Bootstrapped Secrets

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868 episodes · showing the newest 200

I Built Every Business I Own by "Copying" Someone

Nov 13, 2026 36 min

I'm not a creative person. Every business I've built — Zip Brander, a supplement company, ClickFunnels, and now Overskill — started the same way: I found who was already winning and I modelled them. This is Episode 2 of Bootstrapped Secrets, and it's about the one skill I've talked about for a decade that almost nobody actually does: funnel hacking. In this episode: the $20 piece of software a guy on Scriptlance built me in college and how I copied Armand Morin's sales page structure to sell it; the supplement company I launched out of spite and how Ed O'Keefe's Marine D3 funnel took it to $20,000 a day; the Porter Stansberry line at a Dan Kennedy event that changed how I think about competition ("the only way to compete with us is to copy us"); why ClickFunnels failed six launches in a row because we were hacking companies playing a different game; and exactly how I'm funnel hacking Lovable, Base44 and the $300-CPA affiliate model right now to build Overskill — with Perplexity doing the digging. The lesson: funnel hack one business and it's plagiarism. Funnel hack ten and it's art. Every week on this show I document what we're actually doing to build our second billion-dollar company, so you can model it for yours. Who are you funnel hacking right now? Tell me in the comments. Want to build something amazing? Get on the Overskill waiting list → https://overskill.com CHAPTERS 0:00 - Cold open: the thing I've done four times 0:35 - Welcome back to Bootstrapped Secrets 1:19 - "Gentlemen, this is a football" — why funnel hacking still wins 1:57 - The wrestler's method: find the best, learn from them 3:35 - Armand Morin and the generator softwares 4:17 - Teleseminars on CD in a van full of wrestlers 5:26 - Belief first: Yoda + the people whose beliefs you want 6:25 - Zip Brander — my first product, built for $20 on Scriptlance 7:12 - My first funnel hack: Armand's sites on one side, mine on the other 8:43 - 150 offers, one process 9:00 - The supplement company I...

How I Found My NEXT Billion-Dollar Business

Oct 30, 2026 30 min

25 years ago I paid a guy in Romania $20 to build my first software product. A decade ago, Todd Dickerson and I bootstrapped ClickFunnels from $0 to over $1 billion in sales without taking a dollar of outside funding. Today we're doing it again, in an AI world. This is Episode 1 of Bootstrapped Secrets. Most entrepreneurs never hit their big break, and it's not because they're not good enough. It's because they're stuck in what I call a level 2 opportunity with a level 10 skill set. In this episode I walk through the pre-journey before ClickFunnels (Zip Brander, 150 funnels, the trip to Kenya I didn't want to take, the one sentence a friend said to me in a safari jeep that changed my life), the morning Leadpages raised $5 million and Todd said "I could build Leadpages today," the hardest decision we made at ClickFunnels [BEN #1 → "the $500M offer we turned down"], the hard years after ClickFunnels 2.0, and how we found our next level 10 opportunity: Overskill. Then the lesson: how to tell whether YOU are in a level 2 opportunity, and why the only way to find your level 10 is to keep putting things into the marketplace until you're ready for it. Every week on this show I'll document what we're actually doing to build our second billion-dollar company, so you can model it for yours. What level is your skill set, and what level is the opportunity you're in? Tell me in the comments – I read them all (seriously). Subscribe for a new episode every other week. Want to build something amazing? Go to https://overskill.com LISTEN ON THE GO Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/00LEXOur6FQjMyd344PWcJ⁠ Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1315130618⁠ CHAPTERS 0:00 - My next billion-dollar business 0:50 - Welcome to Episode 1 1:20 - Who I am: 25 years, 3 books, ClickFunnels 2:31 - The new company: Overskill 3:37 - The pre-journey before ClickFunnels 4:50 - Zip Brander: $20 to a guy in Romania 6:50 - 150 funnels before the one that worked 7:31 - Ken...

Welcome to Bootstrapped Secrets – A New Show From Russell Brunson

Oct 30, 2026 6 min

Welcome to Bootstrapped Secrets — a new podcast and YouTube channel by Russell Brunson. We bootstrapped ClickFunnels from $0 to over $1B in sales with no outside funding. Now we're building our next company, OverSkill, and this show documents it as it happens: what we're launching, what's working, what's failing, and which lessons from the last decade still apply (and which don't). Bootstrapping, funded, or somewhere in between — tell me in the comments where you are and what you're building. New episode every other week. LISTEN ON THE GO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00LEXOur6FQjMyd344PWcJ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1315130618 CHAPTERS 0:00 - Cold open 0:12 - Welcome to Bootstrapped Secrets 0:26 - Marketing In Your Car – how my first podcast started 1:24 - ClickFunnels, Marketing Secrets and the books 2:09 - The rebrands I hated 2:34 - Bootstrapping ClickFunnels from $0 to $1B 3:21 - Burned out – then a new company 4:07 - What this show is 5:03 - Who it's for 5:43 - Bootstrapped or funded – you're welcome here 6:18 - Documenting the second billion 6:34 - Subscribe WHO IS RUSSELL BRUNSON? Co-founder of ClickFunnels, which he and a handful of partners bootstrapped from zero to a billion dollars in sales without venture capital. Author of DotCom Secrets, Expert Secrets and Traffic Secrets. Now building OverSkill — and documenting every step here. CONNECT WITH RUSSELL: 🌎 Website - https://www.russellbrunson.com/home-page 𝕏 Twitter/X - https://x.com/russellbrunson 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/russellbrunson 📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@russellbrunson 👨‍💼 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/russellbrunson 📘 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RussellBrunsonLIVE #BootstrappedSecrets #RussellBrunson #Bootstrapping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Funnel Away: Evolution - How We Scaled ClickFunnels to $1 Billion | #Success - Ep. 138

Jul 27, 2026 1 hr 22 min

Last week I told you the story of everything that led up to launching ClickFunnels — my original “One Funnel Away.” I ended it like the hero coming home victorious with the elixir. But here’s the thing about a hero’s journey: it always has a sequel. And the sequel is where it gets real. This is the final episode of The Russell Brunson Show — I’m winding it down and relaunching as a new podcast called Bootstrap Secrets. So to close it out, I’m giving you part two: “One Funnel Away: Evolution,” the presentation from the last Funnel Hacking Live about how we scaled ClickFunnels past a billion dollars in sales. Not the highlight reel — the real version, with all the ups, the downs, and the moments it nearly fell apart. Key Highlights: ◼️The launch that almost killed the company — two years and every dollar of savings gone, a “reverse launch” that stalled out, and the five failed attempts before one event with Mike Filsaime finally cracked it ◼️The “booth babes” funnel — told I could speak at Traffic & Conversion but couldn’t sell, how Dave Woodward funneled a hallway of people into the most talked-about room at the event (and how Dave hired himself on the spot) ◼️Why DotCom Secrets became “the doctrine of the movement” — the book that finally made people get ClickFunnels, and the explosion from a few hundred members to twelve thousand ◼️The London meltdown — landing overseas to thousands of messages (some of them literal death threats) with ClickFunnels down for hours, and the one thing I did instead of hiding that flipped the whole community from rage to support ◼️Why I turned down $110 million — the private conversation with Moz’s Rand Fishkin about VC money, depression, and control that made me walk away from the check Looking back, none of it was sunshine and roses — and that’s exactly the point. Every high came wrapped in a low I didn’t see coming, and the business only survived because I had a team and a community carrying it with me. Like Gary Halbert sai...

You’re Only One Funnel Away: The Backstory Behind ClickFunnels - #Success - Ep. 137

Jul 20, 2026 57 min

When I was a kid, I mailed 38 hand-stapled sales letters to names I picked at random out of the phone book, absolutely certain I was about to get rich. Zero people responded. That was my very first funnel — and it flopped like almost every one that came after it. I’ve failed at more funnels than anyone I know. And that’s exactly why I eventually found the one that changed everything. This is one of the final episodes of The Russell Brunson Show — I’m sunsetting it (along with most of my other channels) to launch something brand new called Bootstrap Secrets. So to close this chapter, I’m taking you all the way back to the beginning with my original “One Funnel Away” presentation: the full origin story, from late-night infomercials to the funnel that literally saved Christmas, to the one that became ClickFunnels. These are the stories that built ClickFunnels into a billion-dollar empire — the ups and the downs — and this is just the beginning of the story. I actually shared part two recently, but before revealing it I figured a good recap was in order, especially as you get aligned for everything Funnel Hacking Live has in store for you this year. Key Highlights: ◼️The 38-stamp disaster and the infomercial that ruined me for a normal life — how Don Lapre’s “$30 turned into $30,000” classified-ad pitch lit the fuse when I was a kid ◼️The funnel that saved Christmas — broke and one payroll from bankruptcy, hanging Christmas lights in the freezing cold, I blended two ideas into a free-CD offer that pulled 800 buyers and $55K in two weeks ◼️The lesson that turned it into a real business — “until you have continuity, you don’t have a business” — and how ~800 people at $37 a month finally gave me one ◼️Why you’re always “one funnel away” — the up-and-down wave every entrepreneur rides, and why the only way to find the winner is to launch again and again (one funnel-hacker ran a new funnel every week until one became the biggest-selling funnel in history) ◼️The webina...

Come Hang Out Backstage! My New Platform (and the First-Ever Q&A) | #Marketing - Ep. 136

Jul 13, 2026 39 min

I have millions of followers across every platform… and when I go live, maybe 150 people actually see it. Back in the Periscope days, I’d hit “go live” and five or six thousand people would show up instantly, and we’d just hang out — that’s how I really built this community. Then the algorithms changed and quietly took that away. So I built my own way around it. I’m recording this from Bear Lake on our family reunion, and I want to pull back the curtain on something new I built called Backstage Pass — a platform where you follow me, and the second I go live you get pinged and we hang out, no algorithm in the middle. To show you what it’s like, I’m sharing the very first Backstage Pass Q&A, where I answered real questions from real people about offers, pricing, high-ticket, and AI. Think of it as coming backstage after the show to just ask me anything. Key Highlights: ◼️How to pick an offer when you’re scared to commit — why your offer isn’t “till death do us part,” and how to test one that won’t handcuff you (plus Eileen Wilder’s brilliant two-day-event model) ◼️Why you should put out offers even when they might bomb — I’ve had several flop this year and you’d never know, because nobody is watching as closely as you think ◼️The real difference between low, mid, and high ticket — it’s not new frameworks, it’s the experience (the airplane-seat analogy), with Brooke Castillo’s “Model” as the case study: one idea sold as a free podcast, a $300-a-month membership, and an $18K certification ◼️The introvert’s secret to “introducing yourself” online — stop walking up to people; do such cool work that they come to you ◼️Straight answers on what’s next — Overskill, AI Secrets, the Offer Secrets book, and why Funnel Hacking Live AI is the last time we’ll ever do anything like it Here’s the bigger idea underneath all of this: the platforms you rent attention on can change the rules any time they want — and most creators just accept it. The move is to build a direct line...

One Funnel to Rule Them All: How to Find the One That Actually Matters | #Marketing - Ep. 135

Jul 6, 2026 53 min

For years people have asked me the same question: Russell, if you could only build one funnel, what’s the best one? And my answer always frustrates them — it depends. But here’s what almost nobody realizes: inside every business, there’s only ONE funnel that actually matters. You might look at the two hundred funnels I’ve built and think it’s chaos… it’s not. All the rest are just appendages to the one funnel that rules them all. I’m calling in from Lake Powell over the Fourth of July — fireworks, family, the whole thing — and with Funnel Hacking Live AI now about two and a half months out and more than half sold out, I wanted to give you a taste of what that room actually feels like. So I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite presentations from the last FHL: “One Funnel to Rule Them All.” I’ll walk you inside my actual brain — the exact thought process I’d charge you for in a consult — to find the single funnel your whole business should be built around. Key Highlights: ◼️Why the best funnel is always “it depends” — and the mindset shift that every business has just one funnel that rules them all, with everything else as an appendage built to feed it ◼️Gary Halbert’s line that reframes everything — how one idea, “properly exploited,” is worth more than ten lifetimes of hard work… and why most people execute the right idea the wrong way ◼️The night ClickFunnels almost didn’t make it — how I failed to sell it four or five times, then closed half the room at Mike Filsaime’s event with a single Perfect Webinar, and realized the offer was never the problem — the presentation was ◼️The “little hinges, big doors” tweak — the one change Todd made to a thank-you page that turned 2,500 buyers into 7,500 people on $97-a-month recurring ◼️How the “Linchpin” model was really born — webinar to free trial to continuity — and why it’s still the business model I’d build on today Here’s what I hope you take from this: you probably don’t have a traffic problem or a product pr...

We Killed Funnel Hacking Live… But Something Big Is Rising From The Ashes! | #Success - Ep. 134

Jun 29, 2026 30 min

A year and a half ago, I walked off the Funnel Hacking Live stage, took my shoes off, and left them there — the wrestler’s way of saying a career is over. FHL 10 was “The Last Dance,” and I meant it. We shut it down, and I honestly didn’t know if it’d be a year, five years, or forever before we ever did anything like it again. Well, I’ve got news: it’s coming back — once. This September we’re doing a one-time-only encore called Funnel Hacking Live AI! In this episode I take you all the way down memory lane — every FHL from that terrifying first room in Vegas back in 2015 to the last dance — tell you the real reasons we ended it, and explain why AI is the one thing that pulled me back to do this one final time. Key Highlights: ◼️Why I ended Funnel Hacking Live — not because it failed, but because it succeeded… plus the parts nobody talks about (an eleven-presentation marathon, a budget that ballooned past $6 million, and needing space to build what’s next) ◼️The full ten-year timeline — from 600 people and a Ferrari giveaway in Vegas (2015) to the first Two Comma Club award in Dallas, the week-before-Covid Orlando event, and Tony Robbins going seven hours straight ◼️Why AI changed the math — when one person can do the work of ten (or fifty), the old playbook just celebrates the past while the new one gets written somewhere else… so we decided to write it ourselves ◼️What “FHL AI” actually is — a smaller, more intimate one-time encore in a ~2,200-seat Vegas theater (the floor’s already sold out), built around funnels that run themselves and AI systems that scale while you sleep ◼️A first look at “the next phase” — the bigger, different thing I’ve been quietly building behind the scenes, and why I’m choosing this stage to reveal it Here’s the truth: we took our shoes off to figure out what was coming, not to quit. The world that created Funnel Hacking Live doesn’t really exist anymore — AI rewrote it in eighteen months — and the question every entrepreneur has...

The $1,500 Dan Kennedy Course That Quietly Changed My Business | #Success - Ep. 133

Jun 22, 2026 11 min

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPod, he didn’t say “now you can fit fifty songs on a CD instead of ten.” He said CDs are dead — and pulled a thousand songs out of his pocket. That’s not a better product. That’s a new category. And it’s the single idea that changed my business more than almost anything else I’ve ever learned. Welcome back to the vault. Today I’m opening up an actual course from my mentor Dan Kennedy — the one course, out of the forty or fifty I got when I bought his company, that radically changed my life. It’s called Opportunity Concepts, and it taught me the difference between three kinds of offers… and why the one almost nobody leads with is the one that out-converts everything else. I’ll show you exactly how I used it to launch ClickFunnels, and how to weave it into your own value ladder. Key Highlights: ◼️The three offer types — “Repair, Improvement, and New Opportunity” — and why 95% of businesses stay stuck competing on the weakest two ◼️The “-er” test — if you can only describe your offer with a word ending in -er (“faster,” “better,” “cheaper”), you’re selling an improvement… and improvements always lose to new opportunities ◼️How I positioned ClickFunnels as a “new opportunity” — not a better MailChimp or Infusionsoft, but a brand-new thing called a sales funnel — to become a “category of one” ◼️The Steve Jobs move — why “CDs are dead, here’s an iPod” beats “fit more songs on a CD” every single time, and how to run the same play on what you already sell ◼️The value-ladder twist — where new opportunity, improvement, and repair each belong in your funnel (lead with the new opportunity, sell the other two higher up) Here’s what I want you to sit with: most people spend their whole careers trying to be a slightly better version of everyone else — faster, cheaper, smarter — and then wonder why it’s so hard to stand out. The shift isn’t building a better mousetrap. It’s deciding you’re not in the mousetrap business at all. Dan Kennedy cha...

The Propaganda Playbook: AI Politics (Spencer Pratt Spent $0 on AI Ads. Will He Beat the Mayor of LA?) | #Marketing - Ep. 132

Jun 15, 2026 10 min

Spencer Pratt — yes, the guy from The Hills — made a campaign ad with AI for zero dollars. No donors, no consultants, no political machine. And it pulled more views than the entire campaign of the sitting mayor of Los Angeles, who’s backed by hundreds of millions of dollars. The political establishment spent a decade building a system to control who gets attention… and a reality TV star with a laptop just broke it. In this episode I break down exactly how — because the same technique works in your business, not just a mayor’s race. These ads don’t land because they look like political ads; they land because they look like movies. I’ll show you the engine underneath: a 130-year-old idea from French psychologist Gustave Le Bon, the false-belief framework I teach in Expert Secrets, and the uncomfortable line I think all of us have to draw now that anyone can deepfake anyone for free. I’ve lived one side of this — I bootstrapped ClickFunnels against an entire industry that said I couldn’t compete — so I’m not watching this one from the outside. Key Highlights: ◼️The “$0 campaign ad” that beat the machine — how Spencer Pratt and a four-person studio pulled more views than a sitting mayor backed by hundreds of millions, using a free (and Chinese) AI video tool ◼️The Expert Secrets move these ads run on — “breaking false belief patterns”: they don’t argue that politicians care, that the system works, or that you need money to win… they shatter each belief with a story instead of a fact ◼️The entertainment-format trick — why mapping your audience’s favorite movies (Star Wars, The Dark Knight) onto their false beliefs turns an ad into something they’ll actually share ◼️Gustave Le Bon’s 1895 warning — crowds aren’t moved by facts, they’re moved by images… and why AI just handed that weapon to everyone for free ◼️The line I won’t cross — use AI aggressively to compete with people who outspend you, but putting words in politicians’ mouths they never said is where it tips...

The Propaganda Playbook: Fear Machine (Only 28% of Americans Trust the News. Ebola and Hantavirus Headlines Prove Why) | #Marketing - Ep. 131

Jun 8, 2026 10 min

In 2020, something got installed in your brain — a switch. And every time the media needs a click, they flip it, because they know it still works. This week it’s Ebola. Three weeks ago it was hantavirus. The CDC says the risk to Americans is extremely low. The WHO went on camera and said this is not the next Covid. But that’s not what the headlines say… because calm doesn’t get clicks. Fear does. In this episode I show you the machine behind the fear — the funnel, the business model, the exact script. I teach a framework called Hook, Story, Offer, and when I looked at how the media covers these virus stories, I realized they’re running the same three steps I teach marketers… except they’re not selling a product, they’re selling fear. Then I bring in two books — a 1962 warning from French philosopher Jacques Ellul, and my friend Ryan Holiday’s confessions of a media manipulator — to explain not just how they do it, but why. And as a dad, the part that keeps me up at night is who’s paying the price. Key Highlights: ◼️The “Fear Funnel” — how the media runs the same Hook, Story, Offer I teach, except the hook is a scary headline, the story buries the CDC’s “extremely low risk” at the bottom, and the offer is a subscription to your own anxiety ◼️”Pre-propaganda” — Jacques Ellul’s 1962 idea that the most powerful conditioning happens before the message ever arrives… and why Covid installed the switch the word “virus” still flips today ◼️What Ryan Holiday’s “Trust Me, I’m Lying” exposes — the media doesn’t sell information, it sells attention, and the cheapest attention is fear and outrage that bypass rational thought (your amygdala clicks before you do) ◼️The numbers behind a dying industry — media trust falling from 72% in the 1970s to 28% today (just 8% among Republicans), and fear as the last lever that still works ◼️The “Disclosure Test” — the one question to run on your own urgency: if your audience knew exactly how and why you created it, would they still res...

The Propaganda Playbook: AI Doom (They're Paying Influencers $5,000 to Make You Afraid of AI... Here's Why) | #Marketing - Ep. 130

Jun 1, 2026 15 min

A mom makes breakfast in her kitchen, an American flag behind her, and tells you how AI helps her stay organized and why it matters that we keep building it here in the US. It feels like a real person sharing a real opinion. It isn’t. She was paid up to $5,000 to read a script — and she was told specifically not to reveal who was funding it. Once you know that, you can’t watch your feed the same way again. In this episode, I pull apart a campaign that Wired exposed: a $140 million super PAC and its dark-money arm, backed by some of the biggest names in AI, quietly paying lifestyle influencers to make you afraid of China. But I’m not standing on the outside of this looking in. I use AI every single day, I love it, I built an entire challenge around it… and the same companies building the tools I rely on are running a fear campaign to keep me compliant. So I trace the machine all the way back to a Cold War lie most Americans have forgotten — and I hand you the one test I now run on my own marketing to make sure I never end up on the wrong side of that line. Key Highlights: ◼️The “Doom Loop” — how fear creates urgency, urgency creates permission, and permission creates money… and the $500B “Stargate” announcement the whole loop was built to justify ◼️The $140M “Leading the Future” super PAC and its dark-money arm paying influencers $5,000 a video to deliver scripted anti-China talking points — with explicit instructions never to disclose who’s paying ◼️The forgotten 1957 “missile gap” — how defense contractors and a presidential campaign manufactured a Soviet threat the classified briefings proved never existed, running the exact same two-belief playbook ◼️”Manufactured inevitability” — the persuasion move of eliminating every option except the one that profits the seller (build faster… or the enemy wins) ◼️The “Disclosure Test” — the single question to run on your own urgency: if your audience knew exactly how and why you created it, would they still respect yo...

The Propaganda Playbook: Legos (Did Iran Beat America’s $886 Billion Military… With Legos?) | #Marketing - Ep. 129

May 25, 2026 15 min

There’s a moment when you realize the most powerful military in the history of the world just got out-marketed by a group of teenagers with laptops. Not outgunned. Not outspent. Out-marketed. Iran’s $0 propaganda budget — a few Lego figures, some AI rap music, and a couple of memes — pulled more eyeballs and more shares than the Pentagon’s entire $886 billion public affairs operation. And the strangest part? They didn’t invent any of it. The exact techniques they used were written down a hundred years ago… by an American. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I break down what The Wall Street Journal is calling “Lego Ganda” — the AI-generated Lego-style videos out of Iran that ran the table during the 2026 Iran war. I take you back to Edward Bernays’ “Propaganda” (the first-edition copy is sitting on my desk), through Neil Postman’s 1985 warning about entertainment-as-propaganda, and right into the four-part framework I use to decode what just happened. Because the exact playbook a group of anonymous Iranian students just used to humiliate the United States is the same playbook I used twenty years ago to bootstrap a company past a billion dollars in sales without a single dollar of venture capital. Same science. Different story. Key Highlights: ◼️The “Lego Ganda” breakdown — how a group calling themselves Explosive Media racked up millions of views per video, got referenced at Coachella, got their channel pulled by YouTube… and just kept popping back up everywhere else ◼️Bernays’ 1929 “Torches of Freedom” campaign and the cultural-hijacking technique Iran just ran in reverse — using American Legos, American rap, and American memes to undermine the American narrative ◼️Why Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” predicted all of this in 1985 — and why “slop-aganda” (cheap AI content + propaganda) is now the marketing format that beats every legacy media operation ◼️The four-part “Lego Lesson” framework: (1) use the audience’s culture, not yours, (2)...

The Propaganda Playbook: Scam School ($1.7 Trillion in Debt and AI Just Made the Degree Worthless) | #Marketing - Ep. 128

May 18, 2026 15 min

It was Saturday, May 14th, 2005. I was sitting in the middle of a packed auditorium on graduation day from Boise State, and I looked left, I looked right, and I saw hundreds of people with huge smiles on their faces. And I was confused. Not for myself - I’d gone to college for one reason and one reason only, to wrestle - but for them. Because I knew what was about to happen the next morning. Most of them were about to walk into entry-level jobs that wouldn’t pay enough to cover the monthly payments on their student loans. Loans that, by the way, you can’t even discharge in bankruptcy. They follow you forever. And they were smiling about it. This is the episode I’ve been thinking about for months. The idea that you need a college degree to be successful is not a fact - it was manufactured. It was sold to an entire generation by the same system Edward Bernays used to sell wars and cigarettes, and it’s grown into a $1.7 trillion debt machine - more than every credit card in the country combined. And there’s a new piece nobody has fully connected yet: AI just made almost every technical skill colleges still charge $200,000 to teach obsolete, while schools across the country are banning students from using the one tool that actually matters in the modern economy. I walk you through the manufactured-consent history, the moment in my own sophomore-year economics class that built my entire business, the seven skills AI just made worthless, and the framework I now use with my own kids. Key Highlights: ◼️The manufactured-consent history of college - how the post-war GI Bill created a massive customer base for universities, how tuition has gone up roughly 1000% since 1980 while wages stayed flat, and how $1.7 trillion in non-dischargeable student debt became the most successful piece of manufactured consent in American history ◼️The single concept I wrote in my notebook during a sophomore-year economics class that built my entire business - and why every other thing I lear...

The Propaganda Playbook: Scientology (A $380,000 Funnel And 65 Million Written Words) | #Marketing - Ep. 127

May 11, 2026 26 min

The most sophisticated sales funnel ever built isn’t from a tech startup. It’s not Amazon, it’s not Apple, it’s not from any business-school case study you’ve ever read. It’s a religion. The man who built it wasn’t a theologian or a prophet - he was a science fiction writer who held four Guinness World Records, published 65 million words on a custom typewriter with extra keys for common words like “and” and “the” so he could write faster, and engineered a customer journey that starts with a free personality test and ends with a $380,000 offer delivered on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean. This isn’t an episode about what Scientology believes. I’m a Mormon, I’ve got friends who are Scientologists, and I’m not here to debate theology. This is about the architecture of one of the most sophisticated value ladders ever built in human history - and I walk you through every step in the language every entrepreneur in this audience actually speaks. Free lead magnet, $35 tripwire, $11,200-per-grade core offer, $30,000-a-year high ticket back end, a premium tier only deliverable on a boat, and an “unreleased” next level that’s been “coming soon” since 1986. Then I trace their closing technique back to my mentor Dan Kennedy’s “find the bleeding neck” framework, and I show you why all of it actually works using a 1951 book by a longshoreman named Eric Hoffer called The True Believer. Key Highlights: ◼️The complete value-ladder breakdown - the free Oxford Capacity Analysis as the lead magnet, the $35 “throwaway” intro courses as the tripwire, the $11,200-per-grade core offers, OT levels that top out on the Freewinds cruise ship, and OT 9 and OT 10 - the “next level” that’s been coming soon since 1986 ◼️The Jeff Hawkins direct-response case study every entrepreneur should study - $2,000 in production cost that generated $200 million over 35 years, and the Sigmund Freud unconscious-mind trick L. Ron Hubbard built right into the Dianetics cover art ◼️The “Disseminat...

The Propaganda Playbook: AI Fraud (He Made $1.8 Billion With 800 Fake Doctors) | #Marketing - Ep. 126

May 4, 2026 17 min

There’s a moment when the future shows up and the people writing about it forget to check who’s actually building it. The New York Times just profiled a guy who built a $1.8 billion company from a house in LA with two employees and a stack of AI tools. The internet lost its mind. Sam Altman said he wanted to meet him. Inc. ran a glowing follow-up. There was just one problem - the entire customer-acquisition machine was built on more than 800 AI-generated fake doctors selling real weight-loss drugs to real people on Facebook, and the FDA had already sent a warning letter six weeks before the article ran. In this episode, I walk you through what’s actually happening underneath the headlines - fake doctors with profiles claiming to be from Kiev with interests in Bronze Age archaeology, AI-generated before-and-after photos so sloppy that one “patient” has her fingers melted into her phone, FDA warning letters the Times never mentioned, and 1.6 million patient records exposed in a data breach at the clinical partner. Then I trace it back 100 years to Edward Bernays, who invented this exact technique - “manufactured third-party authority” - by getting real doctors to endorse cigarettes and bacon. Same playbook. Same psychology. Same manipulation. Except now AI made it infinitely scalable, infinitely cheaper, and the doctors don’t even have to exist. Key Highlights: ◼️The full $1.8B AI fraud breakdown - 800 fake doctor profiles (including a “Professor Albus Dumbledore”), AI-generated patient photos with fingers melted into phones, 5,000 active Facebook ads, an FDA warning letter the New York Times never mentioned, and a 1.6M-record data breach at the clinical partner ◼️Why Edward Bernays’ 100-year-old “Manufactured Third-Party Authority” technique - the same one that sold cigarettes and bacon - is the exact playbook this company just ran through AI, except infinitely cheaper and scaled to people who never existed ◼️The on-the-record prediction I’m making: the FTC shut...

The Propaganda Playbook: Deepfakes (Why You Can’t Trust What You See Anymore) | #Marketing - Ep. 125

Apr 27, 2026 19 min

There’s a moment when you can’t tell what’s real anymore. You watch a U.S. Senate candidate look right into the camera, speaking clearly, saying words that match things he’s posted online for years - and a few hours later you find out he never sat in that chair, never opened his lips, and never had a single thing to do with the video. That’s not science fiction. That’s a campaign ad that ran in front of millions of voters last week. And once you see what’s actually happening behind it, you can’t unsee it. In this episode, I walk you through five of the AI propaganda moments stacking up right now - and then I introduce you to a French philosopher named Jacques Ellul, who back in 1962, before the internet, before social media, before AI, predicted almost exactly what we’re living through. But here’s where it gets uncomfortable for me. I’m not standing on the outside of this looking in. I use AI every single day in my business, and I’ve run the exact tension Ellul warned about - including one experiment that converted cold traffic perfectly and made my own community feel betrayed. So I share what those experiments taught me, and I give you the 3-question framework I now run every AI-assisted piece of content through. Key Highlights: ◼️The five AI propaganda moments stacking up right now - from deepfake political ads on both sides, to Grok generating 6,700 explicit fake images per hour, to the grandmother scam calls one in four Americans have already received ◼️Why Jacques Ellul’s idea of “sociological propaganda” - written in 1962, before the internet existed - predicts every algorithm and “for you” page running today better than anything Bernays ever wrote ◼️The behind-the-scenes story of two AI ads I tested with my own audience: the deepfake “AI Russell” that converted cold traffic but made warm fans feel betrayed, and the cartoon “Baby Russell” that flipped both ◼️The 3-question framework I now run every AI-assisted piece of content through - the “Amplificatio...

The Propaganda Playbook: OnlyFans (He Made $701 Million - She Made $180 a Month ) | #Marketing - Ep. 124

Apr 20, 2026 22 min

There’s a dangerous moment in marketing… when a lie gets wrapped so tightly in a feel-good story that people don’t just believe it - they defend it. And this week, I couldn’t shake that feeling as I watched the world celebrate someone whose business model quietly reshaped an entire generation. Not through force… but through framing. Because when you learn how to rename something controversial as something virtuous, you don’t have to convince people anymore - they’ll convince themselves. What you’re about to hear isn’t really about OnlyFans, or even the man behind it. It’s about a pattern - a playbook that’s been running for over 100 years. A playbook that turned cigarettes into symbols of freedom… and is now turning exploitation into empowerment. And once you see how it works, you’ll start recognizing it everywhere - in headlines, in culture, and even inside the marketing strategies we use every single day. Key Highlights: ◼️The “Reframe Formula” that transforms harmful products into movements people proudly support ◼️How Edward Bernays’ “Torches of Freedom” campaign mirrors modern creator economy narratives ◼️The hidden data behind OnlyFans: who actually profits… and who pays the real price ◼️The escalation trap - why platforms reward pushing boundaries further and further ◼️The ethical line every entrepreneur must face when using persuasion at scale At the end of the day, this episode isn’t about judging one platform or one person - it’s about understanding the responsibility that comes with influence. Because the same tools that can build billion-dollar companies… can also destroy lives if used the wrong way. The real question is: when you master the art of persuasion, will you use it to reveal truth… or to hide it? ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still...

The Propaganda Playbook: Holy War (How the Pentagon Is Selling a Crusade to American Troops) | #Marketing - Ep. 123

Apr 13, 2026 17 min

There’s a moment when a message stops being information… and starts becoming identity. And when that shift happens, logic doesn’t just lose - it becomes irrelevant. That’s the thread I couldn’t stop pulling on this week. Because what’s unfolding right now isn’t just about war, politics, or headlines… it’s about one of the oldest persuasion frameworks ever created quietly running in real time. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. In this episode, I break down what I call the “Moral Crusade” technique - how leaders take a cause and elevate it into something sacred. Drawing from Gustave Le Bon’s crowd psychology and the origins of modern propaganda, I show you how identity gets fused with belief… and why that fusion is so powerful it can move people beyond reason. Then I bring it back to what we do as entrepreneurs - because the same psychological drivers behind movements, religions, and even wars… are the exact same ones behind the most successful brands and communities in the world. Key Highlights: ◼️The “Sacred Propaganda” framework and why turning a cause into a belief system changes everything ◼️Gustave Le Bon’s 130-year-old discovery about crowds (and why it still runs the world today) ◼️How identity fusion makes people defend ideas like they’re defending themselves ◼️The real reason movements outperform products (and why logic alone never wins) ◼️The 5-part “Identity Stack” I’ve used to build tribes, not just customers At the end of the day, this episode isn’t about agreeing or disagreeing with what’s happening in the world - it’s about recognizing the pattern underneath it. Because once you understand how identity is shaped, you start to see the same mechanics everywhere… in media, in movements, and inside your own marketing. The real question is: are you consciously building something that empowers people… or accidentally creating something that controls them? ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RI...

The Propaganda Playbook: Epstein Files (Why You Know LESS After History's Biggest Document Dump) | #Marketing - Ep. 122

Apr 6, 2026 17 min

Three million pages drop overnight… and somehow, everyone walks away knowing less than they did before. That’s the paradox I couldn’t stop thinking about. Everyone’s arguing over names, sides, and headlines - but they’re missing the real story happening right in front of them. Because when you zoom out, what you’re actually watching isn’t transparency… it’s a masterclass in how information is controlled. And once you see the pattern, you realize this isn’t new - it’s been happening for over a hundred years. In this episode, I break down one of the most powerful persuasion techniques ever created: narrative control. Drawing from the work of Edward Bernays (the father of public relations), I walk you through how the sequence of information - not just the information itself - shapes what people believe. And then I connect it to something way closer to home: your marketing. Because the same exact framework being used to manage global narratives is the one I’ve used to build funnels, create movements, and scale companies to massive levels. Key Highlights: ◼️The 5-step “Narrative Control Sequence” (promise, delay, controlled release, flood, and algorithmic gate) ◼️Why overwhelming people with information can be more effective than hiding it ◼️The real meaning behind “whoever controls the sequence controls the belief” ◼️A wild historical breakdown of how Bernays made the color green fashionable to sell cigarettes ◼️How to ethically apply the same principles inside your funnels, ads, and customer journeys At the end of the day, this episode isn’t about politics or conspiracy theories - it’s about awareness and responsibility. Once you understand how narratives are built, you start to see them everywhere… in the news, in social media, and inside your own business. The real question is: are you intentionally building the world your customers step into… or are you accidentally letting someone else build it for you? ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I...

I Walked Away From My Biggest Event... Then Everything Changed | #Marketing - Ep. 121

Mar 30, 2026 1 hr 10 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I’m sharing something I never thought I’d say again… Funnel Hacking Live is coming back. But to really understand why, you have to go back to why we ended it in the first place. For over a decade, FHL wasn’t just an event - it was the heartbeat of an entire movement. And we chose to walk away from it at its peak. Not because it wasn’t working, but because the world had changed. AI is compressing decades into days, and I knew the old playbook wouldn’t build the future. So I stepped back, created space, and started rebuilding everything from the ground up. What I didn’t expect was what happened next. The community didn’t move on. People kept asking for it, talking about it, missing the connection, the energy, and the transformation. At the same time, I was deep in the trenches discovering something new - how funnel hacking combined with AI is changing everything. Faster launches, higher conversions, smaller teams, bigger impact. And that’s when it clicked… we had to come back. Not as a reunion. Not as nostalgia. But as something completely different - an encore event built for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Key Highlights: ◼️Why we ended Funnel Hacking Live at its peak - and what had to change before it could come back ◼️The official announcement of the Funnel Hacking Live Encore event (and why it’s a one-time experience) ◼️How AI is compressing decades of business growth into days - and why most people are still using it wrong ◼️The breakthrough moment where AI + funnel hacking became the ultimate unfair advantage ◼️Behind-the-scenes examples of campaigns built in hours instead of months - and why they outperform everything At the end of the day, this episode isn’t just about bringing back an event - it’s about stepping into a new era. There are moments in your life where everything shifts… before and after. I believe this is one of those moments for entrepreneurs. The return of Funnel Hacking Live isn’t abo...

The Propaganda Playbook: Iran (How Consent Is Manufactured Before the First Bomb Drops) | #Marketing - Ep. 120

Mar 23, 2026 19 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I’m breaking down something that most people completely miss when they look at big global events. Everyone is arguing about whether a war is right or wrong - but that’s not actually the most important question. The real question is: how did millions of people already agree with it before it even started? I take you behind the scenes of a real-world example and show you exactly how consent is engineered long before any decision is announced. And once you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it. What might surprise you is that the same psychology used to guide public opinion at a massive scale is the exact same psychology behind every great sales funnel, webinar, and presentation. I’ve spent over 20 years studying persuasion - from Edward Bernays to modern-day marketing - and in this episode, I connect the dots between propaganda, influence, and ethical selling. I even break down how I used this exact framework on stage in front of thousands of people to generate millions in sales in just 90 minutes. Key Highlights: ◼️The concept of “manufacturing consent” and how it’s been used for over 100 years to shape public opinion ◼️The 5-step “Consent Ladder” (moral foundation, promise, escalation, emotional lock, and the final move) ◼️Why people rarely make decisions in the moment - and how those decisions are actually pre-engineered ◼️A behind-the-scenes breakdown of how I used the same psychological framework to generate $3M in 90 minutes ◼️The critical difference between manipulation and ethical persuasion - and why intent matters more than technique At the end of the day, this episode isn’t about politics - it’s about awareness. Once you understand how influence really works, you’ll start to see it everywhere… in the news, in marketing, and even in your own decisions. The big question is: does simply knowing the process protect you from it - or are we all still climbing the ladder without realizing it? If you’re an entrep...

Kaley Chu’s Bold Experiment That Took Her From Introvert to International Speaker | #Success - Ep. 119

Mar 16, 2026 31 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I sat down with Kaley Chu, and we talked about one of the most powerful personal transformation stories I’ve heard in a long time. Kaley started out extremely introverted, struggling with confidence after immigrating from Hong Kong to Australia. For years she stayed in a small bubble, avoiding conversations and feeling like she didn’t belong - until one moment of embarrassment in a meeting pushed her to do something radical: schedule 100 lunches with 100 strangers. What started as a simple New Year’s resolution turned into a life-changing experiment. Those lunches didn’t just help her learn how to talk to people - they opened doors to mentors, business partners, and opportunities she never imagined. One connection led to writing a book, which led to her first speaking opportunity, which quickly turned into a full-time career traveling and inspiring audiences around the world. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the fastest way to change your life is to step outside your comfort zone and start connecting with people. Key Highlights: ◼️The “100 Lunches with Strangers” experiment that helped Kaley overcome extreme introversion and build life-changing relationships ◼️How one unexpected connection encouraged her to write a book - which eventually led to her first speaking opportunities ◼️The behind-the-scenes story of how she transitioned from a shy financial planner to a full-time keynote speaker ◼️The difference between keynote presentations, webinars, and TEDx talks - and why a TEDx talk focuses on a single “idea worth spreading” ◼️How Kaley and her team created the Next Top Speaker competition to give everyday people a platform to craft and share their stories We also talk about why speaking is one of the most valuable skills any entrepreneur can develop, how telling your story can unlock opportunities you never expected, and why the people who succeed are the ones who simply make commitments - and keep them. I...

Struggling to Focus While Writing? Adam Leeb’s "Freewrite" is the Solution | #Marketing - Ep. 118

Mar 9, 2026 36 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I sat down with Adam Leeb, the founder of Freewrite, and we went deep into one of the most fascinating product journeys I’ve seen in a long time. If you’ve ever struggled with writing because your brain keeps switching between creating and editing, this conversation is going to hit home. Adam built a completely distraction-free writing device that looks like a modern typewriter - and the whole idea started from a simple conversation about separating the drafting process from editing. What blew my mind is that Adam didn’t set out to build a huge company. He just wanted to make something with his hands. But after a viral moment online and a simple landing page collecting emails, the idea exploded - eventually leading to a Kickstarter launch that took off almost instantly. From working on Wall Street to building hardware from scratch in Asia, Adam’s story is a masterclass in product design, patience, and creating something people genuinely want. Key Highlights: ◼️How a single conversation about “write first, edit later” sparked the idea for a completely new category of writing tools ◼️The viral press moment that sent 100,000+ people to a simple WordPress page and helped generate thousands of email leads before the product even existed ◼️Why dedicated tools can dramatically increase focus (and why laptops are secretly designed to distract you) ◼️The behind-the-scenes process of building a physical product from scratch - including prototypes, tooling, and manufacturing in Asia ◼️How Adam used Kickstarter to validate demand and turn a side project into a real company We also talk about the psychology behind creativity, why separating drafting from editing can dramatically increase your writing output, and how a product designed to do less can actually help you produce more. If you’re an entrepreneur, creator, author, or anyone who struggles to stay focused while writing, this episode will give you a completely different...

Transmuting Desire Into Drive: Napoleon Hill’s Controversial Claim | #Success - Ep. 117

Feb 25, 2026 14 min

Most people skip over the chapter on sexual transmutation in Think and Grow Rich because it feels uncomfortable. I’ll be honest… for years, I did the same thing. But recently, I pulled something fascinating out of my vault - a 1937 issue of Practical Psychology magazine, published the same year Napoleon Hill released Think and Grow Rich. Inside was an article he wrote called “Sex Urge Stimulates Genius.” And it forced me to finally have the conversation most entrepreneurs avoid. Hill makes a bold claim: men seldom succeed before forty - and often not until fifty - because they dissipate their strongest driving force. After studying more than 25,000 people, he believed the highest achievers learned how to redirect their sexual energy instead of constantly releasing it. That idea might sound controversial in today’s world, but the principle underneath it is powerful: if you want extraordinary success, you have to stop chasing pleasure and start channeling energy toward purpose. In this episode, I open up about why this topic makes me uncomfortable… why I avoided teaching it during our Think and Grow Rich Challenge… and why I now believe it’s one of the most misunderstood keys to creativity, drive, and long-term achievement. Key Highlights: ◼️Why Napoleon Hill believed the majority of high achievers don’t “hit their stride” until after forty ◼️The difference between pleasure and fulfillment - and how chasing the wrong one kills momentum ◼️What “transmutation of sexual energy” actually means (without the weird mysticism) ◼️The modern trap of dopamine addiction - from pornography to social media - and how it quietly drains ambition ◼️Lessons from Tim Ferriss’s 30-day “No Beer, No Masturbating” challenge and what happened when people removed instant gratification from their lives At its core, this episode isn’t really about sex. It’s about discipline. It’s about learning to hold tension instead of constantly seeking release. Just like music builds anticipation b...

How I’m Using AI to Outwrite, Outbuild, and Outlaunch My Competition | #Success - Ep. 116

Feb 23, 2026 14 min

Most entrepreneurs are dabbling with AI right now… testing prompts, playing with tools, maybe even writing a few emails with it. But what I’ve realized over the last year is this: AI isn’t just a productivity hack. It’s a force multiplier. And if you learn how to feed it the right context and guide it the right way, it can become the most powerful copywriter, funnel builder, and marketing assistant you’ve ever had. In this episode, I’m recording from my sauna (yes, really) and pulling back the curtain on how I’ve been using AI behind the scenes to write long-form VSLs, build entire challenge funnels, craft 100+ email sequences in hours, and even script full webinars in a single afternoon. I share the exact shift that changed everything for me - from asking AI to “write me a VSL” (and getting garbage) to building a process that produces scripts as good as, or better than, what I could write myself. The result? Some of the highest-converting funnels of my entire career. If you’ve been wondering whether AI is just hype - or the biggest opportunity of our lifetime - this episode will open your eyes to what’s actually possible right now. Key Highlights: ◼️The "500 words of context for every 1 word of output" rule that transformed the quality of my AI-written VSLs ◼️How I wrote three 50-page VSLs in a single day, and why they’re performing at the highest level of my career ◼️The funnel-hacking + AI framework I used to reverse-engineer multiple 8-figure challenges and rebuild them in hours ◼️How we used AI-assisted emails, ads, and scripts to create our highest-converting funnel ever ◼️Why I believe the next billion-dollar companies will be run by tiny teams (or even one person) leveraging AI correctly The game has changed. The speed of creation, the volume of output, and the leverage we now have as entrepreneurs is unlike anything I’ve seen in over two decades online. The old way of building companies - with massive teams, long timelines, and slow execution - is d...

Scaling Online Q&A: Funnels, High Ticket, Ads & More - Part 2 | #Marketing - Ep. 115

Feb 18, 2026 48 min

Most businesses don’t stall because the product is bad. They stall because the architecture can’t handle scale. In Part Two of this live Scaling Online Q&A, I go deeper into the structural shifts that turn a working funnel into a scalable machine. This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how I think through bottlenecks in real time - when webinars flop, when ad costs spike, when only 1% of visitors book a call, or when organic momentum is the only thing holding a funnel together. We talk VSL strategy, certification positioning, SaaS trials, bridge pages, continuity layers, and how to engineer predictable growth instead of riding emotional launch cycles. Key Highlights: ◼️Why certification often outsells coaching - and how to reposition your offer for career-driven buyers ◼️The difference between a Level 1 opportunity and a Level 10 opportunity (and why picking wrong caps your income) ◼️How to fix a funnel when only 1% of visitors book a call (and the exact VSL strategy I use) ◼️Why ad costs always rise over time - and how new angles and new VSLs reset your CPA ◼️How to structure SaaS webinars so prospects use the product live instead of just watching a demo ◼️How to scale paid workshops without depending on high-intensity organic pushes ◼️The real role of AI in writing, testing, and mass-producing new creative at speed This episode is about business architecture. It’s about understanding that scale isn’t luck - it’s structure. When something stops converting, the answer isn’t panic. It’s new messaging, new angles, new front-end positioning, and smarter leverage. If part one was about identifying bottlenecks, part two is about redesigning the machine. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to...

Scaling Online Q&A: Funnels, High Ticket, Ads & More - Part 1 | #Marketing - Ep. 114

Feb 16, 2026 46 min

Most entrepreneurs don’t struggle because their offer is bad. They struggle because they’re trying to scale without understanding the real leverage points. In this episode, I’m sharing Part One of a live Q&A I did at Scaling Online - where real entrepreneurs brought me their biggest growth bottlenecks, and we broke them down in real time. We talked about certifications, continuity, high-ticket vs. memberships, regulated industries, health offers, and how to generate cash fast without burning money on ads. This isn’t theory. These are tactical, practical shifts that can completely change how you look at scaling - especially if you’re mission-driven and trying to grow without losing your identity. Key Highlights: ◼️Why getting someone to pay is often the most powerful way to actually serve them - and how commitment changes everything ◼️How to structure high-ticket + continuity together to reduce churn and create compounding revenue ◼️What to sell first when you already have an audience (and why you should grab the pile of cash in front of you before trying to scale) ◼️How to create a powerful “myth” or lead-in offer - even in industries where you don’t control the core product ◼️The smartest way to generate $10 - 20K in 30 days without relying on ads ◼️How to separate lead generation from regulated services while still building authority and desire ◼️The real KPI you should track daily if you want predictable long-term growth This episode is about understanding leverage. It’s about realizing that scaling isn’t always about more complexity - it’s about making and keeping commitments, increasing volume strategically, and structuring your offers so your business compounds instead of resets every month. In part two, we’ll go deeper into additional Q&A, more advanced scaling questions, and the next layer of strategic decisions that separate businesses that plateau from businesses that truly take off. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show...

Tested Advertising Methods: The Blueprint for Higher Conversions | #Success - Ep. 113

Feb 11, 2026 17 min

Most entrepreneurs think their funnel is broken when it doesn’t convert. But after building funnels for over two decades, I can tell you the truth… ninety-nine percent of the time, the funnel isn’t the problem. The problem is we haven’t done the work of testing. The difference between a funnel that struggles and one that scales to millions usually comes down to a few small changes - tested intentionally and consistently. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I pull a classic out of my vault: Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples. This is one of the foundational books that shaped modern advertising and completely transformed how I look at marketing. I share the story of my very first split test - changing nothing but the color of a headline - and how that simple tweak increased conversions by nearly 27%, instantly giving me a “raise” without more traffic, more ad spend, or more work. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to systematically grow your business instead of gambling on guesses, this episode is your blueprint. Key Highlights: ◼️Why 80% of your ad’s success depends on the headline - and how to structure it so it pulls people into the first paragraph ◼️The exact split-testing framework I use inside ClickFunnels to “give myself a raise” every single day ◼️The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when testing (and why testing more than one variable at a time kills your data) ◼️Why specifics dramatically out-convert generalities - and how one precise headline 3X’d our results ◼️How old-school advertisers risked tens of thousands of dollars per test - and what their discipline can teach us today Testing isn’t just a tactic… it’s a philosophy. It’s the difference between hoping your funnel works and knowing it works. When you understand how to test headlines, offers, and pages the right way, you stop guessing and start engineering growth. John Caples mastered this decades ago, and when you adopt that same mindset, you’ll realize you’re just one spli...

Vanessa Van Edwards on the Hidden Science of Trust, Charisma, and Selling Without Being Salesy | #Marketing - Ep. 112

Feb 9, 2026 47 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I sat down with Vanessa Van Edwards, and I knew right away this conversation was going to hit differently. I’ve been seeing Vanessa everywhere lately, and when she told me she used funnels and webinars to build her business, my mind was blown. She’s a self-described “recovering awkward person” who turned social anxiety, human behavior research, and relentless testing into a global brand - and along the way, she quietly mastered selling without ever feeling salesy. What fascinated me most wasn’t just her success, but how she got there. Vanessa didn’t chase every platform blindly. She studied people the same way we study funnels. She learned what makes someone trust you, listen to you, and ultimately buy from you - and she applied those principles to webinars, content, books, and partnerships. This episode is a masterclass on communication, charisma, and how deeply understanding people can transform your business Key Highlights: ◼️How Vanessa went from failed book launches and quitting her business to rebuilding everything with webinars, funnels, and aggressively helpful content ◼️Why most entrepreneurs aren’t bad at marketing - they’re under-signaling warmth and competence (and how to fix that) ◼️The real reason some webinars convert for years while others flop, and how balancing credibility with likability changes everything ◼️Her unconventional growth strategy of leveraging platforms (not just social media) like Udemy, MasterClass, and email lists she didn’t own ◼️The exact cues - from voice tone to body language - that instantly increase trust when you’re on stage, on video, or on a sales call We also go deep into her books Captivate and Cues, her upcoming work on conversation, and why charisma isn’t something you’re born with - it’s something you can learn, practice, and systemize. If you’re an introverted entrepreneur, a funnel hacker who loves strategy more than small talk, or someone who knows their message...

The One Comma Club Challenge: Day 5 of 5 - Making Success Inevitable | #Marketing - Ep. 111

Feb 4, 2026 1 hr 41 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, everything clicks into place. This is the moment where belief turns into inevitability. After a week of learning funnels, sales, leverage, and speed, today’s focus is on what actually determines whether this time will be different - and why so many smart, capable people get stuck right before the breakthrough. This session isn’t about tactics alone; it’s about identity, commitment, and making the shift from “trying” to deciding. McCall, Kathryn, and I walk you through the six missing keys that stop people from ever reaching their first One Comma Club milestone - and how to remove each one for good. From choosing the right long-term path, to becoming resourceful instead of resource-limited, to selling quietly when you need camouflage, this episode is designed to remove every remaining excuse. We also dive deep into courage - those critical 20 seconds that separate people who talk about success from people who create it - and why community is the final force that makes momentum unstoppable. Key Highlights: ◼️The three paths to scaling your funnel skills - and how to choose the one that fits your life and goals ◼️Why resourcefulness, not resources, is the real unlock to funding your next move ◼️How to sell and land clients privately through DMs when you need discretion or confidence ◼️The power of “20 seconds of insane courage” and why hesitation is more dangerous than failure ◼️How commitment and community turn belief into inevitable results This episode is where everything gets cemented. You’re no longer wondering if funnels, selling, or business can work for you - you’re deciding that they will. When the compass is clear, the excuses are gone, and the courage is activated, momentum becomes unavoidable. This is the point where success stops being a hope and starts becoming a process you can’t unsee. ◼️⁠https://onecommaclub.com⁠ ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the...

The One Comma Club Challenge: Day 4 of 5 - Accelerating Results With Leverage | #Marketing - Ep. 110

Feb 2, 2026 1 hr 50 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, we shift gears from effort to leverage - and focus on the fastest path to results once you understand funnels and selling: speed. Day four of the challenge is all about shortcuts - not the sketchy kind, but the kind that come from stacking the right tools, systems, and leverage so you can move faster without sacrificing quality. This is the day where everything accelerates. Today, McCall and I break down the “Race to the One Comma Club” by pulling the two biggest speed levers in your business: time and price. You’ll see how AI, when used the right way, can drastically reduce the time it takes to build funnels while simultaneously increasing their quality and value. From creating better offers to building entire funnels in minutes—and even adding recurring services your clients will happily pay for—this session shows you how to compress months (or years) of work into days. Key Highlights: ◼️The two speed levers that determine how fast you reach your first One Comma Club milestone ◼️How to use AI the funnel hacker way by feeding it the right “brain,” not generic prompts ◼️Why higher-quality funnels allow you to charge more—and get paid faster ◼️A behind-the-scenes look at AI-powered funnel building that turns hours of work into minutes ◼️How adding a newsletter and traffic system creates recurring revenue and client “stickiness” This episode is where leverage replaces grind. You’re no longer just learning how to build funnels—you’re learning how to scale your effort, your value, and your income at the same time. When you combine the right strategy with the right tools, speed becomes inevitable. And once you feel that momentum, it’s hard to ever go back. ◼️https://onecommaclub.com ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel?...

The One Comma Club Challenge: Day 3 of 5 - Monetizing Your New Skill | #Marketing - Ep. 109

Jan 28, 2026 1 hr 59 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, we tackle the biggest sticking point for almost everyone once momentum starts building: selling. By day three of the challenge, many of you already had leads, conversations, and even people asking about funnels—but the real question was, how do you actually turn this into money without feeling awkward, pushy, or salesy? Today is about removing that fear completely and replacing it with a system that makes selling feel natural, ethical, and simple. I’m joined by McCall Jones for a powerful training that shows you how to get clients without “closing” in the traditional sense. Instead of pressure, scripts, or high-stress sales tactics, she breaks down a clear, repeatable process that helps prospects want to pay you—often before you ever ask. This session is a turning point in the challenge, where funnel building stops being a hobby and starts becoming a real business skill you can monetize with confidence. Key Highlights: ◼️Why most people don’t have a sales problem—they have a sales system problem ◼️How to use a free sample the right way so prospects naturally want more ◼️The “Hit By a Bus” framework for selling without pressure or pitching ◼️How to show value by highlighting before-and-after differences in a funnel ◼️Simple language shifts that turn conversations into paid projects This episode is where everything clicks. You already know there’s demand. You already know you can build the thing. Now you know how to get paid for it—without becoming someone you’re not. Once you understand this approach, selling stops feeling scary and starts feeling like service. And that’s when this whole opportunity really opens up. ◼️https://onecommaclub.com ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools...

The One Comma Club Challenge: Day 2 of 5 - Turning Belief Into Ability | #Marketing - Ep. 108

Jan 26, 2026 2 hr 14 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, we take the next step inside the One Comma Club Challenge by moving from belief into execution. After Day 1, a lot of people took action fast—and many of you suddenly found yourselves with real leads, real conversations, and real pressure to deliver. Today’s training is about removing that overwhelm and showing you exactly what to do when opportunity shows up. This is where we stop talking theory and start building real skills. I’m joined by Catherine Jones for a hands-on workshop that breaks funnel building down into a simple, repeatable system anyone can follow—even if you’ve never designed a page before. Instead of guessing, getting creative, or trying to learn everything at once, we walk through how to model what already works, rebuild proven funnels step by step, and gain confidence by actually doing the work. This is where “I hope I can do this” turns into “I know how to do this.” Key Highlights: ◼️Why most funnels don’t fail because of design—but because people overcomplicate the process ◼️How to recreate a proven funnel step by step without guessing ◼️The six-part SWIPES framework for building high-converting funnels ◼️Why funnel design is the easiest and fastest skill to sell online ◼️How modeling beats creativity when you’re just getting started ◼️Why confidence comes after taking action—not before This episode is where things start to feel real. You’re no longer just learning about funnels—you’re learning how to build them. If the first training showed you what was possible, this one shows you how to make it happen. And once you understand this process, you’ll never look at funnels, websites, or online opportunities the same way again. ◼️https://onecommaclub.com ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFun...

The One Comma Club Challenge: Day 1 of 5 - Building Belief First | #Marketing - Ep. 107

Jan 21, 2026 1 hr 23 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I’m bringing you the first training from a brand-new series inside the One Comma Club Challenge, where I break down the fastest and most realistic path to earning your first $1,000 online. This isn’t about building a massive business, chasing big visions, or learning dozens of skills at once. It’s about belief, momentum, and getting that first win that proves this actually works. I share why your first small success matters more than any future milestone, and how that single moment of proof can permanently change how you see yourself as an entrepreneur. Throughout this opening training, I lay the foundation for everything that’s coming next in the challenge. You’ll hear why most people stall out by trying to “build a business” instead of becoming valuable first, and why mastering one highly profitable skill—funnel building—creates immediate leverage in almost any market. With personal stories, real-world examples, and a clear roadmap, I explain how becoming a rainmaker for other businesses is often the shortest path to income, confidence, and long-term opportunity in a rapidly changing economy. Key Highlights: ◼️Why the first $1,000 is the most important milestone in entrepreneurship ◼️How the One Comma Club represents belief, momentum, and proof ◼️Why building funnels for other people is the fastest path to income ◼️What it means to become a “rainmaker” in any business or industry ◼️Why mastering one funnel beats trying to master every business model ◼️How small wins create the confidence most people are missing This episode sets the stage for the entire One Comma Club Challenge, and it’s just the beginning. Your first win won’t make you rich—but it will change what you believe is possible. Get excited, stay focused, and be ready, because in the next episode we dive into the next training where we start installing the actual skill set that turns belief into real results. ◼️https://onecommaclub.com ◼️If you’ve...

The One Comma Club Challenge: The Real Starting Point for Making Money Online | #Marketing - Ep. 106

Jan 19, 2026 9 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I wanted to give you a little behind-the-scenes context for what we’re about to do and why I’m so excited about the One Comma Club Challenge. Over the years, I’ve talked a lot about being “one funnel away,” and I’ve lived it myself — through the ups, the downs, the wins, and the moments where nothing seems to work. This episode is me pulling back the curtain on what I’ve been working on, why this challenge exists, and who it’s really for. I’m not teaching the process yet — that’s coming over the next few episodes as I share recordings from the live challenge — but I am sharing the thinking behind it. Why making your first comma matters, why most people don’t need more tactics, more funnels, or more platforms, and why giving yourself proof that this works is often the thing that changes everything. Key Highlights: ◼️Why I believe one funnel can still change the entire direction of your business ◼️What inspired me to create the One Comma Club Challenge ◼️How I rethought the structure of this challenge after studying what actually works If you’re at the beginning of your journey, or you’ve been stuck trying to get something to work and wondering if you’re crazy, this is for you. I built the One Comma Club Challenge to help you get proof — real proof — that you can make money online. If you want to come hang out with us live, go to https://onecommaclub.com and join the challenge. I’ll be there every day, going all in to help you get your first comma. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to launch TODAY → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clickfunnels.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drifter vs. the Driven: Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back - Part 2 | #Success - Ep. 105

Jan 14, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Welcome to part two of my drifter vs. driven presentation. This is where everything clicks—and where things get uncomfortable in the best way possible. In part one, I helped you recognize where drifting starts and why so many people feel stuck even though they’re working hard. In this episode, I walk you through how driven people actually break free from those patterns. This isn’t a hype talk. This is about identity, belief, and the internal systems that quietly control your behavior. I share the frameworks I’ve used in wrestling, business, and life to move forward when fear, resistance, and old habits try to pull you back. If you’ve ever felt like you know you’re capable of more but can’t quite access it, this episode will show you why. Key Highlights: ◼️Why the most powerful driven identity you can adopt is becoming the learner—and why it’s completely anti-fragile ◼️How clarifying your values creates real motivation instead of relying on willpower ◼️Why having a definite purpose is the true dividing line between drifters and driven people ◼️How resistance is proof you’re on the right path, not a sign to stop ◼️Why rules, standards, and guardrails matter more than motivation ◼️The only belief that truly matters—and why you don’t need talent, luck, or special gifts to win Drifting doesn’t happen because you’re lazy or broken. It happens because unconscious patterns are running your life. In this episode, I show you how to surface those patterns, replace them with faith-driven systems, and start moving forward on purpose. If part one helped you see where you’ve been drifting, part two gives you the framework to become driven. Listen closely—because once you understand this, it becomes almost impossible to keep playing small. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFu...

Drifter vs. the Driven: Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back - Part 1 | #Success - Ep. 104

Jan 12, 2026 1 hr 2 min

Most people don’t fail because they lack talent, opportunity, or intelligence. They fail because they drift. In this special midnight mastermind session recorded live at Mastermind in Paradise, I share a concept I’ve been wrestling with for years: the difference between drifters and the driven. This isn’t a motivational talk. It’s a deep psychological breakdown of why so many capable people stall out—and how a subtle habit of drifting quietly takes control of nearly every area of life. This is Part one of a two-part series, and it’s where I trace this idea back to Napoleon Hill’s Outwitting the Devil. I break down the forces of fear, faith, and hypnotic rhythm, and how they shape your decisions long before you’re even aware of them. If you’ve ever felt busy but not progressing, committed but stuck, this episode will help you see exactly where your momentum breaks—and how to start taking it back. Key Highlights: ◼️What “drifting” really means and why Napoleon Hill believed it controlled 98% of people ◼️How fear works at the subconscious level to sabotage decisions before you consciously make them ◼️The difference between faith-driven action and fear-based hesitation ◼️Why habits—not circumstances—determine whether someone becomes driven or disappears ◼️How hypnotic rhythm locks people into patterns of failure or success ◼️The ten drifter identities and how to recognize the one you default to under pressure This episode lays the foundation for understanding why willpower alone never creates lasting change. I show how drifting is learned, reinforced, and normalized—and how driven individuals interrupt those patterns to reclaim control of their future. Part one is about awareness, identity, and breaking free from unconscious momentum. In Part two, I’ll go deeper into how to reprogram those patterns, replace fear with faith, and deliberately build the rhythms that create real, sustained progress. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show yo...

The Science of Scaling with Dr. Benjamin Hardy - Part 2 | #Success - Ep. 103

Jan 7, 2026 58 min

Part one of this two part series with Dr. Benjamin Hardy here on The Russell Brunson Show reframed how scaling actually works. Part two forces the decisions most people avoid. In this episode, Dr. Hardy challenges the comfort zones that quietly cap growth. This conversation is about the choices that separate people who stay busy from those who actually scale. It’s about why bigger futures demand cleaner focus, fewer priorities, and the courage to let go of paths that no longer fit. If you have ever felt like you’re doing a lot but still hitting an invisible ceiling, this episode explains why. Key Highlights: ◼️Why impossible goals force clarity by eliminating dead-end paths, complexity, and unfocused effort ◼️How stretch goals shift attention away from old routines and toward entirely new strategies and partnerships ◼️The danger of optimizing for activity instead of results and how systems always produce what they’re designed for ◼️Why scaling requires applying the power law by finding one “super who” instead of doing linear work yourself ◼️How raising your floor means letting go of good opportunities, old identities, and even businesses you love The real danger is not failing. It’s staying successful at a level that no longer matches your potential. This episode will push you to question what you’re holding onto, what you’re tolerating, and what needs to change if you want a different future. If part one helped you see the problem, part two gives you the pressure to act! Listen closely, because once you hear this, it becomes much harder to keep playing small! ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to launch TODAY → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clickfunnels.com/podcast Learn more about your...

The Science of Scaling with Dr. Benjamin Hardy - Part 1 | #Success - Ep. 102

Jan 5, 2026 56 min

Scaling does not start with tactics, systems, or working harder. It starts with how you think about the future. In part one of this two-part series, I share a powerful presentation from Dr. Benjamin Hardy given at Mastermind in Paradise right after the release of his book The Science of Scaling. This session goes deep into the psychology behind growth and why most entrepreneurs stay stuck not because of external limits, but because of the goals they choose and the timelines they attach to them. This episode of The Russell Brunson Show is not about what to scale. It is about how your future goals shape your present behavior, your decisions, and the systems you build. If you feel busy but not moving, ambitious but capped, this conversation will reframe how you think about growth entirely. Key Highlights: ◼️Why the future you commit to shapes your psychology more than your past ever could ◼️How Viktor Frankl’s work on meaning explains why people lose traction without a compelling future goal ◼️The difference between linear growth and true scaling, and why most businesses unknowingly optimize for the wrong path ◼️How raising your goal forces you to simplify your business by stripping out noise, dead ends, and false requirements ◼️How “frame,” “floor,” and “focus” shape your ability to grow, and why raising your floor matters more than most people think In this first session, Ben lays the psychological foundation for everything that follows. He shows how goals are tools, not judgments, and how a bigger future helps you see clearly what no longer belongs in your present. This episode will challenge the way you think about time, ambition, and growth, and it sets the stage for the strategic decisions explored in part two. Stay tuned for Part Two, where the conversation moves deeper into execution, accountability, and building systems that can actually scale. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register f...

Propaganda and the Shocking Science and Psychology of Persuasion | #Marketing - Ep. 101

Dec 31, 2025 49 min

I want you to listen to this episode of The Russell Brunson Show with a different level of awareness. This is not just a breakdown of a video sales letter or a history lesson. It is the story of how persuasion actually works, where it came from, and why almost everything you see in marketing, politics, and media today traces back to a single hidden lineage. This episode walks through the uncomfortable truth behind influence and why understanding it is no longer optional if you want to build, sell, or lead in a world driven by attention. Key Highlights: ◼️How Sigmund Freud uncovered the unconscious drivers of human behavior and why those discoveries terrified him when they were used at scale ◼️How Edward Bernays weaponized Freud’s work, shifted advertising from logic to emotion, and created modern propaganda through desire and identity ◼️Why Bernays believed democracy required manipulation and how his book Propaganda openly explains the engineering of consent ◼️How Dan Kennedy took Bernays’ ideas even deeper, refining persuasion into systems that influence high level decision makers, not just the masses ◼️Why these same psychological frameworks still drive webinars, VSLs, funnels, and buying behavior today, whether people realize it or not The reason this matters is simple. These tools exist. They have shaped the last century of buying, believing, and behaving. You can either stay unaware and be influenced by them, or you can understand how they work and choose how to use them ethically in your own business. This episode is about pulling back the curtain so you can finally see the system behind persuasion and decide what role you want to play inside it. ◼️If you want to watch the full Bernays presentation I reference in this episode, you can find it here: https://secretsofpropaganda.com◼️And if you want access to the event I mention at the end, including the Propaganda book bonus, the link shared in the episode is: https://secretsofpropaganda.com/buy ◼️If yo...

Leveling Up and Leaving the Old Version of Yourself Behind | #Success - Ep. 100

Dec 29, 2025 34 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I share a raw, unscripted talk from a private mastermind where I break down what it actually takes to level up in business and in life. This is not about tactics, funnels, or hacks. It is about the internal shifts, humility, and skill rebuilding required when the old version of you can no longer take you where you want to go. Through personal stories from wrestling, entrepreneurship, faith, and leadership, I explain why growth feels uncomfortable and why that discomfort is often the signal that you are on the right path. Rather than teaching another framework, I’m walking you through the psychological and emotional realities of moving from one level to the next, and why most people stall out when their ego refuses to let go of past success. Key Highlights: ◼️Why every new level of success requires abandoning the skill sets that previously worked ◼️How the Hero’s Journey explains personal growth, plateaus, and the need to leave the “ordinary world” ◼️Why ego and attachment to past wins are often the biggest blockers to scaling ◼️The difference between technical growth and internal readiness for the next level ◼️How humility, reflection, and learning from others unlock the next phase of progress Real growth does not come from doing more of what already worked, but from being willing to relearn, rebuild, and let go of the identity tied to past achievements. This episode is a reminder that leveling up is less about external strategy and more about who you are willing to become in order to move forward. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to launch TODAY → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clickfunnels.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Rich Schefren Reveals the AI System That Eliminates Self-Sabotage and Accelerates Growth | #Success - Ep. 99

Dec 24, 2025 38 min

Most people are using AI as a faster tool for writing copy, building funnels, or answering questions. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, Rich Schefren shows why that barely scratches the surface. What he shares is not about productivity hacks or clever prompts. It is about building an AI that knows you so deeply it can help you overcome lifelong patterns, blind spots, and self-sabotage in ways no coach, mastermind, or system ever could. Rich walks through how feeding his entire life into AI fundamentally changed his business, health, relationships, and sense of purpose. This conversation goes far beyond marketing or technology. It is about identity, execution, and becoming the highest version of yourself faster than you thought possible. Rich explains how an AI that understands your psychology, habits, fears, and strengths can challenge your thinking, expand your vision, and execute alongside you every day. If you feel stuck despite knowing what to do, this episode will completely change how you think about growth, discipline, and personal evolution. Key Highlights: ◼️Why most people fail with AI because it knows everything except the one thing that matters most: you ◼️How uploading journals, business archives, health data, and conversations creates an AI that understands you better than you understand yourself ◼️The four-phase Zenith Mind OS framework: AI learns you, challenges you, expands your vision, and executes with you ◼️How AI identifies self-sabotage loops, limiting beliefs, and hidden triggers you may have carried for decades ◼️Why this approach can outperform traditional coaching, therapy, and masterminds combined ◼️How Rich used this system to dramatically improve his health, profitability, clarity, and daily execution Rich’s presentation is a glimpse into a future where personal growth and execution are no longer limited by willpower or discipline. Instead of forcing yourself to become someone else, he shows how to design your life an...

Doug Boughton: The Secret to Building Insanely Profitable Affiliate Marketing Ecosystems | #Marketing - Ep. 98

Dec 22, 2025 45 min

Most entrepreneurs think affiliate marketing is a side hustle or a distraction from building real offers. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, Doug Boughton completely reframes that belief. What he shares is not about quick commissions or one-off launches. It is about building an affiliate ecosystem that compounds over time, increases authority, shortens sales cycles, and quietly feeds your own offers without pulling you away from your current business. Doug walks through how affiliate marketing became his most freeing income stream and why it now sits at the center of his long-term business and legacy strategy. If you sell anything online, whether you are just getting started or already have your own offers, this episode will change how you think about traffic, collaborations, and growth. Doug breaks down the exact ways affiliate marketing can amplify everything you are already doing instead of competing with it. Key Highlights: ◼️Why affiliate marketing works best when it enhances your core offers instead of replacing them ◼️How to use other people’s launches and attention waves to grow your audience, authority, and credibility ◼️The three ways affiliate ecosystems work together: other people’s offers selling yours, your offers selling theirs, and customers becoming promoters ◼️How email segmentation and integration marketing turn non-buyers into long-term customers ◼️The strategy and platform behind building an army of affiliates promoting your business ◼️Why longevity, alignment, and recurring value matter more than short-term affiliate payouts Doug’s presentation is a masterclass in leverage, and long-term thinking. Instead of chasing ‘quick’ tactics, he shows how doing the right things consistently builds momentum that pays off for years. He’s showing you how affiliate marketing is all about creating win-win relationships, serving your audience better, and letting your business grow through trust and collaboration. If you want a model that cre...

McCall Jones Teaches The Secret ‘Give a Mouse a Cookie’ Offer Framework | #Sales - Ep. 97

Dec 17, 2025 34 min

Most entrepreneurs fail at the exact moment they should be making the most money. They teach, they inspire, they deliver value, but when it is time to present the offer, everything falls apart. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I share one of the most powerful Funnel Hacking Live presentations we have ever had. McCall Jones takes the beloved children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and reveals the hidden structure inside it that makes it the perfect framework for building irresistible offers. Once you see how it works, you will never build your offers the same way again. Key Highlights: ◼️Why most entrepreneurs unintentionally sabotage their offers by bundling random products together instead of solving a customer’s sequential problems ◼️The Mouse a Cookie method for creating an offer path that moves someone from their pain to their desired result ◼️How to build an offer even when you cannot personally solve every problem by partnering strategically instead of ignoring what your customers need ◼️The ‘Timeline-ify’ technique for presenting your offer in a way that keeps customers emotionally in motion instead of overwhelmed ◼️The Charisma Hacking framework for communicating pain and authority in the style that matches who you naturally are, so your pitch feels authentic and converts higher McCall’s presentation is a reminder that selling is not about hype or pressure. It is about understanding the real problems someone faces and guiding them from one solved step to the next until they reach their goal. When you use the Mouse a Cookie method, timeline your offer the right way, and communicate with the charisma style that fits you, your offer becomes the clear path to transformation instead of a collection of items. This is why her students win, and it is why this framework has become one of the most important updates to how I teach offers today! ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Re...

From Door Knocking to Multi-Million Exits: David Royce on Focus and Obsession | #Success - Ep. 96

Dec 15, 2025 1 hr 0 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show I sat down with David Royce because his story is completely different from the typical online marketing path. He did not build funnels first or chase trends. He built real businesses in the real world, scaled them with systems, sold them, and then did it again… And again… And again. What fascinated me most was not just the money or the exits, but how intentional he was about learning, focus, culture, and fulfillment along the way. David started knocking doors with zero sales and turned himself into a top performer by obsessively studying sales. That obsession carried him from managing college sales teams to building and selling multiple pest control companies across thousands of cities. In this conversation, we dig into what actually made that possible, the unsexy work most entrepreneurs avoid, and why success without systems eventually collapses. Key Highlights: ◼️How David went from early rejection to elite performance by studying sales daily and treating selling like a craft you train for ◼️Why systems are the real secret to scaling and the simple test he uses to know if a business can grow without the owner ◼️The mindset shift from manager to operator and how he prioritizes tasks so the important work does not get buried under urgent noise ◼️How he built culture intentionally, protected core values while scaling fast, and used outside influences to shape how he led teams ◼️Why his greatest advantage is focus and obsession, how he trains it, and the books he credits for sharpening his thinking across sales, systems, and leadership David also opens up about happiness, obsession, and why the goalpost always moves if fulfillment is tied only to money. We talk about work seasons, choosing the right partner, and why knowing when to step away can be just as important as knowing how to scale. This is a conversation about building something real, learning deeply, and designing a life you actually want to live. ◼️You ca...

Finding Your Voice as a Speaker with Richmond Dinh | #Success - Ep. 95

Dec 10, 2025 21 min

Most people think speaking belongs to the naturally gifted. But the truth is every great speaker starts scared, awkward, and unsure. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I share the behind the scenes story of discovering Richmond Dinh’s Next Top Speaker competition, why I fell in love with it immediately, and how a simple idea has grown into a movement that is transforming brand new speakers into confident leaders. You will hear the presentation I gave inside the challenge and the deeper message behind it. If you have a calling to speak but doubt your abilities, this episode shows you what is waiting for you on the other side of that fear. Key Highlights: ◼️How discovering the Next Top Speaker competition reignited my belief in the power of helping new speakers develop their voice. ◼️Why my earliest speaking attempts were awkward, painful, and embarrassing, and why that struggle became the foundation for everything that came later. ◼️The moment I realized speaking was the only way to truly move people and create life changing impact at scale. ◼️How finding your authentic voice matters more than being polished, perfect, or traditionally talented. ◼️Why the greatest fulfillment comes not from your own wins but from watching someone you helped raise their hand in victory. Becoming a powerful speaker is not a gift. It is a calling you grow into through practice, courage, and service. If you feel that pull, lean into it. Your voice has a purpose, and there are people waiting to hear it. If you want to step into the next challenge and experience this transformation for yourself, go to https://nexttopspeaker.com and register for the upcoming competition. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ◼️Still don’t have a funnel? ClickFunnels gives you the exact tools (and templates) to launch TODAY → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Formula For Building a Global Expert Business with Victor Damasio | #Success - Ep. 94

Dec 8, 2025 33 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I sit down with my friend Victor Damasio, one of Brazil’s top expert entrepreneurs, to unpack how he built a multi-million dollar business by doing the right things for a long time and serving people deeply before chasing scale. Victor is now rebuilding in the United States and Spanish speaking markets, and what makes his story so powerful is that his process works at every level. Whether he had no audience, a small group of early believers, or a huge following in Brazil, he grew by creating real conversations, helping people get results, and earning loyalty through service. If you want to know how to build something meaningful without shortcuts, this episode is a masterclass. Key Highlights: ◼️How Victor built his early business by doing the right thing consistently until results compounded ◼️The simple process he still uses today: start conversations, understand the person, help them solve something small, then guide them to the right offer ◼️Why he has clients who have stayed with him for more than a decade and how long term service became his most powerful growth engine ◼️His formula for building momentum in a new language and new country by applying the same relationship based approach that worked in Brazil Victor’s story shows that the most sustainable expert businesses are built on service, patience, and consistent action. His method works in any market because it is human. You begin with a real conversation, create a win, build trust, and only then extend an offer that truly helps the person in front of you. These principles helped him build a multi-year mastermind in Brazil and now guide him as he starts again in English and Spanish. If you want to follow his journey or connect with him directly, you can find him on Instagram at @victordamasio and you’ll hear from him PERSONALLY! ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event...

The Hero With a Thousand Faces: Joseph Campbell’s Framework on Storytelling | #Marketing - Ep. 93

Dec 3, 2025 12 min

Most entrepreneurs think storytelling is about simply entertaining. But the stories that move markets, build movements, and create generational brands all follow a deeper pattern that is wired into every human across every culture in history. In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show we talk about the Hero’s Journey! I open up Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces and show you why this framework has shaped your favorite movies, your personal development, your beliefs, and even the way ClickFunnels grew to a billion dollars in sales. If you want your message to resonate at a primal level and persuade people without feeling pushy, this is the story structure your business has been missing. Key Highlights: ◼️How Joseph Campbell discovered that every enduring story across time and culture follows the same pattern. ◼️Why George Lucas built the first Star Wars movie using this exact framework and how thousands of Hollywood films now follow it. ◼️The core steps of the Hero’s Journey and why audiences subconsciously connect to it in movies, books, and real life. ◼️How applying this structure transformed my webinars, funnels, events, and ultimately the growth of the ClickFunnels movement. ◼️The three versions of the Hero’s Journey you can study and use: Campbell’s original, Christopher Vogler’s Hollywood version, and my Expert Secrets version. The Hero’s Journey isn’t just some ‘fun’ thing to talk about... It is the blueprint behind every story that has ever moved a crowd, converted an audience, or transformed a customer. Once you understand it, you start seeing it everywhere and you will know exactly how to weave it into your own marketing, sales presentations, and content. If you want my notes with all three frameworks side by side, you can find them here: ◼️⁠⁠https://russellbrunson.com/notes⁠⁠ ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service… or idea… I’ll show you how to sell it (the RIGHT way) Register for my next event →⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://sellingonline.com/po...

The Oren Klaff Method for Conversation Control and High Stakes Pitching | #Success - Ep. 92

Dec 1, 2025 49 min

In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I sit down with Oren Klaff, author of Pitch Anything and one of the most fascinating minds in the world of high stakes dealmaking. Before we even got into the frameworks, Oren told the wild story of how he bought and built a full scale Apollo spacecraft replica for his office and why it instantly changed the way people engage with him. From there, we dug into the psychology that drives billion dollar negotiations, why most entrepreneurs lose deals before they ever begin, and how status, power, and certainty shape every meaningful business interaction. If you have ever felt intimidated pitching someone with more money, more experience, or more authority, this conversation is going to flip the way you see negotiations forever. Key Highlights: ◼️Why status determines everything in a negotiation and why lowering the other side’s status is often more effective than raising your own ◼️The small behaviors that instantly reveal whether someone is serious and how to call them out without losing the deal ◼️The archetypes you will face in every big deal including the final boss, the consigliere, the analyst, and the law firm ◼️How to raise stakes so decisions happen now instead of drifting into endless follow up ◼️The simple closing question Oren uses that bypasses pressure and gets people to reveal what they actually want This conversation is a masterclass in understanding power, status, and human behavior inside real negotiations. Oren is operating in a world where he is pitching billion dollar funds, founders, and private equity groups, yet every principle applies to anyone selling, pitching, or persuading at any level. Once you see how people behave when they feel powerful and how quickly everything shifts when you level the status field, you will never approach a deal the same way again. If you want to learn more from Oren, you can find his work at https://orenklaff.com. ◼️If you’ve got a product, offer, service…...