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Diary of a CEO · 2023-04-17

800k Q&A - Diary Of A CEO, Iman Gadzhi & Body Positivity

Chris Williamson answers 800k-subscriber listener questions on dating, masculinity, depression, habits, and his podcast journey, aided by an AI 'Chrisbot'.

800k Q&A - Diary Of A CEO, Iman Gadzhi & Body Positivity
The guest

Chris Williamson: Host of the Modern Wisdom podcast, former club promoter and Love Island contestant turned long-form interviewer known for evolutionary-psychology and self-development conversations.

What this episode covers

This is a solo 800,000-subscriber Q&A episode of Modern Wisdom (the supplied title is misattributed to Diary of a CEO, though that appearance is discussed) in which Chris Williamson works through listener questions from across his platforms. He covers his recent viral Diary of a CEO appearance and the backlash to its dating-market clips, his own anxiety and depression through his 20s, attachment style, and how growing scrutiny affects him as the channel approaches a million subscribers. Recurring threads include intersexual dynamics, why body positivity skews toward women, the manosphere as a coping mechanism, and high relationship expectations. Throughout, he tests an AI model trained on his episodes and blog posts ('Chrisbot') against his own answers, and closes by announcing a live tour and recommending books, products, and Substacks.

Recommended on this episode

BookRecommended

The Kingkiller Chronicle

Patrick Rothfuss

“I love those first two books, it's fantastic I absolutely adore it”
“I love those first two books if you need a fantasy uh Duo it's fantastic I absolutely adore it”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

Essentialism

Greg McKeown

“in terms of books to read um essentialism by Greg McEwen”
“in terms of books to read um essentialism by Greg McEwen way of the superior man by uh David data Atomic Habits by James Clear”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

The Way of the Superior Man

David Deida

“in terms of books to read um way of the superior man by uh David data”
“way of the superior man by uh David data Atomic Habits by James Clear probably something to do with health and fitness”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

Atomic Habits

James Clear

“in terms of books to read um Atomic Habits by James Clear”
“way of the superior man by uh David data Atomic Habits by James Clear probably something to do with health and fitness which would be great”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

The Align Method

Aaron Alexander

“books to read um the Align method by Aaron Alexander”
“the Align method by Aaron Alexander Kelly starrett's new built to move Peter attia's new outlive”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

Built to Move

Kelly Starrett

“books to read um Kelly starrett's new built to move”
“the Align method by Aaron Alexander Kelly starrett's new built to move Peter attia's new outlive”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

Outlive

Peter Attia

“books to read um Peter attia's new outlive”
“the Align method by Aaron Alexander Kelly starrett's new built to move Peter attia's new outlive”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

“Alchemist would probably be in there”
“The Alchemist by Paulo coella got like one and a half right Alchemist would probably be in there”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

The Ape That Understood the Universe

Steve Stewart-Williams

“what else would I put in there the Ape that understood the universe by Steve Stuart Williams”
“the April understood the universe by Steve Stuart Williams and hmm let's say the way of the superior man by David data”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

$100M Offers

Alex Hormozi

“homozy's books bloody hell read those and read 100 million dollar offers”
“homozy's books bloody hell read those and read 100 million dollar offers 100 million dollar deals which is going to be out soon”— Chris Williamson
BookRecommendedISBN verified

$100M Leads

Alex Hormozi

“homozy's books bloody hell read those and read 100 million dollar deals”
“read 100 million dollar offers 100 million dollar deals which is going to be out soon there you go”— Chris Williamson
ProductRecommended

Crocs

Crocs

“I am a complete Croc convert, they are pretty close to an elite type of Footwear”
“I am a complete Croc convert as far as I can see they are pretty close to an elite type of Footwear”— Chris Williamson
ProductRecommended

Vans

Vans

“The perfect two-car garage for me would be Crocs and vans comfy Kush vans, for traveling in unbelievable”
“The perfect two-car garage for me would be Crocs and vans comfy Kush vans so you know also for traveling in unbelievable”— Chris Williamson
ProductRecommended

LMNT (Element)

LMNT

“I take it daily because it is better for you on a morning than a coffee, optimizes your hydration and your appetite and your brain health”
“I take it daily because it is better for you on a morning than a coffee it optimizes your hydration and your appetite and your brain health”— Chris Williamson

Also referenced (named, not recommended)

BookReferenced

The Doors of Stone

Patrick Rothfuss

“thoughts on Patrick rothfuss's kingkiller Trilogy will we ever see part three Doors of Stone”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

The War of Art

Stephen Pressfield

“there's an interesting quote from Stephen pressfield in the war of Art and he says a real writer knows that the writing part isn't the hard part”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle

“number one The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle not bad”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey

“number two The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey never read it”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

“number three How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie never read it”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz

“Number Four The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz read half of it”— Chris Williamson
BookReferencedISBN verified

This Is Your Brain on Birth Control

Dr. Sarah Hill

“this is your brain on birth control by Dr Sarah Hill no guy really in their right mind should be interested in that”— Chris Williamson
ProductReferenced

BetterHelp

BetterHelp

“this would be stuff like athletic greens and uh better help and maybe I don't know what else manscaped”— Chris Williamson

Big reveals from this episode

  • Chris reveals he secretly trained a language model ('Chrisbot') on 250 of his podcast episodes and every blog post he ever wrote.
  • Chrisbot's answer prompts a real decision: Chris commits to reaching out to Iman Gadzhi via a mutual friend to book him on the show.
  • Chris discloses he suffered with anxiety and depression, mostly depression, throughout his 20s, sometimes bed-bound for days at a time.
  • He says fixing his broken sleep pattern resolved a huge amount of his depression, which he had largely been mistaking for sleep deprivation.
  • Reflecting on his Diary of a CEO visit, he says watching Steven Bartlett's team convinced him to relinquish some control and delegate.
  • Chris breaks down his income sources: the podcast, UK rental properties, an S&P tracker ISA, and 'pennies' from Amazon affiliates.
  • He gives his core antidote to social anxiety: no one cares what you're doing, you barely exist in anyone else's universe.

Worth remembering

  • Chris is a self-described 'complete Croc convert' and says his ideal two-shoe lineup is Crocs and Vans.
  • He is good friends with Zane Navratil, the current world number-three ranked men's pickleball player, who he calls 'unplayable'.
  • He argues morning coffee is pointless because the adenosine system isn't active in the first 90 minutes, preferring LMNT first thing.
  • The Stephen Shaw episode on population collapse was the conversation that most shifted his worldview in the past year.
  • He notes his rise was slow, taking half a decade and 600-plus episodes, contrasting with Brett Cooper hitting two million subs in a year.
  • Rather than buying a Rolex or sports car, he flew his whole team and friends to Vegas for a David Goggins trip with Cirque du Soleil.
  • He uses the Zeigarnik effect, leaving a sentence half-finished at day's end so it's easier to restart writing the next morning.
  • He cites research that life-satisfaction gains plateau around $70-80k, with each doubling beyond giving smaller returns.
  • The question he left for the next Diary of a CEO guest, borrowed from George Mack: what overlooked topic will historians study?
  • The Chrisbot was built by Zachary and Miguel from aiship.co.