Chris Williamson is the host of Modern Wisdom - a podcast that helps listeners understand more about themselves and the world around them through conversations with some of the most interesting humans on the planet. From fitness tips and relationship advice to astronomy and biotechnology, it’s impossible to pigeon hole the show into one particular niche. But that’s part of what makes it so successful.

Recent guests on the show include New York Times bestselling author Jordan Peterson, North Korean human rights activist Yeonmi Park, spiritual teacher Rupert Spira, founder of Farnham Street blog Shane Parrish, and lots more.

Over the past year and half, the show has exploded in popularity. And that’s no exaggeration. It’s gone through a legitimate 10x growth period. When we last spoke with Chris in January 2020, he had around 20k subscribers on his YouTube channel. At the time of recording this episode he now has 217k. So he’s obviously getting something right.

Not only is Chris naturally talented at what he does, as you’ll hear in this interview, he’s also very serious about doing everything he can to continually improve and get better as a podcaster. In this interview, James Deeney speaks with Chris about the mindset, discipline, and strategies needed to be successful as a podcaster. They discuss:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 02:50 - How the pandemic benefited many content creators
• 05:41 - The role genes play in becoming a successful podcaster
• 10:15 - Adopting an athlete’s mindset when it comes to podcasting
• 21:59 - Tips and advice for preparing for interviews 
• 27:36 - How becoming a better interviewer can benefit your everyday life
• 41:15 - Chris’ current audio and video equipment set up
• 45:28 - Strategies & resources for growing your show on YouTube
• 51:02 - How to create and grow a newsletter for your podcast
• 56:22 - Chris’ experience interviewing Jordan Peterson

Selected Links From the Episode

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Watch Chris’ TEDx talk: Embracing Your Weirdness

How do genes influence our behaviour? Robert Plomin, Modern Widom

The Almanak of Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson

Jordan Peterson Reacts To Marvel’s Red Skull Comic, Modern Wisdom

Example of podcast timestamps on YouTube, The Lex Fridman Show

Chris’ Current Equipment Setup

• Sony a6400 camera
• Simga 16mm 1.4 E-mount lens
• Godox 60w Cob light with softbox
• Small LED panel - fill light
• Shure SM7B
• Cloudlifter
• Audiant audio interface
• Dropbox pro account
• eCamm call recorder

30 Days to a Better YouTube Channel, Tim Schmoyer

Part-Time YouTuber Academy, Ali Abdaal