On today’s episode, the tables are tuned and I’m a guest on The Danny Miranda Podcast (@heydannymiranda). Danny is a fantastic interviewer who does incredibly deep research allowing him to ask questions of people that they’ve never been asked before. We sat down together in Los Angeles for this conversation and talked about why I’m obsessed with chasing greatness, the interview I recently did with my wife, how Tony Robbins impacted my life, the morning routine I have for interviewing The Rock, why I think there is a science to interviews, my thoughts on Logan Paul in WWE and much more!
On a lot changing in a year:
“A lot has changed since the last time I spoke to you. We had a really big year, and when I say we, I mean, me and my wife. I didn’t have a wife the last time we spoke, I had a girlfriend, I don’t even think we were engaged yet. So yeah, in the last year, we got engaged, got married, found out we were pregnant, bought a house. And now in May, our daughter is gonna be joining us. So a lot of massive changes. I also turn 40 in May. So a lot of big things are happening. But man, I’m so excited for this next chapter of my life and entering into that chapter of my life with the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.”
On Chris interviewing his wife Rachel:
She had never done an interview before [was she nervous?] Very, very, like I was like, I think this is something I want to do. And she’s like, I don’t know, we’ll see what happens when we get up there. And I packed just the audio equipment. So I packed just the microphones, the XLR cables and the Zoom recorder, put it in my suitcase and I said look when the moment is right, I think we’re going to hit record we’re going to do this. I really want my audience to like know who you are like they’ve been on this journey with me. I mean really since my career started in 2005, but they’ve been on this journey, specifically, since the YouTube channel really got underway 12 years ago, the podcast is almost four years old. And I’ve always kind of let the viewers and the listeners behind the curtain a little bit to see, you know, what is going on in my life. And with all those big announcements that I just listed off, I wanted them to meet my wife, I want them to meet this incredibly important person in my life. So we had just got married, we got married on December 17, this was right before Christmas, we went to the mountains. We went to Idlewild, which is about two hours from here. And it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. It’s just this little mountain town. And we went up there and it was just this beautiful setting. It was me and her and our little chiweenie dog named Luna. And I just hit record, and I didn’t have any questions prepared. I just want to have a conversation and see what would happen. And I’ve been doing this thing in my life for years where I feel like you can never go back and relive moments. And it’s been so important for me to go, I’m just gonna hit record on my phone, and just like usually a video, and just kind of see like, what’s going on right now, like a video diary. And then watch this back in two years or five years ago, oh, man, I thought that was cool at the time, or that was important at the time. And just it’s a snapshot in your life. And I figured this would be like an hour long snapshot of who we are at this exact moment. And I want to make this a yearly thing that we always do.”
On the price to pay for success:
“That is such a great question. And this is, this is why you’re so good at this. Because you ask questions like that. I don’t think it’s a price that you pay, other than I’ve always had a vision for what I wanted to do. And even if it seemed completely out of the realm of possibility, I still kept it on my radar as if this might be possible. And if it’s not, I at least want to go all the way to the end and find out it’s not possible. But if you really think about it, like I grew up in Pickering, Ontario, the fact that I now live in Los Angeles, and I’m able to work in Los Angeles, is crazy to me, you know, I immigrated from Canada to make this happen. So I think it was just the idea that I was clear on what I wanted to do. And you know, I always say vague goals get vague results, so the flip side of that is specific goals get specific results. And no two people’s paths are the same. But if you can go along the way and get over those bumps in the road, get over those hurdles in the road, and figure out your path, then I think you’re going to be really successful.”
On Logan Paul in WWE:
“I think it’s just the fact that he’s doing it at such a high level. Because the bar for a while in pro-wrestling for an outsider to come in was pretty low. And then Bad Bunny came in and crushed it at WrestleMania. So then the bar was like insanely high, because that match was so good. So then Logan Paul came in, all eyes are on him. People, you know, can say what they want about Logan Paul, but whether you love him or you hate him, you feel something about him. And that is the essence of wrestling. Like whether you’re a good guy or a bad guy, it makes you feel something. And so many people wanted Logan Paul to fail. And then he went in and his first match and like knocked it out of the park at WrestleMania last year. And then he had his second match at SummerSlam and was so good. And then he had his match with Roman Reigns. And again, so good, and people went, Okay, well, I don’t like him. But he’s very talented. And the fact that he’s put in the work is so impressive. Obviously, he’s a natural athlete, but he looks the part and is acting the part. And I think that if you’re a wrestling fan, and you’re not respecting what Logan Paul’s doing in the ring, then you’re not really a wrestling fan.”
On if someone is at a crossroads:
“I really think that there’s things in your life that end up leaning, like showing you which way to land. And you really can’t make a wrong decision. Like, whether you make this decision or you make that decision, you’re making the right decision based on the information that’s in front of you. And make the decision based on what you feel in your heart. And don’t be influenced by your family or your friends saying, Actually, you should probably do this thing like you know what feels right. And if you’re a week or a month or two months into and it doesn’t feel right, you can always go back and do the other thing. So I think for me, just you got to listen to your gut. You got to trust it.”
On interview preparation when Interviewing The Rock:
“Usually you are on location somewhere. So I wake up, the gym is a big part of my day. So it’s go to the gym. Sometimes I’ll listen to a podcast that that person has been a guest on and just kind of like get a feel for the conversation. And then it’s just like, specifically write out the questions. A lot of times I would write out topics, but if it’s only got four or five minutes, I want to try to get to an actual question. So the morning routine is, it’s gratitude always, I start the day with three things I’m grateful for that takes like 10 seconds. Everybody should do it, because it really sets the tone for the day. Gym, eat, and then it’s just write out questions. And I’ll go to Google News and go. Alright, so it’s The Rock, for example, what are some big news stories that people are talking about that maybe he hasn’t addressed yet? And I can get his first comment about it? Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll add that in. And there’s been some really cool moments with people like The Rock, for example, where they give us a little piece of advice, or a little piece of news. And you go, Oh, I never would have thought about that if I hadn’t gone on Google News this morning.”
Who inspires Chris Van Vliet:
“You’re inspiring me right now. For sure. You’re inspiring me the fact that you’re chasing after this. Like so much of what I did. And what I still do of like looking for the yes, in every situation, which your podcast is continuing to grow. I know that you have that specific goal of impacting a million people every month, and you’re on your way. And I’m really excited for you about that. So you inspire me, as we sit here right now. I’m just inspired also just by greatness. Like, I’ve always been a football fan. So cool watching the Super Bowl yesterday and seeing the people who are the very best in the world at this. I’m inspired by greatness and seeing people who like excel at things like that, like Tom Brady blows me away with not just the fact that he’s the best in the world. But the fact that he’s 45, and just wrapped up the greatest career as a football player. And he spent more than half his life doing this thing. Like I’m really inspired by people who look to be 1% better, like they’re already so good. And they look to just get 1% better than everyone else.”
Featured image: Danny Miranda
