Monty Munford - Take it to the edge or don't take it at all

Monty is a modern day renaissance man. Today he spends his days hanging out with tech titans and royalty. A well regarded journalist for the likes of the Economist, the Telegraph and the BBC but who also writes novels. He's also a Bollywood actor. He recently opened the London Stock Exchange. But perhaps maybe most interestingly, he's an expert in talking to anyone regardless of class. Growing up in West London, Monty honed his 'gift of the gab' which quickly took him from running a betting shop to supporting his global travels by ducking and diving. After being kicked out of Australia, he experimented with going off grid for 7 months, with no explanation or contact with friends or family. This experiment almost ended in disaster when he found himself on the edge of a Mexican cliff, bottle of Tequila in hand, and car hand-brake off. That wake-up-moment led to another reinvention, this time head down, and focused on building a more conventional life. But with Monty convention never lasts long. When Monty's interest is piqued he goes all in, which is both a blessing and a curse. We talk about how this way of living can be really dangerous, but it's also how he creates inspiring stories that continue to punctuate his life.
"Those who tell stories rule society" so said, Plato. Monty Munford collects and tells very good stories. He doesn’t run society yet, but we’ll have more fun when he does.

Monty was on the way to the pub when the lure of a few unusual beers persuaded him to join us in Ray’s cellar for a conversation that helped explain:
  • Why he runs fast towards the edge of life’s cliff and then walks back 
  • Why he’s fed up with journalism
  • Why Peter Jones in Sloane Square is unlikely to replace his Mont Blanc pen
  • His period ducking and diving in the Sinai Desert
  • Why he was cast as a Russian drugs dealer in a Bollywood movie
  • Why writing is better than athletics
  • How the 5’ 2” Monty learned to use his mouth
  • What it’s like to grow 11 inches in 18 months 
  • Why he declared war on money
  • How he personally lost £50K from bitcoin hackers
  • Why he’s more interested in the unknown than the known
  • How his company turned down Angry Birds
  • Why it’s important to laugh at your mistakes
  • Why he left the London commute for India
  • The difference between ‘running away’ and ‘running towards’ something
  • How an experiment in separating himself from friends and family almost killed him
  • How not to have a fight in the lift at Covent Garden Tube Station
  • The importance of reinventing himself 
  • What falling in love and becoming a Dad can do to a man
  • How he ended up being invited to John McAfee’s island
  • How he exposed Steve Wozniak as a man who once smuggled Coke into Russia
  • Why he tells his audiences to “fuck off”      
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Creators and Guests

Neil Witten
Host
Neil Witten
Entrepreneur, Business Advisor, Podcaster @lifedonediff, Co-Founded @StoryStreamAI now building https://t.co/61uQZyYifN & https://t.co/wIogojBjyT You only get 1 go, live consciously 🏂
Ray Richards
Host
Ray Richards
Converting small steps into the unknown, into the known
LifeDoneDifferent.ly
Producer
LifeDoneDifferent.ly
Home of the https://t.co/eegDhGkRPT podcast. Inspiring interviews with people who go against the grain & live their lives differently. @nwitten & @rayrich
Monty Munford - Take it to the edge or don't take it at all
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