David Blaine: I Nearly Died Doing This (How to Conquer Fear and Push Your Limits)
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
iHeartPodcasts
4.8 • 28.5K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2025
⏱️ 83 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What’s a fear you want to overcome?
How do you stay calm under pressure?
What if the only limits you had were the ones you refused to break? Today, in this spellbinding episode, world-renowned illusionist, endurance artist, and master of the impossible, David Blaine, sits down for a deep and insightful conversation that goes far beyond magic. Known for his jaw-dropping stunts, being buried alive, standing encased in ice for days, and holding his breath underwater for over 17 minutes, David has captivated audiences worldwide. But behind the spectacle lies a profound philosophy of discipline, resilience, and the boundless potential of the human mind.
Jay and David explore what drives someone to willingly push themselves to their absolute limits, both physically and mentally. David opens up about his mindset, revealing how he prepares for extreme feats that defy human expectations. He explains the power of visualization, breathwork, and sheer willpower in overcoming pain, fear, and doubt. But this conversation isn’t just about physical endurance, it’s about the mental and emotional strength required to navigate life’s greatest challenges. David shares personal stories of setbacks and perseverance, showing that even in moments of failure, there is wisdom to be gained.
In this interview, you'll learn:
How to Train Your Mind to Overcome Fear
How to Build Unbreakable Mental Resilience
How to Use Breathwork to Enhance Endurance
How to Stay Calm Under Extreme Pressure
How to Push Past Your Physical Limits
How to Cultivate Childlike Curiosity for Creativity
How to Reframe Failure as a Stepping Stone
No matter what obstacles stand in your way, remember: you are stronger than you think, and capable of more than you realize. Believe in yourself, stay curious, and never stop challenging what’s possible.
With Love and Gratitude,
Jay Shetty
Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here.
Join Jay for his first ever, On Purpose Live Tour! Tickets are on sale now. Hope to see you there!
What We Discuss:
00:00 Intro
01:41 The Subway Trick that Started It All
04:39 Lessons from the Above the Below
09:10 What Happens When You Don’t Feel Hunger
11:34 Pushing the Body Beyond Its Limit
17:25 The Capabilities of the Human Body
22:52 The Knife Stunt
26:25 The Bullet-Catch Trick
30:12 Break Free from Your Comfort Zone
32:27 Push the Boundaries of Your Growth
34:41 Some Stunts are Just Too Dangerous
41:46 Pushing Yourself Without Risking Your Life
45:04 Failure Leads to Continuous Learning
47:26 The Riskiest Illusion
49:29 Processing the Pain of Grief
53:32 Everything is About Perspective
57:14 Open Up Your Mind with Books
01:01:24 Every Person is Unique
01:03:06 The Bridge Jump, Anything is Possible
01:09:13 David on Final Five
Episode Resources:
David Blaine | Website
David Blaine | YouTube
David Blaine | Instagram
David Blaine | Facebook
David Blaine | X
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Calling all 9-9ers. Now streaming. It's the More Better podcast with two episodes of Brooklyn 9-9-fun. |
| 0:06.5 | Host Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero welcome former castmates Chelsea Peretti and Joe Latrullio for one episode each to laugh and swap stories. |
| 0:14.9 | Like Andre would always be like, try and step there. They're like, do less. Do less. Yeah, that's all the time. |
| 0:20.0 | But then some of the biggest things were the biggest hits, like vindication, remember? |
| 0:24.1 | Listen to more better with Stephanie and Melissa on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:30.1 | Hey y'all. |
| 0:30.8 | It's your girl Cheekies and I'm back with a brand new season of your favorite podcast, Cheekies and Chill. |
| 0:36.4 | I'll be sharing even more personal stories with you guys. |
| 0:39.2 | And as always, you'll get my exclusive take on topics like love, personal growth, health, |
| 0:44.6 | family ties, and more. |
| 0:46.4 | And don't forget, I'll also be dishing out my best advice to you on episodes of Dear Cheekies. |
| 0:51.0 | It's going to be an exciting year and I hope that you can join me. |
| 0:53.8 | Listen to Cheekies and Chill season four on the the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever |
| 0:58.7 | you get your podcasts. |
| 1:00.7 | I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. |
| 1:05.0 | If only there were a professional WMBA player with her own podcast I could listen to, |
| 1:09.9 | you ring? |
| 1:10.9 | This is Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose. |
| 1:13.1 | And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. |
| 1:15.8 | Every Wednesday, we're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball. |
| 1:19.3 | We've got you with analysis, insight stories, and a little bit of tea. |
| 1:23.2 | Full Circle is an Iheart women's sports production and partnership with deep blue sports and entertainment. |
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