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The Joe Rogan Experience

#2412 - Adam Carolla

with Adam Carolla

Published November 14, 2025
Visit Podcast Website

About This Episode

Joe Rogan and Adam Carolla reconnect after several years and discuss aging, time perception, and the uniquely human ability to change. They explore insecurity, the value of coaching and criticism, the importance of developing real skills, and how many people drift through life without a passion or craft. The conversation ranges through sports, construction, Malibu fires and Los Angeles regulation, climate and COVID responses, media dishonesty, over-sterilized modern life, curiosity, motivation, and advice for younger people to take risks before they are weighed down by obligations.

Topics Covered

Personal development Change and loss Mental health Mixed martial arts Wrestling Relationships Risk and uncertainty COVID-19 response and public health policy Media trust and propaganda Los Angeles housing regulation and wildfires

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Quick Takeaways

  • Carolla and Rogan argue that one of the greatest human gifts is the ability to change, but most people squander it because they avoid self-criticism and hard course correction.
  • Being coachable and able to handle criticism without personalizing it is framed as one of the strongest predictors of success in any discipline.
  • They describe a large portion of the population as chronically insecure and lacking any real trade or expertise, which makes them fragile, angry, and easily destabilized.
  • Both criticize modern schooling for suppressing disruptive, comedic kids while paradoxically giving out "class clown" awards, and for failing to expose students to real-world paths like comedy or trades.
  • Carolla uses his construction and building background to illustrate how over-regulation and extreme safety culture in Los Angeles make rebuilding after fires nearly impossible and housing prohibitively expensive.
  • They are highly critical of how climate change and COVID narratives were communicated, arguing that fear, over-safety, and media dishonesty damaged trust and hurt young people especially.
  • Rogan contrasts blue-collar workers, who constantly calibrate real physical danger, with white-collar professionals who overreact to risks like COVID because they lack that embodied experience.
  • They link over-sterilized, hyper-clean modern life to rising allergies and gut issues, arguing that immune systems and minds both need stressors and "gravity" to develop resilience.
  • Curiosity, a strong internal motor, and physical training are presented as crucial ingredients for building competence, confidence, and the ability to resist social pressure.
  • Carolla closes by emphasizing doing hard and scary things when you're young and relatively unencumbered, rather than getting stuck in comfort and never pursuing the life you actually want.

Podcast Notes

Introduction, aging, and time perception

Catching up after years apart

Rogan and Carolla reminisce about their last in-person interactions, including a past podcast at Carolla's place in the Valley and seeing each other at the Ice House.[0:33]
They reference Carolla's Land Cruiser with an engine swap and his old studio in a strip-mall-type location in the Valley.[0:26]

Aging, happiness, and the speed of time

Carolla jokes that when he was young and miserable, time moved slowly, but now that he is older, happy, and rich, life goes by very quickly.[1:07]
He recalls staring at the classroom clock at 13, feeling that school breaks were impossibly far away, whereas now months and seasons fly by.[1:40]
Rogan explains this with a relativity analogy: when you're 10, a year is 10% of your life, but at 55 it's a much smaller percentage, so it feels shorter.[1:26]
Carolla compares life to repeated drives from Los Angeles to San Francisco: the first time feels long, but the 50th time feels like nothing.[1:56]
They agree you have to live in the moment and hope things work out, while acknowledging the uncertainty of what, if anything, comes next after life.[2:15]

Human capacity for change and self-reflection

Near-death experiences and lasting change

Rogan notes that some people have near-death experiences and vow to change, but many never follow through because they have never demonstrated discipline or willpower before.[2:41]
He contrasts reflective, introspective people who analyze their lives and course-correct with those who never self-analyze and therefore rarely truly change.[3:09]

Change as a uniquely human gift

Carolla frames change as one of the greatest perks of being human versus other animals, emphasizing that humans can grow, transform, and redirect their lives.[3:46]
He laments that many people squander this gift by refusing to change and thus live no differently than non-human animals who simply "stay the course."[3:57]
Rogan points out that real change requires admitting you've been wrong and altering how you think, which most people resist because they hate seeing themselves negatively.[4:31]
They connect this resistance to a broader cultural pattern of externalizing blame, especially among younger generations encouraged to believe others are responsible for their unhappiness.[5:11]

Coaching, criticism, and insecurity

Growing up being coached and yelled at

Carolla and Rogan discuss growing up in sports environments where coaches constantly yelled at them for doing things wrong.[5:07]
Carolla says he interpreted this criticism as caring, believing coaches wanted him to improve and win, which normalized being coached.[4:57]
Rogan argues that being coachable-taking direction from someone who knows what they are talking about-is one of the strongest indicators of future success.[5:41]

How people process criticism

Carolla notes that many people react defensively to criticism because of deep insecurity, and he now sees their insecurity reacting rather than their rational mind.[7:13]
They distinguish between criticism and constructive criticism, concluding that it's all ultimately criticism and what matters is how you ingest and perceive it.[6:04]
Rogan asks whether people tie their self-worth entirely to competence at a task; if so, criticism of performance feels like a personal attack rather than feedback on a skill.[6:14]
He describes learning any difficult discipline as a vehicle for developing human potential, provided you can listen, improve, and see progress rather than protect your ego.[6:46]

Security through skills and trades

Carolla contrasts people with multiple skills-like Rogan with martial arts, comedy, archery, podcasting, and himself with building and having a trade-with people who have none.[7:53]
He observes that many people have no trade or expertise they can point to, and imagines how vulnerable and insecure it would feel to walk around with no real ability you "own."[7:53]
This chronic insecurity, he suggests, leaves people in an agitated state where small conflicts in places like airports or coffee shops can trigger outsized, irrational reactions.[7:53]

Lack of passion, video games, and simulated achievement

People without passions or direction

Rogan describes the sadness of asking especially young people what they're into and hearing only passive entertainment like video games and Netflix rather than any real passion.[12:40]
He argues many have never been introduced to activities that could ignite a passion, and that school doesn't show them viable alternatives or real-world paths.[11:37]

Video games as time and drive thieves

Rogan says video games can steal the "thing" you might have gotten into-like golf or another pursuit-because they are so fun and time-consuming.[12:40]
He believes games create a false sense of satiation, making players feel as though they did something when in reality they only simulated achievement.[13:49]
They note the complication that some professional gamers now make millions, which undermines the old parental argument that gaming is always a waste of time.[13:49]
Rogan mentions that when they were young, wanting to do a podcast would have been dismissed the same way as gaming, even though podcasting is now a viable career.[14:05]

Choosing what you're good at and outsourcing the rest

Knowing your strengths and paying for your weaknesses

Carolla recalls failing at a World War II video game where he repeatedly died before reaching the ship's deck and ultimately gave up, deciding some things aren't worth his effort.[14:46]
He advocates recognizing what you're not good at and simply paying others to do those things-for example, tasks like typing or, jokingly, playing video games for you.[15:38]

Exposure in school to potential interests

Rogan criticizes schools for "just teaching stuff" instead of introducing students to a broad range of possible interests and alternative life paths.[16:05]
Both note that school did not work for them and did not recognize or cultivate their comedic tendencies.[17:02]

School, class clown, and lack of guidance toward comedy

Being punished and then rewarded as class clown

Carolla describes being the disruptive wise-ass in the back of the class, constantly told to shut up, only to later be officially designated "Class Clown" in high school.[17:02]
He notes the contradictory message: teachers suppressed his behavior all year, then the school honored him for that same behavior with an award.[16:54]
Rogan suggests the system should either stop giving class clown awards or stop telling funny kids to shut up all the time.[17:28]

Under-motivated, uninspiring teachers

Carolla questions who is attracted to the teaching profession, arguing that many are people who opted out of the private sector in exchange for consistency and early retirement.[17:43]
He says most of his teachers were miserable and uninspiring, which fueled recurring nightmares after high school about failing and being forced to go back.[18:24]

Comedy as a path that no one suggests

Rogan notes that no one-family, friends, teachers, counselors-ever suggested he become a comedian, even though he was clearly a wise-ass.[19:03]
He says the default institutional response to comedic behavior is "shut up" rather than "maybe you could make a living at this."[19:03]
Carolla adds that people heavily invested in safe, conventional paths are unlikely to encourage risky, creative careers like stand-up.[19:03]

Finding comedy through martial arts fear and open mics

Rogan's martial arts teammates and first open mic

Rogan explains that on road trips to tournaments, he was the one cracking jokes to ease everyone's nerves about getting knocked out, and an older teammate urged him to try stand-up.[19:51]
• His friend Steve, an ophthalmologist, insisted Rogan should be a comedian after seeing how he broke tension on the bus.
Rogan initially believed his friend just liked him and that strangers would see him as an asshole, but was encouraged to attend an open mic.[20:12]
At the open mic, he realized everyone starts terrible and that stand-up is a skill you improve at, rather than something you are instantly great at like Jerry Seinfeld or Richard Pryor seemed.[20:17]

Mediocrity as a motivator

Rogan quotes Richard Jeni's idea that terrible comedians are great because they inspire others to try, seeing that the bar is achievable.[20:39]
Carolla notes that excellence can be intimidating-watching a polished special made him feel he could never do that-whereas mediocre morning radio hosts made him think, "I can do that."[21:21]
They agree that at the early stages, seeing people at your level or slightly above is often more motivating than watching the very best.[21:41]

Coaching, fighting skills, and early athletic experiences

Hidden savages and uneven head starts

They discuss how in gyms you may unknowingly spar with someone who later becomes a champion, only realizing in hindsight that it wasn't just you being terrible.[23:26]
Rogan lists reasons some fighters have big head starts: early training, family influence, quality coaching, genetics, speed, and a strong mind for the game.[24:09]

Being a better coach than fighter

Carolla recounts training at a boxing gym run by ex-heavyweight Mike Weaver and his fighter brothers, noting they were good fighters but poor teachers because they couldn't verbalize or intellectualize what they did.[25:29]
He contrasts that with his own ability to articulate metaphors and explanations, which made him an effective coach despite not being a champion.[25:58]
Rogan cites famous trainers like Freddie Roach and Emanuel Steward, who were not world champion fighters themselves but became legendary coaches.[26:18]

Training in extreme conditions

Rogan shares that Cronk Gym under Emanuel Steward pioneered training in extreme heat-gyms up to 100 degrees-to condition fighters' cardiovascular systems.[27:10]
They recall old-school practices like slathering fighters in sweat-inducing cream and wrapping them in garbage bags before training.[27:26]

Cheating in sports and competition mentality

Greasing and performance enhancement

Rogan explains how some MMA fighters cheat by soaking in oil the night before fights so that when they sweat, oil seeps out of their pores and makes them extremely slippery.[28:21]
They discuss Victor Conte and the Balco scandal, where undetectable performance-enhancing substances like "the Clear" were used to evade testing.[29:04]
Carolla notes that in every sport or competition-based field, people are always looking for small edges, which he sees as deeply human.[28:35]

Baseball's rejection of steroids

Rogan points out that baseball rejected steroids more aggressively than any other sport, citing the intense backlash against Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.[30:03]
Carolla mocks the sanctimonious tone of some commentators who act as if steroids ruined the "majesty" and "sanctity" of baseball.[30:40]

Football, wrestling, and calibration through hardship

Football vs. baseball practice misery

Carolla compares football practice, which he describes as torture in the heat with uniforms and little actual ball handling, to baseball practice where you essentially just play baseball.[31:10]
He notes that he played football for ten years and never touched a football in games or practice because of his positions on the line and at linebacker.[31:26]

Wrestling as a lesson in hard work

Rogan expresses surprise that Carolla's high school had no wrestling program, calling wrestling one of the most important lessons in hard work he ever experienced.[32:03]
He recalls brutal conditioning, running bleachers, cutting weight, carrying teammates, and having a harsh coach, all of which he says were invaluable.[32:08]

Using past misery as calibration

Carolla says he now falls back on memories of two-a-day practices, being yelled at by coaches, and miserable construction work, which make current challenges like extra comedy shows seem easy.[34:10]
He notes many people never had that baseline misery, so their calibration for what is hard is very different; for them, an extra comedy show can feel like a big burden.[34:10]
Rogan invokes the idea that "the worst thing that ever happened to you is the worst thing that ever happened to you," explaining why sheltered people catastrophize minor events.[35:56]

Boxing advantage: comfort with being hit

Carolla argues that the real advantage of boxing training is not just knowing how to punch, but being used to punches being thrown at you so you don't panic or freeze.[36:45]
He extends the analogy to life, saying that people who've been "punched" by hardship calibrate to difficulty and find later challenges less overwhelming.[37:02]

Family, friends, and tribal belonging

Estranged biological father and redefining family

Carolla recalls Rogan previously saying he had no desire to reconnect with his biological father, which Carolla respects as a rational stance.[39:41]
Rogan says family is nice if they're great people, but you shouldn't spend time with people you don't like just because they're related to you.[40:16]
Carolla credits good friends rather than family with saving his life, as his friends provided the support his family did not.[40:26]

Gangs and the human need for tribes

Rogan notes that the desire for tribal belonging is why people join gangs; gangs provide the sense of team and people who care that family or society may not.[40:38]
Carolla jokes that if North Hollywood had strong gang presences when he was young, he probably would have joined, acknowledging the thrill and camaraderie.[40:54]
He describes his own friend group as a kind of gang that did stupid things to each other but had a code against harming "civilians."[42:02]

Malibu and Palisades fires, regulation, and rebuilding

Predicting rebuilding gridlock after the fire

Rogan praises Carolla for quickly predicting after the major fire that almost no one would be able to rebuild because of the Coastal Commission and permitting process.[42:14]
They note that nearly a year later, almost no homes have been rebuilt in Malibu and very few in the Palisades, validating Carolla's prediction.[42:20]
Carolla estimates that less than 5% of homes in the Palisades area are under reconstruction, and in Malibu essentially none are, with people living amid burnt husks.[43:02]

Environmental damage and living in an "ashtray"

They describe how melted materials, chemicals, and burned vehicles likely contaminated soil and water, with rains washing debris into the bay.[43:26]
Rogan likens rebuilding on charred hillsides surrounded by burned-out neighbors to placing a double-wide trailer in a giant ashtray.[43:12]

LA's invisible regulatory burden

Carolla says Los Angeles's dense regulations on plan checks, engineering, and approvals make building so burdensome and expensive that many simply give up.[44:28]
He recounts how Suzanne Somers and her husband wanted to rebuild in Malibu after an earlier fire but abandoned the plan after five years of Coastal Commission obstacles and moved to Palm Springs instead.[44:45]
Carolla describes a specific oceanside lot requiring around sixty deep concrete caissons drilled six stories into the ground and says the foundation alone will cost roughly $2.5 million before any above-ground construction.[46:49]
He argues California continually adds requirements, pushing costs so high that many projects become economically impractical, worsening the housing shortage.[46:11]

Fireproofing houses and legacy vs. new construction

Old foundations vs. new caisson standards

Carolla notes many older Malibu homes and the pier were built on simple telephone-pole-style supports driven into the ground, yet they survived decades of earthquakes and weather.[48:22]
He contrasts that with modern demands for six-story caissons and extensive engineering, arguing the state overshoots reasonable safety needs in the name of earthquakes and other hazards.[48:40]

Emerging fire-resistant home designs

Rogan asks whether anyone is developing truly fireproof homes, and Carolla describes systems using modular walls filled with foam and reinforced with wire, coated inside and out with cement-like material.[49:09]
Carolla says the current approach is to build with traditional wood framing but create a "hard candy shell" of non-combustible materials like stucco, glass, aluminum, metal roofs, and flat roofs without exposed wooden eaves or attic vents.[50:34]
He explains that in the big fire, embers often entered through attic vents and started fires from the inside; by eliminating these openings, newer houses can better resist ignition.[50:06]

Personal experiences with fires and emotional impact

Rogan recalls watching a depressing documentary about past Malibu fires just before a college gig, which ruined his mood and led to a bad performance.[51:27]
He says he learned not to watch or listen to depressing material right before going on stage, whereas Carolla claims he can compartmentalize and go from watching a Holocaust documentary straight to performing comedy.[52:09]
Carolla recounts being a finish carpenter on a Malibu house in the 1980s that later burned to its foundation; when someone asked how he felt seeing it gone, he said, "I got paid. I'm cool," illustrating his pragmatic attitude.[54:20]

Surviving the recent fire by luck

Carolla describes how everything in front of and behind his house, and much of what was to the sides, was destroyed in the most recent fire while his house survived, which he attributes wholly to luck.[55:36]
He estimates he was in perhaps the luckiest 10% of homes in his area and says he had to evacuate to a hotel, assuming his house was gone as he watched news footage of surrounding structures burning.[56:03]
He recorded a podcast from the hotel the next day, predicting that rebuilding would be nearly impossible because of the city's bureaucracy, a prediction he feels has been borne out.[57:14]

Climate, man-made mitigation, and over-safety culture

Climate change narratives vs. mitigation responsibility

Rogan notes that Los Angeles has always had devastating fires and very little rain, arguing it is misleading to blame the current fires entirely on climate change.[59:15]
Carolla stresses that humans routinely mitigate natural threats, citing seawalls for cities below sea level, air conditioning in deserts, and earthquake codes in Los Angeles that drastically reduce quake damage.[1:02:57]
He argues California failed to mitigate for fires by not clearing brush or filling reservoirs, then politicians like Gavin Newsom deflect by blaming climate change.[1:02:23]

Overbuilding for safety and exploding costs

Carolla uses car safety as an analogy: crumple zones and airbags are reasonable, but a full race-style roll cage and suppression system would make cars unaffordable.[1:04:13]
He sees demands for dozens of deep caissons in Malibu foundations as equivalent to overbuilding for rare scenarios, making homes cost-prohibitive.[1:03:47]

Ocean levels and beachfront property prices

Carolla points out that Malibu oceanfront houses dating back to the 1930s and 1940s sit only a few feet above sea level, yet the ocean has not risen to reach Pacific Coast Highway.[1:06:10]
He notes that lots directly on the ocean side of PCH sell for around $10 million more than lots up the hill, which he says contradicts the idea that buyers truly believe the ocean is imminently rising.[1:06:53]

Conflicting climate stories and fear in youth

Rogan references a Reuters article about Iceland warning of a potential Atlantic current collapse that could trigger an ice-age-like scenario, noting it contradicts warming-only narratives.[1:07:22]
He complains that authorities have swung from predicting ice ages to global warming to broad "climate change" labels, while deeply depressing and frightening young people about their future.[1:08:32]
They argue that fear-based climate rhetoric discourages young people from studying, having children, or developing skills because they think the world may end or become uninhabitable.[1:08:36]
Carolla observes that different fear narratives are pitched to different groups-climate change to young white people, systemic racism to young black people-keeping everyone miserable.[1:09:20]

Public narratives, profit motives, and media distrust

Questioning public health and safety narratives

Rogan asserts that whenever a public narrative claims to protect health and safety, it is almost always about money and someone profiting from fear, whether via green energy, diet pushes, or anti-beef campaigns.[1:10:26]
He believes authorities never genuinely care about public health and instead use fear to sell products and policies.[1:10:26]

Weaponizing scared people as "ambassadors"

Carolla describes how during COVID, officials effectively deputized frightened citizens to act as "ambassadors of bullshit," enforcing mandates and shaming others.[1:11:18]
He notes that no one in uniform ever told him to put on a mask; it was always civilians, often middle-aged women, acting as enforcers.[1:12:07]
Rogan highlights how these people felt morally empowered to yell at others, and everyone else was forced to absorb the abuse.[1:12:02]

COVID origins, lockdowns, masking, and social psychology

Lack of anger at lab origins and vaccine coercion

Rogan is baffled that people who were furious at the unvaccinated showed little anger when major outlets began acknowledging the lab-leak hypothesis for COVID's origin.[1:15:31]
Carolla suggests many are too ashamed to admit they were completely wrong about COVID-its origin, vaccines, treatments, and natural immunity-because it would undermine their self-image.[1:15:55]
They argue that acknowledging past error would force people to question their positions on current issues, like climate change or politics, which is psychologically threatening.[1:17:10]

Learning from being wrong vs. clinging to identity

Rogan says admitting you're wrong about COVID could make you far better at scrutinizing future narratives and make others trust your honesty.[1:18:11]
He stresses the importance of separating your ideas from your identity so you can discard bad ideas without feeling personally attacked.[1:18:29]
They compare this to learning from a cheating partner or dishonest business manager-once burned, you check more carefully next time.[1:18:59]

Blue-collar vs. white-collar reactions to COVID danger

Carolla recounts toggling between construction sites and white-collar office environments during COVID, noting stark differences in fear levels and behavior.[1:21:47]
Construction workers, surrounded by inherently dangerous tools and tasks, constantly calibrate real risks and saw COVID as one more factor to weigh, not a reason to shut everything down.[1:22:08]
He portrays office workers as hyper-sanitized, triple-masked, and obsessively using sanitizer, lacking a calibrated relationship with physical danger.[1:22:40]
He argues that moving people off farms and factory floors into air-conditioned cubicles, then saturating them with Purell, destroyed their ability to rationally weigh danger vs. necessity.[1:22:35]

School closures, kids, and "safety uber alles"

Carolla blasts leaders for shutting schools in the name of safety even though COVID posed very little risk to children, arguing they severely damaged young lives and society.[1:25:09]
He criticizes the logic that kids will infect grandparents at home, saying that in places like Los Angeles few families live multi-generationally with grandparents.[1:25:09]
Rogan and Carolla mock policies like masking while swimming and "mask up in between bites" on airplanes, saying such rules reveal the performative, unscientific nature of many mandates.[1:30:49]

Mask theater and unsanitary practices

Carolla tells stories of being forced to wear a mask outdoors while separated by glass from a worker, and resorting to picking up discarded masks off the ground just to comply.[1:30:20]
They point out the absurdity and likely unsanitary nature of reusing dirty masks, and how it undermined any claim that mandates were truly about health.[1:30:36]

Media dishonesty, ivermectin, and reputational damage

CNN, ivermectin, and calling it "horse dewormer"

Rogan recounts how CNN described his prescribed ivermectin as "horse dewormer," ignoring its established human medical use and Nobel Prize-winning history.[1:40:38]
He says he could easily have sued and won over the misrepresentation but instead chose to publicly point out their lies, arguing they mortgaged their integrity for a short-term narrative win.[1:40:40]
Carolla is baffled that media figures were so certain ivermectin and other drugs didn't work despite having no expertise, and sees their certainty as suspicious in itself.[1:39:30]

Legacy media vs. podcasts and loss of trust

They argue outlets like CNN became accustomed to framing and shaming people without pushback, not realizing how big and independent podcast platforms had become.[1:42:46]
Carolla says Rolling Stone and similar outlets permanently lost his trust with fabricated stories, such as the debunked emergency-room-ivermectin story.[1:49:51]
They caution that once an outlet lies about something you know well, you naturally distrust them on future topics, even when they might be accurate.[1:49:36]

Motivations and constraints of doctors vs. independent critics

Rogan distinguishes between practicing physicians like Sanjay Gupta, who rely on institutional guidance and lack time to dig into studies, and mavericks like Peter McCullough or Robert Malone who scrutinized vaccine data deeply.[1:44:25]
He suggests that some media doctors were not malicious but constrained by their roles and deference to institutions, though he criticizes them for not forcefully correcting misleading narratives.[1:44:28]

Authenticity, reputation, and character

Authenticity over accuracy as trust foundation

Carolla argues that in media and commentary, authenticity matters more than perfect accuracy; people can forgive honest mistakes but not deliberate lying.[1:55:05]
He says much of Rogan's success stems from listeners believing he genuinely believes what he says, even when they disagree.[1:55:37]
They agree that once audiences think you're lying, the relationship is essentially over, and media organizations have squandered their reputations by cooking narratives.[1:56:25]

Old-guard institutions and slow course correction

Carolla likens legacy media to big auto manufacturers that ignored Japanese competition until their market share collapsed, then struggled to turn around like an aircraft carrier.[1:58:14]
He notes incremental moves like hiring more centrist figures at some networks, but says it will take time to flush out entrenched ideological staff.[1:57:36]

Immune systems, over-sterilization, and microaggressions

Immune systems need "gravity" and dirt

Carolla recounts a life spent in dirt-from football fields to construction sites-and contrasts his robust health with widespread gut issues and allergies in cleaner-living peers.[2:03:30]
He cites studies showing Amish children and kids exposed to outdoor dogs have far fewer allergies and hay fever, supporting the idea that immune systems need microbial exposure.[2:05:10]
Rogan criticizes using harsh antibacterial soaps after grappling, recounting how overuse of antibiotic soap can worsen skin infections by wiping out healthy flora.[2:09:50]

Peanut allergies and the cost of removing exposure

Carolla notes that when he was young he never heard of peanut allergies, whereas now a huge percentage of kids have them, and peanuts have been removed from many environments.[2:10:29]
He cites newer research showing infants actually need early exposure to peanuts rather than avoidance to prevent allergies.[2:10:57]
They joke that peanuts, once ubiquitous and beloved by all animals, are now treated as toxic for human children, symbolizing how over-safety has backfired.[2:11:02]

Microaggressions and psychological calluses

Carolla mocks the concept of microaggressions, equating them to the absurdity of "mask up between bites" and arguing that adding "micro" in front of aggression means essentially no aggression.[2:15:47]
He suggests that just as immune systems need challenges, minds need exposure to disagreement and minor friction to develop psychological "calluses."[2:17:06]

Nature vs. nurture, curiosity, and the "motor"

Innate differences in kids and the limits of control

Carolla, a father of boy-girl twins, says they are radically different in energy and personality despite identical environments, pushing him toward a nature-over-nurture view.[2:25:27]
He believes parents' jobs are less about molding and more about not damaging kids, offering options, and noticing their natural proclivities-like a pot-banging kid who might need a drum set.[2:27:14]

Curiosity as a superpower

Carolla describes always being curious about small distinctions-like the difference between a couch and a sofa-while his friends told him to shut up, showing how curiosity can annoy the incurious.[2:27:22]
He argues that curiosity feeds growth: almost everything Rogan knows started with wanting to know more about it, and curious people he knows tend to do well.[2:29:15]

The "pound dog" metaphor for enthusiasm

Carolla recalls a documentary about selecting airport sniffer dogs, where trainers just go to the pound and choose the most enthusiastic dogs, regardless of breed.[2:20:37]
He relates that to people: some are "yappy pound dogs" with motors that will enthusiastically attack tasks, while others lie metaphorically in their cages and never lift their heads.[2:21:33]
Rogan adds that physical health and training are key to having this motor, since a lethargic body saps mental energy and curiosity.[2:21:19]

Physical training, jiu-jitsu, and better thinking

Body health as cognitive fuel

Rogan says he notices clear day-to-day differences: on days he doesn't work out, his brain is slower, he's more irritable, and his thinking is less sharp.[2:22:30]
He argues that training reduces anxiety, improves clarity, and helps him respond more calmly and effectively to life's challenges.[2:22:48]

Jiu-jitsu's philosophy of continuous adjustment

Rogan explains that in jiu-jitsu, if your technique leaves you vulnerable, you'll repeatedly get caught and must adjust; this habit of constant correction applies to ideas as well.[2:00:41]
He describes how new moves and counters are invented all the time, forcing practitioners to abandon old habits and adopt new ones, modeling intellectual flexibility.[2:00:03]

Poverty, welfare, and motivation

Growing up on welfare and feeling trapped

Carolla recalls growing up with a free house and welfare but feeling deeply stifled and broken, seeing vacations and credit cards on TV as things for "other people."[2:29:15]
He remembers asking his mother why she didn't get a job, and she replied that working would cause her to lose welfare, a logic he initially accepted as a child but later saw as a trap.[2:30:55]
He frames free stuff as a cage that can suppress ambition by making people just comfortable enough to stop striving.[2:31:22]

Desire for basic comforts as early motivation

Carolla jokes that he got into comedy because he wanted air conditioning; as a construction worker in hot trucks and apartments, the discomfort pushed him to seek a better life.[2:31:55]
He contrasts that with younger workers he meets who already have air-conditioned cars, large TVs, recreational drugs, and streaming entertainment, and thus lack "fire in the belly."[2:33:05]

Tribal pressure, brunch leaf blower story, and cowardice

Leaf blowers, race optics, and brunch backlash

Carolla tells a story about explaining at brunch that gas leaf blowers were technically illegal in Los Angeles but unenforced because officials didn't like the optics of busting Mexican gardeners.[2:39:23]
He says the entire table, many of them white liberals, turned on him as if he were being racist, despite not knowing anything about the underlying policies.[2:41:05]
He realized that half the people were simply following the other half to avoid being cast out of the "tribe," prioritizing social acceptance over truth.[2:41:05]

Fear of being ostracized and mediocre competence

Carolla says humans have a deep aversion to being excommunicated from their tribe, which makes it easy to herd people into compliance during events like COVID.[2:44:04]
He argues that people who are mediocre at what they do can't afford to be unpopular at work or socially, whereas those who are truly excellent have more freedom to speak honestly.[2:44:28]
Rogan agrees that being very good at a craft-whether comedy, carpentry, or fighting-gives you leverage to resist ideological pressure because you're hard to replace.[2:44:15]

Doing hard and scary things, and advice to young people

Choosing scary opportunities as a rule

Carolla describes being invited to do "Dancing with the Stars" and feeling the same fear he had in junior high when a fight was announced-so he immediately agreed to do it.[2:58:44]
He uses this as a personal rule: when he feels that flash of fear about humiliation or difficulty, he interprets it as a sign he should say yes.[2:59:01]
He has taken similar leaps into car racing and other challenges based on that instinct, rather than overthinking or consulting others.[2:59:55]

Take big swings before obligations pile up

Carolla and Rogan stress that young people without mortgages and families have a unique window to take risks and try to build the life they want.[3:00:45]
Carolla resisted buying new trucks or taking on high expenses when he was a carpenter specifically so he could afford to pursue Groundlings classes and comedy at night.[3:01:20]
They warn that time passes quickly-suddenly you're 30 or 35 still saying "this is the year"-and it's vital to "make hay while the sun shines."[3:02:20]

Organic careers vs. family businesses

Carolla contrasts organically discovered careers like comedy with inherited family businesses, where you might be successful but never fully feel the path is truly yours.[2:55:17]
He notes that he had no family in comedy, racing, or podcasting, so his involvement in those fields feels fully self-chosen and authentic.[2:56:16]

Closing remarks

Wrapping up and future plans

Rogan thanks Carolla for the conversation, says it was fun, and expresses a desire to do it again soon.[3:01:20]

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Developing real skills and being coachable dramatically increases your security and resilience; criticism becomes fuel for growth instead of a threat to your identity.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What area of my life am I currently the least coachable in, and how is that blocking my growth?
  • • How could I reframe criticism in my work or relationships as useful information rather than a personal attack?
  • • What specific skill or craft could I commit to improving over the next year where I deliberately seek out tough feedback?
2

Your ability to calibrate risk and discomfort comes from exposure to real challenges; avoiding all hardship leaves you fragile and unable to distinguish true danger from inconvenience.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in my life have I become so comfortable that small problems feel overwhelming?
  • • How could I deliberately introduce controlled difficulty-physical, mental, or professional-to toughen my calibration without being reckless?
  • • What is one situation this month where I can choose the harder but more growth-producing option instead of the easy one?
3

Authenticity and intellectual humility build long-term trust, whereas defending bad ideas to protect your ego or tribe eventually destroys your credibility.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which belief that I held strongly in the past do I now suspect might have been wrong, and have I ever openly owned that?
  • • How would my decision-making change if I prioritized being truthful over being seen as consistent or aligned with my group?
  • • What conversation could I have this week where I lead with, "Here's what I think, but I might be wrong and I'm open to being persuaded"?
4

Your environment, media diet, and peer group powerfully shape your perceptions of what is normal or dangerous, so you must consciously choose inputs that sharpen rather than distort your judgment.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which news sources or online communities do I rely on most, and how often have they clearly gotten things wrong in ways I could verify?
  • • How might regularly spending time with people who work with real-world risks (like builders, athletes, or healthcare workers) change my sense of proportion about current events?
  • • What is one media habit I can change this week to expose myself to more diverse or skeptical viewpoints?
5

Curiosity and a strong internal "motor" are as important as talent; if you keep following what fascinates you and saying yes to scary-but-interesting opportunities, your life path becomes self-authored instead of inherited.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What topics or activities do I naturally research or talk about without anyone forcing me-that might point to my authentic interests?
  • • When was the last time I felt that flash of fear about an opportunity and said no-what might have happened if I had said yes instead?
  • • What is one concrete opportunity in front of me now that scares me a bit but aligns with my curiosity that I could choose to pursue?
6

If you are young and relatively unencumbered, your main asset is freedom; using that window to take big swings is far less risky than waiting until obligations and comfort lock you into a life you don't really want.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In what ways am I currently using my freedom-time, lack of dependents, or low expenses-to take real risks toward a future I want?
  • • How would my options shrink if I wait five or ten years before attempting a major career or life pivot I secretly care about?
  • • What is one bold but realistic experiment I could start in the next 90 days (a project, move, skill, or business) that I would deeply regret not trying later?

Episode Summary - Notes by Tatum

#2412 - Adam Carolla
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