Missiles, Drugs, and Comedy: Chasing Curiosity and Sharing Boundless Insights from Ideas that Matter

Today, we talk with Marc Hogan, a renowned speaker and psychologist with a pretty interesting path from selling missiles, drugs and cigarettes to stand-up comedy and coaching leaders.

LinkedIn is a funny place.  It can be noisy and isolating like all social media is, but it can also create genuine connections - and that’s how I found Marc.  There was something about what he was saying and how he was saying it that hit me right between the eyes - brutally honest, a bit out there and funny as shit.

Marc talks about getting pulled over by the cops with a truckload of missiles, and realizing maybe he needed a change.  He’s most famous for taking a $1 bet to do a standup routine at the largest comedy festival in the world - a move that led him to psychology and traveling the world speaking to Fortune 500 companies about his unique insights on leadership.

This was so much fun, and left me with a lot to think about around how I spend the remaining years of my career and how I show up with those around me.

Please enjoy, Marc Hogan.

Key takeaways:

• From Missiles to Comedy: Marc’s wild career shift from selling weapons to performing stand-up at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival shows how taking risks can lead to unexpected and rewarding paths.
• The Power of Personality: Marc dives into how understanding your personality traits can shape your success and why some of us are wired for extroversion, while others thrive in quieter roles.
• Psychology in the Workplace: Learn how your "first team" — the family you grew up with — influences your behaviour in teams at work and why it matters for leadership.
• The Myth of the Hero’s Journey: Marc challenges the idea that hard work alone is the key to success and reveals the unseen factors like personality, privilege, and timing that really shape our journeys.
• Conquering Comedy: Hear how Marc tackled the most terrifying form of public speaking—stand-up comedy—at the world’s biggest comedy festival and what it taught him about resilience.
• Why We Don’t Always Get Along: Discover how Marc applies behavioural psychology to help teams and leaders understand and bridge differences, making collaboration more effective.
• Rethinking Success Stories: Marc breaks down why the oversimplified "hero's journey" we see on social media doesn't tell the full story and how embracing nuance can lead to a more honest understanding of success.

Connect With Marc:LinkedInWebsiteLinkedInResources:Taming Tigers by Jim LawlessBooks on Hypnotism by Paul McKenna

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Every other week, join your host Bob Mathers, keynote speaker for conversations designed to push you out of your comfort zone. Each episode delivers boundless insights and ideas that matter by inspiring you to get off autopilot and keep chasing curiosity.