How to Take Over the World
Anyone who has achieved greatness has, in part, patterned themselves after those who came before. Napoleon learned from Charlemagne, Charlemagne learned from Caesar, and Caesar learned from Alexander the Great. This podcast analyzes the lives of some of the greatest men and women to ever live. By examining their strategies, tactics, mindset, and work habits, How to Take Over the World helps you understand the great ones, so that you can follow in their footsteps.
Episodes
November 20, 2025 • 69 mins
Description
This episode explores the extraordinary life of Ernest Shackleton and the impossible challenges he faced at the edge of the world. Through his failures, decisions, and unbreakable resolve, we uncover timeless lessons on leadership under extreme pressure.
00:00 The Endurance's Final Moments02:19 Introduction to Ernest Shackleton05:32 The Nimrod Expedition and Beyond14:15 Setting Sail and Early Challenges24:27 The Endur...
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November 14, 2025 • 63 mins
The latter half of Cleopatra's life, from the death of Caesar until her own death.00:00 Cleopatra's Fall from Power04:15 Meeting Mark Antony11:00 Cleopatra and Antony's Alliance21:40 The Birth of a New Dynasty29:00 The Donations of Alexandria35:00 The Final Civil War of the Roman Republic38:00 The Battle of Actium43:00 The Aftermath of Actium and Antony's Despair47:38 The Tragic Deaths of Antony and Cleopatra56:30 Cleopatra's Legac...
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November 11, 2025 • 57 mins
Cleopatra took over a kingdom, expanded it, captured the heart of the world's most powerful man, and lived one of the most iconic and controversial lives of all time. On this episode, we explore how she did it.
00:00 Caesar's Egyptian Dilemma
02:40 Introduction to Cleopatra
04:30 Cleopatra's Early Life and Education
14:40 Cleopatra's Rise to Power
24:00 The Encounter with Julius Caesar
31:00 The Siege of Alexandria
34:00 Cle...
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November 8, 2025 • 76 mins
Lee Kuan Yew took a crowded, dirty, poor port town, and turned it into one of the world's great cities. How was he able to lead such an incredible transformation of Singapore?
00:00 Introduction
03:50 Early Life and Education
12:00 The Japanese Occupation and Its Impact
17:30 Post-War Singapore and the Road to Independence
24:45 The People's Action Party and Early Governance
37:30 Operation Coldstore and the Fight Against Com...
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October 31, 2025 • 62 mins
Thoughts on Peter Thiel's Zero to One.
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00:00 Why this episode
05:15 Horizontal vs. Vertical Progress
09:19 The Importance of Startups and Monopolies
23:33 Definite Optimism vs. Indefinite Optimism
37:10 Power Laws and Their Impact
45:58 The Importance of Company Foundations
46:51 Building a Strong Company Culture
50:47 The Role of Vision
51:47 The Cult-Like Nature of Successful Startups
53:21 The Necessity of Sales...
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October 17, 2025 • 46 mins
This episode explores Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy on how to live a life worthy of eternity. It delves into Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence, where one's life would have to be lived over and over again, and asks if such a life would be fulfilling and self-justifying.00:00 Introduction: Measuring a Good Life03:30 Eternal Recurrence: Thought Experiment or Truth?08:30 Nietzsche's Moment of Affirmation13:00 Instinct vs. Re...
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October 7, 2025 • 78 mins
The second half of Nietzsche's life, and his teachings about the superhuman (ubermensch) the last man, and the will to power.
00:00 Nietzsche's Radical Response to the Death of God02:20 Nietzsche's Life and Career06:00 Nietzsche's Views on Nationalism and Antisemitism17:00 Nietzsche's Personal Struggles and Relationships19:00 Nietzsche's Major Works and Philosophical Contributions33:00 Debating the Cause of Nietzsche's Death38:00 ...
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September 22, 2025 • 58 mins
This episode covers the first half of Friedrich Nietzsche's life, his concept "the death of God" and master vs slave morality.
00:00 - Nietzsche's Radical Philosophy
01:20- The Life of Friedrich Nietzsche: Early Years
04:00 - Nietzsche's Academic Journey
08:30 - The Influence of Schopenhauer and Wagner
18:30 - Nietzsche's First Major Work: The Birth of Tragedy
25:39 - The Controversy and Criticism
30:00 - Nietzsche's Non-Sy...
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August 22, 2025 • 50 mins
For centuries, Rome grew unchecked, until one man was able to reverse their fortunes, and free his country. On this episode, we take a look at the story of Arminius, and what it teaches us about how to overcome an unstoppable force.
00:00 Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
03:00 Introduction to Arminius
05:40 Understanding the Germanic Tribes
13:00 Arminius' Early Life and Roman Service
21:00 The Rebellion Begins
25:00 Varus's L...
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August 10, 2025 • 70 mins
Is Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time? Despite not being the winningest player, many people make exactly that argument. What is it about Federer that inspires such admiration, and why can he rightly be called the greatest of all time?
00:00 Introduction: The Enigma of Roger Federer
01:00 Federer's Unique Playfulness
03:45 Early Life and Childhood
05:00 Adolescence and Early Tennis Career
07:30 Struggles and T...
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July 28, 2025 • 262 mins
This is an episode of Becoming the Main Character, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts.
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- The Classical Society.com
- TakeoverPod.Supercast.com - All premium content for just $7/month
- GainsInBulk.com/ben - Use code Ben for 20% off instantized creatine and more
- Speechify.com/ben - Use code Ben for 15% off Speechify premium
- Founders Podcast
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July 15, 2025 • 69 mins
Alex Petkas joins to discuss the great Roman general Scipio Africanus, his relationship with Hannibal, his strategic military victories, and his legacy.
00:00 Introduction and Special Announcement
03:00 Scipio's Background
12:30 The Capture of New Carthage
19:30 Political Maneuvering and the Road to Consul
26:30 The North African Campaign
37:30 The Meeting of Hannibal and Scipio
43:00 Scipio's Political Career and Rivalry w...
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July 10, 2025 • 82 mins
How Joan of Arc went from a small peasant girl to determining the fate of nations, and what it tells us about the power of belief.
0:00 Was Joan a visionary of a schizophrenic?
03:00 Setting the Stage: France in Turmoil
07:00 The English Invasion and the Battle of Agincourt
21: The Siege of Orleans
28:16 Joan's Audacious Letter to the King of England
33:51 Joan's First Victory
40:00 The Turning Point
42:15 March to Reims ...
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July 4, 2025 • 55 mins
Jefferson rebounds from his disastrous and governorship and personal loss to create a political legacy that would define a nation.
00:00 Introduction and Recap
02:30 Jefferson's Role as Ambassador to France
08:00 Jefferson's Return and Political Feuds
15:50 The Formation of Political Parties
23:55 Jefferson's Vice Presidency and Media Strategy
27:45 Jefferson's Election and Hamilton's Influence
30:00 The Evolution of the Dem...
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July 3, 2025 • 52 mins
How did Thomas Jefferson overcome failure after failure to become the most significant politician of the early American Republic? On this episode we examine his habits, tactics, approach, and life up until his service in the Washington administration.
00:00 The Misunderstood President: Thomas Jefferson's Early Failures
02:15 Introduction
04:45 Jefferson's Early Life and Education
09:35 Jefferson's Personal Habits and Philoso...
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June 27, 2025 • 71 mins
Hannibal Barca was Rome's greatest enemy. What was it about his strategies and leadership style that allowed him to haunt Romans' nightmares for centuries?
00:00 Introduction to Hannibal's Legendary Campaign
01:40 Sponsor Message: Gains in Bulk
02:20 Setting the Stage: Hannibal's Underdog Strategy
03:15 Hannibal's Arrival in Italy and Initial Tactics
09:30 The Trebia River Battle: A Crushing Roman Defeat
17:30 Hannibal's Second Gr...
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May 26, 2025 • 63 mins
Hannibal Barca was Rome's greatest enemy. What was it about his strategies and leadership style that allowed him to haunt Romans' nightmares for centuries?
00:00 Hannibal's Blood Oath
02:00 Why Hannibal?
05:45 Carthage - A Brief History
17:30 The Making of Hannibal
28:35 The Rise of Hannibal as a Military Leader
31:45 Hannibal's Early Conquests in Spain
32:15 The Battle of the Tagus River
34:52 Consolidating Power in Spain
40:20 T...
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May 18, 2025 • 84 mins
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the great composers of all time. What stands out is not only how great his music is, but how much of it he wrote. On this episode we look at his story as well as his habits, strategies, and tactics to see how he left such a lasting impact.
00:00 The Impact of Bach's Music
01:30 Introduction to Johann Sebastian Bach
03:30 Bach's Universal Appeal and Religious Devotion
07:45 Bach's Early Life and...
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May 2, 2025 • 37 mins
Francois de la Rochefoucauld, was an infamous aristocrat who was always scheming, seducing, and fighting. He was equally infamous as a philosopher, a forerunner to Nietzsche with a cynical wit.
In this episode, we explore is adventurous life, his dangerous philosophy, and what we can learn from both.
00:00 What is a philosopher?
02:00 A Life of Action and Intrigue
03:00 Introduction
05:03 Early Life and Aristocratic Background
0...
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April 29, 2025 • 118 mins
David Senra of the Founders podcast joins to discuss the most important attributes of great founders, how to find purpose, whether chicken fingers is a worthy dream, and much more!
00:00 Introduction
03:12 Church for Entrepreneurs
06:45 The Power of Consistency and Repetition
18:15 The Importance of AI in Modern Business
39:30 Analyzing Podcast Success
40:15 The Importance of Charisma and Obsession
41:00 Tennis as a Metaph...
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