#244 Miles Spencer's Journey Through Business and Desert

 About Miles Spencer

Miles Spencer is a seasoned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and adventurer who has spent over three decades mentoring tech founders and building companies that have generated more than 1,100 jobs. 

With three successful digital media exits under his belt, Miles is also the author of the Amazon bestseller A Line in the Sand, inspired by his 1,100-mile expedition through the deserts of the Middle East. 

His unique journey blends business strategy, exploration, and storytelling, offering valuable insights into leadership, resilience, and the power of curiosity.

About this Episode

In this episode, Miles Spencer shares the remarkable experiences that have shaped his life—from building startups and investing in game-changing ideas to trekking across vast deserts in search of deeper meaning. He talks about his early beginnings in Pennsylvania and how his family legacy and deep-rooted curiosity led him to both entrepreneurial and exploratory adventures.

Miles discusses what he’s learned from mentoring startup founders, the importance of solving everyday problems, and how failures taught him more than successes ever could. He also reveals the preparation and mindset needed to take on extreme adventures like scuba diving in the Galapagos and retracing T.E. Lawrence’s historic path across the Middle East.

We dive into the creation of A Line in the Sand, the cultural and historical discoveries along the way, and the lessons that travel and curiosity can teach us about humanity. From exploring global perspectives to understanding shared values across religions and borders, Miles encourages us to remain curious, plan thoughtfully, and always be open to learning from the world around us.

Listeners will walk away inspired by his journey, reminded of the beauty of diverse cultures, and energized to chase their own Green Pill moments.

Quotes

1:39 - I grew up in western Pennsylvania and the one trait that I think I developed there that's continued through the rest of my life has been curiosity — who, what, why, where, when.

3:06 - My experience in mentoring entrepreneurs is very much like mentoring children — it's always more powerful to have someone learn the lesson for themselves.

4:39 - The first thing I look for is an ordinary problem that everyday people are experiencing over and over again across the globe.

5:26 - Sometimes we're too early, sometimes we're too late, sometimes we're just wrong. But we always got a product into the marketplace to see what people felt.

7:00 - In every adventure I've done, it starts with curiosity, followed by research — but eventually, I just need to go and see it with my own eyes.

8:22 - What’s lucky about my stories is that memory fades, so the stories get better.

11:18 - I realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore — this was the Galápagos. These animals are bigger, faster, and sometimes hungrier than humans.

12:31 - I couldn’t get any comfort with what would inspire some people to do this act. I finished Seven Pillars of Wisdom and thought — let's go see it for ourselves.

14:10 - Our trek and the subsequent book really mirror T.E. Lawrence’s journey with the Arab Revolt.

15:59 - This is a region that has layers of commonality and some conflict — but people of different religions and cultures shared a lot of the same traits.

17:38 - With curiosity must come a bit of courage to go outside your comfort zone — and logistics so you can live in the moment.

20:05 - Perhaps the same applies to Dis

The Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/
Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review