A Story Worth Retelling with Luke Storey

In This Episode

• [02:46] – Stephan and Luke Storey recall how they met.
• [11:42] – Luke talks about the success of his personal brand, how he developed it, and the importance of humility that comes with it.
• [14:28] – Luke emphasizes the importance of purpose and alignment in life and business.
• [15:52] – Luke explains how having aligned values strengthen personal and business relationships.
• [29:46] – Why in-person podcast interviews are so important for Luke?
• [39:04] – Luke shares his marketing strategy at the beginning of his podcasting career.
• [47:40] – How to choose the right guests for your podcast.
• [57:59] – Luke shares his main content hub where people can get free valuable information.

Jump to Links and Resources

Luke, it’s so great to have you on the show.

It’s great to see you again, man. It must have been nine or ten years ago when we met, and I hadn’t started my podcast then. It began in 2016. We’ve had a long journey in both parallel paths of doing content marketing and providing value for people worldwide through social media, podcasts, and everything else.

Do you remember how we met or who we met through?

The first time I met you, you were a speaker at one of Neil Strauss’ intensives.

Yup, that was 2010.

Was it that long ago? It was in downtown LA in a hotel, if I recall it. 

That’s right, at the Standard. It was one of those miraculous, beautiful synchronicity.

I had just met Neil in person, maybe a couple of months earlier, at Tim Ferriss’ event called Opening the Kimono, where he showed all his secrets to getting a big book deal. He shared his submitted book proposal and got The Four-Hour Workweek, then The Four-Hour Body, as a second book deal. It was phenomenal.

Neil was there. He was a speaker and attendee. He gave me his contact info. I was there for a book launch party. The bouncer manning the elevator mentioned out of the blue, “Do you know who Neil Strauss is because he just went up that elevator?” I’m like, “I happen to know Neil Strauss.”

Our success is contingent on the harmony of our relationships and the force we create when we connect with others to achieve a common goal. Share on X

I texted him. I said, “Hey, I’m actually at the Standard Hotel. I understand you’re here.” He’s like, “Yeah, I’m running a mastermind. Why don’t you stop by in the morning and say hi when the mastermind’s running?” I did. I was in the back of the room, and he’s like, “Hey, why don’t you go up and speak?” I’m like, “I don’t have anything prepared, but okay.” I did, and that’s how we met.

That’s funny. I didn’t know the backstory of that. I remember you and your transformation story, which I’m a huge fan of yours and all transformation stories because I’ve had my own.

I remember thinking, “Man, I got to get this guy to do my SEO. I’m doing everything wrong.” That was my takeaway. I was like, “Oh, my God, this is a whole other world I know nothing about.” If I don’t learn, I’m going to lose. 

It’s funny. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is usually something that you want to turn and run away from. I learned that in Kabbalah. But in this case, it worked out well. I remember us sitting down together, and I was sharing a bunch of SEO advice for your previous company, School of Style. Now you’ve sold that company.

That went down about three weeks ago. I founded that business in 2008. I moved to Texas in 2021. I bought out my partner. I tried to get her to buy me out, and we couldn’t agree, so I bought her out.

Essentially, I didn’t close the business and fold the entity itself, but I just put a waitlist on the website, and I stopped selling those online classes because they had become outdated. I didn’t feel I could ethically sell that content anymore, being outdated because it’s essentially a trade or business school.

I’ve been sitting on it for the past couple of years and going like, it’s a very profitable business and could be even more so with some muscle behind it. I could not motivate myself to fire it up because the subject matter is not based on an industry for which I have any passion or interest. I have experience and knowledge, but I’m not interested in it.

It was a cool lesson because I am not the type of person who can be happy having a business or career just to make money. That isn’t like our virtue signal. It’s just literally the truth. If I’m not interested in or passionate about something, I can’t do it, even if it pays well.

I sat on that business, and then I was courting some viable buyers that I felt strongly about, that they could be successful. They had the experience and the passion, but I had to wait it out. It was a nail-biting experience because, on paper, the business generated zero revenue for two years. It was essentially the IP and legacy of the business I was trying to sell.

I wanted to sell it for a decent amount of money because I knew the potential of how much revenue it could generate if somebody fired it up and did so wisely. My friends say, “Oh, just sell it to someone else.” I’m like, “You don’t understand. How do you present a seller’s memo or a pitch deck to sell a business? It all looks good, they want to see the financials, and the financials all read zero for two years?” It was quite a journey.

That brings back many memories of what I learned while having that business. It was never a brick-and-mortar business but a live seminar business for many years. In 2018, I transitioned it into a 100% online business. Interestingly enough, that’s when it became exponentially more profitable because the margins doing the live classes were not great.

I don’t know their numbers, but the margins were much better selling online classes than live classes. But by the time that happened, I had lost interest in the business. It was one of these things that could have been very profitable, but I just couldn’t drum up the passion. I used my resources for the business I have now, my brand.

That’s amazing. What a great example of the universe conspiring to make your dreams happen. You didn’t want to be in that business, but you didn’t want to shut it down completely and waste all that effort and IP. Here comes the opportunity.

Totally. Part of that IP is some of the stuff we worked on with SEO. Much of it concerned the systems and automation, which I know nothing about regarding hands-on work. I’m like having ideas and vision and then hiring people to do the nuts and bolts of it. A lot of the value in that business was just all of the various software and how that software connects, all of the marketing strategies and social media accounts, and all that stuff that had been built over all of those years.

Even sometimes in the process of selling that business. I’m like, “Is it worth this price tag?” Because it doesn’t make money, you must recreate all the content. You could still use the curriculum for all of the classes, but you have to reshoot all the videos and make them relevant to the current industry standards and things like that.

I realized when I started to dig through the back end of the business that it had become a plug-and-play operation, where if you had someone that has industry knowledge of the fashion industry, which is what that business was, teaching people how to become a fashion stylist, someone who dresses other people for their career, if I had someone that understood the business in real-time and someone that had the marketing power of some big influencers and so on to push that content out, that they’d be very successful.

The intrinsic value of that company was its systems and infrastructure so that someone could just essentially reskin the website, put up new content, put a new face other than mine that’s been divorced from the fashion industry for many years now, and hit the ground running. Thankfully, that’s what they’re doing. It’s fun.

I’m consulting with them for the first few months to help them get their legs under them. They’re going to do great. I will sit back for a minute, saying, “Oh, man, maybe I should have kept it,” I know they will be so successful. They’re going to make a lot of money.

They’ll be able to pay me back in the first six months of business once they’re operational, maybe even less. They could have one launch and pay me back if they did it right.

I’ve watched your trajectory. It’s phenomenal. You have great guests. You ask great questions. I’m happy for you.

It’s difficult to objectively track one’s progress when you’re always focused on your future objectives and goals.

Thank you. I’m sure you and your listeners are familiar with this experience. It’s true of personal development work, too. It’s difficult to objectively track one’s progress when you’re always focused on your future objectives and goals. A guy like you sitting on the sidelines, watching the growth of my brand and the reach I’ve achieved, you’re like, “Wow, he’s done a lot.”

I’m sitting at my desk every day going, “Oh, God, how come I’m not Joe Rogan yet, or whatever metric of success?” It’s a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because I’m always driven to achieve, grow, reach and help more people. But sometimes, I lack the habit of looking back and going, “Wow, man, I’ve come so far.”

I recorded an episode for my show with my wife, Alyson. We met in 2017, when she was a guest on my podcast, when I was recording some shows out in New York City. We listened back to the podcast to do an update. All these years later, here we are married. 

In that podcast, I said I’d only been doing it for a year. She said, “Hey, congratulations, you’re doing well.” I remember saying, “Yeah, I didn’t know if anyone would listen to this thing, but I’ve got a million downloads. I can’t believe people listen to my podcast.” Now looking back, I’ve come so much further than that.

Something really important to do, whether it’s your inner journey, your personal growth, the growth of your business, or the success of your company. It’s really important sometimes to, with humility, take a look at where you came from and where you are now and give yourself and the great spirit credit for how far you’ve come. That treadmill of success can wear you out if you always feel like, “Okay, next goal,” and you don’t stop and acknowledge all of the success built on the journey.

Yeah, it’s so true. Now, looking back at those early years when you had only a million downloads, you just had Alyson on your podcast. All the magic unfolded after that. Does it feel like destiny, like you and she were already in a soul contract to be soulmates, and that your business was predestined to get to this size and even larger into the future? Does it feel like this was just part of an unfolding already written in the stars?

I thought about that in terms of the relationship. But regarding my work, business, and brand, my last name is Storey. If I was named Luke Shoemaker, and at 45 years old, I wanted to be a cobbler or something, it’s like, “Yeah. I was destined to tell stories and to share other people’s stories.”

The sense of purpose and alignment I have now versus earlier in my life, other businesses I’ve had, and other careers and whatnot, some of them were exciting and creative. I was a fashion stylist for many years. I worked in Hollywood with all these celebrities. On paper, it looked like a pretty sexy career, but I just fell into it.

I had no other skills or education and could earn a decent living doing that. It was a good career path for most people, but it wasn’t aligned with my true mission here on Earth. What I do is so satisfying now, and something that I never lose my gratitude for this is that, for the most part, the things I do in business are things that I would be doing anyway for free.

I would be conversing with brilliant people like you and those I interviewed on my podcast. I would be speaking on stage, sharing my experience and some of the wisdom I’ve gained from that experience. I would be practicing all of the meditation techniques and biohacking practices that I employ in my life. This is how I’ve been living for over 26 years.

It took me a minute to realize that I could create a career out of it. I saw some other people doing that. They were my lighthouses, where I thought, “If they can do it, maybe I can do it in my own unique way.” I was destined to do what I’m doing now.

I can’t imagine doing anything different. The only thing that seems somewhat appealing to me is if I were financially stable enough and had managed to get a decent portfolio together and had some stable passive income, I would like to live somewhere remotely, grow food, have a family, and work on my homestead. 

That’s what I do during breaks from work. I sit at the desk, go to a podcast, then in the backyard and try to grow some plants or fool around with the landscaping. I love being at home and outside, but I’m not particularly interested in fitness. I’m not a huge outdoors person. I don’t go mountain climbing. I just like to hang out outside and be in nature. That’s the only thing in my career now that I would change: the ability to be out in nature more and explore.

The only thing I would change in my career is the ability to be out in nature more and explore.

This is what I was meant to do. Over the past eight years, some things have changed because you don’t know what aspect of your business in monetization will be enjoyable. For example, in the beginning, I started a coaching program because I saw my peers doing this.

I built out this whole program and a great intake process. I built all these systems around it. I had one client and felt like I had a job. I didn’t want a job, so I stopped doing that. There could be at some point.

I do a lot now on social media. I work with 130 brands. I do a lot of affiliate marketing. Sometimes that’s exhausting, just continually producing content. I can see that eventually, I’d say, “Okay, I’m going to move out of that.”

I’m writing a book now, which I enjoy. I could see my life for some time with the work I’m doing merge more into writing a book every couple of years versus spending so much time in the minutiae of all this promotion and stuff.

In terms of the destiny of my relationship, it’s funny when we met that first day and had that interview. The first time I met her, I knew she existed. We were both speakers at an event in New York, which is how I know who she was. I thought she was very attractive, for sure. But I and, unbeknownst to me, she as well, we were both celibate at the time.

I was taking a break. It was almost two years. I was having issues with relationships and codependency. I was lost due to my childhood, and unhealed parts of myself manifested as destructive patterns.

After one breakup, I said, “You know what? I’m out. There’s something wrong with me. I’m the common denominator in all of these relationship dramas.” You can only blame the partners for so long. It’s like, “Who’s the one that chose them?” I look in the mirror and find that that’s me.

When I met her, I was taking some time off. I didn’t flirt with her. My boundaries were very strong and clear, and she felt that. After I got to know her, she said she was doing the same thing. She wasn’t dating, and she was celibate for an even longer time.

There was no hanky-panky or intrigue between us. We had a profound level of comfort and safety. That was not the criteria that I selected a mate.

The goal when recording podcasts is to pretend that you're not recording a podcast. Greet your guest as a friend and engage them in deep conversation. Share on X

My criteria were, “Do I feel high, scared, and nervous around this woman?” Then she’s the one I will go after because I value excitement more than safety. That craving for excitement also equated to a lot of pain for both parties and, in many cases, over many years.

I remember a sense of safety with her—very comfortable and connected. I lived in LA, and she lived in New York. There was nothing to build from at that time.

The funny thing about it in terms of destiny is numerous people reached out to both of us separately on our channels, went on with friends that heard that podcast and said, “Wow, man, you guys have a vibe. Are you going to go out? You guys are a thing. There’s something there.” We just weren’t aware of it because of our boundaries. We’re so respectful of the relationship dynamic is one of the professions, and later we became friends.

The orchestration is beautiful because fate and destiny brought us together and allowed us to have a vulnerable ninety-minute conversation. It lacked romantic intrigue. It was just soul-to-soul, person-to-person, peer-to-peer, warm interaction.

I think what is likely the case is that the universe, source, God, or maybe our higher selves on some level knew that we had a shared destiny but that it also wasn’t time for both of us. We weren’t ready for what we were bound and destined to experience.

Now, our experience as a couple being married and living together is harmonious, aligned, drama-free, easy, safe, and fun. I could have never imagined. My relationship is a relationship I would see in a movie and go like, “Yeah, right, that’s a movie. That can’t happen.” It is a beautiful bond that we have.

The goal is to grow, evolve spiritually, reach higher levels of consciousness and coherence, serve the world by improving ourselves, and serve the highest good for all.

We just have great communication. More than anything, I think what makes it work—this goes back to business and marketing—is in terms of thinking of any kind of a partnership, we have aligned values. The moral code we do our best to live by, the things we value in life, and the things we work on within our character are aligned.

She has her flavor. She’s a shaman. I don’t know what I am, maybe a quasi-spiritual teacher or personal development leader. I don’t know how to market myself well because I always change into many different things. We have our belief system and worldview, but the goal remains the same.

The goal is to grow, evolve spiritually, reach higher levels of consciousness and coherence, serve the world by improving ourselves, and serve the highest good for all. Our lives go in the same direction in a parallel fashion because we’re both going toward the same destination. That’s a problem I’ve had in business, friendships, and romantic relationships. There’s compatibility, but you don’t share the values that shape your life or a business.

You might have a business partner whose why is to make a lot of money, and your why is to change the world. You might be compatible in how you run a business and the shape and forms that business takes, but where it’s going in the long term is like two ships starting on the shore at a dock, and the rudders are just ever so tilted in either direction. Eventually, they’re in totally different locations as it crosses the sea.

There’s a shared destiny and alignment. But man, it took a lot of patience, open-mindedness, and an open heart to see, “Wow, this person that’s been my friend for a few years. I’m supposed to ask her on a date.” That’s what eventually happened, and I did.

All of my preconceived ideas about how a healthy relationship starts and how it goes were thrown out the window. It was a unique and unpredictable bond that was formed. Everything about our relationship has been completely unorthodox, completely unplanned, just in complete service to surrender the unknown and allowing us, individually and as a couple, to be guided to where we are now—a healthy, integrated, aligned, and supportive relationship.

I know we’re talking about marketing and business. I’m sharing all these principles today because they’re principles and universal truths, at least from my experience. Everyone will have their interpretation, but these things also carry over into business, very much so because everything is a relationship.

When you sit and engage with a guest — even if that person holds a greater public profile than you—is an equalizer. You relate to them on a peer-to-peer level that goes beyond a Zoom interview. Share on X

It doesn’t matter if you’re having sex with someone you have a relationship with. All these things matter, whether it’s a friendship or a business relationship. They matter to the success of the endeavor, and they matter to the longevity of the endeavor. I’ve learned this the hard way, all those different areas and all those types of relationships.

Everything is about how we relate to other people. Our success is contingent on the harmony of those relationships because of the inertia created when people join forces with a common purpose. If our common purpose is just to make a bunch of money in our business, and we don’t care who we hurt and who we roll over in the process, it’ll be very successful.

Look at our multinational corporations. All the shareholders are like, “We don’t care about ethics. We want to make money,” and they do. You have companies that are set out motivated by their ethics and motivated by contributing to humanity. They might be less successful financially, but they’re successful in their shared mission.

That’s how I think of things. What are our immediate goals? What are our midterm goals? Ultimately, strategies, tactics, and all of that matter. They will be informed of where we want to get at the end of this thing and its true purpose. What’s the “Why?”

It’s very profound and related to the concept of shared destiny. Anne Marie Pizarro, I took one of her courses. It was on how to become an Akashic Records reader. I didn’t want to make that my business to take money for doing Akashic Records readings, but I did learn a lot from her.

One of the things that stuck out from a business perspective is not to see your clients as customers but to see them as your assigned group. That shared destiny, that preordained soul contract of, “Okay, this is going to be your client. Get through whatever struggle they’re going through, learn some powerful lesson, or get some insight that will be pivotal in their life.” That’s preordained. That’s part of the movie, of your life.

That takes a lot of the pressure off. You just allow and trust divine grace to take you to where you’re supposed to be and land the clients you’re meant to land. It’s just really powerful.

Consciousness doesn’t have a location.

As a corollary to that, I learned this from another guest. Anne was also a guest on my other show, Get Yourself Optimized. Another guest on that show, Kurtis Lee Thomas, a breathwork expert, told me this incredible story of how God became his business partner, and everything changed for him. I loved that.

I asked God to be my business partner, and he said yes. Now I don’t have to run around from conference to conference doing speaking gigs several times a month like I used to. Clients come to me. It’s like manna from heaven.

It’s allowing, trusting, and collaboration, a co-creation with the Creator. I’m stewarding that business. That’s been a game-changer.

I love that. That’s very much aligned with my path too.

Awesome. Let’s talk about some of the nuts and bolts of podcasting, growing your reach, brand, etc. First, start with your approach to doing a great podcast episode.

I’ve noticed that you like to do these interviews in person. That’s not typical for most podcasts. They’re usually on a platform like this, like Riverside.fm or Zoom. That makes it a lot easier to do podcast episodes with people who aren’t in your same city. Why is it so important to you to do in-person episodes?

That is part of my secret sauce. I’ve put in much effort to do them in person. Physical distance is not real because of everything emanating from the quantum field. Consciousness doesn’t have a location. You and I might have a slight delay in what we call time right now because we’re talking to each other over the Internet, but we’re sharing energy, we’re sharing space, we’re connected, maybe as much or at least close to that, which would be possible in person.

Remote podcasts are not a facsimile of reality, a ing with someone, and I get into a flow state with them—this might sound crazy, but this is just the truth, and this is happening now as I talk to you as well, but it’s much more palpable in persoconversation, or you’re not connected with the person. Part of it was just living in Los Angeles, and part is now living in Austin. It’s easier than if I lived somewhere in a city where there weren’t as many people I was interested in talking to.

Magic happens for me in person, and that translates to the audience. That magic has a lot to do with subtle nonverbal communication, cues and energy, eye contact, micro facial expressions, all of this subconscious. I’m not sitting there going, “Oh, he blinked three times. Now I’m going to ask a question.” When you’re sitting in the same room with someone, there’s a feeling that allows for a deeper connection and more coherence in the conversation.

The true magic of connection lies in the subtle dance of nonverbal communication, where energy, eye contact, and unspoken cues create an extraordinary experience for both parties.

If I’m sitting down and talking to someone, say I’m interviewing someone, and going on a bit too long, I can feel when it’s time to shut up because I can feel their energy. I’m also just a really sensitive person. I’m high in empathy. I’m sensitive to every little nuance. It is that particular gift which is sometimes also a curse. Really sensitive people feel everything, even the things that aren’t that pleasurable to feel.

Knowing that that’s a gift I have and is much more applicable than sitting in a room with someone in person made those experiences much more enjoyable. And the quality of the content was just a lot higher. It’s just less awkward. There are fewer awkward gaps between who’s talking. The cues are off when you’re online.

When I’m sitting with someone, and I get into a flow state with them—this might sound crazy, but this is just the truth, and this is happening now as I talk to you as well, but it’s much more palpable in person—I am sending so much love to the person to whom I’m talking. I’m co-regulating with their nervous system.

If I’m the one interviewing, I’m not only co-regulating the nervous system. I’m dropping them into a parasympathetic state by the coherence in my heart, the way that I’m breathing, the way that I look at them in their eye, and the level of love that I have for them as fellow human beings who took the time to sit down and talk to me for two to four hours. Some of my podcasts are rarely under two hours.

There’s an energy exchange. There’s a magic that happens for me that not only makes it much more enjoyable for me, but I’m certain that the end product of content for the viewer or listener is much higher quality when I can do it that way. It takes way more time, especially when you’re going to do a two-hour podcast.

My video crew sets up for an hour and a half, grab a coffee, chit-chat, you show him the bathroom. From start to finish, one podcast episode for me is four to five hours. It’s like an all-day thing. It’s not the most economical in terms of time. It’s also expensive because I hire a video crew.

Right now, we do them in my loft, our sacred ceremonial space in our house, where we pray, meditate, and do everything. It’s more of an investment in many ways and a commitment, but the experience is so much more profound for me and the guests.

When you’re sitting in the same room with someone, there’s a feeling that allows for a deeper connection and more coherence in the conversation.

Because I enjoy having conversations that don’t have any confines of time, it’s exhausting to stare at my computer screen for two or three hours. I get done, and I’m just exhausted. When I finish an in-person podcast, I need to take a little break because I’ve been focusing my energy for a long time, but it’s much different from fatigue than from staring at a computer and sitting in a chair.

I’m in my office chair right now. I have to shift around a lot. It’s not very comfortable. I have these big cushy chairs in my podcast studio. I can sit several ways, stretch out, relax, and lounge. My goal with recording podcasts is to pretend that we’re not recording a podcast and just sitting and having a deep conversation.

Deep conversations are the only kind I’m interested in having. I’m exhausted by small talk and superficiality. It’s just not the way I work. We took a walk yesterday down in the neighborhood. I love people but avoid running into our neighbors because I know we can’t have a deep conversation. So I’d rather skip the interaction altogether. 

I don’t have time for it if we’re not discussing something meaningful that will be transformative for either or both of us. The depth, heartfelt intimacy, vulnerability, and richness of conversations are not as likely and, in some cases, not even possible doing it over the computer.

From a marketing standpoint, I initially saw the in-person interviews as social proof and clout because I had no qualifications, relevance, or public awareness of myself in the wellness space. If I’m sitting down in a room with Joe Dispenza and we’re chatting like old buddies, the optics of that marketing-wise are much more powerful than a Joe Dispenza throwing me a bone, jumping on a quick forty-five to sixty-minute Zoom, and going through the motions of answering the questions in a rote fashion that he would answer on every single Zoom one-hour podcasts—posting on social media with bigger names.

Another huge part of that, not just the optics of that, but the relationship building, is a huge part—the enrichment of my life from human to human, but also in terms of business opportunities, opportunities to work with different brands in a more meaningful capacity. I might have someone on my podcast, which happened with Joe Dispenza. We’re both speakers at an event in Georgia. There was a rapport there. We’re peers now.

Sitting down with someone, even if that person has more notoriety than you, is an equalizer. You become related to them in a more peer-to-peer way than just being some guy that got a lucky break, and someone agreed to do a Zoom interview. It’s much more of a commitment for both parties. Both parties are more invested in it, so the enrichment of the relationship and the possibility of that relationship blossoming into something more substantial in the future is much higher.

It’s two to three hours of coffee. We might jump in the ice bath when our guests come over. I take them on a biohacking tour.

I’m more likely to develop friendships and business partnerships when we meet in person because there’s more realness and intimacy. You can get to know someone much better. The people with whom I have relationships now, I can’t believe it. The people that I can text.

This morning, Dr. Will Cole, a well-known functional medicine doctor, a personality, and a huge podcaster, texted me, “Hey, have you heard of this thing?” I introduced him to two other doctors I know because of my podcast.

Now we’re friends and colleagues. I don’t know that would have been the case if I just had Will Cole on my podcast, we had a quick chat, and that was that. It would have just been another number, and he might have forgotten it. The impact of those meetings and the opportunities for collaboration are huge.

As I said, the clout and the social proof, when people see that, and the optics of you’re in the same room with someone, puts you in the same category as that person. That’s so meaningful to me now at this point. But in the beginning, when I was a nobody, and I could have a David Wolfe, Neil Strauss, Dave Asprey, or any of these bigger names that I had on, it was like, “People watching that just think you’re friends.”

I’m more likely to develop friendships and business partnerships when we meet in person because there’s more realness and intimacy.

Meanwhile, I might have had to beg a publicist to get that person to come to my house and record a podcast. Once it emerges, its appearance is like, “He’s on their level.” Marketing-wise, that was something I was aware of in the beginning.

Another way that I was able to achieve so many in-person podcasts—which was exhausting, by the way, and I don’t recommend it—is I would go to every spiritual conference, biohacking conference, and so on, and I would just shoo my way in the door to get interviews with all the keynote speakers. I would find a little cubby somewhere to set up my video gear.

Having a video of a podcast, too, has been powerful. I have much more listeners than I do viewers, but some people would never listen to a podcast that will watch a video. They’re likely to watch the video if it’s two people in the same room chatting than if they are two people on screens.

I go to these conferences. I don’t do this anymore because it’s just exhausting. I’m giving you as many of my trade secrets here as possible to offer the audience value. I would have three video cameras for the properly edited, high-quality YouTube video. I’d have lights, and I still do that. I do audio and high-quality three-camera shoots for every interview.

I would do additionally for years by bringing tripods, a bunch of extra iPads, and my iPhone, and I would live stream on three Facebook pages and Instagram simultaneously. It was just like a media blitz. Anytime Luke Storey was going to do something, I would announce it on social media leading up to it and say, “Here are all the different channels you can watch in real-time. If you miss some of it, this episode comes out on such a date, and you’ll be able to have quality audio and video quality.”

I go to these conferences, set up all these tripods and cameras, and sometimes do up to six interviews in one day. I’d just be there all day. At the end of the conference, people would say, “Hey, how was the conference?” I go, “I have no idea. I’d never walked onto the floor once. I’m just recording the whole time.”

You asked me when we started if I was going to the Florida Biohacking Conference. It’s too much work because if I’m there, there’s no way I can just watch the speakers. I would rather be interviewing them and banking content. It ends up being so exhausting at this point.

I’m eight years older than I was when I started. Doing six interviews in a day is much more laborious than when I started when I was younger, had more energy, and was hungrier. That’s why I tend to do them in person. Many reasons that I do it.

I’m always disappointed when there’s someone I really want to have on my show, and the only way it can happen is by Zoom. For me to do a Zoom, it has to be someone I want to talk to; otherwise, I just won’t do it. I’ll just say, “Hey, hit me up whenever you come through Austin. I don’t care if it’s in two years, but I won’t do it on Zoom.”

Funny story real quick. Gabor Mate is one of my favorite teachers in personal development—so much beautiful, elegant work around trauma and addictions. Someone who’s a friend or colleague introduced me to him via email. He said, “Hey, you got to meet this guy, Luke. He’s got a podcast.”

We chatted repeatedly by email, and then I got handed off to his people. He’s got a big team, and then my team started talking to his team. It was out of our hands, and they set to schedule it. We asked, “Hey, can you come to Austin?” He’s like, “No, I’m in Canada. I can’t do that.” It was during the whole Covid fiasco.

Having a video of a podcast is powerful.

I was like, “Well, it’s Gabor Mate, man. I got to do it, even if it’s on Zoom.” We get on Zoom. It was our first meeting, and we hadn’t started recording, “Hey, nice to meet you, Luke. Where are you from?” I said, “I’m in Austin, Texas.” He goes, “Oh, no way, I’m coming there tomorrow. I’m flying there tomorrow to do a bunch of podcasts.”

He comes in, Joe Rogan, Aubrey Marcus, and all these other big shows. I’m just like, “God damn it, if we would have sent one more email, are you sure he can’t come to Texas? I could have brought him to the house and served him a lovely tea.”

We had a great conversation. It was a beautiful episode. It would have been more meaningful for both of us to sit down in person and also for the audience. That happened sometimes.

I’m just going to be real here. It’s always annoying to me. It’s like the competitive part of me, which is not a part I’m proud of, but it is there to some degree. I don’t operate from it, but I am aware of the thoughts because I’m an observer. I’m a longtime meditator.

When someone comes to town and does Rogan, Rogan puts them out way faster than I do. Another recent one was Rick Rubin, who I did in person. We have been talking for three years about doing it. I don’t know if he would have done it on Zoom, but I’m like, “There’s no way I’m talking to Rick Rubin on a computer. He’s not a computer guy.”

I was in LA, and I recorded at his house out there in Malibu recently. Rick and I talked about it, and he’s like, “Yeah, I’ll do it anytime.” He’s a famous guy, and I’m a little old me. I still don’t appreciate my reach or the perspective of people I have on my podcast and its validity because I can’t tell.

He put a book out recently. I’m listening to Andrew Dice Clay because it’s a hilarious Rogan episode.

I opened my phone, and Rick was probably recording with Rogan down the street from my house. Rogan puts it out. I have that journalist thing where I want to break a story. When I have a guest who’s putting a new book out, or they’re reemerging in the public eye, I’m greedy about wanting to be the first guy that gets it out there because I think it has some punch.

I missed that one, and I texted Rick. I was like, “Really, dude? You’re going to do Rogan? Come on.” Obviously, I’m joking. I understand why that would be a higher priority. He probably flew out on a private jet just to do Rogan. I don’t know if he flies private, but I’m sure he came out just for that and then left.

Sometimes that happens. I’m always a little somewhat secretly disappointed if I don’t get someone like Gabor Mate, Rick Rubin, some of the other bigger names, or even someone that’s not big but someone who’s just emerging, and I know he’s going to be a big name.

Andrew Huberman, for example. I found him some time ago and said, “I got to get this guy on my show before he goes on all the other podcasts.” Too late now. He’s on all the other podcasts. I still would love to have him on, but I’m less interested now because you can search your podcast app for Andrew Huberman and find fifty shows he’s already been on. It’s not as special to me. I want to be one of the first to get someone’s message out there.

There’s one other thing I’ll add, too. I’m sure you have other questions. I am very verbose at times. I’m passionate when I catch a thread. I’m like, “Oh, don’t lose this, Luke. This is good stuff.”

Another thing is, in interviewing people in person, the likelihood of them sharing that experience with their audience and their friends is much higher because of the impact of your connection and the quality of the content, specifically the video. Audio is always better in person too, but if you choose got three-camera shoot that’s well-shot and well-lit, and you deliver that content to your guests upon publishing, they are much more likely to repurpose it and share it.

That’s another part two, just having strict content quality principles. That came from working in Hollywood for so long and knowing when something’s well-lit, well-shot, when the resolution is good, and when the edit’s good. I was in that business for a long time behind the camera and just knew how things were supposed to be to some degree. It’s also just the quality of the content and the shareability of it after the fact, too.

I encourage people to take this the right way. This is why my podcast is successful. I don’t take submissions.

How do you choose guests? How will you especially be the one to break out or discover them?

I encourage people to take this the right way. This is why my podcast is successful. I don’t take submissions.

On our website, we have a forum. Every January 1st, we change it. At the beginning of 2023, it says, “We’re all booked up for this year. Try us again in 2024,” we’ll do the same thing next January.

I don’t have people who want to be on my show. There are a lot of brilliant, talented people. Again, it might sound arrogant, but it’s not. I’m special, and my show is special, but not in that way, like, “Oh, you don’t deserve to be on my podcast.”

The way I do it is I get this feeling inside. It’s like this charm in my heart, where I’m like, “Oh, I want to talk to that person.” Often, some of my favorite episodes, and even some of my most successful shows in terms of visibility and downloads, are people that have never once even been on a podcast, but I meet them somewhere, I discover their content, I see them speak, or I see them on social media.

I meet them at an event, and I go, “This person is really interesting to me.” If I invite that person on my show, regardless of their level of fame or notoriety, if I’m interested in talking to someone from my heart, that conversation will be imbued with passion and interest. That will translate to the quality of the experience for the listener or viewer.

If I get a submission through my website, I’m like, “Well, they have a Ph.D., they wrote four books, and I enjoyed the topics they explore. They might be the most brilliant person ever.” But if I don’t get that feeling inside, I will be feigning excitement, passion and going through the motions of that conversation.

I don’t want to have conversations that I’m not interested in, just any more than I want to talk to my neighbors, who I’m sure are beautiful. When you’re walking the dog, you’re not going to have a conversation about the meaning of life, consciousness, the quantum field, or some new biohacking technology, whatever.

My criteria for booking guests is, “Do I feel that feeling in my gut? Do I feel that feeling in my heart where I’m like, this will be good. I have to talk to this person?” Not because it’s going to be a huge episode but because I want to learn from this person, and my curiosity about them and their expertise or experience excites me. I have to be excited about it.

You gain credibility, social proof, and optics when you have a celebrity or high-profile podcast guest. Share on X

It’s quite rare, but we’ll get a submission every once in a while. I’ll look at it, and I go, “This person looks interesting.” But that’s very rare. More frequently, we get a submission, and it’s someone I’ve heard of and someone I was already interested in talking to anyway. I go, “Oh, great. I’m fishing, and the fish just jumped in the boat.”

The person doesn’t even know they’re pitching my show. The publicist has a list of podcasts. They send me their generic template email, and I’m like, “Yeah, I want to interview that person.”

I take pride in the curation and my discernment. There are many things in life I’m not good at, but knowing who I can have a really interesting conversation with is one of my skills. It’s nothing personal if I’m not interested in someone. I just don’t get that feeling.

It’s like when you’re attracted to someone. You can’t explain it. I’ve been attracted to women in my life that if you showed me a picture of them, I would say, “Oh, I don’t find her attractive,” but if I’m in the same room with her, I’m very attracted, or a friend or someone in the business.

On paper, it would never make sense. Then you meet them and say, “Wow, I’m drawn to this person.” I enjoy their company. I enjoy speaking with them. I like sharing my experience with them. I love hearing about their experience. We have a rapport. There’s compatibility. It’s a chemistry thing.

I take pride in the curation and my discernment. Knowing who I can have a really interesting conversation with is one of my skills.

My criteria is, “Do I have chemistry? Is there compatibility? Is there interest? Is there passion?” If that’s not there, then I’m not doing it. Why am I doing it then to appease them or their publicist or to show off because I had a big name on my show? I don’t care.

I want people to listen to my podcast and go, “I never thought of that.” I want to expand people’s consciousness and awareness. I want people to be inspired like I’m inspired. To do that, I’ve got to be excited when I sit down and talk to someone, or it’s dull. 

Also, it’s been a process for me and learning for me as a former people pleaser to feel comfortable saying no, and just being like, “Oh, it’s not aligned at this time. We appreciate you thinking of us, and we’ll keep it in mind.”

Some people are super persistent. I’m just like, “I’m so sorry, I’m just not interested.” I have to have my boundary and know what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. If one of the things I’m good at is knowing when it’s the right person, then I have to honor that gift and skill.

Sometimes it’s like, “Oh, it’s convenient.” It’s a friend of a friend or something like that, and I don’t feel that excitement. I’m like, “What the hell, it won’t hurt.” Halfway through the conversation, I sit there, just like, “I’m bored.” The audience will be bored if I’m bored because it’s all energy. They could feel that.

If I’m just going through the motions, asking questions, and it turns into a standardized Q&A, they’re not going to want to listen to that. I don’t want to listen to that. I want to listen to a conversation between two people that are fired up and really into each other, really into the conversation, and spontaneous magic is emerging as a result of that fire, as a result of that excitement and passion.

Yeah, but also, sometimes you’re guided because you’re meant to meet your soulmate that way or want to save a family member’s life by interviewing this person. That happened to me. I had Mark Nelson, a very amazing, famous psychic medium, on my show several years ago. He saved my family member’s life while doing the interview.

Orion interrupts the conversation, slips a piece of paper to me because she knows I’m talking to a psychic medium, and asks a question of me to ask him. “Is this person having a stroke?” “Yes, she is.” “Here’s what’s going to happen if she doesn’t get to the hospital immediately.”

Thankfully, we knew with absolute certainty that this was a stroke. The guy is very credible. I just knew that this was true. After much cajoling, begging, pleading, and crying, he got this person to the hospital. It saved her life.

Sometimes you’re just guided, and you don’t know why. You should have him on your show. He’d be phenomenal. I met him in a Zoom breakout. We’re in the same mastermind in METal (Media Entertainment, Technology, and Alpha Leaders), Ken Rutkowski’s brotherhood. He’s like, “I’m an ad guy, copywriter, and a psychic medium.” 

It was electric. I felt like I had to have him on my show. I knew nothing about him yet. I never heard his name, never met him before, but within thirty seconds of meeting him, he’s got to be on my show. I had my whole calendar cleared because we were moving to Florida then.

We changed plans and went to Israel instead, but I had no interview scheduled. Three weeks, cleared the deck, and I’m like, “I got to have you on now. We must figure out a time to do this next week.” It was exactly at the moment that this family member was having a stroke. 

Amazing. That’s it, man. It’s the gut feeling. It’s like, “I’m supposed to be doing this.” I could have answered the question that succinctly. It just feels like it’s supposed to happen. That would be another answer to it. Sometimes miraculous things happen.

Amazing. All right. I had tons of questions. We had a great conversation, and you just shared so much wisdom, value, and realness. I greatly appreciate you doing so. I appreciate you as a fellow soul. We’re all just walking each other home, as Ram Dass would say. I just really appreciate having you in my life. Thank you.

Likewise, brother. Thanks for having me on. We’ll do it again, another time and get to your questions. It’s funny. Since my show doesn’t have time limits, I’ve gotten accustomed to riffing and rambling. If it’s flowing, I just flow. I don’t think about it if it goes on for hours.

It’s good work for me. I need to remember if someone shows up an hour just to be more succinct and allow them to get to some of the things they want to do. I know there have been times when I interview someone, and it’s someone I want to talk to and someone that’s usually bigger people.

They might go, “Hey, I don’t know who you are. I’m going to give you an hour.” I’m like, “An hour? But I have 25 questions.” It’s good as the guest that I have to start to build that skill set of just allowing the conversation to get as much in as you want to get in during the time allotted, but I appreciate you having me, man.

You’re awesome. If our listener wants to follow you on social, listen to your podcast, or become a subscriber or longtime listener, where do you send them to? Also, if they want to be part of your community because you have a private Facebook group for people who listen to your show, send them to all the cool places.

Relationships are the foundation for any success we experience in life. Understanding key relational principles can transform our approach to success. Share on X

I’ll give you the rundown. The main hub of everything I do in terms of content, and I would say the most value for free that you can get, is The Life Stylist Podcast, as we’ve been talking about. You can find that on all the platforms, as well as YouTube. Every podcast that I do has a YouTube version as well.

On social media, Instagram is my most active. I’m @lukestorey. I have a private Facebook group for listeners of my podcast. There are about 7000 people there now. I don’t even get in there that much because I’ll log in, and people often answer the other members’ questions in many cases better than I could. It’s a well-educated, super-sharp group of people there.

It’s fun to see them—just many talented and gracious people. You can find that by searching The Life Stylist Podcast’s Facebook group. My main site is lukestorey.com.

One thing that people enjoy about my site is I have an online store, where I link out to all of my recommended products in the realm of wellness and biohacking. For about 26 years or so, I’ve been researching the best of the best in all different products. People asked me, “What’s your favorite this and that? So much that I just decided to put them all in one location in my store, essentially like a blog called a store.”

It’s categorized according to the different products people might want. That saves me from having to answer so many messages. I’m just like, “You want to know the best water filter for your house? Go to the store and look under the water section.” If it’s there, I have it, like it, and use it. If it’s not, I’ve never heard of it, or I don’t like it. My website is the place where you can find all that.

Your YouTube channel is phenomenal, too. You have videos where you go through, “These are all the supplements I take, the ones that are my absolute go-to’s, and the ones that are nice to have, etc.” You’ve got such great resources.

Thanks, brother. I appreciate it.

All right. Listener, take this information and do something with it. Take action. We’ll catch you in the next episode. I’m your host, Stephan Spencer, signing off.

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Your Checklist of Actions to Take

• Follow my passion and create a career that excites me. Look for inspiration in others who have paved the way and believed in my unique path.
• Embrace synchronicities and take advantage of chance encounters. Expand my reach and connect with like-minded people through networking.
• Boost the visibility and impact of my content with an effective SEO strategy, whether for my podcast or any other business. Don’t underestimate the power of SEO.
• Explore different strategies and pivot if needed to elevate my podcasting career. Discover what truly resonates with me by being open to adapting marketing avenues.
• Implement an efficient system and automation as a key to my business success. Enforce processes that streamline my operations and allow me to focus on what I enjoy the most.
• Deliver strong communication and shared values to strengthen partnerships in personal relationships or business. Seek alignment and a common vision for long-term success.
• Consider the marketing benefits of in-person interviews for my podcast. The optics and social proof of being in the same room with influential guests can elevate my brand.
• Invest in high-quality video production for my in-person interviews. Utilize multiple cameras, lights, and audio equipment to capture the best possible content.
• Honor my discernment and set boundaries for which guests I accept on my podcast. Freely  refuse guests who don’t align with my passion and vision.
• Visit Luke Storey’s website to connect with him, join his weekly newsletter, and listen to The Lifestylist Podcast. 

About Luke Storey

Luke Storey is a motivational speaker, meditation and metaphysics teacher and lifestyle design expert who shares transformative health principles and spirituality. He’s the host of the top-rated The Life Stylist Podcast, which was launched in 2016 and has since passed 8 million downloads.

Luke’s spent the past two decades refining the ultimate wellness lifestyle. His teachings combine primal health and ancient spiritual practices with cutting-edge natural healing and consciousness-expanding technologies.

He has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine, and Men’s Fitness, and has appeared on numerous TV networks, including Style Network, VH1, and MTV.