Max McKeown Talks About SuperAdaptability, Metaplasticity, and Thriving in an Age of Overwhelm
Episode description
This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.
Overwhelm isn’t new. It’s human. That idea sits at the heart of my conversation with Dr. Max McKeown—strategic advisor, keynote speaker, and author of SuperAdaptability: How to Transcend in an Age of Overwhelm. From the very start, Max challenges the notion that we’re living through a uniquely chaotic moment, arguing instead that overwhelm has always been part of the human condition.
What follows is a thoughtful, recursive conversation about loops, space, nuance, and the difference between doing productive things and actually living productively. We explore how humans adapt consciously, why systems need slack to function, and how upgrading the way we upgrade ourselves may be the most important skill we have.
Six Discussion Points
- Why the “age of overwhelm” isn’t temporary—and never really was
- The danger of confusing productivity with productiveness
- How loops shape our behavior whether we notice them or not
- Why space is essential for adaptation in systems, work, and life
- The role of nuance, humility, and reason in conscious change
- What it means to “upgrade your upgrade” through metaplasticity
Three Connection Points
This conversation is less about answers and more about awareness—about noticing the loops we’re already in and choosing how we engage with them. If you’ve ever felt busy but not better, productive but not present, this episode offers a different way to look at adaptation—and at yourself.
If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.