Connect With Candice Imwalle 🌐 candicesimole.com You can also connect with Candice through Instagram and Facebook. Her books include two children's books designed to support conversations around healthy eating, along with a book for moms covering parenting, health, and wellness ideas. Next Episode Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast. To celebrate, Daniel and the SWI team are beginning a three-part anniversary series featuring some of the strongest lessons from the first year. Part 1 focuses on mindset and resilience, with lessons from guests including: Nick Vujicic, Les Brown, JR McIntyre, Moshe Gersht, Michelle Masters, and Seal Stanford. Follow the podcast so you don't miss it. ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

  8. Sep 2

    Ep 49: Find Your Voice: How to Speak Up, Build Courage & Be More Human | Tania de Jong

    What happens when you stop using your voice? For Tania de Jong, our voice is far more than a way to communicate. It is connected to courage, creativity, self-expression, connection, and what makes us human. In this episode of the Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast, Daniel Wood sits down with Tania de Jong — singer, speaker, social entrepreneur, and founder of multiple organizations and charities — for a powerful conversation about finding your voice and having the courage to use it. Tania shares why so many people learn to silence themselves, how childhood comments can stay with us for decades, and why singing, humming, breathing, dancing, storytelling, curiosity, silence, and community can help us reconnect with parts of ourselves we've pushed aside. She also challenges a growing problem in an increasingly AI-driven world: Are we outsourcing so much of ourselves to screens, algorithms, and machines that we're losing some of the qualities that make us human? You'll hear practical ways to begin using your voice again, even if you've spent years believing you can't sing or you're afraid to speak in front of other people. Daniel and Tania also discuss asking for help, building stronger communities, music education, creativity, service, generosity, and Tania's work with Mind Medicine Australia and psychedelic-assisted therapies in regulated clinical settings. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why your voice is connected to courage and self-expression • How to practice speaking up little by little • Why breathing, humming, singing, and vocal exercises can help you become more comfortable using your voice • Why so many adults believe they cannot sing • How childhood comments can become limiting beliefs • Why asking for help can make individuals and teams stronger • The meaning behind WAIT: “Why Am I Talking?” • Why curiosity matters more than pretending to know everything • What singing, dancing, stories, silence, and community can give us • How inclusive community choirs help people begin singing without previous training • Why Tania believes technology can distance us from parts of our humanity • How The Song Room brought music and arts education to Australian children • How Creativity Australia and With One Voice use community singing to connect people • Tania's work with Mind Medicine Australia • The role of regulated psychedelic-assisted therapies discussed in the episode • Why wealth means far more than money • How service, generosity, creativity, health, meaning, and connection contribute to a rich life Five Takeaways From the Conversation 1. Your voice is part of who you are. Your voice isn't simply a tool for speaking. Tania sees it as an expression of your presence, courage, creativity, and humanity. When you constantly silence yourself, you may be holding back something you could contribute. 2. Speaking up requires practice and courage. There is a practical side: breathing, humming, singing, vocalizing, and becoming comfortable making sound. Then there is the emotional side: deciding that you have something worth contributing and giving yourself permission to say it. 3. Ask for help faster. People can waste enormous amounts of time trying to prove they can solve everything alone. Asking someone who has already faced the same problem can save time, create stronger teams, and deepen relationships. 4. Reclaim the human practices that bring us together. Sing. Dance. Tell stories. Spend time in silence. Gather with other people. Human beings have used these practices for generations to create connection and community. As more of life moves onto screens, intentionally making room for real human interaction matters. 5. Wealth is bigger than money. Money matters, but it is one part of a much larger picture. Connection. Contribution. Generosity. Creativity. Health. Meaning. Service. Tania's definition of impact centers on being of service to others and using what you have to help another person. A Simple Challenge Think about one place in your life where you've been holding back. Maybe you have something to say in a meeting. Maybe you need to ask someone for help. Maybe you've always wanted to sing, dance, speak, create, or join a community but convinced yourself that you're “not that kind of person.” Take one small action this week. Speak. Ask. Sing. Create. Let a little more of yourself be heard. 🎁 ACTION TAKER BONUS — FINANCIAL FREEDOM SUMMIT As a thank-you for listening, you're invited to claim a free ticket to an upcoming Financial Freedom Summit. North American Time Zone: September 10–13 European Time Zone: September 24–27 The announced speaker lineup includes Les Brown, Nick Vujicic, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, Marci Shimoff, Janet Attwood, Dr. John Gray, Dr. John Demartini, Joseph McClendon III, Rob Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, and more. 👉 North America: https://events.swedishwealthinstitute.com/financialfreedomsummit-na5 👉 Europe: https://events.swedishwealthinstitute.com/financialfreedomsummit-eu5 Connect With Tania de Jong Tania de Jong: taniadejong.com Creative Universe: https://www.creativeuniverse.com.au/ Mind Medicine Australia: mindmedicineaustralia.org.au Gift From Tania NEW SONG: Walking Each Other Home – My New Single, Inspired by Ram Dass and Our Shared Human Journey  Watch the full music video and add a lovely comment: https://yo               utu.be/nvESS0M2lWM Listen or download the song for free: https://www.taniadejong.com/buy-music   My SPOTIFY list for psychedelics is here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6yiqpSSsnwwzTJQgg2eu6o?si=39b37555e8874d79  I am including links to my albums below so you can download and other links to share.  You can find my recordings here: https://www.taniadejong.com/buy-music/ Tania will also have a course available through the Swedish Wealth Institute Journey app. If this conversation gave you something useful, share it with someone who needs to hear it. ✨ Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe to The Swedish Wealth Institute Podcast so you never miss new conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers. 👉 Join the SWI community: www.swedishwealthinstitute.com 👉 Follow Daniel Wood on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook 👉 Follow SWI on social media: Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook ⭐ If this episode inspired you, please rate and review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps us reach more people on the journey to wealth, freedom, and impact.

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Conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders sharing practical strategies to build wealth, create freedom, and design a life of impact. Hosted by Daniel Wood of the Swedish Wealth Institute. 

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