Scooter Braun on building a persona to silence inner haters

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

June 9, 2025

Duration

1h 54m

Channel

The Diary of a CEO

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

What happens when you build a billion-dollar music empire, but lose yourself along the way? Music mogul Scooter Braun reveals the raw truth behind his mask. Scooter Braun is a renowned music executive, entrepreneur, and manager behind the careers of global stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, J Balvin and more He is CEO of HYBE America and founder of SB Projects, a dynamic entertainment and media company. In this conversation, Scooter shares: ◽️ The mask he wore as “Scooter” and the journey back to being Scott ◽️ Why he carries guilt for every young artist he managed ◽️ How 20 years of running finally led him to confront his deepest fears ◽️ Why he felt like a complete fraud even at the top ◽️ The reason why his divorce saved his life No conditions. No pre-approved questions. Just an unfiltered conversation about everything. — ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:30 What Drives You? 07:46 Your Dad 09:40 Your First Business 12:07 You’re Very Good at Forming Relationships 14:16 What Did Everyone See in You at an Early Age? 15:50 People Trying to Stop Your Dreams 18:29 Signing Your First Acts 21:21 Discovering Justin Bieber 24:36 What’s Your Relationship With Justin Bieber Now? 26:19 What Do Highly Successful Artists Have in Common? 27:54 Why Are There So Many Tragedies Around Famous People? 33:49 Did It Hurt Parting Ways With Justin Bieber? 34:14 The Artists You’ve Worked With 37:04 The Praise and Hate I Received Were Both Misunderstood 39:57 An Artist You Were Wrong About 44:31 Quitting Music Management 51:31 Ads 52:34 Selling Your Company for $1.1 Billion 54:37 How Pivotal Was the Incident With Taylor Swift? 57:41 Contending With an Unfair World 1:00:18 If I Had Seen You Then, What Would I Have Seen? 1:01:56 Your Divorce 1:07:11 Friends Being There for Me 1:11:17 Why My Marriage Fell Apart 1:22:08 The Work You Do on Yourself 1:24:52 Ads (Part 2) 1:26:59 The Power of Building Connections 1:28:35 Spotify Saving the Music Industry 1:32:25 What’s Next for Scott? 1:34:43 What Is Steve Trying to Achieve? 1:40:17 What Should We Do if We’re Always Chasing Something? 1:50:38 If You Could Do Anything Without Fear of Failure, What Would You Do? Follow Scooter: Instagram - https://bit.ly/45Ihx8k Twitter - https://bit.ly/3SZHKYJ Facebook - https://bit.ly/43JalX2 The Diary Of A CEO: Join DOAC circle here -https://doaccircle.com/ 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: Linkedin Ads - https://www.linkedin.com/DIARY Stan Store - Visit https://link.stan.store/joinstanchallenge to join the challenge! Bon Charge - http://boncharge.com/diary?rfsn=8189247.228c0cb with code DIARY for 25% off

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Steven Bartlett

  host

• Scooter Braun

  guest

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, featuring Steven Bartlett and Scooter Braun, Scooter Braun on building a persona to silence inner haters explores scooter Braun On Fame, Failure, Therapy, And Finding Himself Again Scooter Braun traces his journey from scrappy Atlanta party promoter to billion‑dollar music mogul, and how the persona of “Scooter” overshadowed his real self, Scott. He explains how childhood pressure, inherited trauma, and a deep fear of not being enough drove his extreme work ethic, his biggest wins, and his darkest moments. Braun reflects on managing young superstars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, the guilt he feels over their struggles, and the mental health blind spots he only understood after intense therapy and the Hoffman Process. Now retired from management, he’s focused on fatherhood, self‑work, surrendering control, and participating in life’s “game” with more curiosity than ego.

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