What idea have you been sitting on lately? What’s been holding you back from starting? Today, Jay sits down with engineer, innovator, and YouTube creator Mark Rober to explore the unexpected life experiences that shaped one of the internet’s most beloved minds. Mark shares the childhood moments that ignited his passion for building, breaking, and understanding how the world works, moments nurtured by a mother whose love, imagination, and encouragement helped lay the foundation for his life’s mission. He reflects on how her influence continues to ripple outward, inspiring millions of young people who learn, explore, and dream through his work today. Jay and Mark explore the mindset that carried Mark from NASA engineer to innovative educator, unpacking what it really means to “think like an engineer:” experiment boldly, embrace failure, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn. They follow Mark’s unusual pivots, from designing Mars rover hardware to crafting Halloween costumes, to ultimately shaping a career that blends curiosity, storytelling, science, and play. Together they reveal the deeper lessons behind Mark’s most viral experiments: why creativity thrives when we stay childlike, how passion reveals itself through repetition, and why the most meaningful work grows from genuine excitement rather than algorithms or expectations. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Think Like an Engineer How to Stay Curious as an Adult How to Follow Your Passion Practically How to Build Ideas That Actually Work How to Find Creativity in Everyday Life How to Recognize Your Real Calling How to Inspire Others Through Your Work Keep following the questions that excite you, keep trying the things that scare you, and keep believing that you’re capable of far more than you realize. Your next breakthrough might be just one experiment, or one brave attempt away. 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. Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Were You Always Creative? 04:02 Understanding the Real Impact of Your Life 06:55 What It Really Takes to Work at NASA 09:49 Learning to Think Like an Engineer 11:22 How Rovers Are Tested for Mars 12:20 Searching for Life Beyond Earth 13:24 Follow What You Truly Love Doing 16:11 If You Can Imagine It, You Can Build It 17:22 Practical Wisdom from a Lifelong Tinkerer 20:57 The Pivot from NASA to Apple 23:34 Turning Ideas into Actionable Success 24:45 What is the Engineering Design Process? 28:28 Why Embracing Failure Matters 29:57 Relearning Trust and Finding Love Again 34:56 The Power of Immersion Weekends 36:45 Making Learning Engaging Through Creativity 40:29 Why Mastery Is Worth Pursuing 41:40 Balancing Business with True Creativity 44:51 How Communication Shapes Great Storytelling 47:40 Two Common Mistakes Creators Make 52:30 Staying True to Your Creative Style 54:04 The Importance of Focusing on One Passion 56:44 The Hidden Failures Behind Viral Success 59:35 Giving Kids Room to Be Creative 01:04:30 Curiosity as the Root of Creativity 01:06:07 Inside a Real Creative Process 01:08:45 Where Do You Get Your Big Ideas? 01:11:46 The Mind-Bending Question of Life in the Universe 01:16:02 The Promise and Peril of Rapid AI Growth 01:19:56 Focusing on What You Can Truly Influence 01:24:57 Mark on Final Five Episode Resources: Mark Rober | X Mark Rober | Instagram Mark Rober | Facebook Mark Rober | LinkedIn Mark Rober | TikTok Mark Rober | YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
