Luke busts out of the gate with a hilarious freestyle rap of the rich arrogant entrepreneur buying and sellin’ companies, houses, and private jets. After five minutes we catch our breath and get into an incredibly deep conversation that will get you thinking and reflecting on the importance of pursuing the highest expression of your talents and contributing to the community at large. The funny stuff at the start does set up some moral questions, because things are out of hand these days with the glorification of wealth, celebrity, entrepreneurism, and of course social media. Nothing against sharing the exciting moments of your lives on social media, but it’s critical to remember that, as Luke says, “We don’t post things that are uninspiring.”   Luke is a Renaissance man who has had a long career as a writer in the realms of health and diet, Hollywood, and even fiction. He worked together with his wife, Dr. Cate Shanahan, on the mega-bestselling tome for healthy eating called Deep Nutrition. He has also done some masterful work that no one knows about due to the nature of the ghostwriting profession. Luke offers some reflection on the commonly-cited mission statement to “be in service.” This is easy for people at the top of the mountain to say, and also believe sincerely. For the rest of us, we have to strike a constant balance between serving the community and looking out for our own needs and best interests. Luke strongly believes that being in a perpetual state of service can actually put you at a disadvantage, because you’re not out collecting “the flowers of experience” - which you need to do in order to have balance in your life. As Luke so beautifully puts it: “It is your obligation, on occasion, to be selfish....It is absolutely necessary to the respiration of your own relationship with yourself.”   Yes, Luke’s got mad wisdom to drop and this episode showcases how this supremely deep thinker can effortlessly weave in facts from history and philosophy into a discussion on serious, personal subjects such as relationships, parenting, and values. Listeners of all ages will be able to get something out of this enlightening talk with a truly engaging conversationalist and storyteller, and thanks to Luke’s intelligence and depth, endless curiosity, and unique perspective, it’s a particularly special one. Enjoy!    TIMESTAMPS:  Luke Shanahan is husband and co-author of Dr. Cate Shanahan. He and Brad, looking at some podcasts, satirize an interview with a bullshitter. [05:17]  More seriously, they analyze the difference between high-minded ideas and reality [13:32] The people who are happiest have a network of fulfilling relationships where they feel significant and they can give back. [17:27]  If you are always in service to others, you don’t get to collect your own experience. [20:10]  Language is powerful. What is its function? [26:24]  Parents who do everything for their kid, are not necessarily giving the kid a gift. [29:39]  Values are not something you carry around in a satchel since childhood. [31:44]  To improve yourself in an area, competing with someone just slightly better leads to growth-full change. [37:32]  We often test our values because we haven’t exercised them. [38:21]  Throughout this show, they are asking you to ask “what is the function?” [41:43]  Why do we take such big risks? [45:17}  We create icons so we can tear them apart. [46:30]  When Brad was a triathlete, he started out unsophisticated, but then began to take himself seriously. [48:13]  You are not your business. [50:28]  What is the function of ownership? [56:16]  No matter how much you are serving, you do have to remember to serve yourself. [01:02:11]  Luke describes a good example of a subtle power play. [01:07:53]  What do your values do to you?  [01:11:08]  When you take it when someone puts you down, or you do something you don’t particularly want to do, you are memorizing that you are not i