Daniele Bolelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniele Bolelli
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Bolelli on The Art of Charm in 2019
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| Born | January 11, 1974 Milan, Italy
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| Alma mater | UCLA (B.A., Anthropology; M.A., American Indian Studies)
CSULB (M.A., history) Cardiff University (unfinished doctorate, history) |
| Occupation | Lecturer, writer, podcaster |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Father: Franco Bolelli, Mother: Gloria Mattioni |
Daniele Bolelli (born January 11, 1974) is an Italian writer, university lecturer, martial artist, and podcaster. He lives in Southern California. He has written several books about philosophy and martial arts, including On the Warrior's Path.
Bolelli became well-known in Italy in the 1990s and in the United States in the early 2000s. He became even more famous in the 2010s after appearing on popular podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience. He then started his own podcasts, The Drunken Taoist in 2012 and History on Fire in 2015.
He earned master's degrees in American Indian Studies and history from UCLA and California State University, Long Beach. He also did advanced research in history at Cardiff University. As a professor, he has taught many different subjects. These include Native American history and culture, Taoist philosophy, and Ancient Rome. He teaches at CSULB and Santa Monica College.
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About Daniele Bolelli
Daniele Bolelli was born in Milan, Italy, in a family of writers. His father, Franco Bolelli, was an Italian philosopher. His mother, Gloria Mattioni, is an author and journalist.
After high school, Bolelli moved to Los Angeles. He started college at Santa Monica College. He later earned a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from UCLA. He continued his studies at UCLA, CSULB, and Cardiff University. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his daughter, Isabella.
Daniele Bolelli's Books
Daniele Bolelli started writing at a young age. When he was 20, he helped write his first book, Mitologie Felici, published in Italy. He later co-authored two more books in Italy: Starship and Frontiere.
On the Warrior's Path
His first solo book, La Tenera Arte del Guerriero, was published when he was 22. This book explores the philosophy behind martial arts. It became very popular in Italy, even outside martial arts groups. It has been used as a textbook in several universities.
Bolelli later translated this book into English. He added three new chapters, and it was published in the United States in 2003 as On the Warrior's Path. A second edition came out in 2008 with two more chapters. A Russian version was published in 2011, and an updated Italian version in 2013.
Other Books
His next book was about different religions. It was published in Italy in 2011 as iGod: Istruzioni per l'Uso di una Religione Fai da Te. In the United States, it was released in 2013 as Create Your Own Religion: a how-to book without instructions.
Bolelli's third book, 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion, was published in the United States in December 2011.
His fourth book, Not Afraid: On Fear, Heartbreak, Raising a Baby Girl, and ... Fighting, was published in 2015. This book tells his personal story about facing fear. It talks about his experiences in martial arts, dealing with loss, and raising his daughter as a single parent.
Bolelli says that thinkers like Tom Robbins, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ikkyu Sojun, Thomas Paine, Henry David Thoreau, Lao Tzu, and Heraclitus have greatly influenced his ideas.
Teaching Career
Daniele Bolelli teaches courses at CSULB and Santa Monica College. He likes to teach many different subjects, not just one. He calls this a "renaissance man approach."
He has taught in departments like History, Social Sciences, American Indian Studies, and World Arts and Cultures. The subjects he teaches include American Indian history and philosophy, U.S. history, world religions, history of ancient Rome, and the history and philosophy of martial arts. He also teaches about the relationship between movies and history.
Martial Arts Training
Bolelli has trained in many different martial arts styles. These include kung fu san soo, taijiquan, baguazhang, xingyiquan, shuai jiao, submission wrestling, Brazilian jiujitsu, boxing, and judo.
He holds black belts in Judo and Brazilian Jiujitsu. He also has an eight-degree black belt in kung fu san soo. He taught this style for several years at UCLA's John Wooden Center. Bolelli has also coached and competed professionally in mixed martial arts (MMA). He coaches and manages female MMA fighter Sovannahry Em. He also teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo at Ojai Valley Martial Arts in Oak View, California. He created an instructional video for BJJ Fanatics called "Prison Rules: The Not-So Gentle Art of Jiu-Jitsu."
Podcasts and Media
Daniele Bolelli hosts two popular podcasts: The Drunken Taoist and History on Fire.
The Drunken Taoist
Bolelli started The Drunken Taoist in October 2012. Before that, he appeared on other popular podcasts like Adam Carolla's and Joe Rogan's. He also appeared in Spike TV's I Am Bruce Lee documentary. In January 2012, Wired magazine interviewed him about his book 50 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know: Religion.
Soon after it started, The Drunken Taoist became the number one podcast in the Philosophy section of iTunes. Bolelli explained that Taoism is a big part of his worldview. The "drunken" part refers to a way of thinking that uses instinct and celebrates life. In 2014, Bolelli released a sixteen-part lecture series about Taoist philosophy. He continues to appear on various popular podcasts.
History On Fire
Bolelli began hosting History On Fire in 2015. iTunes included it in its 'Best of 2015' podcasts list. History on Fire was inspired by Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. Carlin later appeared as a guest on Bolelli's show.
Topics on History on Fire have included the Oglala Lakota leader Crazy Horse, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the Italian artist Caravaggio, and the early 20th Century American boxer Jack Johnson.
