Episodes

In this episode of the Travis Makes Money Podcast, Travis and producer Eric sit down for a conversation about subscription fatigue, frustrating customer experiences, and a new policy in New York City designed to make canceling subscriptions easier. They discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new click-to-cancel rule, share their own experiences trying to escape unwanted gym memberships and activity-tracking subscriptions, and explore why businesses that make it easy for customers to leave may actually b...

Rakesh Kumar is a professor and John Bardeen Faculty Scholar in computer engineering at the University of Illinois and a renowned expert on semiconductors. His research has helped shape the chips powering the phones, tablets, and computers we use every day, and he has advised chip companies, startups, governments, and intelligence firms. In this episode, Rakesh breaks down the fascinating history of computer chips, explains how advances in chip technology have fueled the AI boom, and explores ho...

In this two-part conversation, Travis Chappell dives into the nuanced decisions couples face around career, parenting, and societal expectations. Picking up from part one, Travis explores what it means to support a partner, balance personal ambition, and navigate cultural pressures around stay-at-home roles, both for women and men. This episode blends practical advice, personal anecdotes, and cultural commentary to help listeners rethink traditional expectations. On this episode we talk about: ...

Celeste Durve is a founder, writer, and speaker exploring the intersection of emotional intelligence, personal development, and modern success. She is the founder and CEO of Viper, a national staffing, talent, and experiential advisory firm, and the creator of Smart is Sexy, a rapidly growing media platform and Substack community with more than 300,000 readers. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Celeste built her business without a college degree or an entrepreneurial background, starting with unpaid...

On this episode of Travis Makes Money, Travis sits down with his in-house producer to unpack how modern couples can navigate money, marriage, and identity when traditional gender roles are flipped or blurred. Drawing on Travis’s own journey with his wife Jackie—from dual incomes to traditional roles and back again—they explore what actually works for a relationship financially and emotionally, beyond cultural or religious expectations. On this episode we talk about: Growing up in patriarchal, ...

Marko Mandaric is a technology entrepreneur and former visual effects artist whose work has appeared in major Hollywood productions, including The Avengers. A self-taught computer enthusiast who built his first computer at nine and sold his first website at eleven, Marko has spent his career turning technical skills into business opportunities. After working in VFX and co-founding a consumer automotive hardware company that shipped products to nine countries, he's now building Sense, a company f...

In this co-hosted episode, Travis and Eric riff on TED vs. TEDx, the evolution of “thought leadership,” and why people love to critique things that have genuinely helped millions. They also dig into how ideas spread today, the difference between real credibility and checkbox credentials, and why simple, boring actions still beat fancy labels when it comes to actually making money. On this episode we talk about: * Whether TED and TEDx talks still matter for credibility in 2026 * Why not all “be...

Julian Blair Baldwin is an author, leadership thinker, and founder of Cohere Leadership Group who helps leaders bridge the gap between their values and their actions. After more than 20 years in corporate leadership, including serving as a senior vice president at a $34 billion company, Julian has developed a framework for building trust, navigating personal growth, and leading with consistency. His book, To Zuri, written as a series of letters to his daughter, explores the lessons he has learne...

Travis Chappell and producer Eric sit down for a conversation about spending money on the things that bring you genuine joy. From vintage James Bond movie posters and signed Star Wars memorabilia to Pokémon cards with the kids, they explore why not every purchase needs to generate a financial return. Travis shares how collecting can reconnect you with childhood interests, create unexpected connections with other people, and even open the door to teaching kids valuable lessons about money, commer...

Dana K. White is the author of Procrastinators Get Stuff Done and Decluttering at the Speed of Life, a Wall Street Journal bestseller with more than 500,000 copies sold. After struggling to manage the clutter in her own home, Dana developed practical, reality-based strategies to help people move from feeling overwhelmed to taking action. Through her five-step anti-procrastination process, she teaches people how to stop overthinking, break big goals into manageable steps, and make meaningful prog...

Travis Chappell and his producer Eric break down one of Jeff Bezos’s biggest business lessons: obsess over the customer experience instead of getting distracted by competitors. From marketing campaigns that miss the point to once-dominant tech companies that failed to evolve, they explore what it takes to build a lasting business. They also discuss why collaboration can be more valuable than competition, how customer-focused messaging wins attention, and what entrepreneurs can learn from the mar...

Brandon Willington is an entrepreneur, marketer, and author of Fuck Your Agency, a book that teaches business owners how to generate their own leads instead of relying on marketing agencies. After starting out as a DJ and music producer, Brandon accidentally built a marketing agency before realizing that most small and medium-sized businesses could get better results by learning to run their own ads. Today, his business helps entrepreneurs master lead generation, landing pages, and sales, with h...

Travis Chappell and producer Eric are back for another episode of the Travis Makes Money Podcast, breaking down the internet’s latest controversies and what they reveal about business, branding, and consumer perception. From a debate over whether sports fans should give caught baseballs to kids to OnlyFans’ attempt to attract mainstream creators, Travis and Eric explore why context matters, how audiences shape a brand’s reputation, and why companies can lose customer trust when they try to be ev...

What if most relationships don't fail because of a lack of love, but because nobody ever taught us how to love well? In this preview episode of Travis Makes Friends, Travis sits down with Jimmy Knowles, who got to a breaking point seven years into his marriage. Only after hitting that rock bottom did he pick up his first book on relationships. One book turned into two years of studying what a strong, healthy partnership actually looks like. Now he wants to know why none of this is taught before ...

Travis Chappell and his producer Eric are back in the studio for a conversation about behavioral science, social proof, marketing, and the internet's obsession with outrage. After reacting to a viral clip featuring behavioral scientist and bestselling author Jon Levy, they explore why familiarity can shape what we trust, buy, and believe. From the Mona Lisa's rise to worldwide fame to the importance of recurring segments in content creation, Travis and Eric unpack how creators and businesses can...

Damon Centola is the Elihu Katz Professor of Communication, Sociology, and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Network Dynamics Group. A pioneering researcher in social networks, behavior change, and collective intelligence, Damon is a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow and the award-winning author of How Behavior Spreads and Change. In his forthcoming book, Good Think, he challenges the conventional wisdom that groupthink is inevitable when people collaborate, revealing how ...

In this episode of the Travis Makes Money Podcast, Travis and producer Eric break down Crumbl Cookies’ reported sales decline and what entrepreneurs can learn from a brand that once rode the post-pandemic boom. They discuss the company’s oversized, indulgent products, controversial marketing decisions, and the influence of health-focused creators calling out popular food brands. Along the way, Travis and Eric debate where criticism crosses the line into unfairly targeting business owners, why co...

Larry Coval is a veteran technology and telecommunications executive who spent nearly four decades leading sales organizations, business units, and billion-dollar operations at companies including AT&T, Telligent Telecom, Epoch Internet, Global Crossing, and Cox Business. Throughout his career, he turned around underperforming teams, drove business growth, and helped develop future executives. Now, he's sharing the lessons he learned from both his successes and failures in his book, Misled: Why ...

In the final segment of this three-part episode, Travis and producer Eric explore the changing ways people socialize, build relationships, and spend their free time. From the decline in alcohol consumption among younger generations to the growing appeal of in-person gatherings, they discuss how the pandemic, remote work, and digital entertainment have reshaped social habits. They also explore business opportunities in creating real-world experiences, from hobby-based communities and social clubs...

Gerry Rich is a veteran Hollywood marketing executive who has helped bring some of the film industry's most memorable movies to audiences. Named one of America's top 100 marketers by Ad Age, Gerry has held marketing leadership roles at Columbia Pictures, Miramax, Paramount Pictures, MGM, and United Artists, and has consulted for Universal. Throughout his decades-long career, he's worked on films including The Crying Game, Reservoir Dogs, GoldenEye, War of the Worlds, and No Time to Die. In his n...

Travis and producer Eric continue to dive into the growing push to unplug from screens and reconnect with real-world experiences. They discuss why younger generations may be pushing back against an increasingly digital world, the downside of endless content consumption, the difference between creating meaningful work and chasing views, and the business opportunities emerging around in-person experiences. On this episode we talk about: The growing trend of unplugging from technology and seeking...

Dub Washington is a funding strategist, credit expert, travel hacker, coach, and mentor who teaches entrepreneurs how to strategically leverage the credit system to build wealth and grow their businesses. After leaving his job as a shipping and receiving warehouse supervisor in 2021, Dub launched a credit-focused ebook and made $10,000 in a single day, kicking off his transition into entrepreneurship. Today, he helps clients build credit, access funding, grow coaching and funding businesses, and...

In this episode, Travis and producer Eric take a closer look at the growing appeal of physical experiences in an increasingly digital world. They discuss the resurgence of bookstores, the value of owning physical books and keeping a journal, and why stepping away from screens can create more meaningful memories and better habits. They also explore the tension between consuming and creating, and how intentionally unplugging can help you become more present. On this episode we talk about: Why phy...

Abhijit Bhaduri is a talent and learning expert who has spent more than two decades helping organizations develop people and navigate a rapidly changing world of work. As Microsoft's former global head of learning and development, he helped shape talent strategy for 230,000 employees, and he previously served as Wipro's first chief learning officer. A prolific writer and author of books including Dreamers and Unicorns and Career 3.0, Abhijit's latest book, A Identity, explores how AI is changing...