Phil Keoghan — The Magic of Bucket Lists and Amazing Races
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“We celebrate success, but I think we should also just celebrate giving it a go.”
– Phil Keoghan
Phil Keoghan (@PhilKeoghan) has worked in television for almost thirty years on more than a thousand program episodes in more than a hundred countries. His work has earned him numerous awards, including ten prime-time Emmys. He is perhaps best known as the co-executive producer and host of CBS series The Amazing Race, currently in its twenty-ninth season.
But there is much, much more to Phil’s story, including unbelievable bucket lists, near-death experiences, and more. As just one example…
In 2013, he decided to retrace the 1928 Tour de France riding an original vintage bicycle, with no gears, to tell the forgotten underdog story of the first English-speaking team to take on the toughest sporting event on earth.
This experience was captured and turned into the brand-new film Le Ride, a gorgeous documentary and the first to be shot on a Sony F55 camera in 4K, which is equivalent to Super 35mm film.
There are many takeaways from this conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode on positive mindset? In this episode, we explore meditation and mindfulness with Chase Jarvis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Harris, and Rainn Wilson (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Phil Keoghan:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Le Ride
The Amazing Race
3:45 LIVE!
Girl You Know It’s True by Milli Vanilli
Phil being bowled by Cyndi Lauper on Breakfast Time with Tom Bergeron in 1995.
The Last Cruise of Mikhail Lermontov by Derek Grzelewski, New Zealand Geographic
The Bottom of The Great Blue Hole in Belize
No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want by Phil Keoghan and Warren Berger
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Harry Potter: The Complete Collection (1-7) by J.K. Rowling
The Tail End by Tim Urban, Wait But Why
That’s Incredible! vs. That’s Fairly Interesting
Tall poppy syndrome
New Zealand All Blacks
The Greatest Haka EVER?
Beached Az: The Seagull. Ep 1, Series 1
From Denmark to Bhutan: The Policies of Happiness by Colin Todhunter, Countercurrents.org
About the Suzuki Method
Did the Idea for FedEx Earn That Company’s Founder a Failing Mark While He Was a College Student? by Barbara Mikkelson, Snopes
Adventure Crazy with Phil Keoghan
Survivor
Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
1928 Tour de France
The Ride (not to be confused with Le Ride)
Gallipoli
Zoom H6
Shure SM58 microphone
Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Moleskine Classic Notebook
Sony F55 4K Camera
Moleskine Smart Writing Set
Evernote
Penultimate
Show Notes
Phil shares his Milli Vanilli dreadlock-twirling story. [06:03]
Phil tells us about having a panic attack while diving a shipwreck at a hundred and twenty feet — and how this charted the course for a life of adventure. [11:50]
What was Phil’s self-talk when returning to the wreck (and in the moment of facing similar fears)? [24:05]
Applying the concept of deliberate practice to optimism and surrounding oneself with people who work to make anything possible. [26:01]
Cultivating optimism in others (especially one’s children) and the benefits of removing “I can’t” from the family vocabulary. [28:59]
How does Phil always say yes to spending time with his daughter — even when he’s got a deadline looming? [31:21]
A simple but effective way to start your own bucket list. [33:26]
What Tim Urban of “Wait But Why” taught me about the limited time we really have with our parents (and children). [34:43]
The importance of word choice on thought (and how we can positively modify our everyday vocabulary). [36:11]
On Aussie-Kiwi rivalry across the Tasman Sea (and a couple of good sheep jokes). [44:49]
Low expectations vs. high expectations. [50:00]
Favorite failures. [53:09]
The two kinds of bucket lists. [58:23]
How did Phil get involved in American television — and eventually The Amazing Race — in spite of concerns about his New Zealand accent? [1:00:50]
How long does it take to shoot a season of The Amazing Race? [1:03:33]
What are the most common mistakes that novice TV hosts make? [1:05:23]
Phil shares the story of his brilliant grandfather. [1:08:23]
Respect your elders. [1:12:01]
How did Phil’s latest documentary, Le Ride, come about? [1:13:19]
How long was the 1928 Tour de France course? [1:18:05]
Why Harry Watson should be in the Sporting Hall of Fame (and what Phil is doing to memorialize him in his hometown). [1:20:01]
What a standing desk did for Phil. [1:21:54]
We talk general gear, travel recording equipment, Phil’s experience shooting the first documentary ever on a Sony F55 4K camera, and how sometimes a smartphone does the job in a pinch. [1:22:14]
A purchase of less than a hundred dollars that had the most positive impact on Phil’s life. [1:26:27]
What are Phil’s journaling habits? [1:27:58]
Parting thoughts. [1:30:36]
People Mentioned
Fab Morvan
Rob Pilatus
Tom Bergeron
Elle Keoghan
Tim Urban
Matt Mullenweg
Peter Jackson
Naval Ravikant
Malcolm Gladwell
John Keoghan
Elizabeth Keoghan
Jack Sussman
Peter Faiman
Jeff Probst
Les Moonves
Jerry Bruckheimer
Bertram van Munster
Elise Doganieri
Jimmy Fallon
Stephen Colbert
Jon Stewart
David Letterman
Johnny Carson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Howard Stern
Ernest Hemingway
Jack Keoghan
Harry Watson
Hubert Opperman
Morgan Spurlock
Oprah Winfrey
Robert Rodriguez
