401 Steve Aoki: Building a Music Empire and the Power of Giving Back

"I trust people more than skill set." - Steve Aoki If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/401 Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lewis Howes?

  Episode number 401 with Grammy nominated DJ Steve Aoki. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:33Lewis Howes?

  We have the legendary Steve Aoki in the house today. I am super pumped about this. I got a chance to connect with Steve actually in his studio in downtown LA. So me and Tiff took the video cameras, the mics, we drove down to Los Angeles downtown and connected with this incredible human, Steve Aoki. For those that don't know who he is, he is a label owner, Grammy nominated DJ, producer, fashion executive, philanthropist. He is a man with many talents and interests and one who makes an impact through all of his endeavors. He has always made it a point to take a proactive stance when it comes to social and humanitarian issues. He is the founder of Dim Mak Records.

• 1:18Lewis Howes?

  He's also collaborated with many huge artists, including Tiesto, Linkin Park, Iggy Azalea, Will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, and many, many more. And we get in here in this episode, guys. I hope you guys enjoy this one. I posted a photo of us on Instagram. If you're not following me, @lewishowes on Instagram and @steveaoki, make sure to check us both out. But I posted a photo a few weeks ago when we did this interview. And wow, the response was massive. One of the biggest responses of a pre photo interview that I've posted of so many people interested about this. Make sure to share this with your friends right now. If you're listening, tweet this out. LewisHowes.com/401

• 1:59Lewis Howes?

  Or if you're on the podcast app, just click the share button, post it on Twitter, post it on Facebook, tag me and Steve on Instagram because this is going to inspire and impact many, many people. If you haven't seen the new documentary of Steve Aoki on Netflix, make sure to check it out. Was fascinated with Steve after I watched this documentary and I dived in even deeper. And we covered things that he doesn't talk about on that documentary that for me was kind of shocking and inspiring that he actually went that far in this interview. So I, I hope you guys enjoy this one. Again, make sure to share this out. We want to make sure we get this to as many people as possible. Steve was generous to give a lot of his time

• 2:41Lewis Howes?

  to share his wisdom, insights, how he's gone over the last decade to build himself up from, you know, promoting these little gigs in his apartment with 10 to 20 people to building a movement, millions of followers and fans around the world, one of the biggest DJs in the world. And he talks about all the challenges and struggles from starting out with nothing to building it to where he is today. We talk about why so many people in the music world are unable to complete projects and how he's learned to get things done and to shift them. Also how Steve shifts a crowd that isn't present when he's performing.

• 3:21Lewis Howes?

  So if you're a speaker or you're a performer or an athlete or anyone that has a performance, an actor, and the audience is not present, he talks about the different things you can do in a moment, in an instant, to shift the entire energy in a room so that they all zoom back into you and be completely engaged and present in your performance. We also talk about why Steve hasn't watched his documentary since it first came out, which I thought was kind of interesting. I actually watched Tony Robbins documentary with him that was on Netflix the night before it came out. And I know he watched it many times before its release. So I was interested to hear why he didn't. Also, Steve's way of setting

• 4:04Lewis Howes?

  up his team to support him. I got to meet a number of his team members and he said that there's no way he could have got to where he is without his team. This and so much more in today's episode, guys. I hope you enjoy this one. Again, make sure to share this with your friends. This is going to be a big one. I know it's going to strike a chord with so many people out there. So without further ado, let me introduce to you the one, the only Steve Aoki.

• 4:34Lewis Howes?

  Welcome everyone back to School of Greatness Podcast. Very excited about our guest today, the legend Steve Aoki. Thanks for coming on, man. Appreciate it.

• 4:40Speaker 02

  Yeah, thanks for having me.

• 4:41Lewis Howes?

  We're in your studio here in Los Angeles and a very inspirational space with lots of great people here. And this is where a lot of it goes down, in this studio, right?

• 4:48Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 4:49Lewis Howes?

  Bringing all the artists, singers and coming here and...

• 4:51Speaker 02

  Absolutely. I mean, it's evolved over time. Like, we took over this floor, this entire floor of this building in downtown LA, uh, two years ago, maybe two and a half years ago. And before then, I was working in my house.

• 5:04Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 5:04Speaker 02

  Yeah. I mean, like, generally speaking, I just, you know, you can tune a room anywhere.

• 5:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 5:09Speaker 02

  You know, and you want to, like, for me, it's more about creative space. If I want to end up mixing, or, um, if I really need the acoustics tuned in to the point where it's really important, then I'll go to an actual studio.

• 5:20Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 5:21Speaker 02

  And rent a studio. But if I want to be creative, I want to be in a comfortable space.

• 5:25Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 5:25Speaker 02

  So, um, no matter where I am, I'm gonna build a room. It doesn't matter. And, um, so we took over this floor and, um, what you don't see, which you saw, which is, they're like, you know, three quarters of this, of this floor is, is the Dimak headquarters.

• 5:41Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 5:41Speaker 02

  And then, um, I, we built a wall. Before, when we built, when we took over this floor, there was no walls.

• 5:47Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 5:48Speaker 02

  So I needed to have some privacy.

• 5:50Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 5:50Speaker 02

  So essentially, this is like my, my office, you know?

• 5:53Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 5:54Speaker 02

  This is where I work. And then these guys work at their desks and, and, you know, push, push other artists. And I'm pushing my music out of here. Actually, I, I lend this studio to a lot of artists as well.

• 6:04Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 6:04Speaker 02

  I'm Dimak.

• 6:05Lewis Howes?

  That's cool.

• 6:05Speaker 02

  You know, when I'm not around, I'm like, they can use, as long, as long as they don't, uh, you know, destroy my speakers.

• 6:10Lewis Howes?

  Right, right. Sure, sure. Um, well, I was really inspired to learn more about you. I started hearing about you about a year and a half, two years ago on social media. And then the more I heard about people posting about you and people that I have connected with, a guy sent me a message today, Johnny Cupcakes, who was like, you know, Steve was a DJ for an opening party of mine like 11 years ago before anyone knew who he was.

• 6:32Speaker 02

  I remember.

• 6:33Lewis Howes?

  Johnny Cupcakes somewhere.

• 6:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, I do remember that, yeah.

• 6:36Lewis Howes?

  And more and more people have been telling me about you. And then I watched the documentary recently and I was like blown away on how inspiring you are and all the things that you've overcome.

• 6:44Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 6:45Lewis Howes?

  So it's amazing to hear more about your story. And I'm really glad you put the documentary out there. I recommend everyone go watch it on Netflix. I'm curious about, I mean, because I didn't know the, the, the family dynamics until the documentary. I think it's fascinating about your father and everything that's happened. And I'm curious, what do you think makes you so driven to be at the top of everything that you're doing right now?

• 7:11Speaker 02

  That changes over time, you know, like the, I mean, I, I guess the best way for me to, to sum it up is I'm, I'm a project oriented person. And so whenever I, whenever I attack, um, something I'm attack it, you know, singularly, but now also um, with multiple teams. So I'm obviously I can't do all this I'm doing alone, you know?

• 7:35Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 7:35Speaker 02

  But um, I, I need, I need to focus on one project at a time and see a beginning and an end. I think for the most part, when I mean, for a long time I was, I, I would do certain projects, but I would never finish them. I think that's the, that case for a lot of people. It's like, you have this drive to start something and then you don't know how to end it. You don't know how to execute and you're afraid of, of the product. You're afraid how you're going to be perceived. And it's about overcoming that fear too, you know, it's like, it's, it's hard. Um, I actually like to instill this, uh, this, this, um, execution part of starting and ending a product, a project um, with my team.

• 8:18Speaker 02

  So, or with people that I love that's around me. I remember like just recently, my, my little niece, um, she just turned 16, October 12th, which is, was that today?

• 8:29Lewis Howes?

  I think so. Today's 11th or 12th, I think.

• 8:32Speaker 02

  Well, happy birthday, Natalie. Anyway, so like three weeks ago, my uncle.

• 8:38Lewis Howes?

  It's the 11th.

• 8:39Speaker 02

  Okay, so tomorrow will be your birthday. So three weeks ago, uh, my, sorry, my brother-in-law, my, my, my sister's husband, um, like he, they just moved the whole family. I, I just bought my mom a house next to me, so that's like, that's been really great for me.

• 8:53Lewis Howes?

  In Vegas or?

• 8:53Speaker 02

  In Vegas, yeah.

• 8:54Lewis Howes?

  That's cool.

• 8:55Speaker 02

  And, um, I just want to be closer to my family because I'm always traveling.

• 8:59Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 8:59Speaker 02

  And she's willing to move, so I was just so happy. I was like, I got, like, we found this house, it's right next door.

• 9:03Lewis Howes?

  Amazing.

• 9:04Speaker 02

  And, uh, and my, my brother-in-law moved in my, with my niece and, and my sister's moving there. So I'm just like so close, so close, much, much closer to my family. Makes me happy and uh my my brother-in-law he's a music guy so he's you know he's always inspired when he comes in my studio and sees me working or like you know my studio is epic epic beyond epic the one in Vegas um there's pictures online and stuff

• 9:26Lewis Howes?

  Sure

• 9:27Speaker 02

  If you hashtag me on future cave you can see some pictures

• 9:29Lewis Howes?

  I think he posts on Instagram of you like jumping into a phone pit and everything like

• 9:33Speaker 02

  Oh that's that's not my studio that's my yeah that's my phone pit room

• 9:36Lewis Howes?

  It's crazy

• 9:36Speaker 02

  So anyways um I'll I'll get to anyway so I you know he's always like I I can't finish a song I've never finished a song I

• 9:43Lewis Howes?

  Your brother-in-law

• 9:44Speaker 02

  Yeah and he's been working on music longer than me he like he has a full little studio set up in the house I'm like I get I get so excited he has his his MIDI keyboard out he has some other synths out his guitar and he works on Pro Tools I'm like let me hear some stuff you know he's like I actually never finished a song So I I made a bet with him this is part of something that I've been doing with my team called Aoki Bootcamp and the Aoki Bootcamp is all about uh meeting your goals and and it's it's very it's disciplinary so if you don't you meet your goal whatever it might be you actually have to pay money towards the charitable fund and the charitable fund disperses it to to you know different things that that are in need

• 10:25Speaker 02

  So in this case I I set a goal on him I said you know um you they started a group um forgot the name of the group but they him and his daughter started a group and they work on music together but they've never actually finished a song So I said by October 12th you have three weeks

• 10:42Lewis Howes?

  Wow

• 10:43Speaker 02

  I want you I want you to to to make a bet with me that you're gonna finish your very first song you know and and he actually did So it took time like I would hammer and hammer and hammer and hammer and he's like I I just can't I'm just not in this space you know like what people will will say what I've said I'm not in this space to do it I'm sick I'm tired like you make you make up these excuses so you don't actually do it and I'm like I give him some pointers some hints to be able to truck through those those those uh those boundaries it's like huge hurdles that you can't ever get through you always stop there everyone always stops at the same place and obviously when you get older You all, you, it's harder to, uh, jump the hurdle cuz you're, cuz you're more stubborn. You're like, I don't need to, I've already got my shit sorted, you know?

• 11:28Lewis Howes?

  Correct, right.

• 11:29Speaker 02

  So I kept on hammering him like, where are you stuck on? What, what are the issues like, okay, so here's, here's some pointers to get through that. Whatever that might've been, you know? And, um, and I would just keep hammering him and he started hating me kinda. I just saw in his face like, I can't believe I did this. But in, in this case, the penalty wasn't, wasn't money cuz I don't wanna like, I don't, it's not like I wanna take money away from him to go to charity. But the penalty was three months of working out. Every day.

• 11:56Lewis Howes?

  He doesn't work out.

• 11:58Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, it's, it's, it's hardcore working out. It's like, you have to do this regimen of working out and if you miss it, you have to add on a week.

• 12:05Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 12:06Speaker 02

  So you can essentially be working out for the rest of your life if you don't work out three, three months straight.

• 12:10Lewis Howes?

  Right, right.

• 12:10Speaker 02

  And, and I'm very strict with these things, like I'm very strict, like I have to, uh, like I've already donated close to forty thousand dollars to, to the charitable fund from Lost, Lost Bets.

• 12:21Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 12:22Speaker 02

  So I'm very, very strict with myself and I try to keep that, you know, with my team. And, uh, and yeah, that's, that's one way to like get through these hurdles is like by, is, is, uh, is holding yourself and your team accountable. First of all, having a team, community that believes in the same idea.

• 12:41Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 12:42Speaker 02

  Um, and a good way to start is, uh, WhatsApp groups. You know, we have WhatsApp group and, and on the, on the, on the workouts, you know, besides this, this thing I did with my, my brother-in-law. Um, we, everyone has, everyone has to show their workouts every day. Uh, what we, what we say we're gonna do. And if we don't do it by midnight, we actually have to pay to the charitable fund.

• 13:06Lewis Howes?

  We do something similar with our team too. Every, every week we give each other a challenge of like what we're gonna commit to that week in terms of physical fitness.

• 13:13Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 13:13Lewis Howes?

  And, um, we have like a push-up challenge, like anytime push-ups.

• 13:17Speaker 02

  Yeah, we do.

• 13:18Lewis Howes?

  You know, it's like thirty anytime push-ups.

• 13:20Speaker 02

  Hundred and twenty-five a day.

• 13:21Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 13:22Speaker 02

  By midnight. And then you got the, oh shit, one hour rule from twelve to one where if whatever you have left over, you have four, it gives you four times the, the, the missed allotment. And then otherwise you have to pay, you have to donate immediately.

• 13:36Lewis Howes?

  That's good, I like that.

• 13:36Speaker 02

  Immediately.

• 13:37Lewis Howes?

  What do you think it is? I mean, you said for a long time you weren't able to complete things, you have a lot of unfinished projects in the past. What do you think it was a switch for you in terms of being able to start, execute and finish things? And why are so many people in the music world that you're aware of who are unable to complete things? What is it that holds them back?

• 13:57Speaker 02

  I think one thing I learned, especially when I was in high school, and I said this before many times is the hardcore music scene that I got introduced to that became my life, that became my lifestyle. To the, you know, every decision that I made was all based on the fundamentals of this hardcore scene. Even the food I ate, I became vegetarian because that's what they did and they were talking about animal rights and I got into that.

• 14:23Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 14:23Speaker 02

  And it was all really based on passion and community. You know, it's like you have to be really into what you're saying and doing and be educated on what you're saying and doing. And, uh, and learn some instruments and play the music, you know, and play the music of that culture. Essentially, you're ambassador of the culture and the way you get respect in that culture is by finishing your projects, whether it's a song, whether it's playing a show, whether it's putting on a show for other bands. So that scene can prosper and there's an ecosystem.

• 14:57Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 14:57Speaker 02

  So it's all about making the ecosystem of that community healthy. And the more you do that, the more that you're able to make it healthy, the more respect you get. So it's not about, oh, I just walked in with like the shoes that no one else has or the bike that everybody wants. The more of that element that you bring to the table, the less cool you are. The, like, you're cooler if you actually go, I'm vegetarian, I stopped wearing leather shoes. Oh shit, you made a stance, you made something that's like a sacrifice. Or I, you know, I'm putting on a show and all these bands are coming in, wow, you put on the show, that's awesome. I started a band and I'm playing and I'm representing the sound.

• 15:40Speaker 02

  Or I made a zine, I interviewed four bands and I went to Kinko's and I made a zine, I'm passing them out to all the different people. It's almost like a religion in a way where you're spreading that goodwill. And it's not about a financial reward as well. It's like, there is no financial reward in what I'm talking about here. It's all about believing. Believing in a culture and and being rewarded by spreading that culture and building that healthy ecosystem of that culture. So it is in essence, that culture doesn't have to be music. That culture could be in a book club or in a chess club or in something that's like drives you.

• 16:22Speaker 02

  Because, you know, another thing is as well as I talked to some people, they're like, I don't know what my passions are. And I, you know, I talked to Tom Bilyeu from Inside Quest about like, how do you find your passion? Like, what, what gets you there, you know, if you don't know what it is? You just have to keep trying stuff and and see what what pulls you, what's pulling you to a certain place? And then meeting up with those people, that community and and finding out ways. Cause we all are smart, we all have ways and we all have different ways of thinking about how to to, you know, get more people involved in what we do.

• 16:57Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 16:57Speaker 02

  You know, so, you know, like, you know, the idea of being a pusher is a bad thing, but in this case is a good thing, you know? So whenever I could push positive lifestyle and a positive like and health and wellbeing, I feel good about myself.

• 17:12Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 17:13Speaker 02

  It's like Christmas when you actually give gifts, it feels much better than to receive.

• 17:17Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 17:17Speaker 02

  I really, I prefer not to get any presents, I'd rather just give presents, you get more out of it, right?

• 17:21Lewis Howes?

  Absolutely, yeah, like giving is actually the most selfish thing you can do, it's just because you feel so good.

• 17:27Lewis Howes?

  I'm curious, you talked about sacrifice for a moment, what's the biggest sacrifice you've had to make to get to where you're at?

• 17:34Speaker 02

  Uh, well, it's weird because when I think about the times when, when things weren't happening and I didn't really look at it as sacrifice. You know, I guess in retrospect, it was a sacrifice because you are sacrificing time and you're not, let's say you're not getting paid.

• 17:52Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 17:53Speaker 02

  But it's not a sacrifice to you, you know, it's.

• 17:54Lewis Howes?

  It's an investment.

• 17:55Speaker 02

  Yeah, it's an investment, but you don't even think of it as as an investment either, you, you think about it.

• 18:03Speaker 02

  It's, it's, it's just different, you know, like this, like when I'm going back to the hardcore community, it's like, um. You know, when we put on shows in our living room, we we never took a dime. We spent all this time getting people to know about what we did. And once we got the ball rolling, we were on a roll, bringing all these artists in. We never took a dime from any shows, you know, uh, we always had people stay over and and I guess you could call a sacrifice, but it's really, it really wasn't. It was um, it was a real love for what we were doing.

• 18:33Lewis Howes?

  Uh, I think Was that about 10 years ago?

• 18:35Speaker 02

  No, that was like, that was like 15 years ago.

• 18:38Lewis Howes?

  15 years ago. You were throwing these weekly parties in your in your apartment with a few other guys who I think you lived with?

• 18:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, right. You know, we we had like about four, over 400 bands play. But it was some some bands that became, you know, bands that everyone knows, like Jimmy World or, you know, like a lot of bands, like a lot of hardcore bands, you know, a lot of the bands that were willing to to to play in a living room.

• 19:00Lewis Howes?

  How many people could you cram in there?

• 19:02Speaker 02

  Forty people.

• 19:02Lewis Howes?

  Forty people.

• 19:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, but it felt like a lot more, you know, the energy was pretty wild.

• 19:06Lewis Howes?

  Electric, yeah.

• 19:07Speaker 02

  Yeah, but you know, so like for me as well, you know, I like I'm DJing, obviously to a much larger audience, but I I find a value in playing in front of five people. I, because I used to love, I played in front of five people many times as a band.

• 19:22Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 19:22Speaker 02

  You know, like it's um, because like sometimes we would do tour and we would play in houses, basements, uh, a warehouse that was abandoned, you know, with the generator.

• 19:34Lewis Howes?

  What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself, playing in the in front of those five, 10, 20 people rooms for years, I'm assuming, before anything ever picked up? What's the biggest lesson you learned about going through that process and that journey?

• 19:46Speaker 02

  It's connection. It's like um, having a real connection with people and and looking at them in the eye and actually, like, you know, communicating. I mean, we we'd actually, after the shows, we'd hang out with them. Like those five people that came to the show, I'd want to know them. Be like, you came, you spent money, you drove all the way to my show. There's only four of you, five of you here, ten of you here. Let's hang out, let's do something. Let's like, I wanna know about you and like what, what your scene's about. And then building a network and actually like treating them as peers. Not as fans so much as peers, because I am a fan as well as them. I was those people at, when I was in, when I was in teenager. And I'm still those people at other shows. I'm like in the crowd.

• 20:29Speaker 02

  And, and if I really attracted to a message or a sound. I'm, I'm always a fan. That's another thing I've learned is that. You, like you can't forget about the fact that the reason why I do it is because I am a fan. And I, and I, I'm, we're at, we're all at the same level. That fifteen year old kid that's like up front screaming or like bawling their eyes out or like that energy I'm like looking at, I'm like, I'm you. I was you, I still am you, you know, and I'm, and I'm so happy that they, that they don't. Give a fuck about anybody else and what they're thinking, because I was that kid in the front like screaming, wanting to sing along and be connected to the bands. And when the bands and artists connected with me.

• 21:14Speaker 02

  It changed my life, you know? So I always wanted to be that and then remember like, hey, we're, we are. We are emotional beings and we're here to express this connection. That's why like when people are like high on drugs and, and like completely aloof at my shows. I just feel like, what a waste for them and what a, what a waste for myself, bringing them as production, bringing this time and you know.

• 21:38Lewis Howes?

  They can't experience it fully.

• 21:39Speaker 02

  Yeah, exactly. And like, I, I'm just like, they just. They forget why they're even there, you know, it's like the people that are completely like, you know. Fixed on the show, they get, they get the full experience, they get something that they can leave with that. You know, hopefully it can expire, inspire them the way it's inspired me.

• 21:56Lewis Howes?

  When you were growing up, did you think you would be in this position? Did you, did you visualize yourself in front of? Tens, twenties, you know, fifty thousand people.

• 22:04Speaker 02

  Absolutely not.

• 22:05Lewis Howes?

  You didn't think about it?

• 22:06Speaker 02

  There's no visualization of, of, it's not like the secret where I'm like, this will happen, I will make it happen. I never. Even imagined scenario bigger than.

• 22:16Speaker 02

  Ten, twenty, thirty, forty.

• 22:17Lewis Howes?

  In your living room.

• 22:18Speaker 02

  Yeah, I just, I, it's, it's also, I think, there's nothing wrong with imagining and saying, I'm gonna be there. I'm gonna be a billionaire. I'm gonna be influential in my field. I'm gonna, you know. There's nothing wrong with that. And like, I, I agree whenever I read about different entrepreneurs and they talk about, you know, their tips is to like, imagine that, hey, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's also a balance of being pragmatic as being realistic and also not forgetting about what's in front of you. Cause like, the, the thing is that, you know, you could be thinking about this grand scale and forget that the five people that are in front of you are there because they love to be a part of that.

• 23:00Speaker 02

  And if you're not connected to them, they won't be as connected to, to you and why they came in the first place. So that's why there's times where I'll play a show and I feel that the sense of disconnect, because there's a lot of people just kind of aloof or not necessarily in drugs, but they're just not.

• 23:17Lewis Howes?

  Present.

• 23:17Speaker 02

  They're not present. And then I become not present. And then the people that are present, they don't become present. And all of a sudden, it's a lose, lose for everyone. So I can't, I can't look at these like, let's say you have a tremendous show and you're like, oh, that show was great. There's, all shows aren't gonna be great. And the shows that are doing that aren't great, you have to actually get more into the show. And that goes back to the very, very beginning of the question you asked. That's another thing that, that's important to remember is the beginning. And like those five people, those 10 people, or it could be those five or 10 people in the crowd while everyone, like, there's like a, you know, where it's not such a great show. Just focus on the people that care.

• 24:02Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. It's funny, whenever I do speeches and I feel disconnected or like, maybe people are yawning or they're on the phone.

• 24:08Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:08Lewis Howes?

  You're like, you get distracted. There's someone's walking in the background.

• 24:11Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, right.

• 24:11Lewis Howes?

  In an auditorium, you can see a lot more of this than just like us jumping around.

• 24:15Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 24:16Lewis Howes?

  It's very present because it's quiet.

• 24:17Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:18Lewis Howes?

  And, um, someone taught me, a great speaker taught me, you know, focus on the one person who's looking at you and just hone in.

• 24:23Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 24:24Lewis Howes?

  With that one human being. If it takes you two minutes, three minutes, just like, look them in the eye and really connect with them, you'll bring everyone. To that moment.

• 24:32Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:32Lewis Howes?

  And you'll bring the whole room back to the present. So is that something you do too?

• 24:36Speaker 02

  That's exactly what I do.

• 24:37Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 24:38Speaker 02

  I mean, the same, like a perfect analogy is I'm talking to you, you were connected, we're talking. The conversation become, will, will open up into all different avenues. But if instead, I'm talking to a wall, you ask me a question, I'm talking to a wall, I'm not gonna have the same kind of, like, uh, choose your own adventure, like where we can go and, you know, kind of go off in every direction.

• 24:59Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 25:00Speaker 02

  I'll probably just answer questions in a very mundane, monotone, rudimentary level, you know, and at the end of the day, whoever sees us is gonna get that rudimentary level, kind of like, oh, I didn't really learn that much, or that wasn't, like, I'm tuned out, you know?

• 25:15Lewis Howes?

  Right. So when you're feeling disconnected, or the show's a little off, or whatever, your energy's off, is that what you'll do? When there's 50,000 people, you'll find the one person, two people?

• 25:22Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah.

• 25:23Lewis Howes?

  And you'll just give them that full attention?

• 25:24Speaker 02

  Yeah. And then, like, it all comes back. Then, like, it's exactly what you say. Even if the rest of the people are just leaving, you just gotta remember, like, you know, like, you, you can't, you can't be harsh on yourself and just, just focus on the people that care.

• 25:41Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 25:41Speaker 02

  You know, and then you have to constantly think back.

• 25:44Lewis Howes?

  Can't please everyone, right?

• 25:45Speaker 02

  Yeah, you know, exactly. And you have to, you guys think back well in the very beginning, where, hey, man, I was happy playing in front of 10 people.

• 25:52Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 25:53Speaker 02

  You know, like, I gotta remember why I'm doing this. I'm not doing this for a paycheck. I'm doing this because I love, I love this, this moment right here, and like, making this music and being able to thank people with my music.

• 26:03Lewis Howes?

  What's been the most inspiring or impactful moment of your career for you?

• 26:08Speaker 02

  Uh, well, it's, it's just so many moments that all add up. It's hard. I mean, my first big moment was playing Coachella, which I've always talked about, 2007. Um, cause that opened me up to a stage of people at this morning in my club, in the clubs I was playing in.

• 26:26Speaker 02

  Getting a Grammy nomination for my first album. That was, you know, just, just being recognized by the Grammy committee and, and, uh, and, you know, the music community, like, you know, and hey, you know, we, we think that, uh, Stevie O'Keefe's

• 26:42Lewis Howes?

  Incredible.

• 26:42Speaker 02

  Yeah, up in the five best albums. I'm like,

• 26:45Lewis Howes?

  That's pretty good.

• 26:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, so I, cause you know, I, I, um, I don't like to I don't, I don't, you know, this is my own thing, but like um, I'm like almost like anti-secret in a way.

• 26:58Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 26:59Speaker 02

  Method where I'm just, I don't want to have this expectation because I don't want to always feel so bad if it doesn't happen. You know, because since I got the Grammy now, I was like, oh, I want to win a Grammy now. But like it's hasn't come, another nomination hasn't come again and I've just, you just have to be like, it might not ever come and that's fine. You know?

• 27:20Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Who was the most influential person in your life growing up?

• 27:25Speaker 02

  Um, well, I'd say through and through my father, you know, and I really got to tell that story in a documentary.

• 27:36Lewis Howes?

  Amazing, yeah.

• 27:37Speaker 02

  And um, I never really publicly talked about that, you know, that's why it was um, that's why like partially for me, I just haven't seen the film again, you know, since, since the um, since I watched it.

• 27:50Lewis Howes?

  You haven't seen the film?

• 27:51Speaker 02

  No, I've seen it, of course, I've seen the film, but I saw it, I watched it in full at the Tribeca Film Festival. A long time ago, it was like probably in early August or something.

• 28:03Lewis Howes?

  Oh.

• 28:04Speaker 02

  Or Ju- July, June, was it June? Whatever it was, it was in, it was in the summertime.

• 28:10Lewis Howes?

  You haven't watched since?

• 28:12Speaker 02

  No, I haven't, I, I, I just, it's hard for me to watch that.

• 28:15Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 28:15Speaker 02

  It's one thing to actually talk about process and talk and then, and then get into personal stuff and then like, bring yourself back into the moment, especially when you're around people that, that like feel comfortable with.

• 28:27Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 28:28Speaker 02

  And then it's another thing to watch yourself talk about it and, and then, you know.

• 28:32Lewis Howes?

  How did you feel when you watched it at the festival?

• 28:35Speaker 02

  A bit uncomfortable, you know, but I was happy my mom was there.

• 28:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 28:40Speaker 02

  You know, she was sitting next to me and at the end of the day, the way I see it is. I don't want, I don't really want to think about this film is about me. I really, I'm really paving, you know, the, paying homage to my father and to my mom and to DJ AM and to certain people that really laid the groundwork for me to, to do what I did, um, or do what, do what I'm doing. But, um, I just like, I'd love that. And if, if I keep that in perspective, then, then I, then I feel like this film has weight and it had, it's like, it's, you know, people can watch it. But if like, then again, like, I don't want it to be like, oh yeah, you know, like, watch this movie about me. You know, like, it sounds so lame, you know? And when you see people talk about themselves like that, it's kind of,

• 29:26Speaker 02

  you kind of, you kind of want to make fun of them.

• 29:28Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure, sure. What's the biggest lesson that you've learned from your father then?

• 29:35Speaker 02

  I mean, there's so many lessons, right? But, um,

• 29:39Speaker 02

  this is like a, you know, obviously, his drive, his drive was, uh,

• 29:48Speaker 02

  was insane.

• 29:49Lewis Howes?

  Unbelievable.

• 29:50Speaker 02

  And it came with a lot of, uh,

• 29:54Speaker 02

  you know, issues, family issues.

• 29:56Lewis Howes?

  Cause he wasn't really there much, right?

• 29:57Speaker 02

  Yeah. And he was not a great husband. He wasn't, he wasn't really great. Like, he was a good dad in the sense that, um, he got, brought his kids together whenever he could. But his, like, you know, he had, he, he, he wasn't a liar, you know, he's very honest. You know, like, it's true. His number one was business, number two was health, number three is family.

• 30:26Speaker 02

  You know, that's, that's the way he is. That's not necessarily my, my, um, code of honor. That's not my code of conduct.

• 30:32Lewis Howes?

  What's your code?

• 30:37Speaker 02

  There is no one, two and three, you know, it's all like. Family is really important to me. But obviously, I work a lot more than I see my family. So.

• 30:50Speaker 02

  It's not so black and white. Um, there's times when I'm with my family, all I want to do is support them. So when I see my mom. You know, I'm trying to build a plan for her so that she, she remains healthy and happy and lives a long life. A long life of happiness and health. So we always think about what we can do.

• 31:14Speaker 02

  You know, in the Aoki Bootcamp way, but not necessarily like making her pay. But like, not necessarily making her do pushups. But like, um, you know, I just want to take care of her, you know, she took care of me.

• 31:27Lewis Howes?

  So your code is more of like an integrated balance. Approach is what you're saying. You may not spend as much time with family, but the time you're with them really is meaningful and it matters. And you're present during that time.

• 31:37Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 31:38Lewis Howes?

  And there's probably. Abs and flows of work to family, to health and.

• 31:42Speaker 02

  I also think like when I'm not with the people I love, I want to. I want to kind of like. Analyze what they do with their day because like they're spending their time watching TV when they could be learning. When they could be, um, doing something that that's healthy for them and that's that's healthy and positive and. And integrates. Um, a sense of well being and happiness that they don't know about before. That's what I want to push. In the sense of what I'm saying about being a pusher. So what I do with my mom is like, I'm like, okay, so tell me your schedule of the day. You don't need to do the, this, this like TV stuff like. Like so, like, you know, I'm getting her piano lessons. So like she is like using that part of her brain. She loves piano and, um, uh.

• 32:28Speaker 02

  Making sure there's a personal trainer coming in to like, make sure her all like the blood's flowing in her body. She's moving. Um, you know, um, you know, getting like green cold pressed juices to her and making sure she's drinking at least two a day.

• 32:41Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 32:42Speaker 02

  Uh, making sure she's on her vitamin supplement. What?

• 32:44Lewis Howes?

  Should you start a juice company or you're part owner or?

• 32:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, with my brother. Yeah.

• 32:47Lewis Howes?

  That's cool.

• 32:48Speaker 02

  Um, and, uh.

• 32:51Speaker 02

  You know, like those kinds of things are important. She's like, uh, she, you know, she started writing a book. I'm helping getting a book editor. So it's like, I think, you know, then it's like you, you know, I, I feel like I did, I'm doing the best I can. As, as a son, not just hanging out with her and like giving her a hug and giving her a kiss and, and having dinner and lunch. It's like, okay, let's like plan it out so that you're using your time effectively, efficiently, that makes you happy and healthy.

• 33:18Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 33:18Speaker 02

  And that, that works muscles that you almost forget because that's what happens as we get older. We get, we're like, we're so good at this. We don't need to do this, you know? When you're young, you can do it all, right? And you like, uh, you just sponge everything and you get older, it's hard to sponge those things. So it's about challenging yourself and saying, hey, I didn't learn this, this language, but I have to make it a goal. And everyone says that, you know, I've said that about learning languages myself. I'm like, oh yeah, yeah. I'm going to learn it next year, next year. Resolution.

• 33:49Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 33:50Speaker 02

  But, but if you don't have some sort of like system set up to force you to learn it. You know, and I, I talked to some people about that. It's like, it's bad. It's a bad idea. This whole disciplinary thing. It's just like, puts like a bad taste in people's mouth, but I get it done this way and I enjoy it. At the end of the day, as long as I'm doing the work. Um, then I will, you know, whatever it might be, then, then I'll feel better about myself, you know?

• 34:16Lewis Howes?

  What would you say is your vision for your, your career and your life?

• 34:21Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, my core is always music. So it's producing music and playing music. Those are like, that's my core. It's like what I've built my whole life around. In, in one form or fashion from playing guitar and, and being in bands and being in the studio and that, that sense to, to working right here in this studio or like working on electronic music and playing it. That's like, that thread is, will probably exist for, for a long time because it's just been my, it's just always there. That passion and drive is always there. But the passion and drive are one and the same. And they always change and I'm, I always follow where that goes and it leads me into like, uh, all kinds of different places that I'm, that, that, that leaves me in places of challenge where I, I'm, I'm here to challenge myself.

• 35:05Speaker 02

  In the case of Johnny Cupcakes, where I met him like 11 years ago, you talked about, I, I threw myself into the fashion world. By this opportunity that was given to me. It was, um, hey, we want you to DJ at this Magic Trade Show. And we don't, we can't afford to pay you, but we'll give you a booth. Cause essentially Magic, the, the trade shows are real estate. Yeah. They're, they're, they're a real estate agent. They own this convention hall and they're like, we're gonna rent out this, this, this, this, this. And it's like, you just gotta be next to the, the, the right real estate. Right, right. So, um, they're like, just give me a booth anywhere. So they give me like the back corner, like, hey, we're not gonna sell anyways, we'll give it to Aoki. Sure. And, um, I'm like, perfect. I need this as a deadline.

• 35:49Speaker 02

  In a project oriented sense, I have this deadline. I gotta come up with a bunch of T-shirts. Good thing is, I was screen printing shirts when I was 15 years old. Really? In my mom's house. Wow. In the closet, like with the mulch in and just. Right. And, and printing on vintage shirts and selling them for five bucks. Wow. This is something I wanna get into. And now I have a deadline and I have a project and now I have a booth to be able to show these shirts. So I was just screening shirts. And then, you know, and I had like a few designs that I came up with my, some of my friends. Met with this guy, he's like, hey, I'll represent you. He was a friend, he didn't have, even have a showroom. Perfect. It's exactly the same model that I started when I was in bands. You know, when I was in bands, I started with people that didn't know how to play instruments. I'm like, let's learn together. Wow.

• 36:34Speaker 02

  Even my manager, who manages me now, he wasn't a manager before. He's like, I'm like, you, you believe in me? Okay, let's just go and hit, hit the road and we'll figure it out. We'll stumble, we'll fall, we'll pick each other up and we'll keep going. And, um, and that's been the process. Wow. For me, even with, with musical, music production, electronic productions. I met with another friend who was, who was a, uh, he just learned Pro Tools. But he knew it enough where he could train me and we worked together for two years before I started producing on my own. Wow. And, um, so it's just like, uh, that kind of like attitude of, I just give me a deadline and I'll figure it out. And it might not be great, but I promise you I'll get it done. You know, I just need to have, first of all, I need to have the passion and drive to get there.

• 37:19Speaker 02

  I have to want to be there. And I just need that deadline. Yeah. Give me the deadline. I want it. I'm, I, I love the deadlines. Yeah. So, um. How did that first trade show go then? Pretty bad. Pretty, pretty horrible.

• 37:34Lewis Howes?

  You sell any shirts?

• 37:36Speaker 02

  I don't, I don't know, maybe like a couple of stores picked them up, but, but um, it was a learning, it's just a learning curve and I,

• 37:41Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 37:42Speaker 02

  You know, nine years later,

• 37:46Speaker 02

  I started a fashion company.

• 37:47Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, I call that.

• 37:48Speaker 02

  Which is Demo Collection.

• 37:49Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, I call that practice reps.

• 37:51Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:51Lewis Howes?

  Where you're just like, you're not gonna make any money, you're not gonna.

• 37:55Speaker 02

  You're gonna lose money.

• 37:55Lewis Howes?

  You're gonna lose money.

• 37:56Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:57Lewis Howes?

  But the things you learn, the knowledge is like getting a real life PhD in whatever you're trying to do.

• 38:02Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 38:02Lewis Howes?

  And you're just doing practice rep after practice rep until like the big game comes and you're ready.

• 38:06Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 38:07Lewis Howes?

  So.

• 38:08Speaker 02

  Me like that, like, you know, in a nutshell, I, I got into magic, I was doing every year, I got into doing a DJ for them, they gave me a booth. Great deal because they'll sell me a booth that, or give me a booth that no one wants anyways. Um, sold a couple of T-shirts, like learned the business. Two years later, I owned my own trade show.

• 38:28Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 38:29Speaker 02

  Alongside Magic and Project and, and Pool. Pool sold to Avon Star. Avon Star is a company that owns Magic. And the, um, the, uh, I teamed up with the, the younger brother of the woman that, that sold Pool. She couldn't do any trade shows, but he learned everything from her. So I teamed up with him and he saw what like my, my intent, my passion. And we, we started the trade show and we owned it 50%.

• 38:56Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 38:57Speaker 02

  It's called United Trade Show.

• 38:58Lewis Howes?

  Amazing.

• 38:58Speaker 02

  And then we, we, we, we gather all, it's basically real estate, right? So you gather all your friends together like, hey, we have a convention hall, we're at the same time as Magic. And we're the edgier trade show.

• 39:10Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 39:11Speaker 02

  And we do that for a couple of years and I had a good time. I learned the ropes by throwing myself in the ring, throwing myself in the deep end and learning how to swim before I, I drowned.

• 39:19Lewis Howes?

  Right, right.

• 39:19Speaker 02

  And, uh, that was a, that was an interesting round. And then like, at the same time, I was, I'm trying to, trying to pick up this, this fashion business, which is, you know, it was, it was cool, it was existing, but it wasn't, it wasn't doing any real business. And I met with partners that just came, came and failed and like, you know, they were interested in like, weren't interested and then. And then over like nine years, finally, you know, I get to, I find out like some people that were interested in. And we've, we're on three seasons deep in a full on, you know, men's wear collection of, you know, all kinds of really great garments and T-shirts and hoodies and pants and shorts and button downs.

• 40:01Lewis Howes?

  Congrats, man. That's awesome.

• 40:02Speaker 02

  Doing well in Japan.

• 40:04Lewis Howes?

  It's paying off. That's great. I'm curious now, where were you, where do you think you'd be right now if your father was there more? As more of an example and was around and spent a lot of, if family was number one for him.

• 40:14Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 40:15Lewis Howes?

  And he wasn't as driven and achieved what he did. Where do you think you'd be if you had a different example?

• 40:20Speaker 02

  I don't know.

• 40:21Lewis Howes?

  Do you still be driven to do what you're doing?

• 40:27Speaker 02

  I'm not sure. Maybe, I'm not, I'm not entirely sure. It's such a tough one. Like I, I guess you could say that I probably wouldn't be, you know, maybe, maybe that's the case. Maybe like that, that absent father

• 40:46Speaker 02

  dynamic and me trying to prove to him was how I was able to get through like the, the tough period of time. And what if he did invest in me early on? What if I failed? You know, maybe not. Maybe I would have found an artist and I would be able to build it up at the time because with, you know, at the period of time before I even was a DJ or an artist, I was, it was all about Denmark records and how I can catapult this lifestyle brand into a real record business, like a music business. And we got there, but we might not have got there, you know, but that has nothing to do with him if we got there.

• 41:27Speaker 02

  Has had to do with me being connected to a scene that attracted certain bands and those bands blew up and we were, we were able to, to represent those bands.

• 41:36Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 41:36Speaker 02

  Um, so that necessarily, necessarily didn't have anything to do with him. If he funded those at me at the time for me to actually do something, I'm sure that I would have been able to hire employees and do this and, and it would have been a shorter road to success. And I would have made more decisions that could have catapulted the business. Yeah. Because I'm like, oh, I got money and I don't know what to do with it. I'm just gonna throw it all in there. And then all of a sudden, business goes kerplunk and I'm like, okay, I'm out. Maybe that could have happened. Yeah. Right? Yeah.

• 42:07Speaker 02

  Cause that's what happens if you you're inexperienced, you're running a company, you have you have money, right? You you're you're more likely to throw all the eggs in the basket and kerplunk your business. Mm hmm. Instead of managing it, managing expectations. Right.

• 42:21Speaker 02

  Being realistic, because you don't have the budgets and you have to find a way through your relationships to get through. Instead of having a a fund egg from your family. Right. You know, so um.

• 42:37Speaker 02

  But then again, there's a lot of trust fund kids that that are successful. Right. So you just never know. You just never know. So it's interesting. It's like, you know, I think it's. I I'm I'm proud of the way I we I did things. I'm proud of how it all came out to being. But it was it was years of of like, holy shit, I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it. I'm gonna be in debt and no one's like, there's no out for me. Right. But. You know, at the end of the day, I I have I have to also recognize that. I'm not gonna be homeless. You know, I'm I'm gonna like if if at the end of the day, I might have a debt, but I could probably work.

• 43:19Speaker 02

  You know, and I could probably go back to working at like, or not go back, but if he was still alive, I could probably work for him somehow. Right. You know, he is a successful man. It's not like I'm from the streets. I'm like, oh shit, I'm out. Like, it's not it's not real world. Get a job somewhere. Yeah, yeah. It's like my life is not a real world scenario, you know, where where people don't have a safety net. Of course, I had a safety net. So I will never, you know, not recognize that. And that's important, too. So maybe the safety net, subconsciously, even though I didn't actually get fronted the money. The fact that I had a safety net allowed me to take more risks. Go all in. Right. Allowed me to go, I'm gonna go for it.

• 44:00Speaker 02

  But at the end of the day, in in the front of my head, I wasn't thinking about money anyways. I wasn't thinking about being rich. That wasn't, I don't want to have those fancy cars. I, I don't care. Also, I'm happy to sleep on couches. I, I, I don't, I don't mind sleep, uh, sitting in middle seat in the back of the plane. Those things didn't matter to me. So at that time, you know, my perspective wasn't about how do I make money for myself. It's more about just having an ecosystem that I can live in so I can do what I do. You know, I mean, when I was graduating college, you know, I was considering to stay in academia where your top end

• 44:43Speaker 02

  salary is probably fifty grand. Social work, you know, with a women's studies degree and sociology is Not much. Yeah, like you, you do it because you love to, you know, like that's why I like I have so much respect for, for people in academia that are, that are sitting in research labs or writing books, um, you know, teaching about their, their specialized subjects. Because they, they love to do what they do. They're not doing it, uh, to be rich. They're doing it because they want to better the world in their own way. Sure, sure. What would you say is your biggest fear right now?

• 45:21Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, it's, it's a maybe staying, staying relevant, staying relevant is Not staying relevant, you mean? Yeah, not staying relevant and, um,

• 45:32Speaker 02

  just because like, you know, I've been in this, um, I've been in this, this, this kind of vol- volatile climate of music, you know, rushing as a trend and then, and then, and then disappearing, you know, and, uh, you don't, you don't, it's almost like you want to be at the top of the trend, but then you don't because when that trend goes, sometimes you go too. No matter how bad you've changed your sound or whatever you do.

• 46:03Speaker 02

  I've always been luckily like kind of in the middle, like I've been at the top. Like Dimak is not the coolest label, we're not the most profitable label. But we've survived through so many epochs of labels and trends. Because we've kind of like, you know. We want, of course, we want to be cool and relevant.

• 46:22Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 46:22Speaker 02

  Of course, I want to be relevant and connect with people. But my music might not, like even if I try to make a change, my music that inspires me, it might not connect with someone else.

• 46:33Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 46:34Speaker 02

  And um, it might throw people a curve, you know, and I'm doing, I'm doing that for sure this year. I'm been working with a lot more hip hop artists. I've even changed my sound a lot more than the typical EDM sound with a hip hop vocalist on there.

• 46:50Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 46:51Speaker 02

  Like I've, I've like thrown out sometimes on, on tracks, I have no drops. You know, and in EDM world is just drop is what makes you EDM, you know? So and I've also changed my, my, my kicks and my snares and like things of technical detail. Where it doesn't even like if you change those sounds, it doesn't even sound like an Aoki sound anymore from, from like someone that always listens to my music. And I'm willing to do that because I'm, it just, I get excited, like cool, I gotta change things up. So that can throw your relevance off, your relevance curve off and.

• 47:24Lewis Howes?

  So what if you became irrelevant one day? Because you were passionate about what you were doing and executing the things you love, but the world didn't think it was as relevant or cool. How would that make you feel?

• 47:36Speaker 02

  I, I, I just, uh, I'd have to really take a look deeper into why I'm doing things again, you know, going back to like, you know, that one, that one person that really cares in the, in the front of, in the front of the room.

• 47:49Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 47:49Speaker 02

  And just know like, you know, they might change too. Like as you change a topic, you know, like they might change too, and you have to be okay with that. You have to be okay with that, you know? And I know it's not about, um, you really, you really love what you do, you like, it's okay.

• 48:07Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 48:08Speaker 02

  You know, but it's like the, the balance for me, it's like I, I want to. I got so far to this point where I actually built a global audience.

• 48:17Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 48:17Speaker 02

  That that's following my sound.

• 48:19Lewis Howes?

  Massive audience, yeah.

• 48:20Speaker 02

  That I'm really proud of and um I you know and I really I really care so deeply about this work and my my work I'm doing. Uh you know, I want to keep continue to grow it. So you know, of course, like uh when if it goes down or you know, people aren't willing to follow my lead. Um I'm like shit, am I doing the right thing?

• 48:44Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure.

• 48:45Speaker 02

  But then um you know, but then I have to think like I have to do what I love to do.

• 48:48Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 48:49Speaker 02

  And um and also I had I remember having this talk with uh another DJ that's just been in the game. He's been like a godfather in a way for me, like a good friend of mine, Armon Van Halden, he's from New York and he's just like he's had so many incredible highs and not necessarily lows, but highs and just just you know, going off the radar.

• 49:14Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 49:15Speaker 02

  And highs and going off the radar and highs and going off the radar. And he's like, I've seen it so many times. I know I'm gonna go back up on the high.

• 49:23Speaker 02

  I know I I am. So I'm not worried when I'm in the uh when I'm off the radar.

• 49:26Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 49:26Speaker 02

  Not necessarily low, just off the radar.

• 49:28Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 49:29Speaker 02

  And it's his choice to be off the radar. But he's had such like this kind of cycle. It's you it's it's like it's not even the 1% that could be Rihanna and Drake that's always uh on the high.

• 49:42Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 49:43Speaker 02

  You're talking about the point 00000001% that stays on the high the whole time.

• 49:48Lewis Howes?

  Every year.

• 49:49Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, this stays here. Because they're the ones pushing the culture entirely. They're the ones that define what the culture is meant to be. You know, reality is, even if you're the 1% that actually can get to the high. Realistically, you will drop and you have to be okay with that. And just keep working and keep making more music and and remaining true to the people that that you know that are are leading you like connecting with them. Say, okay, come with me, guys. Let's go. We're gonna go. We're gonna go on this trip. It's it might not be something you'd expect, but just just come with me.

• 50:24Lewis Howes?

  Trust me.

• 50:25Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, trust me. And some of you are not gonna trust me once you hear it.

• 50:28Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 50:28Speaker 02

  It's fine.

• 50:29Lewis Howes?

  Check it out.

• 50:29Speaker 02

  It's fine. But we're gonna keep trucking. We're gonna we're gonna get to the next the next adventure. And I hope you guys continue because it's gonna be different and I'm gonna try to keep surprising you.

• 50:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's cool. What would you say is the thing you're most proud of that a lot of people don't know about you?

• 50:46Speaker 02

  Uh.

• 50:47Lewis Howes?

  Maybe that isn't out there in the public or isn't in the documentary or but something that you're really proud of. It could be like a small thing, but.

• 50:53Speaker 02

  I I know how to do the um the most hygienic sneeze probably that you can do.

• 51:04Lewis Howes?

  How do you do that?

• 51:04Speaker 02

  So like, most people, when they sneeze and they want to, they don't want to spread their germs. They usually sneeze in their shirt or.

• 51:12Lewis Howes?

  They bring it underneath.

• 51:12Speaker 02

  Yeah, or like, yeah, like that. I do that. I used to do that all the time. Cover your mouth, obviously.

• 51:19Speaker 02

  You get spit all over your hand, you know, like sometimes like a big fat loogie comes out. You're like, oh shit, like, you know, you're like, oh.

• 51:27Lewis Howes?

  So how do we how do we do this?

• 51:29Speaker 02

  So last year I had to um uh I had I had vocal surgery.

• 51:35Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 51:35Speaker 02

  So I couldn't speak for a month. And um part of the part like, you know, like before before the surgery, I just it's I just was quiet. And I if I'd if I'd had to cough or sneeze, I would cough and sneeze. After the surgery, if you coughed or sneezed, your your vocal cords vibrate at such like a

• 51:57Speaker 02

  you know, it's just so bad for your vocal cords. And I'm slicing one side of the vocal cord. So your vocal cords are like a V. So you slice one side and it's just raw and red and just doesn't you just do not want it to touch. Because it's healing. And um so if you sneeze, you're just destroying them. So I had to learn how to cough or sneeze without making a sound. And um, and I learned this, it's um, it's, it doesn't sound or look pleasant when I do it, but I do it kind of like when no one's looking at me.

• 52:35Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 52:36Speaker 02

  But you have to um, you have to keep your mouth wide open. So you have to like, ah, ah.

• 52:43Lewis Howes?

  You're about to sneeze.

• 52:44Speaker 02

  Yeah, I keep my mouth open like, like this, so my, so my vocal cords open, right? And then when I'm sneezing, I blow out like I'm, like I'm blow it like I'm like blowing out like I just smoked a shitload of weed. I'm like, like right before you cough, you're like, holy shit, like your lungs are, like you're, you're blowing your lungs out.

• 53:05Lewis Howes?

  While you're sneezing?

• 53:06Speaker 02

  Yeah. And then you actually, what happens is like, you don't, you don't make a sound because it's just a lot of air gushing out. Like what I just did, that sound that I just did is the most sound you make. And when I do that.

• 53:20Lewis Howes?

  No saliva, no spit.

• 53:22Speaker 02

  Vapor. There's no like vapor, so I could sneeze where trillions of bacteria aren't flying or in the air. And then there's no vapor and it just makes that sound. And I'm, and I saw, if everyone did this hygienic sneeze, um, I think, you know, like it'd be, there wouldn't be as many colds flying around.

• 53:41Lewis Howes?

  I like that. That's, that's a good, good thing to be proud of.

• 53:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 53:44Lewis Howes?

  How do you, uh, I wanna, we've got a few minutes left, um, wanna be respectful of your time. Um, I'm gonna ask a few last questions. How do you balance it all? Cause in the documentary, you're like, three cities a day, it seems like you're flying around. How do you balance it all? Do you batch travel? Do you, you know, I don't, I don't know how you do it. I'm curious.

• 54:02Speaker 02

  Well, here we are, we're in LA and um, this, this happens because I have a team. I don't do it on my own. My publicist is right behind you. She handles all this stuff.

• 54:14Lewis Howes?

  She's amazing. We connected before you got on here.

• 54:16Speaker 02

  She travels with me on all my publicity runs and I can't do without her. If she's not there, I don't know if I can be in the room.

• 54:24Speaker 02

  And she's great. And um, so it's like uh, I have teams that like help manage all the time and manage all this. Um, yes, time management is project oriented management, you know, like you have to focus on each thing and make sure you have the right team. So it's like team management and and time management. Yeah. And um, you know, like when when I'm creatively working in the studio,

• 54:51Speaker 02

  there's a lot more that goes in just finishing a song. A lot more. It's there's so many different

• 54:59Speaker 02

  steps that you have to do, especially when you work with big artists. Yeah. You have to work with their management, you gotta work with their agents, you gotta work with their labels. So much. And then you gotta work around the schedules and you gotta get all this paperwork signed off and then and then after that, you gotta make these radio edits, you gotta make this edit, you gotta make this for movies, you gotta do this, you know, it's like. It's a lot. I can't do all that. What I could do is make the music. Yeah. You know, and I could, I could um, work on the creative side, but like I need a whole team around that. And then on the fashion side, there's a whole different team. Teams. Can't do it on your own. Yeah, it's like, yeah, you can't do it on your own and no, and and it's all, it's like also um, letting go of power and control and being able to share that. Yeah.

• 55:42Speaker 02

  And share that with the right people. That's another thing too, is I think I also read this before anything is is a you know, hi- the hiring process is is is really important. Yes. And um, I trust people more than skill set. That's another thing too. It's like um, you trust someone, they'll grow with you. Like your manager didn't know how to manage. Both my managers. But they. My my, both my managers were not managers before me. Right. I almost preferred that, yeah. Yeah. So um, that didn't really work with my tour managers. Like I actually had to, I actually had to uh, had to work with a a guy that that lived on the road. That was like a road guy. Um, cause that's a different kind of lifestyle. And after a few months, people were like, ah, get me off the road. I can't handle this kind of schedule.

• 56:25Speaker 02

  Especially my schedule. My schedule is like a anomalous schedule of Your machine. Of touring. You have to really. Be a road dog.

• 56:34Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 56:34Speaker 02

  You have to be a road dog that loves to be on the road.

• 56:36Lewis Howes?

  Right. What are the, what are the non-negotiables for you every single day that you must do in order for you to have a great day? Whether it be health-wise, meditation, you know, working out, what are the things, talking to your mom?

• 56:48Speaker 02

  Ten, ten minutes of meditation. I try to do fifteen but ten. Um, I, I have my workout regimen. Do like now, we're doing like minimum like hundred, hundred push-ups, hundred sit-ups. And if we don't do that, do some sort of like crossFit workout. Like those are like things on the health side. And balance. Uh, trying to eat healthy, obviously. Um, and always getting in some sort of, um, you know, it's like learning a language. You have to do it every day.

• 57:14Lewis Howes?

  Yep.

• 57:15Speaker 02

  With music production and, and, and, uh, working on music, I have to get a little bit in as much as possible. I don't do it every day, but, um, cause I really work, like it's different. Like when you're in the studio,

• 57:29Speaker 02

  I spend more time here than like, like at a show, I'll play for ninety minutes here. When I'm in the studio here, I'll be in here for like nine to ten hours.

• 57:35Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 57:36Speaker 02

  And, um, you know, and then you have to also

• 57:41Speaker 02

  learn to give up bad habits. And, and, um, and discipline yourself that you've got those bad habits because of, of routine. So in the same sense, you get in good habits from routine.

• 57:51Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 57:52Speaker 02

  So we just try to like balance and, you know, bad habits for me is I used to drink all the time. So I just quit drinking.

• 57:58Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 57:58Speaker 02

  You know, it wasn't an AA move. It wasn't, it wasn't, um, I wouldn't say I'm an addict like a, like an Alcoholics Anonymous, uh, person, but, uh, because I'll have like a taste of alcohol every now and again to cheers, celebrate.

• 58:13Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 58:13Speaker 02

  Uh, but for me, I, I just cutting it out entirely, not getting drunk and being completely conscious of my decisions and everything around me. I like to remember things.

• 58:25Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 58:26Speaker 02

  I like to, um, I like to be more engaged.

• 58:29Lewis Howes?

  Sure. That's awesome. Uh, this is a question I ask at the end for all my guests. It's called the three truths. So if it's, uh, many, many years from now and it's your last day and you've achieved everything you've wanted to achieve. Uh, but for whatever reason, everything you've ever Created has been erased and people don't have access to what you've created anymore.

• 58:47Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:48Lewis Howes?

  And everyone's there by your side. It's a celebration and they say, we, uh, we love, here's a piece of paper and a pen. We want you to write down the three things you know to be true about everything you've experienced in life that you would pass on as lessons to us. What would you say, you know, off the cuff, because I didn't prep you for this question, are your three truths?

• 59:07Speaker 02

  I didn't get prepped for any of the questions, but, but maybe you sent it to my team, but I didn't like, um, well, I mean, first of all is to be happy. Uh, or just that, that term happiness and what, how's that defined for your life? Cause like what makes you happy shouldn't be like if you're a kid, a toy truck or for an older, for like when you're older, like a car. It's like people around you, you know, like surround yourself with good people that, um,

• 59:39Speaker 02

  you know, like whenever you do something good for someone like you, um, you're, you're happy. So like what we're talking about before. So like, um, always be on the pursuit of happiness.

• 59:51Lewis Howes?

  Okay.

• 59:51Speaker 02

  Um, this one and two is, um,

• 59:56Speaker 02

  have a positive outlook on life. Um, in general, just be a nice person, have a positive outlook, be a nice person and be happy.

• 1:00:06Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:07Speaker 02

  You know, like you have those three things. You know?

• 1:00:11Speaker 02

  Cause like it's easy to have the glass half empty rule. And complain about everything and there's always a problem and you know, for me, it's nothing worse than having that around me. I don't like that, you know, I'd rather be around people who's like, okay, we can always find the good and everything. And of course,

• 1:00:28Speaker 02

  be realistic. So we know what the negatives are, so we can learn to stay away from them or learn to, uh, overcome them. But, um, we, I mean, I feel like I live life to, for this pursuit of happiness and generally just to be a good person to people and, uh, and, you know?

• 1:00:48Speaker 02

  The other one, having to have a positive outlook.

• 1:00:50Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, I love it. I love it. Uh, before I ask the final question, uh, how can we support you? How can we support the biggest thing you're up to right now?

• 1:00:59Speaker 02

  I say, I say like the, the, the one thing that people can do that's, um, timely is November 15th. I mean, this is happening locally. So this is locally in, in Las Vegas. We're having a fundraiser for my charitable fund.

• 1:01:15Lewis Howes?

  Okay.

• 1:01:16Speaker 02

  And, um, all the money is going towards, uh, either brain research or brain related diseases and, and, um, organizations that focus on that.

• 1:01:26Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 1:01:27Speaker 02

  So, um, uh, we're doing our fundraising event in, in November 15th at Brooklyn Bowl.

• 1:01:33Lewis Howes?

  Okay. And if people can't make it there, how can they support?

• 1:01:36Speaker 02

  They, they could donate. They could donate money, you know, or, or spread the word or like retweet.

• 1:01:40Lewis Howes?

  What's the link? What's the, where's the site or?

• 1:01:42Speaker 02

  Steve Aoki Fund.com.

• 1:01:44Lewis Howes?

  Okay, cool.

• 1:01:44Speaker 02

  Yeah. And, um, yeah, you can, you can buy some merch there too.

• 1:01:48Lewis Howes?

  Awesome.

• 1:01:49Speaker 02

  Coffee mugs and t-shirts and stuff.

• 1:01:51Lewis Howes?

  Cool.

• 1:01:51Speaker 02

  Where's a save the brain t-shirt. We made a really cool shirt with like a brain, different colors and says, save the brain.

• 1:01:58Lewis Howes?

  I love it.

• 1:01:59Speaker 02

  It's like, I don't really hear much about brain. I mean, of course, like giving money to cancer is a big deal and, uh, and I'm, I'm a big, I mean, I'm a big supporter of that, especially my father. He passed away from cancer.

• 1:02:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:09Speaker 02

  And it's, it is like such a leading cause of death in all of the people that we love in life. But all the brain is like one of those things. We all have it. If we don't get killed by cancer or some sort of heart related disease, we're, we're definitely going to either go crazy. Uh, we're going to lose our memory.

• 1:02:26Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:27Speaker 02

  And, um, you know, and like, this is, this is how we, this is how we, we are intelligent beings.

• 1:02:33Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. You know, 10 years ago, my dad got in a really, uh, traumatic car accident where another car came through the windshield and hit him in the head. And he's never been able to recover since. So, uh, I understand the challenges of the brain and what it does to someone if it's not fully functioning. So I'm going to make a thousand dollar donation right after this.

• 1:02:51Speaker 02

  Amazing. Thank you.

• 1:02:51Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, of course.

• 1:02:52Speaker 02

  Appreciate that.

• 1:02:52Lewis Howes?

  Of course.

• 1:02:53Speaker 02

  That's really cool.

• 1:02:54Lewis Howes?

  We'll spread it out to, to everyone as well and make sure we support. Uh, we'll have all your social media linked up and everything, anything else you want to let us know to link it.

• 1:03:02Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:03:03Lewis Howes?

  We'll share it out to people.

• 1:03:03Speaker 02

  Even on that, on that note, you know, the like, there's more information on where the money is going to, uh, going towards and all the organizations that we work with. And they're great organizations that I met with. Uh, already like most of them, like Lou Ruvo Center for one, the Brain Health Center in Nevada. They're, they're the leading brain organization center for, and around the world.

• 1:03:25Lewis Howes?

  Awesome.

• 1:03:26Speaker 02

  Um, I'm really happy we're working with them.

• 1:03:28Lewis Howes?

  That's cool.

• 1:03:29Speaker 02

  Um, and that's actually a privately held organization, uh, center that, um, because it's privately held or privately, um, funded, uh, it's, there's so much more activity and research and just great stuff happening there.

• 1:03:48Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:48Speaker 02

  You know, um, and, uh, you know, I just love working with people that are really pushing the envelope, you know?

• 1:03:54Lewis Howes?

  That's cool. Well, we'll make sure to support all we can. Uh, before I ask the final question, I want to acknowledge you for a moment, Steve, for your incredible contribution to the world.

• 1:04:03Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 1:04:03Lewis Howes?

  It's amazing to see what you've created, the passion you have and the way you bring everyone together. Not only your audience and your, everyone that comes to your, um, your gigs, but the, the community inside the music industry, you're bringing a collection of so many different types of people together to work and collaborate on things. And for me, when I think about you, I think of family. I think of everything you create as a sense of bringing family and community together. So I want to acknowledge you for your incredible gift, your dedication, your commitment to pushing the envelope, even if it's scary for you and even if it may not be relevant, because I think that's the true, uh, sense of a leader.

• 1:04:41Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 1:04:41Lewis Howes?

  So, uh, I want to acknowledge you for all that.

• 1:04:42Speaker 02

  Thanks a lot. Appreciate that. Thank you.

• 1:04:44Lewis Howes?

  And the final question.

• 1:04:45Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:04:45Lewis Howes?

  Is what's your definition of greatness?

• 1:04:47Speaker 02

  I guess, I don't know. Um,

• 1:04:54Speaker 02

  I, I think you have to, um, whatever you do, you have to push yourself that

• 1:05:02Speaker 02

  maybe there is like,

• 1:05:05Speaker 02

  You know, maybe there is no plateau. I mean, I guess that's the thing is there is no plateau. Like you, you have to strive to do better than what you did before. And it's just a constant, it's a constant like workout, you know, it's a constant workout of all the different things that you're striving to do that's better for people around you, for everyone you touch, whether it's just your family, whether it's just your friends or a bigger community. And, and you know, I think that like that in itself is once again, on that note, it's more, it's definitely more about, what do they say, it's the journey,

• 1:05:48Speaker 02

  not the destination. It's definitely more on that, that lane. Cause as you, as you strive and you learn, that is an adventure in itself.

• 1:05:57Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Steve, thanks for coming on. Appreciate it.

• 1:06:02Lewis Howes?

  There you have it. Greatness Nation. Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Again, make sure to share it out with your friends. LewisHowes.com/401. We've got some different video highlight reels from this episode that we posted on Facebook and Instagram. We've got the full video over on YouTube. So make sure to go to YouTube slash Lewis Howes and everything, all the photos, all the videos, all the show notes, how you can get connected to Steve, his charity and support him. He is at LewisHowes.com/401. So make sure to check out the link right there. See all the behind the scenes. Leave a comment on the YouTube channel or

• 1:06:43Lewis Howes?

  the blog or on social media, letting me know what you think. And make sure to tag Steve as well to let him know about the support from this podcast. I love you guys. You know, the thing is, I bring on some of these incredible human beings who have made it to the top and are still striving to achieve more great things. But Steve didn't start off at the top. He didn't start off as one of the biggest DJs in the world. He started out with 15, 20 people in his living room, you know, hoping to get a few people to show up to listen to Music. He started out doing it day after day, working hard for a decade and then some. And he's just getting started. But sometimes we get overwhelmed and we think, ah, I'm not where I want to be. You know what?

• 1:07:28Lewis Howes?

  But what I learned about Steve is it's all about the process and the journey. And he's happy to perform for 10 people or 10,000 people. As long as he gets to do what he loves. So make sure you are focusing on doing the thing that lights you up, that gives you passion, that gives you energy and that impacts other people. Whether it's one or one million. Enjoy the journey of each human being that connects and resonates to your message and your craft and your art. Continue on the journey to your destination. Thank you guys again. LewisHowes.com/401. And you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great.