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The Hard Way With Joe De SenaAuthor: Joe De Sena
Learn the Spartan mindset. Founder & CEO of Spartan Race and NY Times best-selling author, travels the globe seeking and answers authors, academics, athletes, adventurers, entrepreneurs, CEOs and thought leaders. It will shift your thinking, make you laugh and and give you the tools you need. He's on a mission to find the secrets to success in all aspects of life. Not only does Joe interview epic people, he has brought together an amazing panel to break down and analyze every aspect of these interviews. We give you the ultimate blueprint and action steps to assimilating these powerful conversations into your own life. Language: en Genres: Education, Health & Fitness, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Robert Greene on Finding Your Purpose, The 48 Laws of Power, and Life After a Stroke
Episode 38
Tuesday, 13 October, 2026
Robert Greene was 38, living in a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica after years of failed screenplays and dead-end jobs. Everyone around him seemed to be moving forward. He wasn't. Then a chance conversation in Venice, Italy, turned two decades of quiet observation into The 48 Laws of Power, a book that reshaped how a generation thinks about ambition, strategy, and human nature. Joe De Sena sits down with Robert to talk about building a life from nothing, twice. First as a writer who found his path late. Then again after a stroke in 2018 took much of his mobility but left his mind intact. That second rebuild became his newest book, The Law of the Sublime. They cover why years that feel wasted are often preparation in disguise, Sun Tzu's Death Ground principle, and the three-step process Robert prescribes for anyone who feels stuck or left behind: know yourself, experiment through action, and develop skills no machine can replicate. Things You Will Learn: Why being broke and behind at 38 wasn't the end for Robert Greene, and how twenty "wasted" years became the raw material for The 48 Laws of Power. The three-step process Robert uses to get unstuck, starting with a self-knowledge exercise most people skip entirely. Why Sun Tzu's Death Ground principle generates more energy and creativity than any supplement or shortcut. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Life's Task Discovery: Journal about what excited you as a child. Identify what makes you different from everyone around you. Use that as a compass, not someone else's expectations. Skill Stacking Through Experimentation: Don't think your way out of being stuck. Act. Try things connected to your life's task. Learn through doing. The brain is designed to develop through action, not theory. Death Ground (Sun Tzu/33 Strategies of War): When your back is against the wall and there is no safety net, your energy and creativity spike. Manufacture that urgency before life forces it on you. Chapters: 0:00 Intro: Robert Greene and Joe De Sena on strokes, struggle, and 9 million books 0:50 Four applications, four rejections, and the textile department that said yes 4:13 Robert Greene's stroke 12:23 Broke at 38 in a one-bedroom apartment 14:48 Why you have to get off the couch 17:15 The 48 Laws of Power 25:06 The man who fell off a mountain and spent 20 years chasing the feeling 29:00 Sun Tzu's Death Ground 31:33 Three things to do when you are stuck 35:19 The Law of the Sublime Robert Greene is the author of seven bestselling books, including The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature, with over 9 million copies sold in the United States alone. He wrote his first book at 38 after years of failed screenplays, dead-end journalism, and a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica. A chance meeting in Venice, Italy, turned two decades of observation into one of the most influential nonfiction books of the last 30 years. In 2018, a wasp sting triggered a chain of events that led to a stroke, leaving him with limited mobility but full command of his ability to write and think. His eighth book, The Law of the Sublime, comes out of that experience, a book about what it actually means to be alive, written by a man who nearly lost the chance to find out. Connect to Robert: Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/48LawsofPowerbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial/ X: https://x.com/robertgreene
