What if your rock bottom was actually a launchpad? Melissa Monte, host of the Mind Love podcast, shares how hitting her lowest point became the catalyst for building a life she truly loves. Melissa's journey wasn't a straight line to success. After facing trauma, bad relationships, and even a felony charge for someone else's crime, she found herself in a jail cell with a choice: let her limitations define her or use them as guideposts. She chose the latter, teaching herself digital marketing and...
Jul 25, 2025•51 min
What if the stories we tell about stress and adversity are holding us back? What if the most resilient people are not the strongest, but the most adaptable? This episode is an invitation to rethink resilience. Dr. Steven Stein shares how the hardiness mindset shifts our relationship with challenge. A concept born in military research but relevant to artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday heroes. It’s not about stoicism or sheer willpower; it’s about seeing meaning in difficulty, embracing uncertai...
Jul 22, 2025•30 min
We revisit a classic episode to understand the circuitry of the self as we uncover the neurological pathways behind the Ego and explain what the Default Mode Network is. Topics covered: What the hell is the Default Mode Network The Brain Pathways of Anxiety and Depression The imbalances causing ADHD How modern medicines interact with the brain The effect of meditation and psilocybin on the DMN Starting with Hans Berger's pioneering work with EEG this episode covers the history of Default Mode Ne...
Jul 17, 2025•27 min
Ever tried surfing and ended up just swallowing seawater? That’s what life feels like when you’re glued to the problem and forget to look up. In this episode, I share how learning to surf taught me more about perspective than any self-help book ever could. We’ll break down why your brain loves to panic, how focusing on the wrong thing can make you fall (literally and metaphorically), and the simple hacks that help you zoom out when you’re stuck in the weeds. Think of it as a manual for getting o...
Jul 15, 2025•12 min
Ever feel like creativity is reserved for “real” artists? Rick Rubin’s 12 rules say otherwise. They’re for anyone who wants to live and create with more honesty. Rubin, the legendary producer who can’t play an instrument, built his career by helping others strip away what’s fake and tune into what’s real. His rules aren’t about being clever; they’re about noticing, subtracting, and getting comfortable with discomfort. I’ll share how Rubin’s approach helped me stop overthinking and start making t...
Jul 08, 2025•35 min
The best lessons don't come from others, but from yourself. As Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living". This episode invites you to rethink how you engage with your past and future selves as a continuous dialogue of growth. Journaling, sending future emails, and revisiting your old favourites aren’t just nostalgia trips — they’re time machines for your brain. I share my own cringe-worthy stories from my own teenage journal flipped my self-doubt into confidence. Science backs it ...
Jul 04, 2025•26 min
Attachment theory and how to avoid the mistakes everyone makes when they learn about it. It’s probably your attachment style. Think of it as the relational software installed in your brain during your first 18 months. This episode is a crash course in understanding your programming and avoiding common mistakes. We break down the four main styles: Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, and Disorganized. We explore the classic Anxious-Avoidant trap, where one person chases and the other retreats, creating a c...
Jul 01, 2025•34 min
Where does the scarcity mindset, imposter syndrome, and loss aversion come from? Welcome to a mindset masterclass from history. Learn if the very instincts that kept humanity alive are now keeping you from truly living. For 290,000 years, we survived by playing it safe, following the tribe, and hoarding resources. These weren't character flaws—they were survival strategies in a world where innovation could mean death. The scarcity mindset that once threatened our ancestors' survival now threaten...
Jun 27, 2025•43 min
You’re not lazy. You’re just listening to the wrong voice in your head. This episode breaks down 5 invisible saboteurs that make you think you're stuck. The reality is you're just thinking the wrong thoughts. Think of your brain like an iPhone. If it runs on a 2012 mindset, don’t expect 2025 results. Sam dives into the limiting beliefs that sneak into our self-talk, from the myth of perfectionism to the lie that you “don’t have enough willpower.” You'll hear how comedians bomb for years, why imp...
Jun 24, 2025•24 min
Ever wonder why you can recognise your friend's face instantly but struggle to remember where you put your keys? Your brain is running the most sophisticated learning system ever created, and most of us have no clue how it actually works. Nicholas Shea is an Oxford and King's College Researcher working in philosophy of mind, cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence. He breaks down the fascinating psychology behind how we build concepts in our minds. Think of concepts as mental shortcut...
Jun 20, 2025•47 min
Let's unpack the heart of attention, addiction, autopilot and self-sabotage. This episode is a deep dive into the junk food of thought: addictive mental loops that hijack your attention, and keep you stuck repeating the same boring patterns — again and again and again. We talk about why your thoughts are like badly designed software, why addiction makes your brain less creative, and how to actually take back control. From scrolling email to self-sabotaging loops, it turns out the enemy isn’t the...
Jun 17, 2025•26 min
Mental Constraints: How to change your thoughts and break invisible limits you can't see This episode is a ride through dimensions—space, time, and your own mind. It’s like stepping outside your body mid-coffee to ask, “Wait, what the hell am I doing?” From Zen bugs to aeroplane windows, Sam breaks down how we’re all stuck in routines that make life two-dimensional. And the worst part? We don’t even notice. You’ll learn: Why your habits aren't just habits—they're constraints dressed as convenien...
Jun 13, 2025•25 min
What if everything we believe about finding love is designed to keep us searching instead of finding? This episode debunks some of the worst common advice and showcases what's genuinely useful. It might start with you. The people most focused on finding the perfect partner often remain alone, while those focused on becoming the right partner tend to attract extraordinary relationships. Shift from scarcity-based dating to abundance-based connection: Understand "optimal search theory" Focus on sha...
Jun 10, 2025•36 min
Ever felt like life just sucker-punched you out of nowhere? That's exactly what Nassim Taleb calls a Black Swan event. Most people think they can predict the future by looking at patterns. They study charts, analyze trends, and feel safe in their little bubble of certainty. However, the biggest events that shape our lives—market crashes, pandemics, breakthrough innovations—are the ones nobody sees coming. .. Beyond that, it's about how your brain tricks you into thinking you understand a world t...
Jun 06, 2025•27 min
The tools of thinking that fueled the Growth Mindset and fast decisions behind the success of Jeff Bezos. Bezos frames business as a series of silent promises: to customers, to colleagues, to the future. Each promise is a primitive —simple, sturdy, waiting to be linked. When those links form, independence evolves into interdependence, and a whisper becomes a flywheel. In this conversation, we explore how “Day One” thinking keeps the path clear, how a “regret-minimization lens” invites bold choic...
Jun 03, 2025•46 min
Ever wondered how to really change the world? After thinking about the question for too long, Sam has started a new podcast to answer it. Sam's new show 'How To Change The World' tells the stories of the greatest innovations throughout the entire history of humanity. As he goes, he'll be breaking down the mental models and frameworks to create change. The show can be found on major podcast players: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQxPJyT Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/...
May 31, 2025•35 min
Self-help is sometimes the opposite. It can end up increasing your task list with a bunch of unrealistic expectations you never achieve. Today’s conversation is about navigation, not directions. We explore the quiet difference between a compass you trust and a checklist someone sells. Passport stamps matter less than the personality you bring to the journey; so does the company you invite to walk beside you. We trade a stack of generic self-help books for three simple ideas you can put on a stic...
May 30, 2025•26 min
A sunflower doesn’t hold strategy meetings to decide which way to grow. It simply tilts toward the light. This conversation with Dr. Harry Cohen invites us to do the same. The heliotropic effect—our quiet, evolutionary pull toward positive energy—may be the simplest, most overlooked lever of leadership and community. We explore what happens when you become the light source instead of chasing it. Why a six-second smile hacks brain chemistry, how a clean apology resets trust faster than any market...
May 27, 2025•38 min
Uncover what it really takes to build greatness. There's much more to genius than effortless intelligence or risky business bets. We dive into the consistent habits that drive long-term results for coming out on top. They might not be sexy, but if you can leave your ego at the doo,r there's a lot more on the other side. How to Change the World Sam's new show can be found on major podcast players: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQxPJyT Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com...
May 23, 2025•20 min
You’re not lazy. You’re overloaded. And no, another productivity hack won’t save you. In this episode, I talk about how minimalism isn’t about white walls and hidden kitchen bins—it’s about your calendar, your relationships, your identity. I unpack the joy of missing out using stories from travel, creative burnout, and watching a guy walk around Britain with nothing but a backpack. Turns out, when you’re doing too much, you're not living —you’re buffering. We explore how having too many goals is...
May 16, 2025•21 min
Love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a pattern. And patterns, when understood, can be changed. We are the descendants of beings who bonded, lusted, and survived—not by chance, but by biology. In this episode, we explore the elegant architecture of love, divided into three distinct experiences: lust, attraction, and attachment. Each has its own hormonal symphony: testosterone’s drive, dopamine’s thrill, oxytocin’s warmth. But these chemicals, while essential, are not our destiny. We must choose how we...
May 13, 2025•22 min
A system that grows stronger from chaos? That’s not science fiction. It’s nature’s original design. Nassim Taleb's Antifragile isn't just a book. It’s a lens—a way to see the world not as a series of risks to be avoided, but as opportunities to evolve. In this episode, we explore what it means to thrive in disorder. From ancient myths like the Hydra, to modern jobs and biological systems, we trace the pattern: fragility is punished, antifragility is rewarded. What if you built a life where setba...
May 09, 2025•51 min
Cognitive bias. False memory. The Dunning-Kruger effect. What do they all have in common? They show how unreliable our minds can be. In this episode, we explore the science and philosophy of self-knowledge. From flawed reasoning and failed planning to empathy gaps and epistemic humility. But explained using normal English... Along the way, we uncover powerful tools to help you become more reliable, more curious, and a little less wrong. How to Change the World Sam's new show can be found on majo...
May 06, 2025•27 min
People avoid you for reasons that have nothing to do with your deodorant. You can be smart, talented, even funny—but if people feel unseen or misunderstood around you, your life gets smaller. Dr. Steven Stein has tested emotional intelligence in everyone from Air Force recruiters to reality TV contestants. And the results are weirdly human. EQ isn’t about being soft. It’s about knowing when to shut up, when to speak up, and when to walk away. This episode breaks down emotional intelligence like ...
May 02, 2025•55 min
There are a million ways to waste time. We don't need a million and one ways to be productive. We just need to - Do The Thing It's easy to overcomplicate productivity: Over analysing your habits Over examing your past Over sharing your strategies. These are all effective ways to not be productive. In this episode, we cut through the fluff and focus on the pure, simple truths. How to Change the World Sam's new show can be found on major podcast players: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1...
Apr 29, 2025•26 min
We don’t see the future. We predict it — and sometimes we predict disaster before it’s even possible. Catastrophizing is a mental reflex. It’s your mind, desperate for control, drawing monsters where none exist yet. In this episode, we explore the quiet space between stimulus and story — the moment you could choose curiosity over certainty. Relationships, careers, self-worth: all suffer when we confuse our imagined outcomes with inevitable truths. But if we learn to watch the story unfold withou...
Apr 25, 2025•37 min
What if the person you think you are is an outdated idea? In this episode, we explore how habits form—not from logic, but from history. From childhood rules to adult rituals, your behaviours aren’t just choices. They’re echoes. We look at behavioural debt: how the past continues to extract payments from your present and what you can do about it. We look expansively at different ways we pick up all these habits and identities, and then use 5 ideas from psychology and philosophy to fix them. There...
Apr 22, 2025•29 min
How often do you say no? In this episode, I unpack the beautiful mess that is boundary-setting—with stories, psychology, and a touch of Brexit. This episode dives deep into what it really means to assert your needs. Boundaries aren’t about building walls—they’re more like installing a front door with a lock you actually use. We explore why people-pleasing kills self-respect, how resentment creeps in when you’re too “nice,” and why your future depends on the limits you’re willing to draw today. W...
Apr 18, 2025•39 min
What separates those who break from those who bend? A shift—not in strength, but in perspective. In today’s episode, we look at the 4 quadrants of mental resilience: Control, Commitment, Challenge, and Confidence —using a blend of metaphors, Stoic wisdom, and powerful stories from history. Think of your mind like a car: control is the steering wheel, commitment is the fuel, challenge is the terrain, and confidence? That’s your engine. From Helen Keller to Joan of Arc, you’ll see how legendary me...
Apr 15, 2025•31 min
There’s only so much logic you can apply to your problems, at some point you need to work with your biology. The nervous system it an incredible organ built to help you survive and it can over-ride your conscious processing at will. To stop tripping over our barriers and build true resilience, reduce stress & feel more alive we need there is a way. Working with your nervous system instead of against it. On the show we invite Esin Pinarli a licensed therapist and expert in working with our ne...
Apr 11, 2025•59 min
