Lord of the Rings
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas •
This is an episode of Becoming the Main Character, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts...
Scipio Africanus (with Alex Petkas)
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas •
Alex Petkas joins to discuss the great Roman general Scipio Africanus, his relationship with Hanniba...
Joan of Arc
Thu, 10 Jul 2025 20:43:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How Joan of Arc went from a small peasant girl to determining the fate of nations, and what it tells...
Thomas Jefferson (Part 2)
Fri, 04 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Jefferson rebounds from his disastrous and governorship and personal loss to create a political lega...
Thomas Jefferson (Part 1)
Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:22:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Thomas Jefferson overcome failure after failure to become the most significant politician of...
Rome's Revenge: Hannibal Part 2
Fri, 27 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Hannibal Barca was Rome's greatest enemy. What was it about his strategies and leadership style that...
The Rise of Hannibal (Part 1)
Tue, 27 May 2025 03:59:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Hannibal Barca was Rome's greatest enemy. What was it about his strategies and leadership style that...
JS Bach
Mon, 19 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the great composers of all time. What stands out is not only how gre...
The Gangster Philosopher: Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Fri, 02 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Francois de la Rochefoucauld, was an infamous aristocrat who was always scheming, seducing, and figh...
“You Couldn’t Pay Me to Stop” — David Senra on Obsession and Great Founders
Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:10:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
David Senra of the Founders podcast joins to discuss the most important attributes of great founders...
How To Be More High Agency & A Political Plan for Taking Over the World (Free Preview)
Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:56:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On this premium subscriber I talk about how to be more high agency, including how to frame problems,...
Jesus Revisited
Sun, 20 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Jesus of Nazareth was the son of a carpenter. He never traveled further than 150 miles from his home...
Edwin Land (Polaroid Founder)
Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:59:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Polaroid founder Edwin Land is one of the most innovative inventors to have ever lived. Steve Jobs c...
From Orphan to Icon: The Life and Legacy of Coco Chanel
Wed, 26 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Despite an incredibly challenging childhood, Coco Chanel revolutionized women's fashion. The episode...
Donald Trump
Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:42:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Donald Trump: real estate mogul, master marketer, and the most polarizing figure of our time. How di...
Captain Cook
Wed, 26 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Captain Cook was one of the greatest explorers of all time. And he also lived on of the most adventu...
Niccolo Machiavelli
Thu, 13 Feb 2025 18:17:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The name of Machiavelli is synonymous with deceit, oppression, atrocity, and naked power. But his le...
Top 10 Lessons from 100 Episodes of How to Take Over the World
Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:34:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Top lessons from 100 lessons of How to Take Over the World and more than 100 biographies on the grea...
Isaac Newton
Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:00:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Isaac Newton was one of the great geniuses in human history. He established the basic laws of physic...
Charlemagne
Mon, 06 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Charlemagne was a king, emperor, conqueror, reformer, and the father of a united Europe. On this epi...
Lee Kuan Yew
Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:56:37 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Lee Kuan Yew took a crowded, dirty, poor port town, and turned it into one of the world's great citi...
John Williams: The Greatest Film Composer of All Time
Sat, 07 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
John Williams is the brilliant composer behind film scores like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Pott...
Augustus Endnotes and Gladiator II Review
Wed, 27 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
My takeaways and endnotes from the life of Augustus Caesar. Plus a conversation with Alex Petkas, an...
Augustus
Fri, 15 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How does one go about creating the Roman Empire? That is exactly what Caesar Augustus did, and on th...
Dracula (Vlad the Impaler)
Thu, 31 Oct 2024 22:27:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Who was Vlad Dracula, and how did he go from Romanian ruler to blood-sucking monster? On this episod...
The Rise and Fall of Rasputin: Savior or Sorcerer?
Fri, 25 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Grigory Rasputin become a close personal advisor to one of the most powerful people on earth...
How Christianity Took Over the World
Fri, 18 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What was it about Christianity that allowed it to grow from a few dozen believers to a global religi...
Constantine the Great
Thu, 10 Oct 2024 18:00:23 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Constantine the Great united the Roman empire, founded one of the world's great cities, oversaw the ...
Peter (Free Preview)
Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:16:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Simon Peter was Jesus's top guy. But he also denied him three times, and constantly got in trouble f...
Jesus
Wed, 25 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Jesus of Nazareth was the son of a carpenter. He never traveled further than 150 miles from his home...
The Greatest Coach of All Time: John Wooden
Fri, 30 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of how John Wooden won ten national championships on the way to becoming the greatest coac...
Nike Founder Phil Knight
Tue, 06 Aug 2024 23:39:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of how Phil Knight founded one of the great companies - and brands - of all time. ----- Sp...
Michael Jordan
Thu, 25 Jul 2024 18:19:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something, but I can't accept not trying. I can't accept it...
Running Legend Steve Prefontaine
Thu, 18 Jul 2024 22:45:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something be...
Picasso
Thu, 11 Jul 2024 21:36:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
"When I was a child, my mother said to me, If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you a...
The Secret of the American Revolution
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:04:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On this mini-episode, I talk about my combined takeaways from the founding father of the United Stat...
The Franklin Guide (Free Preview)
Wed, 03 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Topics on the Franklin Guide to taking over the world include: How to convince someone of your view...
Benjamin Franklin
Mon, 01 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Benjamin Franklin was one of the greatest scientists, writers, diplomats, and statesmen of all time....
The Hamilton Guide to Taking Over the World (preview)
Wed, 26 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The ten-step guide to being Alexander Hamilton. In the endnotes section, I also discuss: My review...
The Legacy of Alexander Hamilton (Part 2)
Thu, 20 Jun 2024 20:32:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Alexander Hamilton was the greatest and most indispensable of the American founding fathers. On this...
The Rise of Alexander Hamilton (Part 1)
Thu, 13 Jun 2024 20:37:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Alexander Hamilton was the greatest and most indispensable of the American founding fathers. (At lea...
Washington vs Cato with Alex Petkas
Sun, 02 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In this conversation with Alex Petkas of the Cost of Glory podcast, we talk about one of Washington'...
The Washington Guide to Taking Over the World (Free Preview)
Sat, 25 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What was the key to George Washington's success that made him such a beloved president and leader? ...
President George Washington (Part 3)
Mon, 20 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did George Washington shape the future of the United States of America as its first president? I...
George Washington: Revolutionary General (Part 2)
Fri, 10 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
George Washington is one of the most celebrated and beloved leaders of all time. What was it about W...
The Making of George Washington
Fri, 03 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
George Washington is one of the most celebrated and beloved leaders of all time. What was it about W...
The Shackleton Guide to Taking Over the World (Free Preview)
Wed, 24 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What was the key to Ernest Shackleton's success that made him "the greatest leader that ever came on...
Ernest Shackleton: Enduring The Impossible
Mon, 22 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Ernest Shackleton's ship is trapped in Antarctic ice, he and his crew must figure out how to su...
Ask Me Anything + Dune 2 Review (Free Preview)
Fri, 05 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
AMA #1 - I answer questions about obsession vs discipline, where my intro music came from, who is co...
The Caesar Guide to Taking Over the World
Sun, 31 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Why is Julius Caesar one of the greatest men to have ever lived? What made him so remarkable? And ho...
Arnold Schwarzenegger Endnotes (Free Preview)
Wed, 27 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Arnold Schwarzenegger train? What was his approach to failure? Why did he just make things u...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:55:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Bodybuilder. Actor. Governor. Arnold Schwarzenegger has managed to make his way to the top of three ...
How to Start a Country (Network State Review)
Fri, 15 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Want to take over the world? Well, how about we start with a country? On today's episode I review Ba...
John D Rockefeller - Endnotes (Free Preview)
Fri, 01 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Was John Rockefeller a good man or a bad one? What did he do after he retired? How do his charitable...
John D Rockefeller
Sun, 25 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did John D Rockefeller become the richest man of all time, and leverage that wealth into unparal...
MrBeast Endnotes (Free Preview)
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:43:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
More of my takeaways about obsession, cloning yourself, keeping a schedule, and more. --- New Websi...
MrBeast (Interview)
Thu, 08 Feb 2024 11:00:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
To watch this episode on YouTube, tap here: https://youtu.be/xlwwhAeknkA ----- MrBeast joins the po...
Napoleon Endnotes (Free Preview)
Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:00:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In this endnotes episode, I cover Napoleon's psychology, his leadership style, his love life, his ch...
The Reign and Ruin of Napoleon
Sat, 27 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 2 covers the reign and eventual fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, starting shortly after his crowning...
The Rise of Napoleon
Tue, 16 Jan 2024 17:02:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 1 covers the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, tracing his journey from a modest beginning on the isl...
Napoleon Movie Review
Tue, 28 Nov 2023 21:50:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
My review of the Ridley Scott directed movie, Napoleon. I go through what I liked and didn't like, s...
Rasputin
Wed, 22 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE (AND ALL FUTURE BONUS CONTENT) SUBSCRIBE HERE --- Takeoverpod.supercast.com...
Wright Brothers Endnotes
Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:47:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE (AND ALL FUTURE BONUS CONTENT) SUBSCRIBE HERE --- Takeoverpod.supercast.com...
Wright Brothers (Part 2)
Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:22:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 2 covers the the triumph of the Wright Brothers, and how achieved human flight for the first ti...
Wright Brothers (Part 1)
Sun, 22 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 1 covers the the rise of the Wright Brothers, and how they went from frontier bicycle salesmen ...
Genghis Khan Endnotes
Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:08:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE (AND ALL FUTURE BONUS CONTENT) SUBSCRIBE HERE --- Takeoverpod.supercast.com...
Genghis Khan (Part 2)
Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:12:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 2 covers the creation Genghis Khan's empire. It dives deeper into how he led, the strategies he...
Genghis Khan (Part 1)
Thu, 14 Sep 2023 03:19:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Part 1 covers the awe-inspiring ascent of Genghis Khan, the legendary conqueror. Discover how he ove...
Oppenheimer: Movie Review + Endnotes
Wed, 23 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What did the movie Oppenheimer get right? What was historically inaccurate? Did they manage to captu...
Oppenheimer
Wed, 16 Aug
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Learn the true story behind the father of the atomic bomb. This episode explores not only his ground...
Britain's Greatest Hero: Horatio Nelson (Episode 2)
Wed, 19 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Admiral Horatio Nelson's achievements and victories, including The Battle of Copenhagen and the batt...
Britain's Greatest Hero: Horatio Nelson (Episode 1)
Sat, 01 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The early life and the dramatic rise of Admiral Horatio Nelson, a naval hero of Great Britain. Episo...
Mini-Episode: Quid Non and Bloom's Two Sigma Problem
Sat, 17 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Thoughts on Sir Humphrey Gilbert and his motto "Quid Non" and Benjamin Bloom and his famous "two sig...
Steve Jobs (Part 3)
Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:35:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
My notes and takeaways from Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in his own words. ----- Sponsors: F...
Leonardo Da Vinci (Endnotes)
Tue, 30 May 2023 20:57:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The second half of the life of Leonardo Da Vinci - artist, inventor, scientist, writer, playwright, ...
Leonardo Da Vinci (Part 2)
Tue, 23 May 2023 21:44:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The second half of the life of Leonardo Da Vinci - artist, inventor, scientist, writer, playwright, ...
Leonardo Da Vinci (Part 1)
Wed, 19 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The early life and career of Leonardo Da Vinci - artist, inventor, scientist, writer, playwright, an...
William Randolph Hearst (Part 2)
Sun, 26 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The rise of Williams Randolph Hearst as a politician, the expansion of his media empire, the creatio...
William Randolph Hearst (Part 1)
Sat, 11 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The rise of Williams Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst Corporation and the first media magnate....
A Conversation with Alex Petkas of The Cost of Glory
Thu, 02 Mar 2023 19:30:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Hey everyone - next week I'll be back with a normal episode but in the mean time please enjoy this c...
Joan of Arc (Part 2)
Fri, 24 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Joan of Arc's legacy, her greatest attributes, theories on the voices in her head, and more. Please ...
Sulla (Part 1 from The Cost of Glory)
Tue, 07 Feb 2023 16:30:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The life and times of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, as told by Alex Petkas on The Cost of Glory. Fin...
Brigham Young (Part 3) - Interview with John Turner
Sat, 04 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
An interview with Dr. John Turner, professor at George Mason University and biographer of Brigham Yo...
Brigham Young (Part 2)
Fri, 03 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Brigham Young leads his people on a journey into the wilderness and builds a new kingdom in the dese...
Elizabeth II
Tue, 04 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The life and times of Elizabeth II, the late queen of the United Kingdom. Special thank you to our s...
Brigham Young (Part 1)
Fri, 09 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How Brigham Young rose from abject poverty to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ...
Vladimir Putin Part 1 (Updated)
Fri, 27 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Vladimir Putin: Modern day czar, KGB man, billionaire, reformer, autocrat. In part 1, we examine his...
Walt Disney (Part 2)
Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:25:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Walt Disney's rise to greatness, including his creation of Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Disneyland, and...
Walt Disney (Part 1)
Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:45:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Walt Disney's childhood, adolescence, how how he got his start in animation, and his first successes...
Mini-Episode: John Wooden and How to Practice
Sat, 08 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
John Wooden was known as one of the greatest coaches of all time. So why he did he have shorter prac...
Christmas Special
Sat, 25 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of St. Nicholas, plus listener questions!
Napoleon Revisited
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:10:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How exactly was Napoleon able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time? On this episode,...
Alexander the Great: Endnotes
Wed, 08 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Everything you didn't know you needed to know about Alexander the Great. Topics include a brief revi...
Alexander the Great (Part 2)
Fri, 19 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Alexander the Great took his father's kingdom and made it the greatest empire the world had ever see...
Alexander the Great (Part 1)
Mon, 25 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Alexander the Great took his father's kingdom and made it the greatest empire the world had ever see...
SPECIAL: Interview on "If I Was Starting Today"
Wed, 06 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Recently, I was interviewed on the podcast "If I Was Starting Today" by Jim Huffman. He has gracious...
How to Raise a Genius: Laszlo Polgar
Fri, 17 Sep
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Is there a formula for genius? One man thinks that he has found it - and he used it to raise all thr...
Mini-Episode: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Just Work)
Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:58:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This week's mini-episode has two stories and two quotes that all focus on a single theme: Just work....
Philip the Great: Endnotes
Mon, 19 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
All my endnotes on Philip II of Macedon, including: * Who was greater, Philip or Alexander? * Why At...
Philip the Great
Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:58:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Philip II of Macedon is best known as the father of Alexander the Great. But was he an even greater ...
Mansa Musa
Tue, 28 Jul 2020 19:13:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Mansa Musa was possibly the richest man of all time, but there was something that mattered much more...
Frederick Douglass
Fri, 03 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Slave. Runaway. Abolitionist. Orator. Statesman. Legend. On this episode, we explore how Frederick D...
Mini-Episode: The Greatest Poet of All Time: Gerard Manley Hopkins
Fri, 12 Jun
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A short anecdote about the greatest poet of all time, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and why some people mig...
Thomas Edison (Part 3)
Fri, 29 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
All of my Edison notes that didn't make it into Part 1 & Part 2, including: Edison vs. Tesla Ediso...
Thomas Edison (Part 2)
Fri, 22 May
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Thomas Edison rise from obscure origins in a frontier town in Michigan to become the most fa...
Thomas Edison (Part 1)
Sat, 25 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Thomas Edison rise from obscure origins in a frontier town in Michigan to become the most fa...
Mini-Episode: Catherine the Great
Fri, 11 Oct
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did a German girl from a family of little note become one of the most powerful people in the wor...
Mini-Episode: How Steve Jobs Got What He Wanted
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:55:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
This is the first-ever HTTOTW short. These 3-minute in-between-isodes will run during weeks when the...
The Wealthiest Family of All Time - The Rothschilds (Part 2)
Fri, 12 Jul
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did the Rothschilds go from a poor family inhabiting a part-share of a home in a Jewish ghetto t...
The Wealthiest Family of All Time - The Rothschilds (Part 1)
Tue, 05 Mar 2019 10:30:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did the Rothschilds go from a poor family inhabiting a part-share of a home in a Jewish ghetto t...
Julius Caesar (Part 4)
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 21:45:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Check out more at HTTOTW.com or find me on Instagram and Twitter at @HTTOTW.
Julius Caesar (Part 3)
Wed, 18 Apr
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Julius Caesar wraps up his conquest of Gaul and is forced to make the most crucial decision of his l...
Julius Caesar (Part 2)
Fri, 23 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In Gaul, Julius Caesar gives a master class on how to demonstrate leadership and cultivate trust whe...
Julius Caesar (Part 1)
Wed, 14 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the first episode on the life of Julius Caesar, I analyze his rise and some of the fundamental ch...
Vladimir Putin (Part 2)
Fri, 26 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the second episode on the life of Vladimir Putin, I analyze his communication strategy, his vast ...
Vladimir Putin (Part 1)
Tue, 16 Jan 2018 18:38:00 -0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Vladimir Putin: Modern day czar, KGB man, billionaire, reformer, murderer. In part 1, we examine his...
Steve Jobs (Part 2)
Fri, 29 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The second episode on Steve Jobs explores his comeback and extremely successful second act. Again l...
Steve Jobs (Part 1)
Fri, 29 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today we're talking about Steve Jobs, the innovator, businessman, and technologist who has arguably ...
Napoleon Bonaparte
Fri, 29 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today we're talking about Napoleon Bonaparte, the French general, reformer, innovator, and emperor. ...