Alex Blumberg is one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs in podcasting. He worked for 20 years with one of the biggest names in public radio, Ira Glass, helping him to produce NPR’s beloved This American Life. Later, Alex launched Planet Money, the crème de la crème of financial podcasts. His journey to build and fund his own company, Gimlet Media, is carefully and hilariously documented in his ground-breaking podcast Startup. Gimlet now produces dozens of shows, many of them award-winning. And, recently, Spotify acquired Gimlet for $230 million. The super-power Alex has that has made all of this possible? Vulnerability. Alex shares his journey with Julia Pimsleur, including why Alex’s early jobs start helping Russian refugees and teaching middle school science prepared him for a career in podcasting; how Alex discovered and cultivated his signature storytelling style; how avoiding “emotional dishonesty” leads to greater success plus deeper connections; Alex lets us hear the very moment he blundered his way through his very first investment pitch; and, the romantic speedbump that prompted Alex to go all-in on pursuing his dreams. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.