6: Vanessa Van Edwards on the Science of Charisma and Mastering Human Behavior

The origins of The Buried Life and why the question “What do you want to do before you die?” resonates universally. How fear, of failure, rejection, or what others think, stops most people from chasing their biggest goals. Why accountability partners and writing down your dreams dramatically increase the chances of achieving them. The hidden costs of living on “autopilot” and how to break free from the hamster wheel of daily life. The difference between balance and integration, and how to bring the same energy to personal goals as you do to professional ones. The importance of mental health and giving yourself permission to prioritize fulfillment over expectations.

Breaking into soccer with no roadmap – Hope recalls her early years, when there was no professional women’s league in the U.S. and little institutional support for girls pursuing soccer at a high level. Overcoming setbacks – from losing her father young to almost giving up the sport entirely, Hope explains how resilience became the defining trait of her career. Becoming the best goalkeeper in the world – the training, competitiveness, and drive that carried her to two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup championship. The fight for equal pay – Hope provides an inside look at the lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, what motivated her to take a stand, and the personal and professional consequences she faced for speaking out. Double standards in sports – the stark differences in how aggression, competitiveness, and leadership are praised in men but criticized in women. Financial inequities in soccer – why female players were still being paid a fraction of their male counterparts, even when the women’s team was outperforming the men’s team on the global stage. The media spotlight – the pressure of being expected to succeed not only on the field but also as a public figure, role model, and symbol of the sport. Toxic structures in athletics – Hope shares her perspective on sexism, exploitation, and the ways governing bodies often fail to protect female athletes. Speaking out despite the risks – how she dealt with backlash, criticism, and the weight of pushing against powerful institutions. The global movement for change – why she believes the battles fought in U.S. Soccer helped ignite a larger conversation about equality in women’s sports worldwide.

Paul’s early life, military training, and path into technology and entrepreneurship How survival instincts shaped his ability to see deeper layers of opportunity The role of predictive analytics in business decision-making Why focusing on probability and data leads to smarter strategies His “streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans” model for sustainable business growth Lessons companies can learn from casinos, actuaries, and tech giants like Amazon The difference between chasing revenue and building long-term value Why true wealth is about freedom of time, not just financial success Paul’s mentorship philosophy and what he looks for in the next generation of leaders

Brant introduces Vanessa as the leading expert in interpersonal high performance. How Vanessa turned science journalism into real-world behavioral research. The Fortune 500 CEO face study and how perception of leadership can be measured. Vanessa’s viral experiments on Twitter profiles and profile photos. Splitting The Science of People into B2C (books, courses) and B2B (corporate training, retreats). Why guessing about people skills is costly — and how data removes the guesswork. The “Big Five” scientifically-backed personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism. Understanding and predicting others’ traits to improve relationships at work and in life. How approach motivation and first impressions shape business and personal opportunities. The science behind charisma: gestures, storytelling, and confidence as learnable behaviors. Brant’s reflections on how Vanessa’s work validates what he has taught about confidence and pitching. Practical tips for applying behavioral science to leadership, networking, and persuasion.

The Idea: Social media flipped celebrity economics, but attention is not the same as influence. The Person: Rob Lowe, actor, producer, author, grew from teen idol to enterprise-of-one with staying power. The Opportunities: Brant and Rob break down how brands should vet celebrity partnerships, why the cult of personality rarely moves P&L, and how real influence is built on product, consistency, and trust, not follower counts. Presented by Channelchek, the investor portal for emerging growth companies.

The Idea: Harness the power of A.I. to help advanced cancer patients find alternative treatments that would be next to impossible to discover traditionally. The Person is Mika Newton, the CEO of xCures and a world-renowned expert in the use of A.I. in medicine. Mika is leading a revolution to create technology that puts patients first and leverages the entire medical knowledge database to help each patient. This episode explores how oncologists will leverage technology to better serve their patients and beat cancer and other diseases. Brant Pinvidic interviews xCures CEO Mika Newton

The Idea: In a world where instant gratification, fast food, and the quest for convenience dominate, we’re going to start a service where we box up some grocery store ingredients, deliver it to your door with a recipe card, and expect you to pay us for the privilege of prepping and cooking your own dinner. The Person is Patrick Drake, the co-founder of the #1 box meal service, Hello Fresh. Patrick is one of those founders that sets the bar for what every founder should embody. He had seemingly over-the-top visions grandeur and was willing to sacrifice and stick with it till everything he envisioned materialized. The Opportunities have literally been the creation and growth of the entire subscription box explosion. Brant Pinvidic interviews Hello Fresh co-founder Patrick Drake

The Idea: A supermodel, who’s phone stops ringing with modeling jobs, decides she’s going to create and run a business empire worth billions. Crazy idea? well after meeting The Person: CEO extraordinaire Kathy Ireland, and hearing this you might think that being the model was the crazy idea. The Opportunities Created: are absolutely massive and almost incalculable. In addition to the hundreds of thousandths of jobs, and billions of dollars in the economy, she has inspired women and girls all over the world. Brant Pinvidic interviews supermodel and businesswoman Kathy Ireland

The Idea: is take the most popular and icon mens magazine and had the reins over to the founders 29 year old daughter. The Person is Christie Hefner, one of the most dynamic, interesting, intelligent and thoughtful people you’ll have the pleasure of listening to. She is a joy to be around and force to be reckoned with. The Opportunities were more than 20 years of expanding a brand that created literally thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of revenue; and continued to influence social culture across the all platforms. Brant Pinvidic interviews with Former Playboy Enterprises CEO – Christie Hefner