Pod Insights Negotiate Anything I'm Ending Negotiate Anything. Big Swings Only Starts Now. About this episode I'm Ending Negotiate Anything. Big Swings Only Starts Now.
After 10 years and 1,800+ episodes, I'm closing the chapter on the world's #1 negotiation podcast — and betting everything on what comes next. This is the most honest, unscripted episode I've ever recorded.
I'm Kwame Christian — founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute, bestselling author, and the host who built Negotiate Anything from a solo credibility play at age 27 into the most downloaded negotiation podcast on the planet. My clients include Google, Apple, NASA, Microsoft, and the Department of Defense. I've trained hundreds of thousands of people to have the conversations that change their lives.
This isn't a goodbye. It's a becoming.
What's next:
Subscribe to Big Swings Only with Kwame Christian — a show about high performers who dared greatly, and what it actually takes to become who you were destined to be.
Media inquiries & connections: [email protected]
Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 So I'm just going to say it. This is the last episode of Negotiate Anything. And first, I want to apologize because for all of you who just listened to the audio, you deserve better than this. You deserve a better send off than this. For those of you who follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram, you knew this a couple of weeks ago. I made the announcement on LinkedIn and Instagram. And I've known this was coming for probably about a year now. And If you listen to this show, you're probably one of two people. You're someone who's trying to improve their communication skills and learn how to resolve conflict.
0:45 Speaker 00 Or you're a dealmaker who's trying to learn how to get an edge in their next negotiation. So you could either make more or save more. The American Negotiation Institute is built for both. We have keynotes for conferences, workshops for teams and courses for everyone. Because the best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations. It was just, it took me a while to fully absorb this. And the thing is, when it comes to making an announcement like this, there are lots of reasons why. So I apologize because I know this is going to be jarring. We've been doing this for over a decade, over a decade.
1:24 Speaker 00 The average podcast, I think 90% of podcasts stop after three episodes. And we have made it over 1,800 episodes deep with this franchise. And I wouldn't be able to do any of that, wouldn't have been able to do any of that without all of you listeners. You made the show. If you aren't here, there is no show. So I want to thank you for being on this journey with me. And I guess.
1:53 Speaker 00 I was thinking about how best to do this. And I couldn't figure out a good way to do it. And so I want to apologize again, because usually when I come to you, I'm a lot more structured. I know what I'm going to say. And if I'm doing something solo, I would at least have a loose outline. I've never scripted anything for you all, other than maybe the ads, of course. But because I want to be raw and real with you. But I could not figure out how to put words to how I'm feeling about this moment. So I think maybe the best way, perhaps the only way that my mind can focus right now, is to go about this chronologically.
2:36 Speaker 00 Man, this episode is going to be terrible, terrible. Okay, so let's go back to 2016. I graduated from law school 2013 and I did some public policy work. I started my own law firm. I started doing mediations, serving as a mediator, certified mediator. And in order to to build my business as a business lawyer, what I would do is I would go around the city. I live in Columbus, Ohio. And I would do negotiation trainings for free for entrepreneurs. And that was good. That's how I was able to build the firm and get a decent clientele.
3:17 Speaker 00 And I asked myself a question and it took me a while to figure out what the answer was. I said, okay, what would you do with your life if everything in the world was free? So if you just, money wasn't an issue, what would you do? I spent a few months thinking about it. And I said, you know what I'd do? I would teach negotiation. That is the thing that I love the most because I love seeing the aha moment. And you all, if you've listened to this show, you know my origin story. People pleaser, et cetera, et cetera. Negotiation meant a lot to me because of of how it changed my life. And I love to see that revelation for other people too.
3:59 Speaker 00 So I said, yeah, if I could do anything for free, I would just teach people negotiation. And I said, well, if that's the dream, then let's figure out a way to make it happen. Now here's the challenge. At the time, I'm young. I'm 27 years old. And there is no such thing as a young negotiation expert. Think about how people typically enter this field. Usually, they come to be, they, usually, they become a negotiation expert after a successful career in something else. So law enforcement, counterintelligence, business, they're an executive or something like that. And in their 50s or 60s, they say, you know what? I am going to become a negotiation expert because that's what I'm really good at. And I said, I know I'm good at this now, and I know I've studied this a lot.
4:44 Speaker 00 I know I've put it into practice myself, but I want to, I want to make this my thing. But realistically, there would be an age bias that would be legitimate. We're 27 years old, we're not going to listen to you. So I said, I need to find a way to establish my credibility. I need to let people know that to show that I know what I'm talking about. And the podcast is how I did that. So interestingly enough, the podcast is older than the company. The podcast is older than the American Negotiation Institute. So I started the podcast. And the only goal that I had at the time was to create a body of work that would demonstrate my expertise and give credibility. So if people were to ever ask, hey, does Kwame know what he's talking about? I would say, listen to my podcast, let's check it out.
5:29 Speaker 00 No goals of being top dog in the industry when it comes, when it comes to podcasting. There was no goal to take this international or anything like that. I just wanted people to know that I knew what negotiation was. And that was the only goal. And I remember after a few months of doing this, somebody reached out. And he was a fellow lawyer on the other side of the country. And he said, hey, I've got this really sticky negotiation and I was wondering if you could consult on this. And he said, I've been practicing law for 28 years. The negotiation element is very, very difficult for me, but I love your show and I think you can help me. And as I was talking to him, I said,
6:12 Speaker 00 He has been practicing law for 28 years and he probably doesn't even know that I have been walking this planet for 27 years. But the age didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that he believed that I could do what I said I could do. And I consulted with him. It was a multimillion dollar deal. We closed the deal. And then he invited me to do another one and that one worked out really well, too. And I said, my gosh, it worked. People think I'm legit because, oh my goodness, I am legit. It's worked. And for me, that was a big enough win. I'm having fun. I'm learning. I'm getting to meet really cool people, talking about something that I enjoy.
6:53 Speaker 00 But then the downloads started to grow and I started to see these data points. You all, everybody listening, you're one of those, you're these data points. But you were more than that to me. It's, think about this. I know that sounds kind of weird, but let's break this down. So for me, when I'm starting, when I'm doing this podcast, I can look and I can see the statistics. I could see where people are downloading from. And of course, at the beginning, it was just Columbus. That's not surprising. But then I started to see these little dots in different cities, in different states, and some in different countries. And I'm like, who, who are these people? Who are these people? This is so, who's listening to me? This is really cool. And I asked folks to connect with me on LinkedIn.
7:38 Speaker 00 And so I started to be able to put like faces and names to these data points all over the country, all over the world. And that was, that was really cool. One of the greatest joys.
7:50 Speaker 00 Yeah. One of the greatest joys of doing this podcast was, is getting to meet some of you out and about. Like, meeting fans?
8:00 Speaker 00 I don't do the whole fan thing. We become friends very quickly. But it's like, it's, it's been, it's surreal. It will not stop being surreal. And that's really what kept me going because I knew I was getting messages from people who were experiencing significant changes, getting the results that they wanted from negotiation. But let's share some wins. Let's share some community wins. So I remember there was one time I got a message from somebody who said that...
8:33 Speaker 00 She recognized after listening to the show that she's been grossly underpaid her whole career. And she said, "Now, this ends now? I'm gonna do something about it." And so she negotiated for the first time in her career. And I know this is gonna sound hyperbolic. That's why I've never shared this before. But she made, I think it was something like forty or fifty thousand dollars per year, more, after negotiating. And it made me realize two things. Number one, wow, this clearly works. And number two, geez, she was really getting taken advantage of. And I was proud to know that this show was helping people. Helping people advocate for themselves in real ways. Real tangible ways.
9:18 Speaker 00 Ways that could change their lives, the lives of their families, the lives of their communities, forever. A couple of years ago, I went to a keynote and I met somebody.
9:33 Speaker 00 This was out in Vegas. He said, "I've been listening to the podcast for years, and you've helped me to make so many more sales, but the thing that really means the most
9:53 Speaker 00 is that now?
9:59 Speaker 00 I have a better relationship with my sixteen-year-old son."
10:05 Speaker 00 Like, those are the stories that really get me.
10:11 Speaker 00 So it's been hard, because I know this is the right this is the right move strategically. I know this is the right move career-wise, I believe that. But I also recognize that there's
10:26 Speaker 00 I don't wanna think about it in a negative way, but it feels like a part of me is dying to a certain extent. I didn't expect this transition to be so difficult. Especially because when it comes to, just in my life, I like to
10:42 Speaker 00 Stack them up and knock them down. Like, what does that mean? So I like to have a clear target, hit those targets, move on like a mercenary. Like accomplishment, move on, accomplishment, move on. This is not, it's not an, it is an accomplishment. What we've done here is an accomplishment, but it's more than that. It feels like I'm losing a family member to a certain extent. But I was talking to Whitney and she said, this isn't a loss. This is a, it's a win. It's an evolution. It's not, the show isn't going anywhere. If you come in next week and I'll talk about what's coming next after I'm done, you know, crying like a baby here. I'll explain the transition, but it's not a loss. It's an evolution. We're changing into something different.
11:27 Speaker 00 But I digress. Let's continue with the progression. So when it comes to the podcast, we've, we've had a lot of different iterations. In 2022, we signed our first deal with the Acast network, the Acast Podcast Network, which is a massive podcast network out of Sweden, I believe. And there was a great relationship. We were with them for about two years. So from 2016 and 2020, we did the podcast for free. It was great for the business. It was great for building credibility, but it was unpaid. And, but I just love this. And one of my goals at the beginning was that I recognized that there were a lot of
12:12 Speaker 00 financial barriers for people when it came to getting high quality negotiation content and information outside of books. If you wanted to do a course, it would be thousands of dollars. And yes, with the American Negotiation Institute, I don't want you to think we're cheapos over here. Our stuff is expensive too for our corporate clients. We have some, some, you know, affordable options for individuals. Check out our website.
12:38 Speaker 00 But, but yeah, it was really tough for people before to get access to high-quality content. So one of the things that I wanted to do was create the largest free library of negotiation content available, the largest on the planet. And we've been able to do that with top thought leaders willing to come on the podcast and share their expertise for free. So people can have access to it. And we've had some big names on the show. And that's been great. And so, but again, I did that, we, we as a team did that for free for, for 20, from 2016 to 2020. And then from 2020 to 2022, we were with the
13:19 Speaker 00 Acast Network and that was the first time we were monetized. And then in 2022, the LinkedIn Podcast Network was created. So LinkedIn created a podcast network, you might remember a couple shout outs there. And that was really great. That was our, our first big network deal. And what was really funny is that I was disappointed that year because I shot my shot at getting a TV show. We were in talks with the Oprah Winfrey Network. We got pretty deep in that and then they decided to go a different direction. And then the, the deal that we got from LinkedIn was far better, significantly better, much more lucrative and much more exposure than we would have gotten with the Oprah, Oprah Winfrey Network. So that was really cool. And then last year, our deal with LinkedIn
14:03 Speaker 00 ended and now we're with Yap Media, so Young and Profiting Network with Halataha. And that's been great thus far and expecting to stay with them for, for a significant period of time. But the reason I bring that up is because after I was on the Mel Robbins podcast, I thought we were pretty well positioned for our negotiations with LinkedIn. And we got up to number two in the career section. So we're at an all time high. And then LinkedIn let us know. We, I walked into a negotiation with LinkedIn to renew for 2025, 2026. And I walked in with my negotiation strategy and they walked in ready to tell me bad
14:43 Speaker 00 news. And the bad news was that the network is done, that it's not, they're like, it's not you, it's us. We are disbanding. The, the LinkedIn Podcast Network is no more. And that was, that was the first time. That I said to myself, what am I going to do with this show? Because we built this, this whole company really with the show as a foundation and it became a major revenue stream for, for us. And now we go from multiple six figures.
15:13 Speaker 00 The number is confidential.
15:17 Speaker 00 But we were on our way to seven figures with this deal. And now that's gone. I've got a family to feed. I have a staff to feed. We have to figure this out. And it was the first time I had to ask myself, what, what do I want to do with this show? Long term, what does this look like? And I remembered, okay, well, I wanted to create the largest library of audio content. We've done that multiple times over with 1800 episodes. That's a cartoonish number of episodes. Okay. Well, what else did I want to do? I wanted to establish ourselves as a credible brand in the field and let folks know that we knew what we were talking about when it came to negotiation. We did that.
15:59 Speaker 00 And that's when I was first confronted with the reality last year that when it came to stated objectives and accomplishments, we have outperformed what I ever thought this show could be. So I asked myself, what, what next? What's the next contribution? And so.
16:18 Speaker 00 If you were going to take a big swing this holiday season and start a business, what would you build? Maybe it's that one idea that you can't stop thinking about. I've built a business from the ground up and I can tell you that the hard part isn't the idea. It's getting it live. That's where Shopify comes in. You can sell everywhere people shop, online, in person, across social media, even in AI chats. And Shopify checkout with shop pay converts up to 36% higher than the competition. So more of the people who show up actually buy. Plus, Black Friday is when more people are already shopping and ready to buy. So the sooner you're live, the better. If you're ready to launch your business before Black Friday, go to Shopify.com/Quami to start your free trial.
17:02 Speaker 00 That's Shopify.com/Quami. Go to Shopify.com/Quami to hear your first.
17:10 Speaker 00 Try this. Pull up your notes from a meeting last week. Do they still make sense? Or do they just seem like random notes that only the old version of you could decode? That used to be me. And as a negotiator, that's a real problem because my job is to listen, not type or write notes. That's why Granola has been one of my favorite tools, period. It's an AI-powered notepad. I jot my usual rough notes and then Granola securely transcribes the meeting in the background. And when it ends, I get clean, structured notes that still make sense a week later. Decisions, owners, next steps, everything that I would need to feel good about going forward. And it works through your device's audio too. So there's no additional setup or any annoying AI joining your call. Just your normal meeting, but with superpowers.
17:55 Speaker 00 If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free for three months. Just go to granola.ai/Quami. That's granola.ai/Quami to get your time back. Get three months free at granola.ai/Quami. In 20, at the end of 2024, going into 2025, I was testing a bit of a hypothesis. You've probably heard me mention that I journal a lot. And I realized that I was, upon reflection, playing a little bit safe, playing kind of conservatively. And so I asked myself, what would my life look like? What would my, what would my career look like if I swung for the fences on everything? And I said, I'm going to try to go big more frequently. I'm going to try to go big a lot.
18:41 Speaker 00 And so I developed this mantra. I called it "big swings only." So I said, okay, if you have the mindset and the skillset to knock the ball out of the park, the only thing that holds you back is whether or not you're willing to take a big swing. So I said, all right, cool, let's swing for the fences. So can we get some big-name guests on this show? Can we get big-name guests? And okay, we got Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. You might not know his name, but you know his impact. The person who created Wikipedia. Can I, who, who is the number one podcast in the world right now? Okay, Mel, Mel Robbins just overtook Joe Rogan. Fantastic. Can I get on Mel Robbins' podcast? What?
19:26 Speaker 00 Yes, now we're on that show. And it made me think, where else am I holding back? And when it comes to personal and professional growth, that mindset, big swings only, it has been really, really pivotal for me. It has led to, it has been a catalyst for change in my personal life that I didn't think was possible at this stage. And so then I realized there's a second element to this philosophy of big swings only. And it is this. Think about Michelangelo as he was
19:59 Speaker 00 creating the statue of David.
20:04 Speaker 00 One thing he said about that process was that he didn't create the statue of David. David was always in there. He just removed what was superfluous and unnecessary to reveal the statue that was within. So there's another metaphorical angle of big swings only, where it is not so much about the outcome that you achieve through taking your big swings. It, don't think about big swings just like swinging for the fences in baseball. Think about it as you, like Michelangelo, swinging your hammer and chisel and chipping off parts of yourself that should be removed. So it's not just about the accomplishment. It's about who you become in the process
20:48 Speaker 00 of daring greatly, of swinging big, and becoming the person you were destined to be. And I recognize that it, this mentality has helped to shape my character and grow and evolve in ways that I didn't think were possible. And especially I didn't think were possible within the timeframe I was able to do it. And as I started to talk to more people and do more research on it, I'm seeing a commonality of, of high performers where they have this type of mentality. And so that's what this next show is going to be about. It's, it's going to be about helping people to live life on their terms and take the risks and take the big swings that they were destined to, so they can become the person they were destined to become. And so when you think about negotiation,
21:33 Speaker 00 how, what is the nexus here? How do we bring these things together? Because a couple of things, as I was doing this, I was always thinking that people were struggling in negotiation mainly because they didn't know how to negotiate. But as I started to meet more of you in person, interact with more of you online, and started to do more surveys and gather data, I realized that the issue was not so much that you didn't know what to do or what to say, it was that you didn't have the confidence to do or say it when it mattered most. And I mentioned this in my first book, I said, in the negotiation industry, we've been giving recipes to people who are afraid to get in the kitchen.
22:14 Speaker 00 And we need to help people to overcome those psychological and emotional barriers that are holding them back from having the conversation. The conversation is actually the easiest part. Being strong enough and having the courage to engage in the conversation, that's the hard part. Okay, great. So I recognized that, and that was the whole topic for my first book, Finding Confidence in Conflict. And you can see the nexus there, too, because when you think about the connection between negotiate anything and big swings only, big swings only helps you to understand and develop what it takes and to have the courage to enter the room.
22:57 Speaker 00 Negotiate anything gives you the tactics and strategies that you would need at the negotiation table when it's time to actually have a conversation. Think about it from a leadership position. If you want to lead a company, 100%, you're going to need to know how to negotiate. If you want to manage a team, if you want a promotion that's going to make you a leader of people, you're going to need to know how to negotiate. But you're also going to need to have the courage to take a big swing, to even have an opportunity to put yourself in that position. Are you going to ask for the opportunity? Are you going to put your hat in the ring? Right? And so what I'm recognizing is that the big swing mentality has to come first. And what we've already done is we've created an incredible body of work when it comes
23:39 Speaker 00 to the immense library that we've created. So for whatever challenge you will experience conversationally, when it comes to addressing your big swings, I guarantee you there's a podcast episode in our library that can help you. But you won't get to that point until you have the confidence and the courage to take a big swing. That's where this connects. And then I thought about it, because I realized, wait a second. I've always been thinking about my life story through the lens of negotiation. If you haven't heard me say this, I've said it eight billion times on this podcast. If you have heard, feel free to skip ahead about 30 seconds, but I'm going to fast track this.
24:20 Speaker 00 So, Kwame, used to be a people pleaser, then a mentor said, you can't be a people pleaser anymore. So I decided, okay, I'm studying psychology. Treat my fear of difficult conversations as a phobia. Overcome my fear, then I get into law school. Law school teaches me negotiation. Then I realized this is a skill, not a talent. And my life gets better, one difficult conversation at a time. That's when I realized that the best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations. So my goal is to make the world a better place, one difficult conversation at a time. There's the spiel, right? But let's look at it through the lens of big swings only. Okay, you went from people pleaser to somebody who is willing to have tough conversations? That's a really big swing.
25:00 Speaker 00 You went from somebody who was willing to have tough conversations to someone who learned how to negotiate? That's a big swing. You went from somebody who knows how to negotiate to at age 27, being the host of the number one ranked negotiation podcast in the world? That, that's a big swing. Okay, wait, so Google, Apple, NASA, Intel, Target, the Department of Defense, who else? I mean, all sorts of people. Coca-Cola, Microsoft? You teach them how to negotiate? That's a big swing. Whoa, okay, so this is what you do? This is the through line.
25:44 Speaker 00 You wanted to learn how to speak Spanish? So you took one Spanish class and moved to Ecuador for a summer? That's a big swing. And that's when I realized, oh, hey, shout out to Whitney. You found the love of your life in Spanish class? And you said, hey, if I want, if I want to be with her, I need to put a ring on it, as Beyonce said. And so you get married on graduation day?
26:07 Speaker 00 At age 21, that's a big swing. And so I recognized that the most pivotal moments of my life were all big swings and I made massive jumps and growth in my life from having this type of mentality. I just never had the words for it. So this isn't me creating something new or making a vastly different professional pivot. This is truly a homecoming.
26:32 Speaker 00 You know, so Kwame, stop crying. You don't, this is a win, right? It's a win. But that, that's what I've been, that's, that's why I've been dragging my feet. Because this, this podcast has essentially been a part of my identity. Think about it. So if you ask me on the street, who am I? I'm Kwame Christian. If you ask me professionally, who are you? Hey Kwame, you introduce yourself. You got, you got 15 seconds. Hey, I'm Kwame Christian, founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute and the host of the number one negotiation podcast in the world, Negotiate Anything. It was literally my identity until a couple of years ago when Rebecca Zhang took my spot and now she's number one. But number two ain't bad. I love Rebecca. Check out her podcast.
27:17 Speaker 00 It is now called Leverage. Great show, great show. And Rebecca is a delight. We're truly friends. We text all the time. So yes, that's what held me back. I'm recognizing this now because I, I knew this was on my to do list for a long time. I knew I needed to say something and I just could not understand why I could not say anything. And then when I tried to say something, then I started to cry all the time. I tried earlier this week, I couldn't do it. And I realized this is, it's grief.
27:47 Speaker 00 It's like a mourning process that I have to go through. And the, the thing about grief is that it does not operate on your timeline.
27:59 Speaker 00 Grief is a very inconvenient emotion. You don't know when it's coming. It comes in waves. You think it's over, it comes back, you know? So I'm going to be vacillating through these emotions probably for the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to explain why it took so long. I also want to give a shout out to my team. I remember when I started this.
28:21 Speaker 00 When I started this, I was, I was everybody. I was everything. I, we, I, I had the audacity to call this company the American Negotiation Institute because I believed in what I could grow into. I said, I am, I am not worthy of the name now, but I believe that I will be. And as a business lawyer, I've done enough trademarks to know that if I like something, I need to commit to it and I need to own that intellectual property. So I wanted to make sure that I could get it and I knew I could grow into it. So for me, at the beginning, editing the podcast solo, um, doing everything solo was tough, um, but slowly grew, got more of the team. Now we have a whole team doing video and audio.
29:04 Speaker 00 And let me tell you a quick story before I give folks my, their flowers. I remember one time, I think this was episode number two, my friend John Halberstadt from law school came on the podcast and I had this big chunky Dell laptop. This thing was like eight million pounds laptop. Um, and, um, I had it in the middle of my kitchen table. We didn't even have a microphone. I think we were just talking straight into the, to the laptop and we were recording. We were going for about 40 or 50 minutes and then all of a sudden the computer went blank. And no, I didn't forget to plug it in. I plugged it in. The, the hard drive just shut down, like lights out, couldn't even turn it back on.
29:48 Speaker 00 And I, I was like, I don't know what to do. It's, the computer's dead and we lost that episode. And I was thinking, man, there, this is so hard to do, so hard to do by myself. And the reason why we have been so consistent over the years is because we have such an incredible team. And I want to give a shout out to the folks who were in the early stages of the American Negotiation Institute, but a special shout out to Simone Perez, our, our producer.
30:22 Speaker 00 Man.
30:25 Speaker 00 This show, yeah, you look, you see me on the thumbnail and everything. But the executive producer, Simone, man, he is, he's the engine behind all of this. He's the heart behind it. But you can't.
30:41 Speaker 00 It's, it's difficult to appreciate what it is that he's brought to this podcast and the institute as a whole. So when he started, he couldn't speak English. He was using the podcast to speak, to learn how to speak English. And I said, hey, I need an editor. And he reached out and said, I want to do it. I was like, let's go. And we were able to bridge the gap of communication because I could speak Spanish. And now his Spanish, his English is way better than my Spanish, which is cool to see. But if you've heard some of Simone's story, he, he's from Venezuela. He had to escape Venezuela and go to Argentina. That's where I met him. And then Argentina, if you're familiar, started to fall apart.
31:26 Speaker 00 He left Argentina, went to Portugal, left Portugal, went to Canada. And now, just a couple of weeks ago, he earned his Canadian citizenship. I mean, it's, talk about big swings, man. We need to have an episode on Simone. So Simone, when you're ready, you're going to be one of the guests. This is, this is breaking news to him too.
31:50 Speaker 00 But
31:52 Speaker 00 I mean, how many episodes?
31:56 Speaker 00 Like probably like 1,200 episodes?
32:00 Speaker 00 He never missed an episode. Three, not just three countries, three continents. And he never missed an episode. He barely makes mistakes. I remember one time he made a mistake
32:17 Speaker 00 in 2022.
32:20 Speaker 00 It was his first mistake. It was his third country and his first mistake in his second year. It was something really tiny at the end of the episode. That was it. This, like, I tell you, the level of discipline and dedication that he has is astronomical. It's something I've never seen. And when you think about the, the, the impact of the show, you know, I talk about the listeners. I talk about me and my career, but I mean, it's, it's been such a pivotal part of his life, you know? So, yeah, man, could not do it without Simone. So we're at like thirty something minutes.
33:04 Speaker 00 Simone's probably going to have to edit out fourteen minutes of emotional, you know, nonsense. But, yeah, I just wanted to make sure that we didn't wrap this up without giving Simone his flowers, because we're, we would be nothing without him. And I'm excited to, to, I've been really cool, it's been really cool to see him taking more of a role and, um, not just in production, in, in strategy and, and showing up on the podcast. Could you imagine? Simone in Argentina, listening to the show, now being on it and being the, the primary catalyst for its success? That's amazing.
33:48 Speaker 00 So it's been a fun journey and the journey continues. So, yeah, I, um, listen, if you've liked the show, if this has meant anything for you, and, and for the sake of Simone, let's do this for Simone. So, give a shout out to Simone in the, um, in the reviews. If you, if you've made it this deep in this.
34:14 Speaker 00 In this chaotic episode, can you give a five star review and shout out Simone?
34:22 Speaker 00 It's going to be so funny when people see the podcast, they're going to see Big Swings Only with Kwame Christian. And every, every, every review talks about Simone. They're like, oh, who is this guy?
34:35 Speaker 00 But yes, give Simone some love. Send, leave a review for him.
34:40 Speaker 00 But I hope you all give Big Swings Only a chance. I really believe in it. And I've already recorded a few of the episodes and they're exceptional. Yeah, I'm biased. I am biased, but our guests are great. The stories are great. It's very different. It's not tactical. It's not as strategic. There will be learnings, of course, but the learnings will be incidental byproducts of the incredible stories that we're telling. And I'm very excited for it, very excited for it. And I promise you, when it comes to Big Swings Only, we're taking that, we're taking that to the max. We're truly going to push that as far as we possibly can. And what I mean by that is we're going big. We are going big.
35:23 Speaker 00 This isn't just, it's a new era of podcasting. 10 years ago, video podcasting wasn't even really a thing. Now podcasts, and now podcasts are primarily video. And really, when you think about the difference between a podcast and a talk show now, there's no difference. You go to your laptop or you go to your TV and you choose an app. You could go to YouTube, watch a podcast. Now you have Netflix that has podcasts. Netflix has podcasts. That's, it's mind boggling. So there's no difference between a TV show and a podcast.
36:05 Speaker 00 It's a different era. The, the playing field has been completely flattened, which is great for us. So we're not trying to make a good podcast. We're trying to make an epic show and, you know.
36:19 Speaker 00 You know what? No, this is Big Swings Kwame talking. Not, this isn't Lawyer Kwame anymore. This is Big Swings Kwame. I want a Netflix deal. I believe this show will be good enough for a Netflix deal. If Netflix is giving out podcast deals, hey, listen, I want one too. So I want to encourage you all to, to check us out on YouTube. Not just the podcast on audio, but check us out on YouTube. And please comment and give us feedback. We're gonna be starting off. When you think about mastering and you're starting something new, there is, there is a certain, a certain amount of good mistakes that you need to make.
37:01 Speaker 00 So I'm not talking about sloppy, stupid mistakes. I mean, no, that, those don't count. I'm talking about good reps that fall short. And we won't be able to see all of our mistakes. We won't be able to, to, to recognize the, every challenge that we run into. There are gonna be some things that you see that we don't see. Now, if you could, please leave a comment and let us know so we can get better. Any feedback, any suggestions, let us know. And you know, here, let me negotiate with you. If there's something that you don't like and you're leaving a review, can you still give us five stars, but tell us, tell us what we need to do better?
37:41 Speaker 00 Those reviews matter, okay? So, please, give us the feedback. But if we could get five stars too for effort, you know, we're trying. We are trying. That would be great. Um, but yeah, I'm excited for it. We are, we're gonna have to level up in a lot of ways. And though, it's a completely different philosophy, a different theory of the case. Not just in terms of the topic of the show, but in our entire approach to the show. So our goal is to level up in order to make sure that we can still earn your support. I'm not gonna just assume here that you're just going to passively say, okay, cool. You weren't negotiating anything. Now I'm a Big Swings Only fan. Geez, you know, just a little aside, a little aside.
38:26 Speaker 00 Um, yeah, we're gonna need to figure out what to call this community. I was joking with my wife, Whitney, and I said, uh, I was like, you know what? Big Swings Only, maybe we should call the, the listeners Big Swingers. And she's like, hey, maybe you shouldn't. Maybe we shouldn't give out those buys. That's not what we're trying to do. And I just said, Big Swings Only Fan. No, now that can't, that doesn't work either. Everything's too suggestive. So if you are a listener of the show that is called Big Swings Only, we want you to really enjoy the show. We want to earn your support. We're not going to just assume that because you like to negotiate anything, you're going to like this show. We need to show up and do the very best that we can,
39:11 Speaker 00 and we're going to work hard to earn your continued support. So yeah, well, I hope you've gotten to know me a little bit better and you kind of see how I feel. My heart is on display as a lawyer that makes me feel quite uncomfortable, but vulnerability is a good thing. Shout out to Brene Brown. Let's bring her on the show. Big Swings Only. So listen, if you have any connections in the media industry, you see any value in us, you think that we're legit, we have a shot, hook us up, hook us up. Help a brother out, okay? If you, if you can introduce us or have any suggestions, let us know. Reach out to Simone. He is responsible.
39:55 Speaker 00 So Simone, spelled Simon, at negotiateanything.com. Wow. I have secured the URL, so that's good. We're going to have to change that. Man, see, there we go. Another example of things that we're going to have to change over time. But I appreciate you being on this long journey with me as it relates to the podcast for 10 years and relates to this episode. You know, it's the least, it is the least structured, but truly the most honest episode I've ever done for Negotiate Anything.
40:35 Speaker 00 So I appreciate your support and I think, interestingly, this is the perfectly imperfect way to close this out.
40:48 Speaker 00 Hey everyone, I want to tell you about a podcast I'm really excited about. It's called The Anxious Achiever and it's hosted by my good friend Maura Aron's Mele and it's part of the Yap Media Network. Here on Big Swings Only, we're all about going after the big stuff. But anyone who's taken a real swing knows anxiety usually comes along for the ride. And honestly, nobody handles that better than Maura. Since 2019, her show has helped millions of listeners navigate stress, mental health, and the search for meaning through work. With personal stories, expert insights, and evidence-based tools, she tackles anxiety, perfectionism, ADHD, and psychological safety at work with guests ranging from the US Surgeon General to NFL and NBA stars.
41:30 Speaker 00 It's a top 10 management podcast and a Signal Award winner for Best Commute Podcast. And she's been a guest on our show too. If you're ready to take control of your anxiety and your life, you definitely want to check out The Anxious Achiever. Subscribe to The Anxious Achiever today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Previous Master Conflict Without Losing Control: The Secrets of Elite Negotiators Next BONUS: Kwame Gets Interviewed by Trent Shelton Page updated November 6, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated
