On Purpose with Jay Shetty - David Blaine: I Nearly Died Doing This (How to Conquer Fear and Push Your Limits)

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

What’s a fear you want to overcome? How do you stay calm under pressure? What if the only limits you had were the ones you refused to break? Today, in this spellbinding episode, world-renowned illusionist, endurance artist, and master of the impossible, David Blaine, sits down for a deep and insightful conversation that goes far beyond magic. Known for his jaw-dropping stunts, being buried alive, standing encased in ice for days, and holding his breath underwater for over 17 minutes, David has captivated audiences worldwide. But behind the spectacle lies a profound philosophy of discipline, resilience, and the boundless potential of the human mind. Jay and David explore what drives someone to willingly push themselves to their absolute limits, both physically and mentally. David opens up about his mindset, revealing how he prepares for extreme feats that defy human expectations. He explains the power of visualization, breathwork, and sheer willpower in overcoming pain, fear, and doubt. But this conversation isn’t just about physical endurance, it’s about the mental and emotional strength required to navigate life’s greatest challenges. David shares personal stories of setbacks and perseverance, showing that even in moments of failure, there is wisdom to be gained. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Train Your Mind to Overcome Fear How to Build Unbreakable Mental Resilience How to Use Breathwork to Enhance Endurance How to Stay Calm Under Extreme Pressure How to Push Past Your Physical Limits How to Cultivate Childlike Curiosity for Creativity How to Reframe Failure as a Stepping Stone No matter what obstacles stand in your way, remember: you are stronger than you think, and capable of more than you realize. Believe in yourself, stay curious, and never stop challenging what’s possible. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here. Join Jay for his first ever, On Purpose Live Tour! Tickets are on sale now. Hope to see you there! What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:41 The Subway Trick that Started It All 04:39 Lessons from the Above the Below 09:10 What Happens When You Don’t Feel Hunger 11:34 Pushing the Body Beyond Its Limit 17:25 The Capabilities of the Human Body 22:52 The Knife Stunt    26:25 The Bullet-Catch Trick 30:12 Break Free from Your Comfort Zone 32:27 Push the Boundaries of Your Growth 34:41 Some Stunts are Just Too Dangerous 41:46 Pushing Yourself Without Risking Your Life 45:04 Failure Leads to Continuous Learning 47:26 The Riskiest Illusion  49:29 Processing the Pain of Grief 53:32 Everything is About Perspective 57:14 Open Up Your Mind with Books 01:01:24 Every Person is Unique 01:03:06 The Bridge Jump, Anything is Possible 01:09:13 David on Final Five  Episode Resources: David Blaine | Website David Blaine | YouTube David Blaine | Instagram  David Blaine | Facebook  David Blaine | X  David Blaine Do Not AttemptSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm Kristin Davis, host of the podcast Are You a Charlotte? The incredible Cynthia Nixon joins me this week for a conversation filled with memories and stories I didn't even know. Cynthia could have been Carrie? When I first read the script, they asked me to read for Carrie, as I think they asked you to read for Carrie. Did you? I did.

And they were like, yeah, not so much. You can't miss this. Listen to Are You a Charlotte on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, you guys, I'm Catherine Legg. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast.

It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm gearing up to make history, competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events. Tune into my new podcast, Throttle Therapy, with Catherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Emi Olea, host of the podcast, Crumbs.

For years, I had to rely on other people to tell me my story. And what I heard wasn't good. You really f***ed last night. It felt like I lived most of my life in a blackout. I was trapped in addiction. You had to grab the lamp and smashed it against the walls. And then I decided I wanted to tell my own story. Listen to Crumbs on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's Jay Shetty, and I'm thrilled to announce my podcast tour. For the first time ever, you can experience On Purpose in person. Join me in a city near you for meaningful, insightful conversations with surprise guests. It could be a celebrity, top wellness expert, or a CEO or business leader. We'll dive into experiences designed to experience growth, spark learning, and build real connections. I can't wait to meet you. There are a limited number of VIP experiences for a private Q&A, intimate meditation and a meet and greet with photos.

Tickets are on sale now. Head to jsheddy.me forward slash tour and get yours today. The first time I ever saw you, you were suspended in this box in the middle of London. You were in it for 44 days. I was on the edge of irreversible organ failure. I do have effects that haven't recovered since, and that was 22 years ago. Snow in the World Over for a street magic and endurance stunt. I love the reactions you get doing these tricks. Yeah!

The human endurance part is what's so fascinating about it. You just went for it. It took an x-ray. The knife was on the edge of the nervous system. It was really at that, like, exact line. When you're out of your comfort zone, when you're breaking that... How do you get out of that?

Well, this series did that. What's the illusion that kept you up the most nights? Body is capable of doing things that science and doctors don't even imagine could be possible. Is there anything that you're actually scared of? capable of doing things that science and doctors don't even imagine could be possible. Is there anything that you're actually scared of? The number one health and wellness podcast. Jay Shetty.

Jay Shetty. The one, the only Jay Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose. I am so excited for today because I'm getting to sit down with someone that I have loved and followed for the past two decades. This is someone that I grew up watching when I was back in London.

I'd be wanting to watch every show, everything he did. I was addicted and I still am today. And this is one of those moments that I look back and I'm like, my 10 year old self, my 15 yearold self would be high-fiving me so bad right now. So I'm so pumped. I'm sitting down with the world's most iconic illusionist, endurance artist and mentalist. From death-defying stunts to pushing the limits of human potential,

he spent his career redefining what's possible. And his latest series, Do Not Attempt, premieres March 23rd on National Geographic. Please welcome to the show, David Blaine. David, I get to sit down with a lot of cool people, but when I heard you were coming on and we made this happen, honestly, I felt like a kid the whole time. You got captivated by a subway trick when you were like four years old.

That's what kind of introduced you into this world. What was that trick? And what was captivating? It was a bunch of things. So I had a friend that one of his relatives gave him a trick called Scotch and Soda, which is just, it's like a half dollar changes with the English. But anyway, so he couldn't figure out how to do it. And immediately I understood it and I was able to do it and present as a trick.

So that that was one thing. Another thing was seeing the guys in Coney Island that would do sword sawing or rope tricks, things like that. Then people that were in the subways, I would watch the three card Monte guys. So I think it was like a constant, you know, for some reason, that's the stuff I was most attracted to. And I loved how cards fell, you know? So they're almost for me meditative,

like the way they feel in my hands. I think even before I even knew what to do with them, I would almost just like meditate because I was holding them. So it was really interesting. Almost like a digital fixation. I just became, I guess like a security blanket almost, you know? Yeah.

And then when I realized I could make my mother, I could change her day by doing a simple magic trick. It was kind of like the beginning of my love for performing. And then I would only do it for her and her friends, and they would all react. And that was one part of the journey. But yeah, it is seeing little performances, and they would all react and that was one part of the journey. But yeah, it is seeing little performances,

seeing a book of Harry Houdini and seeing him chained to the side of a building, watching him dangle over the edge of a building. So yeah, it's a collective, but it all processed early on. Yeah, when did your mother realize that this was a gift and not just a cute kid who could do some tricks? I could have done anything. That was the, you know what I mean? So it wasn't like, oh, my son has a gift. No, but it's like, like everything I did, she was like...

That's beautiful. Yeah. That's really beautiful, man. So it's not like I had any special gift. I didn't. But I had a mother that believed that I had, you know what I mean? So she encouraged it just by being so excited and so, you know.

Yeah, well, I'm having a moment now, because just before we went on, you showed me a video of your daughter performing. And I was thinking you were doing the same thing. Like when I saw you were watching that video, you probably watched a million times. By the way, your daughter is so talented. Dess is phenomenally talented.

I can't wait to see her perform live. But you were looking at that video like, it was the first time you'd seen it. And you were so proud as a proud dad to show it to me. I'm thinking you're like mirroring your mom's energy. Yeah, that's true. It's really special. It's amazing to see that.

What does it feel like to you now when you're watching Dese perform and... I'm not watching her do anything. I'm like, mind blown. It's incredible, you know. If she draws something, if she writes something, if she makes something, whatever she does, it's like... I was saying to you when you walked in today that the first time I ever saw you was in 2003. You were walked in today that the first time I ever saw you was in 2003.

You were doing your act above the below and you were suspended 30 feet up or something, maybe higher in this box in the middle of London. And you were in it for 44 days. You survived on like four and a half liters of water a day. And I think you lost like 60 pounds. Yeah. And I used to come wave at you. But you don't remember me.

I remember the good energy. That was something that changed my mind, everything about the way I think that one. Messed up my metabolism, which is hence the side effects of it, but it was absolutely one of the most beautiful, compelling experiences. Aside from that it was a stunt and I did do it publicly. Because if, so I feel like if I didn't do this publicly, I could have never committed to doing that type of a fast. And I was obsessed with fasting,

because every time I would fast, you'd become aware of everything around you that you normally ignore. Because we spent so much time thinking about, oh, what am I going to have for breakfast? What am I going to have for lunch? Who am I going to see? But what are we going to do for dinner?

And your day is consumed by the, but as soon as you remove all of that, suddenly you have like all this brain activity and it's incredible. That's one of the best things for me about fasting is that. And every stunt that I'd done was up to that point was I fasted just so I wouldn't have to use a toilet, right? So for me, the fasting was one of the things that I was most excited about.

So I decided to make it into a stunt 44 days. And I knew that the only way that I would actually do it is if I publicly committed to it. But so even though it was difficult and I was suffering, it was one of the most beautiful experiences that people I connected with, it was like, I would get emotional with just by like looking at somebody, you know, and I could never do something like that again. So I think I was on the edge of irreversible organ failure or something.

I think I did go on the threshold. But it's funny because I studied, I studied monks, I studied yogis, I studied all of these, the hunger strikers, I read, you know, Bobby Sands, I read all of the books about the people that push themselves to the edge. And some were doing it as a protest, some were doing it for enlightenment.

But all the things that I read about it were kind of similar. It's like there are certain beats, there are certain things that happen. In a few days you lose your hunger. But it has to be pure water. It has to be nothing but water. If you have other things, you lose your hunger, but it has to be pure water. It has to be nothing but water. If you have other things, you keep your metabolism going.

And I don't recommend it obviously because I do have effects that haven't recovered since, and that was what, 2003. So it was 22 years ago. But there's like around 28 days it says that you suddenly have this pear taste in your mouth. And around day 28, I started to think that they were putting sugar in my water. So I would pour the water out to people walking by. And I would say, could you check, could you tell,

cause I didn't trust my team. I thought they were like involved in keeping me alive. So I was like, is that sweet? And he goes, no, it's just water. But yeah. But you can taste it because of that pear taste in 28 days. It happens during starvation. And then the other thing, you lose the hunger first.

Around a month, you get that pear taste. But then around like day 39, I started to have really strange heart palpitations. And you start to feel like you're eating your body. That's where it starts to become, you start to become aware of that pain. But through that pain you find this other thing that's like the most beautiful experience that I've ever felt. So it's amazing we were there for that. That's amazing.

I mean, but hearing about it from the person who actually lived through it is pretty remarkable. And I wonder though, like one thing I love about you, David, is that these are not just tricks or experiments. These are things that you research, you read. There's a story that inspires it. There's a experiment that happened years ago that inspires something you do. These are not just manufactured things.

They're really deep parts of things you're fascinated by. How did you start to come across stories, ideas, images that inspired these tricks? Where did that come from? Well, I started fasting actually. I read Sid Arthur by Herman Heston. I was young, I think like 11, 12, 30, around that time. And his character fasts, waits,

and learns how to take control over his mind and body. And I was fascinated with that principle. And then I would just try to test myself with simple things, you know, enduring the cold, holding my breath, things like that. But I think it started earlier and then I connected to it with that. And then fasting was, I wanted to bury myself alive. That was a pivotal part that made the, the, the stunt easy to do actually. Cause if you have no food, it makes everything easier. You sleep easier. Once you ignore the hunger, once you lose that,

then your ability to focus, I guess you switch into a different survival mode or something. You were saying earlier that when you're in the box for 44 days, it ruined your metabolism. How much did you study and know that that was going to happen? Or how much was that a real shock and surprise to the system? I knew I was going to do some damage. So I was prepared for that. I knew that when you push your body to that extreme, it's going to take a toll.

But there was a lot of things I do that I know they're going to take a toll and I kind of balance out the risk of it. When is it worth it and when is it not worth it? Now I'm different because I have a daughter, right? So now I'm more careful about the risk. But I was obsessed with the idea of staying awake for, I think the world record was 11 days. So I was thinking, if you go, I think it's like 11.56 or five seconds. I don't remember, but that would be a million seconds. I got obsessed with this idea and I started messing around with it and I met with Dr. DeMent, who's like the number one sleep expert

at the time up at Stanford. He was there when the record was done at 11 days. And I thought I could pull it off and I started testing it. The tests were very difficult. And then as I started to really research it and speak to people and look into it, it seemed like there is something that you could do to your mind where you don't recover, so you could tweak your brain and have it not recover.

So I, yeah, so that's not worth it. Losing your site isn't worth it. So when I was in India and I was at the Earth's festival and the Sufi, the video you just showed me, when they pull their eyes out, pull their eyes out, it's very, very hard to watch. But I called my dear friend who's a great optometrist, and I just said, is there any, how does this make sense? You say it could be done, but you may degenerate your vision. So I said, okay, I'm not

going to mess around with that. So there is like, can I pull this off? Or am I going to mess around with that. So there is like, can I pull this off or am I going to do permanent damage? And it's studying the past and finding experts and finding people that have done things and then making a decision. Or I guess it's more like a feeling. And then the other thing that I like to do

is I use like numeric, like I use numbers. So I'll do a test where I test something to like, you know, let me get to the halfway point. If I could do the halfway point, then I can estimate how much more can I tolerate. So that's kind of like, if I'm going to fast for 44 days, I'll do something like a 22 day fast just to, just to understand if I can do it, you know? Yeah. I love how mathematical it is for you as well, though.

Numbers play a key factor. Yeah. I'm Kristin Davis, host of the podcast Are You a Charlotte? The incredible Cynthia Nixon joins me this week for a conversation filled with memories, lots of laughs, and even unexpected revelations and stories I didn't even know. Like, Cynthia could have been Carrie? When I first read the script, they asked me to read for Carrie,

as I think they asked you to read for Carrie. I did not know this. Yes, they asked me to read for Carrie, right? Did you? I did. And they were like, yeah, not so much. How that short hair came to be. So I was blonde, Kim was blonde, Sarah was blonde.

You were the only non-blonde. Right. So they came to me and they said, we got too many blondes. Would you dye your hair red? Also, is she a Miranda? People would ask me, you know, are you, how are you like Miranda? And I would always say, we both feel confident about our brains.

But that's kind of where it ends. You can't miss this. Listen to Are You a Charlotte on the iHeart radioio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I started to live a double life when I was a teenager. Responsible and driven and wild and out of control. My head is pounding. I'm confused.

I don't know why I'm in jail. It's hard to understand what hope is when you're trapped in a cycle of addiction. Addiction took me to the darkest places. I had an AK-47 pointed at my head. But one night, a new door opened, and I made it into the rooms of recovery. The path would have roadblocks and detours, stalls, and relapses. But when I was feeling the most lost, I found hope with community, and I made my way back. This season, join me on my journey through addiction and recovery.

A story told in 12 steps. Listen to Krems as part of the Michael Udra Podcast Network, available on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You are cordially invited to... The hottest party in professional sports. I'm Tisha Olin, former golf professional and the host of Welcome to the Party, your newest obsession about the wonderful world that is women's golf. Featuring interviews with top players on tour like LPGA superstar Angel Yin. I really just sat myself down at the end of 2022 and I was like, look, either we make

it or we quit. Expert tips to help improve your swing and the craziest stories to come out of your friendly neighborhood country club. The drinks were flowing. They were like, twerking all over the place, vaping, they're shotgunning, they're pissing in the middle of the course. Women's golf is a wild ride, full of big personalities, remarkable athleticism, fierce competition, and a generation of women hell-bent on shanking that glass ceiling.

Welcome to the Party with Tisha Allen is is an iHeart Women's Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Welcome to the Party. That's P-A-R-T-E-E on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I love kind of diving into your mind right now because I love that process. There's a lot of...

It's also how you transition, but going back to that video you just showed me, when everyone sees this in the new Nat Geo show, that is like, I mean, I had to look away multiple times. So if anyone doesn't know what's going on, it's like this guy's like expanding his eye out, but then he's like nearly gouging it with like what? Like a steel rod or something?

How do you even make sure that's disinfected? No, they don't. They don't, yeah. No, because I pushed an ice pick through my arm and I put it on the, I don't know, there wasn't even a table, I just put it on, I think on the floor. In India.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He picked it up and pushed it right through his body. Yeah, it's crazy. And how are they doing that? What did you learn from that experience of watching them? If you had to look away... What they're doing, I think it's passed down for generations. And I think they know exactly what they're doing. And part of it is accepting what you have to do.

Like there's an acceptance to what they're gonna do. Like a faith, right? They know that they can do these things. So when they push these things through their body, they're just completely at ease. And I think therefore their body recovers at a really fast rate. Because the body is incredible.

The body can do so many amazing things. Through evolution, we've developed these abilities to survive. So, one that I wasn't prepared for, I was surrounded by doctors, and I was trying to hold my breath for as long as possible. I had telemetry on me and everything else. I was surrounded by a great group of doctors and pulmonary experts and free divers, and I was holding, I was, I was holding my breath underwater. And at one point I wasn't even aware of the time I didn't, there was no such

thing as time, so I'm holding my breath at one point, I think it was once I, when I was like above 18 minutes, right? And then all of a sudden I'm pulled out of the water and it's 20 minutes and two seconds. And I was just completely at peace, but they pulled me up because my heart rate had dropped to eight beats per minute. And in their minds, I'm going to go into cardiac arrest and they're not going to be able to recover me. But it was the opposite. The body went into this strange survival mode, I guess, and it does everything it can to

conserve all of your energy, shuts the brain down because the brain uses oxygen. And again, I was at like complete peace. And then I was like, why did you pull me out? But that's like a mind body disconnect. No, like, isn't your mind at peace and your body's going into cardiac arrest? Like, is that? I don't think it was going to, I think it was going into survival mode.

Right. There's a boy that blacked out under an icy river. He was trapped under the water and he was there for 45 minutes, not breathing. They pulled him out. He fully recovered, no brain damage, nothing. And it's the body is capable of doing things that we don't even science and doctors don't even imagine could be possible. And at the Earth's festival in India, they were all,

everything that I saw was overwhelming, but it was still like they were doing things that don't make any sense. And these are not tricks, that's your point. These are not, these are, like you're saying, it's been passed down for generations. These are not sleight of hand, this is not faking it. It's hard to say, right?

You never know, but what I was seeing seeing was it was as real as it gets. But then there was one thing that didn't make sense. There was one thing that I started to think, well, what's the magic? So who knows? What is that thing? I want to know. The guy pushes the thing through his neck,

and it comes out here. But then I looked carefully and there was no hole. There was no blood, no hole, no nothing. So then I started thinking like, so what, how is that possible? Right? And we don't know. You don't have an answer. You didn't figure it out. No, but it's funny because that, so I wanted to go to India first when we started shooting the series because the first time I saw somebody combine magic with real human endurance feats

other than pictures of Boudini and stuff like that was a magician that ate a thread and then he pulled the thread out of his stomach. And when I saw that, I was like blown away. Yeah, it's crazy. And he wouldn't show anybody else, but he pulled me into another. He's like, I'll show you. And he showed me. And I was like, whoa.

And I thought it was crazy how he did it. It's a magic combined with doing something that most people wouldn't want to do. And when I saw, it kind of changed my theory on what could be possible. And I think I've always had that curiosity of, you know, what the human body can endure, what we could tolerate. So I think it was some sort of a trigger that like led me on this journey, which was not just as a magician, but what are people doing that?

Yeah. And the magicians I like the most like Harry Houdini, Ricky Jay. Ricky Jay wrote a book called Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, which is that kind of guidebook to all of these people that were using their bodies to do crazy things. Well, their minds and their bodies to do these unbelievable feats. When did it turn for you from being magic tricks? I grew up watching you chuck cards at a car door and it's on the window of the inside of the car. Or you talking about like,

oh you could guess who was calling your house, you know, when we all had landlines. To then actually pushing your body to limits. Like, where was that switch for you? I always like things that I believe, right? So it's like I was always... So if I'm watching a magician, I like if I know that he put tons of work into one card move, right? When I saw people that were doing things that were defied logic, which is what magic does,

but then I knew that there was an element of they are really doing that. I think it led me first into the Swami mantra, which led to the Buried Alive, which then led to me looking into all the other things I was excited about, or, you know. But I would fight with magicians. They would be like, you can't, what's the magic in it like what's the point you have to disappear from the

pole and appear in boxes but there's no believability to that I'd rather just jump into the box well then they're like well you at least have to just disappear I was like but then that ruins the whole like then it's not a real thing what would they say back I mean they wouldn't win the argument. But then afterwards, they were like, all right, I get it. Yeah, it's just the human endurance part is what's so fascinating about it. Because I feel like there's the great scene in the new show where you're like, literally figuring out how to put a knife.

Oh yeah, that was crazy. Walk us through that because you see the scan as well. You know, I've done nails in the nose and things like that, because you could hammer a nail back in. But then when I was in the favela in Rio, in Hosea, this performer, Maestro Ligirinho, took a serrated steak knife and he just shoved it in his nose, just pushed it all the way in. And it did, how is that possible? We don't think of that as being, you know, it seems like you're going to do something, you know, to your nervous

system, something, right? He pushes it all the way in and pulls it out, does it a few times. And of course I'm like, whoa, that's crazy. But obviously my whole theory is like, if somebody can do it, it means nobody should do it, but it means there's an explanation. There's no, it's not a magic thing. It's like, there's an explanation. There's no, it's not a magic thing. It's like, there's an explanation.

So it means it is possible. So I kind of trusted him and just went for it and just pushed the thing in. You didn't want to start with anything. No, no, no. I watched him do it and I trusted what he was saying. And I think I was, nobody should do it actually. Is it super, super dangerous? Of course. And I think I was, nobody should do it, actually. It's super, super dangerous, of course.

But anyway, I did it, but then I wanted to see it. So I took an x-ray, and then when we took the x-ray, we saw that the knife was on the edge of the nervous system. So it was really at that, like, exact line. But again, you're not. It doesn't make sense, but once again, you know, people have survived lots of crazy things. Yeah. Yeah.

How did you know how far back to not let it go? Like you were that close on that scan. I don't know. I don't know. You just couldn't sense it? I... Yeah, and I trusted Him who has done this so many times. Yeah.

Yeah. God. I mean, when I see you do this stuff, the question I always ask myself when I'm watching you is like, is there anything that you're actually scared of? Just something happening to my daughter. But by the way, these things, when magicians or anybody are telling me, oh well, I say do the card tricks because that's the best stuff.

That's what people like. Do not do these crazy things, you know. Which is why the show is called Do Not Attempt. Do Not Attempt, exactly. I couldn't be more excited to share something truly special with all you tea lovers out there. And even if you don't love tea, if you love refreshing, rejuvenating, refueling sodas that are good for you, listen to this.

Radhe and I poured our hearts into creating Juni Sparkling Tea with adaptogens for you because we believe in nurturing your body and with every sip you'll experience calmness of mind, a refreshing vitality and a burst of brightness to your day. Juni is infused with adaptogens that are amazing natural substances that act like superheroes for your body to help you adapt to stress and find balance in your busy life. Our superfied blend of these powerful ingredients include green tea, ashwagandha, acerola cherry and lion's mane mushroom and these may help boost your metabolism,

give you a natural kick of caffeine, combat stress, pack your body with antioxidants and stimulate brain function. Even better, Juni has zero sugar and only 5 calories per can. We believe in nurturing and energizing your body while enjoying a truly delicious and refreshing drink. So visit www.drinkjuni.com today to elevate your wellness journey and use code on purpose to receive 15% off your first order. That's drink, J U N I dot com and make sure you use the code on purpose. Over history, are there lots of magicians illusionist people that have died trying to do crazy things? Like what are the...

The editor is actually funny enough, like the bullet catch killed 12 magicians, but they were doing it as a trick. And the guy that was doing it for real wasn't a magician, he was just catching bullets in a little cup in his mouth. And he did it hundreds of times and he was okay. But 12 magicians that were doing it as a trick, that we're switching bullets out and stuff like that. 12 of them died. I'm not laughing. 12 of them died doing it as a trick. That's crazy, yeah. What was the difference about the guy that was actually doing it? What was he doing differently? He was catching the bullet in the metal cup in his mouth.

I think one time it sliced through his cheek, but he pulled it off. Would you ever try the bullet catch? No, I did it. Oh, but man, he pulled it off. Would you ever try the bullet catch? No, I did it. Oh yeah, sorry, I have seen that. Yeah, I did it. I had my best friend, it's funny because I'm looking at don't shoot.

So my best friend's a magician and I saw him shoot a cup far away with a BB gun. I was like, will you do the bullet catch with me? And somehow I convinced him to do it. Because he didn't want somebody else to mess up. And he knew he would get the mark. So he did it. I caught the bullet. That was kind of crazy. But then I wanted to do it again. But I didn't want to have anybody shoot me because I didn't want to make anybody that uncomfortable. So I put a

string on a on the trigger of a rifle, a 22 long bullet. And I pulled the string and caught it in that metal cup. Another thing nobody should ever do. So you're saying no one should, apart from you putting yourself at risk, ideally nothing else should get hurt during a trick. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's right. And I do tricks with frogs and things like that.

I've never injured a frog. They're my daughter's pet frogs. I've kept them for years. They've been with us and then I give them to somebody that's when they get too big, then I give them to somebody that's going to care for them. Yeah. So, my doctor's kids now have these giant frogs. That's been inside of them. By the way, they try to hold them and the frogs won't let anybody, nobody can pick them up. And I hadn't seen the frog in like a year or something. And I came to his house and they were filming it

and I put my hand in and I'm not kidding. The frog walked right onto my hand and I lifted it up and he just sat there. We underestimate these creatures, right? But there's some sort of, I don't know, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Through scent or saliva or whatever it is.

Yeah. Which is crazy. You are so right. We really do downplay the intelligence, especially of animals. Yeah. But even humans, but people don't recognize it. We don't recognize it. And the body.

Yeah. And the body. That's right. Do you think it's interesting how the world's, we've focused on becoming more comfortable. What do you think that's doing to us? That's right. That's good. Because I agree that that being comfortable for me,

I think is always the worst thing ever. When you're comfortable, you achieve nothing, you learn nothing, you do. So it's like when you're out of your comfort zone, when you're breaking that, it's like that's when everything becomes intense and we're alive, right? And that's probably what you experienced

when you took yourself out of your comfort zone and live with this incredible monk, is then suddenly you're living in the moment. You're living in this heightened sense of awareness. And that's all from breaking the comfort zone. Yeah. And it's so interesting because you're so right. Like we just, we all naturally though, and that's what you were saying when you were talking about the guy earlier who nearly gouged his eye out.

Something that you said which is so subtle but so's what you were saying when you were talking about the guy earlier who nearly gouged his eye out, something that you said, which is so subtle, but so powerful, you were like, but when he's doing it, his body's not repelling it. And that's why somehow it works out. And I was thinking about it that everything you do defies what we want to do because we're looking for comfort. But it's like, how do you prep yourself to actually want discomfort? Like how do we prepare our minds and brains to actually seek out discomfort? Because just as you said, it's actually better for us.

Even for survival, even for growth of the species. But we don't. We kind of go backwards into reclining, Netflix and chill. That's the life. So, like, how do you get out of that? What have you done to continuously... Well, that's the life. So how do you get out of that? What have you done to continuously? Well, this series did that. When they were asking me what I wanted to do,

I said, here's the thing. So we're talking about lots of ideas. Doug, my magician friend that was here, he's one that found Deepak in India that did the most incredible stuff ever. Mind blowing just the way he is able to override his body with his mind. But basically, when they were coming to me with this idea, oh, this one, that one, I

said, here's the thing, only present to me the ideas that when you tell me about them, it makes you uncomfortable just saying that we're going to go be a part of it. I wanted it to be that. And I think that's a big thing that I like to do is put myself in major discomfort so I can, so it wakes me up, you know, brings me to life. I am Bob Pitman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to share my podcast with you, Math and Magic, Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing.

Make sure to check out my recent episode with legendary musician and philanthropist, Jewel. I didn't want a million dollars, I wanted a career. I wanted a way to figure out how to do something that I loved for the rest of my life. Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math, and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to Math & Magic, stories from the frontiers of marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Calling all 990ers, now streaming. It's the more better podcast with two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fun. Host Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero welcome two friends and former castmates. Don't miss Gina Linetti herself, the talented Chelsea Peretti, as she sits down to laugh and swap stories. Like, Andre would always be like, trying something, they're like, do less. Do less. Yeah. He does all the time.

But then some of the biggest things were the biggest hits, like vindication, remember? And the 9-9 nonsense continues in the next episode as the more better amigas sit down with Joe Lattrullio, aka Detective Charles Boyle. There'll be more laughs, more conversation, more stories from the set, and more, more better. Both episodes are now available. You felt safe enough to fill out a bad idea, right? I mean, that is the key because you're definitely not throwing out good ideas all the time.

I mean, that's just not how it works. Listen to more Better with Stephanie and Melissa on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III, and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King and our dear friends, Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives. Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen,

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter. And they're plus one, they'll ride or die, as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey. Listen to My Legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. This is My Legacy. How did you train yourself to get there and to do that? Because I want to help people almost who are sitting here going,

you know what, I agree with David. Like I'm not going to go and, you know, put a knife down my nose, which he's not encouraging either. But I want to be able to push the boundaries in my own growth and my own life. How did you kind of, you've gone to the full extreme of it. How do we kind of get to three out of 10? I think it starts with baby steps.

I think you just go push yourself to do public speak in front of a classroom, public. You know, I was super intimidated by public speaking and I could do magic, but I wasn't, I was like, I'm not going to speak. So, you know, I wanted my brother to go to the TED conference. So I agreed to like stand up and speak for the first time with no man, just do a talk. And it was, it was horrific for me.

It was like, it was, and I didn't sleep for days on end before it, but also months before I was working on the notes, writing it down, putting all the thoughts out, and that part of it was already incredible, because then you're like, but then I had to get up and do it, and that was really, that was like,

but then as soon as you start, and I put myself in the boiling, speaking at TED for your first talk, I didn't go do little talks, I started there, right? So it's like, by doing that, suddenly I shocked the system and now I went on a speaking tour for like a year. I would do dates in all different audiences and what I would do is I wouldn't thoroughly prepare.

I would kind of just go out there and put myself in front of everybody. And I would say often it was uncomfortable and often it didn't work and often the audience didn't react. You know what I mean? It was like one of the, but eventually after doing it over and over and over and over and over, it really helped.

And I really understood it changed the way I thought about public speaking. But what it really did is it helped me when I was doing magic because now I had like, now the magic was a conversation. The point of breaking your comfort zone, it could be anything. It could be get up and do a talk. It could be, you know, go out, sit in the sauna, go in a steam room. Jump in a cold plant. Yeah. So I think it's baby steps that can help you kind of figure out how to do something.

But it could be anything. I love how giving a TED talk is harder for you than like... Way harder. I love that. That was way harder. Giving a TED talk for me was probably more difficult than holding my breath for the length of time. 20 minutes and 22 seconds. Yeah, and that talk, by the way, is when you watch it down,

it's exactly the length of my actual breath hold record. Did you do that on purpose? No, it just worked out that way. It's crazy. That's cool. 2002 was the actual breath hold time. And the talk when you time it out was, I think it was almost 2002. Wow.

And that was hard to... For me, the talk was more uncomfortable, more difficult than the breath hold. I mean, holding your breath for 20 minutes and two seconds is insanity. Well, now the record's 24 minutes and three seconds. You're going to go back? I don't think it's safe at this point. That's what you were saying. It's like you push yourself too far.

You can do not just the irreversible. It might be like game over. And I'm paranoid about that stuff because one of my favorite magicians, Harry Houdini, he was plunging his stomach hypothetically, or he had a rupture, whatever he had, he shouldn't have done his stage show. He was feeling ill. He was in lots of pain, but he didn't want to let the audience down. When in the show, he did his whole show, got in the water tank after the water

tank, when he came out, he collapsed on the stage. They rushed him to a hospital and he died. So I do think there's a limit to what the body can endure and things go wrong very easily and you're not prepared for them. So there is a balance to all that stuff. Well, you had that crazy fall at your Vegas show, right? Like a couple of years ago. Exactly. And I feel like I got lucky.

I, because just my arm, my shoulder went down to my armpit that was terrible but I mean it could have been my neck it could walk us through what happened so my Vegas show I wanted to start by I put a light light truss all the way up and it was shaky and things I wish I thought would be funny and I climbed up and in the beginning I think I was jumping like 68 feet, 68 feet and I put cardboard boxes down where the seats were and I would jump down into the boxes. But I was doing three shows per month, which is like the max that I could even tolerate. But my stunt guy, Jim Churchman, was helping put that together. He's like,

we got to be careful because it's about 20 G's of force and you can't keep doing this over and over. You're getting something's going to go wrong. You know, for some reason I figured I could pull it off and I kept increasing the height because I started with the idea of like, okay, I'm going to go up and then I would then I would like be like, but wait, can I go? Like, I don't know. I just want to keep pushing it. Right. So I don't know what the reason I should have just been content there, but I'm never content. So I'm like, I have to hire her. And right when I got my head next to the ceiling, I jumped. And it was after I was, you know, in, um, Thailand and I had,

no swarm of bees covering me. And I was, I took a bunch of stungs. I was stung all over a bunch of things. I was stung all over the place. I had to go on. I think I had of stungs. I was stung all over, a bunch of stings. I was stung all over the place. I had to go on, I think I had to take antibiotics. So I wasn't probably 100% when I did that jump. I did the jump and I don't know what it was. I didn't land right or my body was slightly up. And that happened. But then I think about it, I'm like, whoa, I was lucky

because that could have been anything. But yeah, so that was the end of that in the show. It's never recovered properly, but no, that's not a big... No, that's not like the box in London, which is major. You feel like you're still recovering from that. From the London thing? It messed me up, yeah. Irreversibly, you feel like? Probably on some level, yeah. There's other London thing? It messed me up. Yeah. Irreversibly you feel like. Probably on some level.

Yeah. There's other things I do that mess me up. Like I used to drink kerosene, which I would float on top of the water in my stomach, terrible idea. Eating the glass is really bad because there's also chemicals in that glass and stuff like that. So aside from the enamel and everything going away on your teeth, so I never experienced hot and cold without such extreme, ah, right. So, and then there's tons of little injuries, but the ones that I'm most concerned with are those ones. Now much

more careful on some level because I have a daughter, so I don't want something, you know, you think about life differently and how you're going to push yourself differently and what you can and can't do. Yeah, the London box, I don't think I would ever do something like that again. Did it change from the moment you held your daughter, like when she was born? Not right when she was, when she was born was like the most incredible moment of my life. But I still, when she was like one and a half, I still, I did a stunt. I was in, you know, a million volts of electricity and it went wrong. My

legs swelled up from edema, it ripped through the chain. I was getting shocked. I spit some electrolyte water out and it hit the coil and went inside and really messed me up. So at the end of that stunt, which was 73 hours, I said I'm not gonna do any of these things anymore, because I don't want something to go wrong. I have a daughter. But when I was saying, is there anything you're scared of, you just mentioned something happening to your daughter.

That's like very real. When she stretches and she goes into splits and things, when I'm watching her, it's so painful for me to watch. Imagine how she feels when you're putting a knife through your nose. I talk to her and I'm very careful. How does she react when she sees this? Well, she's grown up with it. So she's, I think she's like, even though it seems super crazy,

I'm pretty, I have to really trust the person that's showing me, the teacher and you know, the learning curve person that's showing me, the teacher, and the learning curve for that series was short, but these are masters that have done the countless thousands of hours of work and some secrets were passed down to them, some they've developed on their own. It is a matter of trust. And then this series, I was very careful, even though it looks like there's so many crazy, you know, things that I'm trying or certain things like

sitting with the black mambas. It was an enclosure this, this size of just like this space where it's at. And there were six black mambas in there. But the thing is, and I was with this man named Neville, a South African man that wants to show people that you don't need to, when you see a black mamba, because they end up in schools and they end up killing people, and it's because people react to them and they try to push them away. And as soon as you do that, the black mamba reacts back. So he sits with the mambas at peace, and he's showing everybody that if you encounter

a black mamba, the best thing to do is to not be aggressive, not act in a way that makes it uncomfortable, just be at peace and just stay very calm. They're very instinctual, like most animals. Like if you, if there's some people that go into a, into a house and there's cats that won't come out and the cats come out with some people and they go, go near them. Right. And it's just because that person has this like energy, this like, this stillness or whatever that makes the cat comfortable. And what his point is, is it's the same with these feared black mambas.

You just remain calm. So I trusted him. It was the scariest thing I've ever done in my lifetime. This is the one. Oh yeah, absolutely. Scariest thing I've ever done. And it doesn't look like it is. Like when you watch it, you won't understand that.

In Africa, they call it the two step. So you get one step and the second step and you're done. But sitting there with him, even though I was like, I knew I had to just follow exactly what he said. And I observed first, I watched him for a few days and I realized he knows what he's doing. He believes in everything that he's saying. And I sat with him in there. And then when one started to come towards, you know, when I was close, he said, don't worry if something goes wrong, I'll take the hit. And I was like, I think I'm ready to go.

I think, can I get out of here? Go that way. Yeah, can I go? And he was like, nope, because you can't leave Um, I think I'm ready to go. I think I get out of here. And he was like, Nope, because you can't leave until, until it's a, what you can't do any abrupt movement. So that was the craziest thing I've ever done in my life. You got really close to it as well. Did get really close. But again, I trusted, I trusted him completely. How does someone like him build that skill without dying in the process?

Well, he was bitten a few times. So he did go into a coma once. He had a snake injury, a snake related injury where he lost his legs. He has one leg. And he still does it. Yeah. And he sits with them. So, so people will come and see him and know that if they've seen this, it kind of gets a point across. Like if you see a guy sitting in a small room like this with a bunch of black mambas, you realize, okay, so if a black mamba does come into our school or to our house or wherever, you can just stay at peace, stay calm on some level.

So he's protecting the people and the mambas. And there's no way of training a mamba. So, no, and these are wild. These are rescues. He keeps them and the mambas. And there's no way of training a mamba, so... No. And these are wild. These are rescues. He keeps them and then releases them back. So, yeah, no. Yeah, yeah. That, I mean, just listening to that... It's crazy. And to hear you say it's the hardest thing you've ever done...

Not hard, but the scariest. Scariest. It wasn't hard. It was the opposite of hard. It's just, all you have to do is just sit still. Yeah. But you have to stay still just all you have to do is just sit still. Yeah. But you have to stay still and you have to be, you have to be at ease. Did you have to prepare that before you went in? Oh, I look like I'm about to like run to the bathroom the whole time.

I think all of us would be, I think all of us would even get in there. There's an interesting thing about animals in that way, isn't there? There's my monk teacher who spent time in, when he traveled, would live in the forest and things like that back in the day. And he would always talk about how animals see whether you respect them or whether you fear them. And he would talk about that every time he saw an animal, it was like he'd have to bow down to the animal in his heart and mind. And if he was to do that, then the animal would know that that wasn't a threat or there wasn't any fear. And then that would be what created a sense of peace.

That if he could bow down and show respect. Yeah, that's exactly right. We think we have to dominate and like show them and then they'll run away. But it depends. Some you have to... Right. So it varies. Some you have to show that you're not afraid

and that you're strong and you're not going to be an easy target. Or they say with sharks, what you have to do is if you're around bull sharks in the ocean or whatever, you just look at them and keep looking because they don't want a challenge. They're so evolved, they don't want to have to waste any energy. They're so perfect. They conserve energy in the most efficient way. So if you're looking at it, it knows that it would, it may get a fight back, but if you're not looking, then... It's going to go for you. Right, yeah.

Wow. Think about them preserving energy. But he sits in there for hours. And when I met him, he was just sitting with a forest cobra, another snake that could easily kill you. But he was just like drinking his coffee. So yeah, he was amazing. Wow. And has he got to a place of fearlessness?

Like would he say that he feels fearless or no, he feels peace? No, I think no. I think he respects and loves these snakes. He thinks they're beautiful and incredible. So it's not... Yeah, sure. He thinks they're beautiful and incredible. So it's not, sure, he's fearless with that specifically. Yeah, but I think it's more like he has just such a deep respect for, like you said,

like, you know, bowing down to, yeah, it's that. I mean, even listening to you though, there's such a respect for your craft and art. Like the number of times in this conversation you've always already said like, I trusted the teacher, I trusted Neville, trusted Deepak. Like there's such a respect for mentors and trust for teachers and guides.

And there's such a respect for the art and craft. It's not just, you know, as today, we kind of make everything today just feel like entertainment. And even when people have talents, it's kind of just like, oh yeah, everyone's got talents now. But it's like, actually for you, it's a respect and study of the craft. I think it's the same when you met the monk. You immediately felt his knowledge and his faith and his beliefs

and his discipline, his wisdom right. And I think with the people I've met, all of them, I felt that, and as soon as I felt that, I was okay to try things. So I think lots of it has to do with just trusting the person and their abilities and their understanding of what they're doing. And then from that, it's a leap of faith. It's beautiful to think about what you do that way. Cause I think a lot of people can kind of project it as like, Oh, well, David's figured it out, but it's actually

like, no, you're willing to submit yourself and study and become a beginner again. Like that beginner's mindset. That's right. And that's, that's the part that's like breaking the comfort zone is, is trying something you haven't done, trying something new, pushing yourself in a way that you're uncomfortable and working diligently and loving failure, right? The failure is like, that's okay.

The failure is amazing. When you're performing magic, it's the failures that you learn from, right? You're performing a card trick and you fail, well that's where you learn, and you're constantly learning. That's what's amazing about being a magician, is there's a constant learning curve and it never stops.

You're always practicing, you're always, even if it's the same trick that you've worked on for me, 30 years, some of them, 40, whatever it is, and I'm still changing, I of them 40, whatever it is. And I'm still changing. I'm still learning. And that's for me the exciting part of everything. Yeah, you're constantly going from becoming the expert, going back to the beginner, becoming an expert.

That cycle doesn't stop. Right. And therefore you're never an expert, you know. Yeah, it's really cool. I love that. What's the illusion that kept you up the most nights before you've done it? That you've had sleepless nights over as you prepare or get ready for it? Probably kissing the king cobra.

Just because I understood that the risk was, you know, I understood the risk. So that one I was, that took me a long time to mentally prepare for. That one took me a long time. How many times had you been in the pen before you did that one? Was that in that time? No, no, no, I took time on that one.

I wasn't ready, so I left, came back months later. I tried to understand the behavior of the king cobra. I met with my friends that had king cobras that understood. I mean, that one was a pretty intense learning curve because, you know, they strike fast and if it gets you, you know. So that, I think of everything I've done that, that might have been the most intimidating one. Probably. I think that's very legitimate.

Kissing a king cobra. Yeah, because all the stunts, all the other things that I've done, there was no real immediate risk of death. Yes, something could go wrong, but there's not a, this is a lights out situation where with the king cobra, I understood the risk was great. So I wanted to know that I had the ability to get out of the way and that I could understand its movements and its timing.

Are you scared of dying? I'm not afraid of dying, but I understand, you know, my mother died in my arms. So I don't, and the last word she said to me is God is love. But since having a daughter, it's like you want to live for as long as possible. But previous to having a daughter, I didn't even, I was like, yeah, just whatever.

Now, because of my daughter, I want to not do something. It's like, oops. What was it like losing your mother? So sorry for your loss. She got sick when I was 16 and she died when I was 20. She was a warrior through it and a peaceful warrior. When she died, I felt like my body was like a tree and it was like the branch, one big branch of a tree or something. And it went like that. It was like a tree and it was like the branch of one big branch of a tree or something and it went like that it was like an immediate like broken you know it was like i never want to feel that

type of pain again it was it was it was like literally like i felt like like something broke in half you know so that was that was a, and I was so close to my mother. She was my best friend. She was my world. But then what started to happen was I started to find, there was like messages. By the way, whenever I did stunts, I'm not even kidding. She would always, like, I would get a sign from her and those signs would make me know I was going to be okay. When I was buried alive, it sounds crazy, but like, I think the energy is always there,

right? So, I was buried alive and I was like, it was all cloudy. I was like, Mom, can you give me a sign? Right when I said it, I'm not even kidding, it was like mom. Can you give me a sign and right when I said it? I'm not even kidding was like the clouds opened and the Sun came through it was like an immediate thing When I was in the box in London 44 days day 40 I was having these terrible heart palpitations like I mean no But I thought I was gonna die or something right and I and I went in my head again

Bob give me a sigh like you, you know, what should I do? And at that exact moment, you know, I could see the tower bridge over there. And this was day 40, I had to go to day 44. And there was a bunch of people yelling, dang it, you know, from the tower bridge. And I look over and I'm not even kidding. Right when I said that, they open up this banner

that they made and it just said, God is love. And I was like, yeah! And that was her final words. Yes! So, it's like the energy is just there and she... So, basically when she wasn't there, she was... She's even more, you know? It's like her presence became so strong.

That's so powerful. Yeah, that's really special. Yeah. Do you look for her in... I don't need to look for her, she's everywhere. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, that's funny.

Yeah, I didn't think of that, but yeah. I've had a couple of experiences recently. I was officiating a wedding, not last Christmas, the Christmas before, December before. And the couple that I'd introduced had met through meditations that I'd led for them. And so I was leading a meditation for their wedding ceremony because they had asked for it. And so me and the couple closed their eyes during that period. But the rest of the audience,

I think some of them probably joined in, some people don't want to join in, so they didn't join in. And it was amazing because we were in Tulum in Mexico and this, I had my eyes closed so I didn't see it. But this huge blue butterfly flew from between the couple and then flew throughout the whole audience. And for those who had their eyes open saw it. And for most of us who had our eyes closed,

we didn't see it. And then we found out later on that the lady who's getting married, she has a blue butterfly on her neck because it represents her father who is passed on. And we didn't see it because we had our eyes closed in meditation. But that's beautiful.

And it was just one bar of light. No one really saw it. And it's just, I love things like that when people have such a strong semblance to signs. Yeah, there's signs everywhere if you pay attention to them, if you look for them, if you're open to them. And it's easy to block off from all that stuff. But it's like, yeah, if you that stuff, but it's like, yeah, if you open to it, it's everywhere.

Well, that's what I love about the way you think about it. Cause I think there's a lot of illusionists in the world who almost see illusion as a way of saying there are no, there is no mysticism in the world. There's a lot of illusionists who will say, oh yeah, because I can explain everything, it kind of proves that there is no otherworldly, supernatural or mystical, whatever language you want to use for it. But you seem to have somewhat of a... Well, it's, yeah, I mean, it's more about like being open to it.

So if you're open to it, you'll find it because that's what you're looking for, right? But if you're like, nah, then you won't. And it's like, I feel like the better approach is to be open to it so you can experience these incredible things, you know? What's one of the most amazing things you've experienced by being open? No, I mean, just by being open, just like, you know, watching my daughter just grow. And, you know, that's the most amazing. And watching who she becomes and you saw that.

But yeah, when you need those signs, if you're open to it, they'll be there. And if you're close to it, you'll never see them because you're like, nah, it's all right. You know what I kept writing in my journal when I was in the box of her videos? That's the only thing I really brought was no toothbrush, no nothing, but I had a journal and a couple of pens,

and I kept writing, everything is perspective. Everything is how you decide to see it, because people kept saying, are you bored in the box? I'm like, boredom is a choice. Like, you choose to be bored, because your mind has so many things it can think about, create, do, wonder, dream, everything. So it's like, so those two things are the things

that are all over that journal. Everything is perspective and boredom is a choice. And then there was a lot of numbers and mapping out like the amount of time and graphs and things. But those were two of the very strong, prominent thoughts of what I learned and became very clear to me during that 44 day fast. It opened me up to so many thoughts and it was like this clarity that I never get because

there's very few distractions. No phone, no this, no that, no food, no distractions really. So you suddenly become hyper aware. Like it's like a heightened sense of awareness and everything becomes intense and beautiful and which is probably what you were doing for the three years. Yeah, I mean we were talking about it earlier, like you start realizing that the sky is not just blue, there's so many different variations that...

Yeah. Not every leaf you see is green, there's so many variations. But if you look on an average day, it's like, oh the sky is blue, the trees are green, like we have this, we kind of have this almost veneer or this lens we put on everything, which makes it all the same. And you look at that in society too, where like you go down most city centers,

every shop is the same. We see the same coffee shop everywhere. You see the same, like, you know, we homogenize everything in the world. And there's a sense of comfort. There's a sense of comfort when you see, I remember my friend was giving us a tour of Oxford. He was studying at Oxford University and he was going around and he was saying, this is where Lord of the Rings was written and this is where Alice in Wonderland was written.

He was giving me this and me and him were like loving this. And we were with someone and then we walked into the town centre and they were like, oh my God, there's an urban outfit is here. It's like the clothes store. And we were like, what is wrong with you? But it's like for them, that was a sense of comfort. Yeah, that's funny. Yeah. I was like, but wait a minute, like this is where Alice in Wonderland is written.

Like everything is perspective. Everything is perspective. And that person may be just as excited about that as this person is about this, which is amazing. And it's so fascinating. It's like, yeah, who have you met or what have you done that has just shifted your perspective the most in the last few decades? Like, is this a person you met, a place you went to that just shifted?

I mean, there's so many. I know. It's just a, well, books, books are, that's like a big one, right? Just books, just, you know, I think like, what books do to the mind is identical to what exercise does for the body. That's the main problem with the phones

is it's really taken away, like, my ability to just read a book has changed because I'm so distracted by, you know? So it's like, but it's like just being able to like open up your mind and explore these incredible worlds that were meticulously done by these brilliant writers that studied psychology and philosophy and that outpouring of just, you know, knowledge. But so I think books would be the first thing that have like, that have like impacted. Any favorites?

Any ones that you recommend? Yeah. Cervantes. Then his life story was incredible. Cervantes. He's fascinating. And then Don Quixote is like one of the most, I think, one of the most important books written in many ways.

His story is incredible because he was the son of a surgeon. He grew up very poor, Cervantes. So he went to fight for his country and during the Inquisition, I guess, he was maimed on his left side. So he was paralyzed on his left side. He couldn't use his arm. And he was given the equivalent of a Purple Heart. So on his way back, the boat was seized. They took him captive and he was given the equivalent of a Purple Heart. So on his way back, the boat was seized, like they took him captive, and he was tortured and beaten for years, right? He wasn't able to really, he couldn't get out, and his brother finally raised enough money that he was, by the way, from the monasteries, whether raised enough money, when he came out, they gave him a job as a tax collector.

And he didn't want to do that. He didn't want to collect taxes because he thought, like, if I'm doing this to a mother of six, and she can't afford this, I don't want to do this. They ended up putting him in jail for, I think, 12 years. While he was in prison, he wrote Don Quixote, which is this book about a guy that wants to save the world and make the world a better place.

But he finished it when he came out. The book was published and it became like the number one book in Europe. But the book publisher, I don't think they ever really paid him. So this book that became like the Shakespeare even wrote an entire play about one character in the book called Cardenio, which is that character is incredible. But when he was basically when he came out, they never gave him his earnings and he died

completely broken. The story of Don Quixote is about a guy that wants to make the world a better place, but it's not possible, you know, which is what his mission was. Yeah. But that's a great book. Yeah. Thank you. How does that speak to you now?

Like how does his dilemma speak to you? I mean, it's related to everything, right? Hope for the best and expect the worst is the theme of his book. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a beautiful statement that it reminds me of from F. Scott Fitzgerald, who said that the sign of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at the same time. So one should be able to look around and see that everything is hopeless,

but still be determined to make a change. To be hopeful. Yeah, exactly. Like that ability to... Yeah, that's right. To absorb two different... Two truths. Yeah, because the brain's not meant to be malleable.

So it's like you think one way and it's very hard to unthink that. It's very hard to change the direction of what you accept and what you like. But you're right. That sign of intelligence is the ability to grow and learn and scrap previous ideas and change the way you think and continue to break everything that you think you know. But that's literally what you do in a physical, tangible, mental way. Because everything about you knows that putting a blade close to your body cuts it, that being close to a black mamba like kills you.

Like that, that is what you're, you're literally living that. Because I'm intrigued to know this because you're one of the most unrelatable people on the planet. Because you've done things that even if you explain them and even if we watch you do them, 99.9% of people, even more than that, that's even a low percentage, have no idea what it even feels like. How does that feel? I don't think of it like that actually. I think everybody has their thing. Like everybody has that thing that they're like, it's the same thing.

It's just, it just speaks differently. Yeah. And it just speaks differently. Yeah. So I think everybody, like if you look into every single person, there's like, you can find, you know, it's like things that you can't understand or you never. And it's like, it's amazing to like explore that, you know. I like that perspective.

I like that perspective. Everyone has, everyone can feel that way if they want to, it's a choice. And they do. Yeah. Like everybody has their thing that's unique to them. It might be that, and there's so many, you know, it's like the skill that I respect on my mother

being the best mother ever, right? But that's like complete surrender, dedication and belief and... You know, that's... That's their special source. Yeah, that's their passion. That's what lights their fire. Yeah. You'd avoided fire for a while. Like you'd avoided wanting to do that.

You finally succeed with the bridge dive. I mean, how did that feel? Why were you avoiding it? It just never came together properly. Like it just never... The idea was planted in my head, but it never really came to... It never came together properly. But then when I went to Brazil and I met these incredible, you know, high divers, the Carina who had like walked over traversed a volcano.

And by the way, she, she almost died doing that. She was bleeding through her mouth or no, she couldn't even breathe. But when you look at the images of her walking across a volcano lake, it's whoa. But anyway, so there was a man, Andre, who's this fire genius that just respects and love fires. And the same way Neville does with the Black Mambas, they helped me put together this idea of just, you know, doing something off of a bridge on fire and that, yeah. And it was amazing.

I mean, but you had a set amount of time that you had to like... It was quick. Yeah, it was quick. Yeah. It was quick. Yeah. Did it live up to your feeling of wanting to do something with fire? Yeah.

Do I want to do it again? Yeah. No, yes. You would. You'd do it again, yeah. Yeah, because you're always thinking like, oh, well, it was bright out, it was the nighttime, but you know, so yeah, you're always thinking about like, you know, that's not like the box,

which is one I can't ever do again. That's one that's like, that's interesting. So the way that this show came to be, was my concept was if something can be done by one, it can be done by others, right? And I think that's part of what happens is like somebody does something and somebody else, oh, this guy ran a mile and four minutes and I can break it. And then it's almost like a continual, like part that I love is one thing

leads to another, you push somebody. The idea opens up, the idea opens up that you can do anything or you can do something you didn't think was possible. And then it just snowballs and it affects people around. And I think that's what's interesting about the magicians that I love is they create this fantasy land, right? They do these things that seem impossible,

but the ones that I like are really doing things that are actually possible, but we think it's not possible. And then it relates to everybody because anybody that wants to do, Oh, I want to write a book. They can write a book, right? You just have to believe in, Oh, I want to direct a movie. They can direct a movie. I want to be a photographer for national geographic. They can be a photographer. So it's like, I want to, I want to do this. I want to build a rocket. It's unlimited. So I think, and that's, that's the thing that

I love about the search for people that are doing things that to me feel like it's as close to magic as possible because it defies what we know to be possible. I think it's what's amazing about humanity is we just keep improving and we keep learning and we keep evolving to become better and better. So yeah, so I think part of the search for these fascinating people or this love of magic stems from that idea that everybody is basically the same. Like there is nobody that's different than everybody and you can apply that thinking to anything.

And so I'm inspired by the people that do these things, not just magicians, but the people I've been searching for throughout the world that just push the limits of what we would assume to be possible. I love that answer. Yeah, that's brilliant. That idea that every single person gets to kind of pass on the baton, right?

Like the idea of like, I open up the door and now it's open. And I always ask people, I'm like, find your monk. And what I mean by that is if I didn't meet this monk, the entire trajectory of my life wouldn't have shifted and changed. It was like meeting this one person. Completely pivoted my whole life journey. And whoever that is for you-

And you were open to it. You understood that. That's right. We all just. You were open to it. You understood that. That's right. We all just need to be open to that. Like who's that person who could just completely or perspective that could completely shift and change your trajectory. That's right. It's pretty phenomenal.

I love that. And it's not, and anybody, and what's nice about that is then therefore it's like anything can inspire you to do, to do anything that you, that you want or that you dream of. And that's the stuff that, once again, that's what I love about when I studied these incredible performers, these magicians, these vaudevillians, these dime circus,

where I would read these things, and I'd say, wait, how is this guy a human aquarium? Like, does that make sense? But he couldn't, Houdini wrote about Mac Norton, the human aquarium, but I'm like, but wait, he couldn't have fooled Houdini because Houdini's a magician, he's looking for the trick, and if Houdini's saying the guy's really doing it,

it has to be real. So that was like the planting of the seed, right? So it's like, and just all these fascinating characters throughout the history of magic, and there's like these surreal images of these posters that these magicians created that when you look at them, it's like this, it's like this fantastical mystical magical world. So it's like, and that's what I think great books do is they open up your mind,

they open up your thinking to this, like to this, to this, it's like, uh, not just beauty, it's, it's, it's your imagination, it's your creations, it's your visualization. And then it's like converting that into, through repetition, failure, practice, repeat into whatever you, and by the way, you shoot for this and then it may end up here,

but you've shot for it. And so, you know, and it's a constant, you know, which is part of the thing that I love about all of these types of feelings or people or inspirations. Like you found your monk who led you into this whole, your brain changed. You opened the door. Right.

And it seems like that's why you'll never be done. Cause that's what drives you. And that's why we'll all never be done. David, you've been so generous with your time. I've loved every moment of this. You are truly one of the most fascinating people I've ever spoken to. And we end on purpose with a final five, a fast five.

These have to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. Okay. So these are your, David Blaine, these are your final five. Question number one, what is the best life advice you've ever heard or received? I mean, I like always surround yourself with people that will inspire you and help you grow. That was a good one.

Good advice. Question number two, what's the worst advice you've ever heard or received? Don't go for your dream. You're not going to succeed. Don't even bother. Worst advice. Yeah, I think a lot of people have heard that. If you listen to the people that are going to... No, you cannot, you have to go for...

You have to at least try. By the way, you may fail, but if you keep failing, eventually, you're probably going to do something. You'll get some version of what you want to do. If you wanted your life to leave behind three messages, what would they be? That you can find magic everywhere, the connections between, there's like the way I feel with my daughter

finding that connection, that surrender, that love, that's the most beautiful thing that I have ever experienced. And then one more thing, I guess it goes to the first thing, which is just to try to always experience that feeling of wonder. Like always be amazed.

Allow yourself to be amazed. You know, allow yourself to... Yeah, what we were talking about, allow yourself to see the blue in the sky, you know? Yeah, yeah. I love that sentence. Allow yourself to be amazed, because I think today, yeah, we don't allow ourselves because we're kind of used to it.

We don't even realize, even though we all make phones look bad, but this is actually phenomenal that it exists. Like it's amazing that it's possible. Yeah, allow yourself to be amazed is a great line. I love that. Question number four. When your mother left you with the words, God is love, what does that mean to you today?

It means love is God, God is love. Like the feeling of love, the surrender, that is everything. That is what life is about. That's what life is. That's the ultimate. Yeah. Giving into that feeling,

which we're all very guarded. You know, I'm super guarded. And like you said, as a magician, I'm super skeptical. But at the same time, I still do believe there's so much that we don't know, that we don't understand, and we're all connected to this one. We're all part of this one connection.

We're all connected. We're all made of the same molecules and atoms. So I think where everything is connected and everything is one. And I don't think there's a beginning or an end. And energy isn't either created nor destroyed. So it's always, so that whole... Fifth and final question. If you could, we ask this to every guest who's ever been on the show.

If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be? Wow. So one law, a law. It can be as tangible or intangible as you like. Yes, so then it should be the law of love. Simple. Yeah, I mean like just that surrender, that like,

because that's, there's no ego in that, there's no... Yeah, no ego is definitely a good... But it's so hard to, you know, it's like we're so locked in all this stuff, yeah, giving up, just like surrender. When do you feel you have the least ego? When do you feel you experience no ego? When I'm with my daughter, it's like that's like everything disappears. David Blaine, thank you so much for your time, your energy, everyone who's been listening and watching, make sure you go and watch the new show, David Blaine, Do Not Attempt. It's on Nat Geo. I can't wait for you to see it. It's phenomenal. You got to hear some of the stories here. Out March 23rd on National Geographic,

David takes viewers on an incredible journey where he immerses himself in unique cultures and meeting extraordinary performers who inspire and share their rare skills and secrets. And of course you can also see David at his Las Vegas residency at the Encore Theatre and at the Wynn. I can't wait to go. I'm coming to see you live.

I'm really looking forward to it. And congratulations, my friend. Thank you. Really wonderful getting to know you. You too. Thank you. If you love this podcast, you'll love my episode with Lewis Hamilton. Lewis and I talk about why you should stop chasing society's definition of success

and how to be more intentional with your goals. You don't want to miss it. Like it's not about being perfect. It's about just every day, one step at a time, trying to be better, trying to do more. I'm learning a lot about myself. I had to break myself down in order to be able to be better. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball.

If only there were a professional WNBA player with her own podcast I could listen to. You rang? This is Lexi Brown. And Mariah Rose. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. Every Wednesday we're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. Full Circle is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Full Circle on the iHeart radio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi listeners, it's Emily Tish Sussman, host of the podcast, She Pivots. This March, we're honoring Women's History Month with episodes from powerhouse Governor Gretchen Whitmer. I fell in love with public policy and that's kind of when I pivoted. Then later we dive into the rise of women's sports

by hearing how sports investor, Carolyn Tish-Blojit is shaping the industry. Come join us and listen to She Pivots on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Emi Olaya, host of the podcast, Crumbs. For years, I had to rely on other people to tell me my story. And what I heard wasn't good. You really f***ed last night. It felt like I lived most of my life in a blackout. I was trapped in addiction. I had to grab the lamp and smashed it

against the walls.