BigDeal

Most people think hard conversations are about winning. Charlamagne Tha God knows better - they’re about controlling the frame. After nearly three decades in radio — turning The Breakfast Club into a cultural force and surviving the internet’s loudest pile-ons — he’s learned why some people dominate conversations without being the smartest, loudest, or most liked.

In this no-filter episode, Charlamagne breaks down the exact frameworks he uses to handle toxic people, win high-stakes conversations, and stay grounded while millions are watching. We get into why he asks every question twice (“but why?”), how he stopped people-pleasing and started setting real boundaries, why gratitude beats ambition, and the brutal truth behind the rule of 10 — three people will love you, three will hate you, and the rest don’t care.

This isn’t theory. It’s applied psychology from the trenches. From quitting Twitter before it broke him, to the panic-attack mantra that saved his career, to why blue-collar work matters more than AI hype, to why 50 Cent-level petty can be oddly therapeutic. If difficult people drain you, boundaries feel hard, or you want to communicate with calm confidence in a world that rewards noise — this episode will permanently upgrade how you think, talk, and move.

___________

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:17 The Art of the Interview: Why Matters Most
00:06:57 Obsession Is the Price of Greatness
00:12:45 Work-Life Balance and Living Life to Fuel Your Work
00:15:30 Einstein Time: You Create Your Own Time
00:20:08 The Rule of 10: Why You Can't Please Everyone
00:22:53 50 Cent's Level of Petty: The Power of Revenge
00:31:25 Verbally Abusive Relationships With Your Smartphone
00:40:12 The Black Effect Podcast Network: Building Empire
00:45:15 Money Is Not the Root of All Evil: Rewriting Your Money Story
00:51:18 God, Faith, and the Voice That Guides You
01:02:42 Blue Collar Jobs Are the Future: The Trade School Revolution
01:10:29 The Breakfast Club on Netflix and What's Next
01:10:28 Final Words: Gratitude, God, and Keeping It Real

___________

MORE FROM BIGDEAL
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcastbigdeal
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdeal.podcast
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@big.deal.pod

MORE FROM CODIE SANCHEZ
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codiesanchezct
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realcodiesanchez

OTHER THINGS WE DO
🌐 Our community: https://contrarianthinking.typeform.com/to/WBztXXID
📰 Free newsletter: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3XWLlZp
📚 Biz buying course: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3NhjGgN
🏠 Resibrands: https://resibrands.com/
💰 CT Capital: https://contrarianthinking.biz/4eRyGOk
🏦 Main St Hold Co: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3YfGa8u
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think weakness is beaten with motivation. It’s not. Weakness is eliminated with standards. After years on Wall Street and building businesses, I learned the hard way that comfort kills more dreams than failure ever will. The people who break through don’t feel their way forward. They enforce rules on themselves.

In this raw episode, I break down eight brutal truths most people need to hear. Why motivation doesn’t kill weakness but standards do. Why your inner circle will either save or sabotage your life. Why confidence comes after action, not before. And why setting goals you never fully reach is one of the most unfair advantages in life. You’ll also learn why elite performance requires being a little unhinged, why you get paid to practice not perform, and why winners aren’t special, they’re obsessed with proving themselves.

This isn’t theory. It’s applied psychology backed by real research and hard lessons. From self-control predicting success more than IQ to social circles shaping outcomes, this episode will change how you think about discipline, standards, and what it actually takes to kill weakness for good.

Building real wealth doesn't require a flashy startup — it just takes one boring, cash-flowing business. Join me at Main Street Millionaire Live to get my exact playbook for finding, buying, and scaling a business. Stop wondering how ownership could change your life, and come find out: https://contrarianthinking.biz/MSML_BDYT26

___________

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:45 How to Kill Weakness: Starve It
00:04:32 Your Inner Circle Will Ruin or Save Your Life
00:06:55 Work Ethic Eliminates Fear
00:09:31 Set Goals You Never Reach: The Unfair Unlock
00:11:39 Stop Normalizing Comfort
00:13:43 Elite Requires Unhinged
00:15:58 You Get Paid to Practice, Not Play the Game
00:17:44 Stop Pitying Weakness, Including Your Own
00:21:14 You Don't Need Confidence: Just Keep Trying

___________

MORE FROM BIGDEAL
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcastbigdeal
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdeal.podcast
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@big.deal.pod

MORE FROM CODIE SANCHEZ
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codiesanchezct
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realcodiesanchez

OTHER THINGS WE DO
🌐 Our community: https://contrarianthinking.typeform.com/to/WBztXXID
📰 Free newsletter: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3XWLlZp
📚 Biz buying course: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3NhjGgN
🏠 Resibrands: https://resibrands.com/
💰 CT Capital: https://contrarianthinking.biz/4eRyGOk
🏦 Main St Hold Co: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3YfGa8u
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think confidence is about believing in yourself. Gabrielle Bernstein knows better — it's about befriending the parts of yourself that hold you back. After two decades as a spiritual teacher and writing 11 bestselling books, the author of The Universe Has Your Back and Self-Help has cracked the code on why we sabotage our success, stay stuck in negative loops, and block the very abundance we're trying to attract.

In this raw, deeply personal conversation, Gabrielle breaks down the exact Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework that changed her life, why pushing harder actually blocks manifestation, how suppressed trauma creates parts that sabotage you decades later, and why the 3 AM spiral can be stopped by visualizing your thoughts in a bubble and sending them away.

And it’s not just vibes — it's applied psychology. If you've ever felt like you're blocking your own success, spiraling in negative self-talk, or pushing so hard you can't receive what's trying to come to you, this episode will rewire how you think about confidence, manifestation, and what it actually takes to attract abundance.

If this episode hits a nerve, good. Because insight without action is just expensive therapy. That’s why we built Main Street Millionaire Live — three days with real operators learning how to buy and build boring, cash-flowing businesses that create actual freedom. Main Street Millionaire Live is where mindset turns into money.

Less manifesting. More ownership. Learn more at https://contrarianthinking.biz/MSML_BDYT26

Keep up with Gabrielle Bernstein:
Website: https://gabbybernstein.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbyb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GabrielleBernstein
Podcast: https://gabbybernstein.com/podcast/

___________

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:25 The Confidence Problem: Why We Don't Set Big Goals
00:04:03 Breaking the Spiral: The Loop-Breaking Method
00:09:02 When You Change How You Look at Things, Everything Changes
00:09:46 Doing vs. Allowing: Drop the Tupperware, Keep the China
00:11:30 Manifesting Done Right: You're Always Manifesting Something
00:16:16 Energy Is Contagious: The Science Behind Your Imprint
00:18:04 Main Street Millionaire Live: Your Path to Business Ownership
00:18:40 The Choose Again Method: Name It, Forgive It, Redirect It
00:21:16 Why We Lose Our Joy: Core Beliefs and Protection Mechanisms
00:22:18 Internal Family Systems: Befriending the Parts That Hold You Back
00:31:03 The Four-Step Check-In: How to Heal Your Parts
00:39:20 Real Boundaries Come From Self-Compassion, Not Rage
00:28:13 The Hormone Monster: Perimenopause, Parts, and Partnership
00:45:42 How to Find a Good Therapist: The Safety Test
00:50:04 AI, Mediumship, and the Future of Spiritual Guidance
00:56:38 Abundance, Receptivity, and the Maternal Energy Shift
01:03:57 Do Less, Attract More: The Promise That Changes Everything
01:04:52 Main Street Millionaire Live: Join the Revolution

___________

MORE FROM BIGDEAL
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcastbigdeal
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdeal.podcast
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@big.deal.pod

MORE FROM CODIE SANCHEZ
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codiesanchezct
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realcodiesanchez

OTHER THINGS WE DO
🌐 Our community: https://contrarianthinking.typeform.com/to/WBztXXID
📰 Free newsletter: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3XWLlZp
📚 Biz buying course: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3NhjGgN
🏠 Resibrands: https://resibrands.com/
💰 CT Capital: https://contrarianthinking.biz/4eRyGOk
🏦 Main St Hold Co: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3YfGa8u
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think communication is about being right. It's not. It's about controlling the frame. After years of navigating toxic bosses, difficult business partners, and high-stakes negotiations across Wall Street and Main Street, I've cracked the code on why difficult people always seem to win — and how to beat them at their own game without becoming one of them.

Today I’m breaking down the nine strategies I use to handle toxic people. You'll learn why the loudest person dominates early but loses later, how Harvard research shows people interpret facts to protect their ego (not accuracy), and why toxic people win because they play with low emotional reactivity and high certainty — even when they're wrong. You'll learn the CLEAN framework, why gaslighting collapses under specificity, and how the Invisible Gorilla study proves we all live in different realities. If you've ever felt drained by difficult people, lost arguments you should've won, or wondered why toxic behavior gets rewarded, this episode will change how you communicate forever. Stop trying to win emotionally. Start winning structurally.

Thinking about buying a business but don’t know where to start? Main Street Millionaire Live gives you the playbook, mindset, and momentum to become an owner. Stop saying “someday,” and do it this year → https://contrarianthinking.biz/MSML_BDYT26

___________

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:07 The Asymmetry Advantage: How Toxic People Exploit You
00:03:25 Frame Control: The Rule That Wins Every Conversation
00:06:29 The Disrespect Response Ladder: From Absorb to Redirect
00:09:16 The Gaslighting Defense Protocol: Reality Anchor Tactics
00:10:06 Main Street Millionaire Live: Your Path to Business Ownership
00:10:51 The Four Studies That Change How You See Reality
00:13:27 Negotiating Across Two Realities: The Mirror and Redirect Method
00:14:55 The Blue-Throated Mockingbird: Creating Trigger Breakers
00:20:27 The CLEAN Framework: How to Beat Toxic People Structurally
00:22:59 The Power Move: Stop Fighting Emotionally, Win Structurally

___________

MORE FROM BIGDEAL
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcastbigdeal
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdeal.podcast
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@big.deal.pod

MORE FROM CODIE SANCHEZ
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codiesanchezct
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realcodiesanchez

OTHER THINGS WE DO
🌐 Our community: https://contrarianthinking.typeform.com/to/WBztXXID
📰 Free newsletter: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3XWLlZp
📚 Biz buying course: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3NhjGgN
🏠 Resibrands: https://resibrands.com/
💰 CT Capital: https://contrarianthinking.biz/4eRyGOk
🏦 Main St Hold Co: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3YfGa8u
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think self-doubt is the enemy. Dr. Shadé Zahrai knows better — it's actually a signal. After spending years researching the neuroscience of confidence and studying thousands of high performers, this Harvard-trained leadership expert has cracked the code on why self-doubt never fully disappears and what top performers do differently when it shows up.

In this raw conversation, Dr. Shadé breaks down the exact four drivers of self-doubt that hold people back, why waiting to feel confident is the wrong goal completely (confidence comes after action, not before), how expectation bias creates the reality you experience, and why the opposite of self-doubt isn't confidence at all — it's self-trust.

But this isn't theory — it's applied neuroscience. We get into the five elements that increase your perceived confidence (posture, eye contact, gestures, vocal tone, and walking speed), why smiling doesn't equal weakness, how to use the CUT method to handle manipulators, and why writing things down by hand increases recall by activating different parts of your brain. If you've ever felt like self-doubt is holding you back, or if you're tired of waiting to feel ready before you take action, this episode will rewire how you think about confidence, competence, and what it actually takes to trust yourself.

Check out Dr. Shadé Zahrai’s new book Big Trust: Rewire Self-Doubt, Find Your Confidence, Fuel Success — out January 20th. Pre-order now: https://www.shadezahrai.com/bigtrust

Download Dr. Shadé’s free Morning Clarity Reset tool: https://bit.ly/morningclarityritual

Keep up with Dr. Shadé Zahrai
Website: https://www.shadezahrai.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadezahraiLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shadezahrai/YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Dr.ShadeZahraiTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadezahrai

I say it all the time: building real wealth doesn’t require a flashy startup — it just takes one boring, cash-flowing business. Join me at Main Street Millionaire Live to get my exact playbook for finding, buying, and scaling a business. Stop wondering how ownership could change your life, and come find out: https://contrarianthinking.biz/MSML26_BDYT
___________

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:28 The Scar Study: How Your Beliefs Create Your Reality
00:03:43 The Four Drivers of Self-Doubt
00:08:18 You Are Not Your Doubts: The Ping-Pong Ball Analogy
00:11:20 Affective Labeling: Name Your Emotions to Tame Them
00:14:21 The Opposite of Self-Doubt is Not Confidence, It's Self-Trust
00:16:57 Manifestation Done Right: The Michael Phelps Pre-Mortem Strategy
00:23:41 The Five Elements of Charisma: Posture, Gestures, Eyes, Voice, and Walk
00:43:52 How to Win Any Room: The Five-to-One Question Rule
00:47:42 The CUT Method: How to Handle Manipulative Behavior
01:01:15 Imposter Syndrome and the Citibank Napkin Story
01:07:18 The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
01:22:51 Morning Clarity Reset: The One Daily Ritual That Changes Everything

___________

MORE FROM BIGDEAL
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcastbigdeal
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdeal.podcast
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@big.deal.pod

MORE FROM CODIE SANCHEZ
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codiesanchezct
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez
📽️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realcodiesanchez

OTHER THINGS WE DO
🌐 Our community: https://contrarianthinking.typeform.com/to/WBztXXID
📰 Free newsletter: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3XWLlZp
📚 Biz buying course: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3NhjGgN
🏠 Resibrands: https://resibrands.com/
💰 CT Capital: https://contrarianthinking.biz/4eRyGOk
🏦 Main St Hold Co: https://contrarianthinking.biz/3YfGa8u
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices