Travis Makes Friends

Travis Chappell

Relationships are the most important asset we have in life. If you'd like to improve your relationships, whether we're talking about your relationship with your partner, your friends, your kids, your professional network, or with yourself, then this is the show for you! After 800 episodes of my top-rated audio podcast, Build Your Network, I decided to start recording my interviews in person so I could share them with all of you on YouTube. In addition to listening on your favorite podcast app, now you can watch my in-depth conversations with exceptional athletes like Shaquille O’Neal, comedians like Dane Cook, entertainers like Rob Dyrdek or Chris Hansen, authors like Dr. Nicole LePera, former presidents like Vicente Fox, or even the occasional FBI hostage negotiator, billionaire real estate mogul, polarizing political figure, or controversial social media influencer. Hit that subscribe button – we're just getting started!

  1. 4D AGO

    From Fighting Addiction to Representing Some of the Biggest Celebrities in the World | Darren Prince

    Darren Prince, International Best Selling author of his memoir Aiming High, is a prominent sports and celebrity agent and global advocate for addiction/mental health and recovery. Through his agency, Prince Marketing Group, he represents icons Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Dominique Wilkins, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Chevy Chase, Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards, Carmen Electra, and many others as well as having worked with the late Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Evel Knievel. Darren / PMG has also worked with Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Shaquille O’Neal, Dennis Rodman, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr, Tom Brady, Pamela Anderson, Vince Neil, Dee Snider and Keith Urban. PMG is one of the most respected boutique sports and entertainment agencies in the world with over $500M in deals negotiated in its 25 plus years in the industry. Having paired a celebrity with everything from Super Bowl commercials, product endorsement campaigns, keynotes, licensing and branded social media campaigns companies such as Apple, Oracle, Best Buy, Gillette, Hard Rock Casino and hundreds of others have utilized their expertise to find the perfect celebrity to fit their initiative, product or service.  As a leading authority in this space, Prince’s insights have been featured in WSJ, NYT, USA Today, CNN, Fox and Friends, Chris Cuomo, Tucker Carlson, “On Purpose” podcast with Jay Shetty, Extra TV, Dr. OZ and many other top media outlets. Darren has experienced what life is like in the celebrity world but also seen the dark reality of addiction through his own personal struggle with opiates. With over 14 years of sobriety, it’s now Darren’s mission to help others avoid and break free from addiction and mental health struggles. He had a God awakening on July 2, 2008, and believes in a spiritual higher power and that anyone can turn their bottom into a new beginning. Prince started his 501(c)3 Aiming High Foundation where 100% of the proceeds provide treatment for those suffering. He has become a highly sought-after speaker on addiction recovery and mental health. He specializes in helping high functioning addicts and at-risk executives to identify and avoid the pitfalls of addiction and working with teens on self-esteem and self-worth. He also is a consultant to Banyan Treatment Center which has 15 locations spread across the United States. Prince is on the commercial advisory board of Bridge Therapeutics, a revolutionary opiate detox drug. With anticipation of FDA approval in making its way to the medical industry in 2024. A life saving detox drug treating addicts for pain management and transitioning them to an opiate free lifestyle. If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

    1h 11m
  2. FEB 23

    Why Only 2% of Fighter Pilots Are Women & How I Beat The Odds | Michelle "MACE" Curran

    Join us on the Travis Makes Friends podcast as we dive into an incredible conversation with Michelle 'Mace' Curran, a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran and former Thunderbird lead solo pilot. From her small-town roots in Wisconsin to flying F-16s in combat and inspiring audiences as a motivational speaker, Michelle shares her journey, the challenges of being a female fighter pilot, and insights from her new book, The Flip Side: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower. Buckle up for an inspiring episode filled with high-flying stories and life-changing lessons! If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell Chapters 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:39 - Interest in Air Force Career 00:05:49 - Switching to Fighter Pilot Goal 00:11:27 - Female Fighter Pilots Stats 00:15:08 - Unexpected Career Challenges 00:21:19 - Japan Assignment and Gear 00:24:05 - Book: The Flip Side 00:29:04 - Call Sign Story 00:35:54 - Lessons from Dog Fight 00:37:25 - Book Writing Process 00:43:51 - Where to Buy Book #TravisChappell #BuildYourNetwork #TravisMakesFriends #MichelleCurran #AirForcePilot #ThunderbirdSolo #F16Viper #CombatVeteran #FemalePilot #MaceCallsign #FlipSide #FearSuperpower #PilotTraining #DropNight #RuralWisconsin #StThomas #LukeAFB #MisawaJapan #AfghanistanDeployment #NVGCombat #DogFight #BestsellerList #MotivationalSpeaker #TopGun #BlueAngels #NicoleMalachowski #MilitaryTrends #AviationNews #WomenThunderbirds #F35Stealth If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

    45 min
  3. FEB 16

    Finding a Job is Hard, Becoming a Millionaire Has Never Been Easier | Serial Investor Mike Lazerow

    Travis Makes Friends episode featuring serial entrepreneur and investor Mike Lazerow—co-founder of Buddy Media (sold to Salesforce for ~$1B), early Golf.com success story, and seed investor in Liquid Death. Mike shares the raw journey from shoveling snow in DC suburbs to making $1M by 22, surviving dot-com bankruptcies (including buying back Golf.com), investor lawsuits/death threats from friends & family, and the boardroom wisdom of "don't shine the turd." Travis and Mike break down AI's shift from 10x engineers to 10x entrepreneurs, why solo $300-400k a year businesses with 60%+ margins will dominate, and how it's never been easier to hit $1M but never harder to get a job. They cover Liquid Death's origin story, radical honesty in leadership, and why podcasting is the ultimate relationship/networking hack. CHAPTERS 1:01 First dollar: Snow shoveling + pricing psychology 1:58 $1M at 22 with University Wire (pre-crash) 2:23 "Things crash... close to zero" (dot-com lesson) 3:30 Golf.com: Bought for $279k from NBC, sold $25M after bankruptcy buyback 16:02 "Lost everything... friends sued us, one threatened to kill us" 17:36 Post-bankruptcy fundraising desperation 27:26 "DON'T SHINE THE TURD" (became book chapter) 10:48 "Never easier 0→$1M... never harder to get a job" 12:13 Future: $350k/year solo ops, 68% margins 31:44 Liquid Death seed story (from Gary Vee's conference room) 33:43 LD pitch: "Market wellness, not poison" 50:09 "Lacking relationships? Start a podcast" 53:54 Generosity If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

    1h 6m
  4. FEB 9

    The Four Most DANGEROUS Personality Types Exposed By Behavioral Scientist Jon Levy

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Relationships are the most important asset we have in life, and in this episode of Travis Makes Friends, Travis sits down in‑studio with behavioral scientist and author Jon Levy to unpack the science of how to build them intentionally. Jon went from overweight, broke, and hitting snooze every morning to hosting underground dinners and invite‑only events for Olympians, Nobel laureates, Grammy winners, NBA legends, and Fortune 500 executives—and he breaks down the exact psychology behind how he did it. If you’ve ever felt stuck on the outside looking in, this conversation will completely reframe how you think about friends, status, and access. IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: – How your friends’ habits are literally contagious—and why obesity, happiness, divorce, voting, and even income spread through your social network. ​ – Why most people land jobs and big breaks through “loose” or dormant ties, not their closest friends. ​ – The five social pressures high‑status people live under (time, money, access, expertise, clout) and why that makes them so protected. ​ – The four characteristics John uses to actually make friends with influential people: novelty, curated experiences, extreme generosity, and awe. ​ – The origin story of his secret dinners where 12 strangers cook a terrible meal together—before discovering they’ve been chopping onions next to Emmy winners, astronauts, and NBA All‑Stars. ​ – How Travis rebuilt his entire network after leaving a high‑control religious environment and starting from zero. ​ KEY TAKEAWAYS: – Behavior is contagious: your life will start to look like the people you spend the most time with, for better or worse. ​ – Influential people are overwhelmed with asks; the way in is to remove pressure, add value, and create environments they actually want to be in. ​ – Networking feels gross; making friends feels natural—so design experiences that create common ground, shared effort, and repeated exposure. ​ – Novel, emotionally intense moments (including awe) are what cement you in someone’s memory long after the event is over. If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

    1h 15m
  5. FEB 2

    How AI, Sales, and Entrepreneurship Will Build a Better World | Paul Allen & Jeremy Miner

    In this episode of Travis Makes Friends, Travis sits down with Ancestry.com co‑founder Paul Allen and sales legend Jeremy Miner (founder of 7th Level and creator of NEPQ) for a deep dive into entrepreneurship, high‑level sales communication, AI, and the loneliness epidemic. They unpack Paul’s journey from anti‑business academic to tech founder, Jeremy’s path from broke college student to multiple 7‑figure earner, why sales is the most leverageable skill in the world, and how their new AI partnership (Soar + AskJeremy.ai) aims to scale world‑class coaching to millions of people. They also tackle social media addiction, the decline of real friendships, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful, happy life. 00:00 Socialism, sales, and why nothing gets built until something gets sold 03:02 Paul Allen’s path from academia to Ancestry.com and his first tech ventures 06:02 Skipping Harvard Business School, becoming an avid learner, and building info products 09:04 Jeremy Miner’s door to door days and why most sales training is broken 12:01 Reverse engineering resistance and the birth of NEPQ, from 6‑figure summers to 7‑figure years 15:02 Why sales and communication are the fastest way to upgrade your income and career 18:26 Entrepreneurship as a noble calling, value creation, and Paul’s AI‑driven vision for human potential 21:06 Everyone is in sales, non‑sales selling, and changing the perception of salespeople 24:23 Central planning vs markets, entrepreneurship as the real solution to big societal problems 27:09 Framing offers, the picture‑frame analogy, and why perception beats product quality 29:39 Identity framing, “people do who they believe they are,” and reshaping self‑belief 34:51 Why people want a “Jeremy in their ear” and using these tools beyond sales 37:22 Introducing Soar, CliftonStrengths, and building a global human‑potential operating system with AI 41:06 CitizenPortal.ai, AskJeremy.ai, and future portals for founders, faith, and family 45:22 The Soar x Seventh Level partnership and scaling elite sales coaching with AI 50:05 Happiness, achievement, and why relationships matter more than chasing “the pursuit of happiness” 56:24 The loneliness epidemic, social media, and raising kids in a dopamine‑driven world 1:02:15 Creative real world fixes for loneliness and better matching with AI 1:06:02 Communication, fear of judgment, and how systems shape our confidence 1:10:43 What AskJeremy.ai actually does, how to prompt it, and why tonality is the real unlock 1:15:05 DNA, Ancestry, data privacy, and the future of personalized medicine 1:17:44 Final reflections, where to find Paul and Jeremy, and Travis’ “leave every relationship better” mantra ​ If you like this, click subscribe, like and share with a friend. Follow Travis on: Instagram: @travischappell TikTok: @traviscchappell Facebook: /traviscchappell Twitter: @traviscchappell

    1h 18m
5
out of 5
46 Ratings

About

Relationships are the most important asset we have in life. If you'd like to improve your relationships, whether we're talking about your relationship with your partner, your friends, your kids, your professional network, or with yourself, then this is the show for you! After 800 episodes of my top-rated audio podcast, Build Your Network, I decided to start recording my interviews in person so I could share them with all of you on YouTube. In addition to listening on your favorite podcast app, now you can watch my in-depth conversations with exceptional athletes like Shaquille O’Neal, comedians like Dane Cook, entertainers like Rob Dyrdek or Chris Hansen, authors like Dr. Nicole LePera, former presidents like Vicente Fox, or even the occasional FBI hostage negotiator, billionaire real estate mogul, polarizing political figure, or controversial social media influencer. Hit that subscribe button – we're just getting started!

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