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Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Jim Makos
29 episodes
6 days ago
The audiobook version of my newsletter.
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Business
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All content for Letters from Greece with Jim Makos is the property of Jim Makos and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The audiobook version of my newsletter.
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Business
Episodes (20/29)
Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Working as an Employee for the First and Only Time

What those three months working in a call center taught me and how they pushed me straight into entrepreneurship.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/_ixU_OBXlrA


🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS


  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:55 My Dream Life at 19
  • 02:17 Why I Suddenly Decided to Get a Job
  • 03:32 Answering My Very First Call
  • 05:30 I Was a Little Risk-Taking Rebel, Not an Employee
  • 06:52 Learning People, One Call at a Time
  • 11:47 Learning the Value of Money
  • 13:30 Life Is the Greatest School
  • 14:49 Fortunately, I Worked as an Employee Once in My Life


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 week ago
16 minutes 15 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
I Dropped Out of University 25 Years Ago

What led me to drop out of university, how my life has evolved since, and what lessons I’m still learning even today from that decision?


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nFo7QSs1NGI


🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:53 It Was Never My Dream to Become an Engineer
  • 04:11 The Student Life Felt Just Like High School All Over Again
  • 05:13 The Visit That Made Me Question Everything
  • 06:14 I Looked at the Future – and Didn't Like What I Saw
  • 07:18 Computers – and Money – Were My True Passion
  • 10:25 I Never Had Doubts About My Decision
  • 12:12 The Life I Lived – Not the One I Didn't
  • 13:38 I Didn't Know Why Dropping University Was So Easy for Me – Until This Week
  • 17:40 Every Obstacle for a Reason
  • 20:07 Get the podcast's transcript in your inbox
  • 20:29 University Was My Comfort Zone – and I Had to Get Out


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
2 weeks ago
21 minutes 42 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Why I No Longer Pay for Expedited Shipping on Amazon

Back in the day, every Amazon order felt like a celebration: I’d hit “buy” before noon, and the very next day at exactly 3 p.m., the intercom would buzz. “Mr. Jim, UPS here—a package for you.” I’d gotten to the point where I’d ask the delivery guy about his wife and the baby. That’s how often he showed up. I didn’t mind dropping an extra 25-30€ on expedited shipping.This year, late November, I decided—for the first time in years—to order with standard, free shipping. I never imagined that one little click would turn into a journey of anxiety, phone calls to the Greek postal service, an AI reading me the exact same thing I was already seeing on my screen, and a package that got “stuck” for 4 days in Athens.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JJ28FJiV0bE


🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:23 How I Ended Up Knowing My UPS Driver Personally
  • 02:31 After Years, I Finally Chose Standard Shipping on Amazon
  • 03:41 I Felt a Small “Defeat” Clicking the Standard Shipping Button on Amazon
  • 06:30 A Fake “Failed Delivery” Cost Me 4 Days (and a Bit of Sleep)
  • 07:38 The Courier’s AI Was Absolutely No Help
  • 08:59 Get the episode's transcript in your inbox
  • 09:21 Will I Ever Pay 25-30€ for Fast Shipping Again?


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
3 weeks ago
10 minutes 5 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
I Created Content Every Day for a Month

From zero to 30+ pieces across platforms: How I overcame perfectionism, ditched endless planning, and built a sustainable routine inspired by Casey Neistat. Discover why starting messy beats waiting forever, and how social media changed my game. If you're a creator stuck in analysis paralysis, this is your wake-up call – plus tips on personal branding and content workflow.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

Social media content management tool: https://jmks.co/typefully

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/rHMehbmO8uo

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 I created 100 pieces of content on 6 different platforms
  • 01:13 The Day I Started Writing Online Every Day
  • 02:45 Social Media Won Me Over Instead of Writing on My Blog
  • 04:01 The Beginning Is Half the Battle
  • 05:13 My Ideas Weren’t Reaching Far Enough
  • 06:20 The Week I Almost Quit Content Creation
  • 07:46 When Content Creation Becomes Addictive for the Wrong Reasons
  • 08:58 When Content Creation Becomes Addictive for the Wrong Reasons
  • 10:43 Overthinking Helped Me Find a Rhythm in Content Creation
  • 12:40 Newsletter plug
  • 13:03 The Biggest Lesson After a Month of Daily Content Creation
  • 14:31 If I Didn’t Start Now, When?


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
3 weeks ago
15 minutes 44 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
I Saved Money Without Cutting Out Coffee!

In the world of financial influencers, there’s this fairy tale going around that sells you the hope that you can nail saving easily by just quitting your morning coffee.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/1ih4H9BXQvM⁠

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 I've survived without drinking coffee!
  • 00:46 Get Rich by Quitting Coffee and Other Fairy Tales
  • 02:20 How Much Spendthrift Can You Be When You Still Live With Your Parents?
  • 03:06 To Get Rich, I Quit Peinirli-with-Egg Instead of Coffee
  • 04:26 Humans Always Choose the Easy Path
  • 06:01 If You Don’t Go to Extremes, You’ll Never Be Heard!
  • 07:32 We’re All Lazy. Long Laziness!
  • 10:25 The Secret to Hustling Without Feeling It Like Work
  • 12:21 Success Requires Bigger Sacrifices Than Quitting Coffee
  • 16:20 A Number on a Screen Doesn’t Automatically Make You Rich
  • 18:21 Get the transcript of this letter!
  • 18:43 The Real Reason to Quit Coffee


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
4 weeks ago
19 minutes 49 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
A Reputation I’ll Regret Forever

Many have hated money, but nobody has hated fame. What we do with our lives shapes the reputation we end up with. And sometimes it’s not the one we wanted.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free a few hours before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/1ih4H9BXQvM

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:46 Who Actually Knows Why They’re on the Internet?
  • 02:32 I’m Jim and…
  • 03:47 Twenty Years and I Still Haven’t Figured Out What I Do on the Internet
  • 05:14 First Impression Is Everything
  • 06:19 5 Ways to Start Any Story and Keep Attention
  • 08:58 One Single Word Can Change an Entire Life!
  • 12:03 People Don’t Need Labels — Except One
  • 13:50 Do You Live in the Past or in the Present?
  • 17:42 Get the transcript of the podcast episode as a newsletter
  • 18:05 Total Strangers Will Tell You What You Do


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
21 minutes 33 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
4 Smart Black Friday Purchases I Made Thanks to Budgeting

The budgeting I’ve been doing for the past 10 years lets me take full advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals without wasting money on unused subscriptions.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free two days before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠⁠


🔗 LINKS (affiliate)

WPX ► https://jmks.co/wpx

YNAB ► https://jmks.co/ynab

Google Workspace ► https://jmks.co/googleworkspace

Office 365 Family (Amazon) ► https://jmks.co/office365family

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/_lSc0Ff6mfg⁠

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 4 Smart Black Friday Purchases I Made Thanks to Budgeting
  • 01:22 The open secret of Adobe users
  • 02:59 Buying 1 TB of cloud storage for €10 a year!
  • 06:22 My websites now cost me €2,500 less per year
  • 09:11 I buy expensive shoes by the truckload
  • 11:18 Get the transcript of the podcast episode as a newsletter
  • 11:42 I save money on Black Friday because of budgeting


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
14 minutes 34 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
My Biggest Fear About Getting Old

To end up healthy and happy when I’m old, I made a promise to myself that I now have to keep for the next 40 years.

🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free two days before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠⁠

You may also donate directly: ⁠https://jmks.co/donate⁠

🧠 TIMESTAMPS


  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:52 I was where you are now, and one day you’ll be where I am
  • 02:29 Your happiness can be my misery
  • 03:11 “You’ve probably never been seriously sick!”
  • 04:37 A promise that keeps growing
  • 05:12 Time will tell if I’m wrong
  • 06:55 My two biggest motivators in life
  • 08:37 That balcony wasn’t as far away as I thought
  • 10:14 My best friend is… me
  • 11:45 Finding meaning and purpose in life
  • 13:26 The biggest bet of my life
  • 14:36 My best day after 40 more years


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bk2y72ukvfs

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
16 minutes 28 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
From ChatGPT to SuperGrok for a Ridiculous Reason

Some people pick AI chatbots and tools based on features. Others, like me, let pure vanity affect their decisions! Like an X handle!

🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free two days before they go live, in exchange for your email address: ⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠

You may also donate directly: https://jmks.co/donate

🧠 TIMESTAMPS

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:05 X Handles Matter (to some of us)
  • 03:24 X Kind of Tricked Me
  • 04:45 Better to Have a Plan Than Doubts
  • 06:13 Musk Knows What He’s Doing with the X Handles!

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/PCdxBVtW7R4

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
8 minutes 43 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
I See Life as a Video Game Without Rules

How a shower thought led me to break down my philosophy on life. We’ve all inserted the coin. The game’s already started. Are you ready to go for the high score?

🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox for free the moment they go live in exchange for your email address: ⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠

You may also donate directly: https://jmks.co/donate

🧠 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The shower story01:53 The moment I realized “normal” life isn’t for me02:46 Even my school years weren’t normal04:19 School didn’t just teach me math and history06:21 I spent 7 hours staring at the ceiling08:00 What if I dropped polytechnic and didn’t become an engineer?08:53 The value of money was unknown to me while I lived in my bubble10:26 The instinct for easy money10:59 The last place I expected to feel financially independent13:03 I saw life as a game with its own score14:10 Beating the casino was my first “business”15:37 The dark chapter in my professional life16:20 Success in life isn’t money17:20 The only requirement for taking big risks in life18:14 Thankfully life is full of obstacles and problems19:44 Confidence isn’t always good20:26 Life is better at the extremes21:02 Plan B is Plan A… there’s no backup21:45 The way I make better decisions23:00 Eggs and rules are made to be broken24:19 Life is a video game

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠https://youtu.be/_C0jhH1ZL6c⁠

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.reece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
24 minutes 59 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
What a Lost Temu Package Taught Me

I went for a Temu pickup and came out… empty-handed! It’s the first time a courier package of mine ever went missing, but the whole experience made me reconnect with the outside world.

🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to help me out, in return, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox the moment they go live: ⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠

🧠 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The story of a missing Temu package that didn’t go as planned

02:21 Why this lost package stuck in my mind for weeks

03:22 What I saw inside the locker that completely froze me

04:05 Could it really be just a mistake—or something stranger

05:49 How “safe” are these delivery lockers after all

06:36 Did I actually cause the problem without realizing it

07:49 Would anyone else have stayed calm in that moment

08:17 The email that decided what would happen next

09:20 Waiting for an answer—and what I started to notice

10:44 When “it’s just a package” stops feeling true

11:28 What people online said after hearing my story

12:57 The comment that changed how I saw the whole thing

13:48 What everyone’s reactions secretly revealed

14:37 The realization that made me rethink my experience

15:27 How a lost package connected total strangers

15:53 Maybe it’s not the packages we’re losing after all

16:39 The unexpected message that turned everything around

17:26 What I felt when I finally opened that locker again

17:54 The one sentence that sums up everything I learned

18:03 How this tiny mix-up changed my view of trust

18:26 What I’d tell you if your package ever “disappears”

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/m8e4MitIRFY

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
18 minutes 54 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
The Daily Habit That Keeps Me Sane

What if the one habit you’re thinking of cutting is actually the one thing keeping you balanced? In this episode, I share how daily walking transformed not just my body, but my mind, creativity, and discipline. From early-morning walks by the sea to solving work problems on the move, walking became my daily reset — a simple ritual that fuels focus, peace, and better decisions.

If you’ve ever struggled to stay consistent, felt stuck in your thoughts, or wondered whether walking really makes a difference, this story might change how you see it.

🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to support my work, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox the moment they go live: ⁠https://jmks.co/support⁠

🧠 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Giving up my long walks00:43 The Moment I Considered Quitting Walking01:16 How Much Time Walking Really Takes (and What I’d Trade It For)01:48 Why Walking Became the Anchor of My Routine02:24 When Walking Feels Like Work Does It Ever02:54 What Happens to My Body When I Skip a Day03:38 The Unexpected Way Walking Transformed My Mind05:09 How Long Walks Shift My Thinking and Mood06:16 Where My Best Ideas Actually Come From07:16 The Strange Feeling of Missing a Few Days08:03 The Mental Fog That Creeps In When I Stop08:47 What Truly Keeps Me Consistent: Habit or Joy09:35 How Walking Sparks My Creativity and Work Ideas10:24 The Simple Tweaks That Keep Me Walking Every Day11:49 How Walking Shapes My Discipline in Life12:28 What I’d Tell Anyone Thinking of Starting Today

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IehwZjd6IMA

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Letters from Greece is my podcast, the audiobook version of my newsletter.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
12 minutes 47 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
My Simple Way to Make Better Decisions

In my free time today, I’m talking about how one simple but powerful rule — thinking in probabilities — has helped me make better decisions in life, work, and relationships.

From my early days playing Blackjack and poker to how I now approach creating content on YouTube, I explain how the logic of risk and reward can completely change the way you see everything around you — your investments, health, marriage, patience, and ultimately… life itself.

You’ll learn:

  • How probability-based thinking protects you from bad decisions and burnout

  • Why YouTube is the longest-term “bet” you can make

  • How to enjoy the process when nothing is guaranteed

  • Why discipline and consistency matter more than luck

  • How to find “value” in every area of life — from betting and marriage to health and career

If you’re tired of feeling like your decisions are driven by instinct or luck, this episode will help you see life through a mathematical — yet deeply human — lens.


🙏 SUPPORT

If you’d like to support my work, I can send you the original scripts of each episode straight to your inbox the moment they go live: https://jmks.co/support


🧠 TIMESTAMPS


[00:00] Intro – The Simple Rule Behind Every Decision

[01:43] The Sunday Story That Led to This Episode

[05:25] The First Time I Realized Life Runs on Probabilities

[07:23] When Luck Turned Into Math

[08:04] Risk vs Probability – What’s the Difference

[08:36] The Moment I Was Right and Everyone Else Was Wrong

[09:13] The Human Factor You Can’t Calculate

[10:16] When Money Tests Your Logic

[11:40] How to Lose Less When You Can’t Win

[13:05] Why Most People See Betting as Gambling

[13:46] Can Life Ever Be Fair When Probabilities Aren’t

[14:29] When I Stopped Being Just an Observer of Life

[15:03] Applying Blackjack Logic to Everyday Decisions

[16:10] The Hard Lesson Poker Taught Me About Patience

[18:33] The Hardest Decision I Ever Made Based on Math

[19:11] When Analysis Becomes Enjoyment

[19:54] What Blackjack and YouTube Have in Common

[20:38] The True Meaning of “Value” in Content Creation

[21:59] YouTube as the Longest Bet You’ll Ever Place

[22:26] When a Video Doesn’t Hit – Luck or Small Sample Size

[23:25] How Thinking in Probabilities Prevents Burnout

[24:26] Why Consistency Always Beats Random Success

[25:39] Measuring “Value” in Marriage and Relationships

[26:57] Making Choices Even When the Odds Are Against You

[27:41] Was Working Solo a Mathematically Correct Decision

[28:11] Health Habits as Positive-EV Investments

[28:51] Do the Odds Even Out Over Time

[29:42] Avoiding a Negative Life Expectancy

[30:18] Staying Balanced in a Risky World

[30:40] The Illusion of Control and Calculated Odds

[30:59] Life Summed Up in a Blackjack Quote

[31:03] What’s Scarier – Losing or Not Playing at All

[31:26] Do Good Decisions Bring Luck or Vice Versa

[32:24] Would You Want to Know the Exact Odds of Success

[32:56] If Everything Is Probability, Then What Is Certainty


🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_C0jhH1ZL6c

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

Off Route is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 month ago
33 minutes 20 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
I need a new title for the podcast

I went for a ride with the roof down and came up with a new idea for the title of my podcast!

🎬 Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:01 - Changing the podcast title

01:57 - YouTube update

04:17 - Work from home and business life

06:35 - I am getting old

08:41 - How I filmed this video podcast

10:45 - Why I made this podcast

12:46 - The best advice for content creators

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zoYVhOOSaFU

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Jim Makos Podcast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
6 months ago
15 minutes 30 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Life Update on Health, Wealth and Family from Skyros Island in Greece

Updating you about health, wealth, and family issues currently playing out in my life, before we left Skyros Island.


🎬 CHAPTERS00:00 Why I’m recording this podcast 01:56 Why I didn’t script this episode 02:37 What I’m discussing today 03:57 What I did in Skyros for 10 days 06:19 Walks with wife & swimming in April 09:33 How I counted calories 10:33 Work Talk 14:10 Health Talk 19:08 Wealth Talk 22:48 My YouTube Channel’s goal 27:11 Family Talk 30:18 Long-term life goals 31:44 Thoughts on the podcast


🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zXjfQu7sEXg


🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Jim Makos Podcast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
6 months ago
33 minutes 4 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Teleprompter Reading vs. Off-the-Cuff Talking | EP14

In this episode of The Makos Cast, I dive into the pros and cons of teleprompter reading versus off-the-cuff talking. As a documentary filmmaker, I’ve tested both methods while filming myself in interviews. I’m sharing insights based on my recent experience, like how a teleprompter improves precision, but spontaneity shines when speaking off the cuff.


🔗 LINKS


🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube:⁠https://youtu.be/G5JwtScAv4U

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker:⁠⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠⁠


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW


If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST


The Makos Cast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.


Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
11 months ago
30 minutes 35 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
How I Explained Cryptocurrencies to a Beginner | EP13

Recently, I had to explain the cryptocurrency market to a beginner who happened to be a legal advisor and was interested in buying Bitcoin. At the same event, I showed another dad how to buy Ethereum. So, today, I am telling that story and what we all learned from it.


🔗 LINKS


- Why I don't talk about gambling as a professional gambler: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jimmakos/episodes/Why-I-Dont-Talk-About-Gambling-as-a-Professional-Gambler--EP10-e2nt559

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z5s2ku4k7-Y

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠


🎬 Chapters/Timestamps 00:00 Why am I talking about cryptocurrencies?

02:05 What are cryptocurrencies?

06:05 What is blockchain

07:14 How cryptocurrencies are created (mining)?

09:27 What is a crypto wallet?

10:37 How cryptocurrency transfers are made

13:28 The biggest risk in the cryptocurrency market

14:11 How does Bitcoin price go up or down?

16:53 The virtual economy of fiat and cryptocurrencies

17:36 How I would invest my money as a beginner


🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW


If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!


🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST


The Makos Cast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 year ago
20 minutes 3 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
My Predictions on Artificial Intelligence | EP12

As I have built a career based on predictions as a professional gambler, I thought of sharing my predictions on Artificial Intelligence and how AI will affect different lines of work.

🔗 LINKS

- How I expect AI will disrupt the Gambling industry: https://jimmakos.com/ai-gambling-disrupt/

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/imhK24xSXII

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Makos Cast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 year ago
22 minutes 42 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
My August Notes, Thoughts, Ideas | EP11

I didn’t post online 74% of the notes I took down in August.

So, in today’s podcast, I’m going through all the ideas and thoughts I had in August and took down on my Notion database.

(That 74% is an estimate; I didn't actually calculate the percentage)

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jpVMiq4X0k0

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Makos Cast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 year ago
42 minutes 12 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
Why I Don't Talk About Gambling as a Professional Gambler | EP10

Ever wondered why a professional gambler like me stays silent about the very thing that made me successful? I’ve spent years making money from gambling, but today, I’m going to reveal why I don’t talk much about it and why I never promoted gambling as a path to success.

🔗 LINKS

🎦 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FY6X9K28VXo

How to Become a Professional Gambler: https://jimmakos.com/professional-gambler/

🎙️ Podcasting Challenges as a Non-Native Speaker: ⁠⁠https://jimmakos.com/podcasting/⁠⁠

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others discover the show!

🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Makos Cast is my podcast, where I'm sharing what worked for me in gambling, personal finance, and running a web publishing business as a solopreneur working from home while I'm documenting a healthier and wealthier life in Greece.

Thank you for listening,

Jim

Show more...
1 year ago
16 minutes 49 seconds

Letters from Greece with Jim Makos
The audiobook version of my newsletter.