Podbit · Modern Wisdom
Ben Askren says that nearly dying didn't reveal that his priorities were wrong — they were already good. What it did was amplify the right things: more patience, more gratitude, deeper faith, and a sharper filter for what deserves his time. He now asks of every opportunity: is this worth time away from my family?
Where this was said
At 26:48 · chapter starts 26:40
One of the most revealing moments of the episode comes when Ben reflects on what he thought about when he was closest to death — had he lived a good life? His honest answer is yes. He was proud of the life he had been living: coaching young wrestlers, running his academies with his brother, loving his wife and children. He didn't need to nearly die to discover that his priorities were misguided, because they weren't. What the experience did do was amplify the things that were already right. [1] — Ben Askren "Ben Askren says that nearly dying didn't reveal that his priorities were wrong — they were already good. What it did was amplify the right …" 26:48 He became more patient. He felt gratitude more acutely. After 16 years of attending church without it fully clicking, he became — in his words — a Christian, not just 'Christian adjacent'. And he began divesting from business investments that required his time but didn't generate real passion, asking every prospective commitment the same question: is this worth time away from my family? Chris draws a parallel with a line from Peaky Blinders: 'Everything after that was extra.' Ben agrees: the extra is what he plans to spend as fully as possible.
The median life expectancy after a double lung transplant is just 6.5 years. Ben Askren rejects this as his benchmark — pointing out that most transplant recipients are elderly and unwell, not ex-professional athletes who were in peak health when disaster struck. His goal is 39 years.
The median life expectancy after a double lung transplant is only 6.5 years, though Ben believes this statistic does not apply to him given his prior health.
The longest living person post double lung transplant has survived 38 years, and Ben Askren has set a goal of surpassing 39 years.
Ben Askren and his brother run 9 wrestling academies across the state of Wisconsin through Aspen Wrestling Academy.
The longest surviving double lung transplant patient lived 38 years. Ben Askren's goal is 39 — which would make him 80. And if stem cell technology for growing personalised organs matures in the next 15–20 years, he's already told his doctor he'll volunteer to be first in line for a second transplant.
Erin Brockovich describes data center expansion as 'a full-on assault' hitting communities across water, electricity, noise, air pollution, and land loss. She calls it the biggest bipartisan conversation she's seen in her 30-year career — and warns that tech companies didn't see the coming backlash.
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Bobby watching a father hold his baby triggered an existential moment: he and Andrew might be missing fatherhood. They priced out adoption ($40K–$70K private, $0–$2K foster care) and briefly considered adopting a child to timeshare like a condo.
In 1950, 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty. Today it's roughly 1 in 10. Capitalism and economic growth did that — nothing else has ever worked at scale. The challenge now isn't generating enough wealth; it's building the political will to distribute it.
The manosphere begins with genuinely useful advice — get fit, be ambitious, find a partner. But it rapidly devolves into dominance, misogyny, and crypto university grifts. The most famous manosphere figures are running $50-a-month Ponzi schemes, exploiting the very loneliness they pretend to cure.
Throughout human history, only 40% of men have ever reproduced. Romantic success has never been guaranteed — it has always required effort, self-development, and resilience. The incel movement's core lie is telling men they're owed something that no man has ever been owed.
The most common word Scott Galloway has heard in his life is no. That's not a failure — it's the mechanism through which great yeses are earned. For shy young men, the path forward is simple: approach people, accept rejection, repeat. Resilience to discomfort is the only real competitive advantage.
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