Greatness

Jonathan Watts
  • 4.9 (21)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Greatness is a podcast for the for the hustlers. The artists. The obsessed. The difference makers. The game-changers. The nay-sayers. The rule breakers. The rebels. The fighters. Those in an endless pursuit of excellence. Every week, we dive into the life and stories of the words greatest people. Enjoy.

  1. JAN 28

    140. Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson: Two Great Managers and Their Greateast Ideas and Lessons

    Diving into the biggest lessons and ideas from the two greatest soccer managers ever, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola ----- Listen to the full epsiodes on Ferguson and Pep below. 124: The Leadership Genius of Sir Alex Ferguson 139: The Mastermind of Pep Guardiola  ----- Time Stamps 0:00 - Trajectory > Results 6:55 - Be a _____ man  10:02 - Observe obsessively 12:00 - Stick like glue 14:05 - Understand the human condition 16:50 - Look for bad losers 18:30 - Excellence first, winning second 20:37 - Reduce your experience 22:45 - Burn your youth 24:20 - Obsess the details 26:45 - Be a relentless consumer 28:22 - Top to bottom excellence 30:18 - Love the pieces, not the puzzle -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    33 min

  2. JAN 22

    139. The Mastermind of Pep Guardiola

    Diving into the life and mastermind of soccer coach and legend, Pep Guardiola  ----- "Each night when you are going to sleep, ask yourselves if you like football or not; ask yourselves if right then, you’d get up, grab the ball and play for a bit. If the answer is ‘no,’ then that is the day to start looking for something else to do." - Pep Guardiola ----- Sources:  Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning - Guillem Ballague The Greatness of Pep Guardiola, in a Blade of Grass Inside the Pep Guardiola bubble – as told by his assistants How Pep Guardiola is inspired by other sports, from basketball to chess to swimming Pep Guardiola: The man behind the genius Chasing Perfection Documentary ----- 4:20 - A young Pep 5:30 - Pep's superpower 6:40 -  Win without talent 8:30 - The question/the sign 11:40 - Preparing to be a coach/Being a sponge 15:05 - The LBJ Motto 18:00 - There is no good or bad work 20:35 - Stickler for the details/controlling everything 22:18 - Building a great culture 28:20 - Taking over Barcelona 31:00 - The reward is the puzzle 32:40 - Treajectory > Results 39:45 - His greatest trait 43:42: What gives his work meaning 45:25 - Great coaches are great psychologist 48:20 - One of my favorite stories  50:03 - A blade of grass 52:20 - Ferguson and Pep - the importance of observation 57:50 - Find an enemy 1:00:40 - Find your Cato -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    1h 4m

  3. JAN 13

    138. The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin (Part 2)

    Diving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin. Part II focuses solely on Rubin's life and how he works. ----- Sources:  The Creative Act - Rick Rubin In the Studio - Jake Brown ----- 2:00 - How Rubin operates in the studio 17:28 -  Everything was unintentional 19:50 - Music was his drug 20:45 - Rubin, Kubrick, and creative supporting habits 23:30 - Future plans: law and philosophy  24:25 - Be around the game & scratching your own itch  28:35 - Creating his company 30:00 - Working with LL Cool J 31:15 - Make what you want to make  33:00 - The power of taking time 35:25 - Be strict with who you work with 37:30 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers, what creativity needs, and the power of changing things up. 41:38 - Johnny Cash, AC/DC, and the importance of volume -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    49 min

  4. JAN 5

    137. The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin (Part 1)

    Diving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin. Part I focuses solely on Rubin's creative philosophies. ----- Sources:  The Creative Act - Rick Rubin In the Studio - Jake Brown ----- 2:10 - Creativity is something you are, not something you do 4:05 -  Developing a noticing habit 9:07 - Listening  10:38 - The beginner mind/the danger of wisdom 16:50 - Pursue excitement 19:12 - Balancing joy with seriousness 22:30 - Finding your rhythm 26:32 - Rules are limitations  32:12 - Keep the joy alive 35:05 - Temporary rules 36:55 - Tools for finishing the work 39:45 - Defining success 41:50 - Non-competition 43:12 - Habits and art 45:30 - Patience and tuning out  49:05 - Self-doubt  56:18 - Try everything 57:12 - Submerge yourself in great work 58:45 - Spirituality and work 59:52 - Inspiration and diligence 1:03:50 - Some short and final ideas  -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    1h 11m

  5. 12/25/2025

    136. Stanley Kubrick - Legendary Filmmaker

    Diving into the life and genius of legendary filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick ----- Sources:  Kubrick: An Odyssey - Robert Kolker Kubrick on Kubrick  ----- Time Stamps  2:38 - Chess and creative supporting activities 4:15 - Get your reps 6:55 - “Get a hold of the camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all.” 8:00 - What are you insanely curious about?  11:08 - Shoot your shot 14:23 - Doing the thing is the best education. “What I learned in that four-year period exceeded what I could have learned in school…the experience was invaluable to me. Not only because I learned a lot about photography, but also because it gave me a quick education in how things happened in the world. 16:45 - Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen - Build volume 18:52 - The one word to describe Stanley  19:42 - Constraints aren't an excuse 21:23 - Early work is just work. “There’s no such thing as good work or bad work, there is only work at the beginning.” 24:25 - The power is creating things  26:05 - Obey your artistic muse 29:25 - A turning point and the importance of early work 31:30 - A lesson in control  33:48 - Stanley's insane preparation (Short essay on LeBron James and Preparation) 40:05 - Quality is the goal. "Stanley’s approach is, how can we do it better than it’s ever been done before? " “Film stock is cheap, but remarkable quality will pay dividends forever.” 45:00 - The need for details and depths 47:05 - The need for control 49:03 - Obsessive worker/tinkerer 51:45 - Barometer for finding the right film 56:37 - Moviemaking as a metaphor for life -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

    59 min

  6. 12/18/2025

    135. The Unique Approach and Mindset of Clayton Kershaw

    Diving into the unqiue approach and mindset of legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw ----- Sources:  Every Fifth Day: The Mentality That Drove Klayton Kershaw to Greatness ----- Time Stamps  2:00 - The five day cycle 12:45 - The game-day approach 20:35 - It's a 24/7 thing 23:57 - Do you want it  26:25 - Be intense in burst 27:45 - Relentlessness rooted in the struggle 29:30 - Software + Hardware 31:55 - The burden of expectations -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    44 min

  7. 12/13/2025

    134. Awa Kenzo - Zen Archery Master

    Diving into the life and teachings of the great 19th century zen archery master, Awa Kenzo  ----- Sources:  Zen Bow, Zen Arrow: The Life and Teachings of Awe Kenzo Zen in the Art of Archery - Eugen Herrigel -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    42 min

  8. 12/03/2025

    133. Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Jiro Ono, Danielle Steel, Tiger Woods, & More - How the Greats Think

    I spent the last two weeks diving through all my past podcast episodes and filtering it through one idea: how do the greats think? How they think about their craft. How they think about time. How they think about risk. How they think about sacrifice. How they think about quality. And more. Enjoy a deep dive into the mind of the ambitious, the obsessed, and the greats. -----  NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below. Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming  Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ----- You can check stay connected and support below: Website Books Instagram X LinkedIn

    1h 16m
See All (140)

4.9
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Greatness is a podcast for the for the hustlers. The artists. The obsessed. The difference makers. The game-changers. The nay-sayers. The rule breakers. The rebels. The fighters. Those in an endless pursuit of excellence. Every week, we dive into the life and stories of the words greatest people. Enjoy.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Watts
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Greatness
  • Show Website
    Greatness

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