Matthew McConaughey: The Silent Crisis No One Is Talking About! The Harsh Truth About Living Without Faith

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

FlightStory

Society & Culture, Business, Education

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 129 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

54 films. Global fame. But what price did he pay? In this powerful conversation, Matthew McConaughey opens up about the dark side of fame, the one decision that changed his life, and why resistance not talent was the real key to his success. Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award–winning actor and Hollywood icon, best known for roles in Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, True Detective, The Gentlemen, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Beyond acting, he is a bestselling author, with his memoir Greenlights becoming a global phenomenon, and his new book Poems & Prayers continuing to inspire readers worldwide. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to survive Hollywood, why fame comes at a cost, or how Matthew McConaughey found meaning beyond the big screen, this is the conversation you don’t want to miss. He explains: ◼️How living in Australia at 18 changed the direction of his life ◼️How turning down $14.5 million helped him save his career and self-worth ◼️Why becoming a father was the 1 goal that always mattered most to him ◼️How young men are more lost than ever, and what they truly need ◼️Why a life without struggle is a dangerous life (00:00) Intro(02:35) What Makes You the Person You Are Today?(06:35) Love and Values Instilled in Childhood(14:45) What Did You Want to Be as a Kid?(16:13) Youth Exchange in Australia(23:58) Studying Law in Texas and Wanting a Change(26:32) Telling His Dad He Wants to Go to Film School(36:32) What's Going On With Young Men(41:03) What Made You Drift?(42:25) The Loss of Your Father(50:07) Do You Miss Your Dad?(53:56) Matthew's 10 Goals in Life(01:01:45) Doing the Hard Thing Today(01:07:26) The Expectation Gap and Pursuing the Divine(01:21:51) The Power of Faith(01:26:17) Why People With Faith Are Happier(01:36:02) How Did You Become the Best?(01:41:55) I Refused 14.5 Million Dollars(01:47:54) Why People End Up Stuck(01:56:23) What Is Your Greatest Weakness(02:14:09) What Makes You the Person You Are Today? Follow Matthew: Instagram - https://bit.ly/467Alhh Facebook - https://bit.ly/46oVFh0 X - https://bit.ly/46h48nT YouTube - https://bit.ly/46oBe3K You can purchase his new book ‘Poems & Prayers’, here: https://amzn.to/3IqqCtc Look out for his new film ‘The Lost Bus’ on Apple TV+. Based on a true story, Matthew plays a bus driver who saves 22 children from the 2018 Paradise Valley fires in California. The Diary Of A CEO: ◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook ◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt ◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb ◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt ◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb Sponsors: Pipedrive - http://pipedrive.com/CEOVanta - https://vanta.com/stevenStan Store - https://stevenbartlett.stan.store for your 14-Day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	All of a sudden, it seems like AI is everywhere. Whether it's recommending your next series to binge
0:04.4	watch or finding fraudulent charges on your credit card, AI is here to stay. But it needs a lot of
0:09.7	speed and computing power to thrive, which means staying competitive requires an infrastructure
0:14.1	that can keep up, and one that won't see your cost spiraling out of control. Oracle Cloud
0:19.1	infrastructure is the solution with its fast,
0:21.9	hyper-secure platform that gives you everything from database management to application development
0:26.8	and AI tools. And Oracle are a sponsor of this podcast. And here's the kicker. OCI costs 50%
0:32.8	less for compute and 80% less for networking. So you're saving a ton. If you want them to help you do more
0:39.6	and spend less, then give OCI a try at oracle.com slash Bartlett. That's oracle.com
0:47.1	slash Bartlett. I think too many people quit too early. And we give ourselves the options in the
0:52.2	parachutes and things like relationships and work, self-help. And we pull that something. When we could still be flying. Even though maybe rocky flight, we pull it early. And okay, it's a safe move. Got down to the ground. What I was building didn't last. But most of the time, it could if you had hung in there. But if you have any ambition, resistance is going to come. And so, own that. Matthew. Matthew, Massanahey. You've been able to climb to the very top of the mountain again and again and again. Is this natural talent or is there anything transferable? First, look at what's in your DNA. Like, I wanted to play basketball. But no matter how hard I worked, I was not the fastest, nor the biggest. So look at what do you have an inaneability for? Then, what are you willing to hustle for? And this is very important because some of us have innate ability, but we don't work for it. We grew up hardcore on hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle. Sleep was sin in my household. No TV. Mom would always say, why are you going to watch someone doing something
1:45.2	when you can go out in the world and do it yourself? And then, number three, endurance. I remember this time when I told my age. What I want to do is dramas, no more rom-com. And this $8 million offer comes in comedy. I read it. I said, no, thank you. Come back with $12 million offer. No, thanks.
1:59.8	$14.5 million offer.
2:02.4	I said, let me read that again. Ultimately said no. I just broke myself a one way to get out of Hollywood. About 20 months after offers came in. Would those have come that fighter never stepped out? No. No. Number four, if you do this, you're most likely going to have some success in life.
2:18.3	And that is...
2:19.3	And what about Admiral Bill McRaven?
2:21.3	So he shared great wisdom with me when I was seeking out male mentors.
2:27.3	We reached out to Bill and he wrote this letter for you.
2:31.3	He said, Dear Matthew...
2:33.3	Wow. Are you able to show what you were seeking guidance
2:38.0	from him about? Just give me 30 seconds of your time. Two things I wanted to say. The first thing
2:48.2	is a huge thank you for listening and tuning into the
	...

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