“Ignoring what is obvious incurs a huge cost. It requires you to go about your day numbing yourself to the reality of who you are and what you want—which is a waste of time for you and everyone around you. By contrast, admitting what is obvious is freeing and motivating. But it’s terrifying to do it. Sometimes the most obvious truths about ourselves are hard to see because the consequences of those truths seem so dire.” Those are the opening lines of one of my favourite essays I’ve read in the l...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 237
My guest today is Dr. Gena Gorlin, a psychologist specializing in the unique needs of the ultra-ambitious. Unlike many in her field. Gena doesn’t aim to simply lift the floor of her clients’ ambitions — she wants to raise the ceiling. In this episode, she breaks down the “Builder Mindset” - a way of thinking that empowers people to live to healthier, happier, and more fulfilled lives. Over on our Substack , we dig deeper into Gena’s ideas, exploring the perils of perfectionism, the allure of com...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 236
“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.” My latest guest, Nir Eyal , writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology , technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. In our conversation, Nir gives it to us straight. Distraction is killing us, and stopping us from reach...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 235
As the saying goes, only three things in life are certain: death, taxes & Alex Danco. Armed with sizzling hot takes on the sad death of Twitter likes and a new secret weapon in the form of his catchphrase-turned-episode theme (“ Without mystery, there is no margin ”), Alex returns for his eighth episode. Despite our intentional lack of preparation, somehow this ended up as one our most cohesive conversations yet. As usual, we’ve included links and an episode transcript over on our Substack , whe...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 234
Mike Maples, Jr., co-founding partner of the VC firm Floodgate, is the veteran seed investor behind some of the 21st-century’s great success stories, including Twitter, Twitch, and Applied Intuition. His book, Pattern Breakers (co-authored with Peter Ziebelman), articulates a new model of foundership, one built on the simple premise that transformative startups upend rather than improve current practices. My company, OSV, is built around my belief that the collapse of the old models presents eno...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 233
As a former quant with six grandkids, my spidey-senses started tingling as soon as I heard about Ben Orlin’s mission to make math fun. A native of St.Paul, Ben is a math educator and popularizer who is known for his “Math With Bad Drawing” blog and book series. Today’s conversation revolves around his excellent, original new book Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language , which reframes math as a language, complete with nouns, verbs and grammar. Like any mathematician wort...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 232
“We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for.” Gurwinder Bhogal is, for my money, one of the most independent, original and insightful thinkers you’ll find in our corner of the internet. He returns to discuss how willpower and good old-fashioned human agency can help us reclaim our mental sovereignty and escape the “ constant avalanche of concerns that are being vomited over us through our laptop screens, our phones, our TV screens, and in conversations.” For the full transcr...
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 231
Professor Julia Sonnevend believes that charm is one of the defining political trends of our era. In her latest book, she argues that charm will do no less than “ shape the future of democracy worldwide ,” exploring how it is weaponized by politicians ranging from Jacinda Arden to Kim Jong Un. In our episode, you will discover why charm has emerged as a political force and how to innoculate yourself when you encounter it in the wild. Julia and I also dig into the five components of a charming in...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 230
As a proud owner of the exceedingly rare “two-digit” designation on CompuServe (the internet’s precursor), I’ve always been an early adopter of new tech. I was, therefore, particularly excited to speak to Bilawal Sidhu, a one-man corporation whose prolific output outpaces many creators put together. Since he was 11, Bilawal has been passionate about using cutting-edge tech to create videos that unite reality with his imagination. He made his bones as a product manager at Google, but after his sh...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 229
When Luca Dellanna speaks, I listen. Unlike many of the other management, productivity and behavioral gurus out there, Luca is ruthlessly committed to providing actionable, tangible advice that is rooted in the messy, chaotic reality of daily life. This conversation, my second with Luca, revolves around his excellent new book, Winning Long-Term Games: Reproducible Success Strategies to Achieve Your Life Goals . Why should you care? Because long-term strategies consistently deliver better results...
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 228
Let me introduce you to the four horsemen of the investment apocalypse: Fear. Greed. Hope. Ignorance. Notice anything? Three of four are emotions. I’ve long argued that effective investing is far more about emotional control than technical know-how (although the latter certainly helps!) By hook or by crook, the best investors can find a way to tame their pesky emotional impulses and overcome that primal urge to respond impulsively to panic, passion, or pride. My guest, the razor-sharp Ateet Ahlu...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 227
I’ve always tried to encourage curiosity in my three children and now six (!) grandchildren. My kids often reminisce about my default response to their childhood questions: pointing to the bookshelf that flanked our sofa and saying, “ look it up in there! ” Luckily, natural curiosity was never lacking in our household. Over the years, however, I have become increasingly frustrated when I hear about the stultifying, rote, curiosity-killing nature of our education system. It was a pleasure, theref...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 226
Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games. He’s also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups. Matthew is one of the sharpest and most original thinkers on the future of media and the Internet (i.e. The Metaverse). The fully revised and updated edition of his bestselling book "The Metaverse: Buildin...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 225
Nat Eliason is a writer with a keen interest in writing about challenging and revealing things. His debut book, Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance (out July 9th, 2024) , charts his personal odyssey into Crypto’s Get-Rich-Quick underbelly. Nat joins the show to discuss the highs and lows of the cryptocurrency market, the lessons learned from his financial adventures, the psychological effects of bubbles, crypto’s cutting-edge developments, and MUCH mor...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 33 min
Noor Siddiqui is currently building Orchid, a reproductive technology company that measures genetic predisposition to disease and provides embryo screening for couples going through IVF. Noor joins the show to discuss the ambitious culture of the West Coast, getting into the Thiel Fellowship, her personal reasons for starting Orchid, the sacred act of reproduction and why it must be made safe, her belief in children as the future, and MUCH more! Important Links: Noor’s Personal Website Noor’s Tw...
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 15 min
The Fourth Way is a pseudonymously run Youtube channel and Twitter page dedicated to the path of psychological and spiritual growth and self-improvement. Built around the philosophy of two thinkers - George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky - the ultimate aim of the Fourth Way is “to assist individuals in achieving a higher state of consciousness and self-awareness which can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence.” Tune in to this week’s episode to learn about the four ways of being; how...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 222
Mona Sobhani, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist, researcher, and author. In 2022 she published her first book, Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe, which documents her “ transformation from diehard materialist to open-minded spiritual seeker.” Mona joins the show to discuss blowing open the box of materialism, why anecdotes are scientifically underrated, what she learned from studying decades of research into psi-phenomena, how ...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 221
Described by David Perell as “ like Rick Rubin for writing, ” Ellen Fishbein is an author and writing coach and the founder of Altamira Studio, an independent publisher specializing in short-form books. She joins the show to discuss how traditional publishing disrespects intelligent readers, her advice for aspiring authors, what she’s learned from Shakespeare’s sonnets, and MUCH more! Important Links: Altamira Studio Writing.coach Muse By Mail Ellen’s Website Ellen’s Twitter Show Notes: The Cave...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 220
Professor, Mathematician and Writer John A. Paulos joins the show to discuss math education, the power of puzzles, cognitive biases, and MUCH more! Important Links: John’s Website John’s Twitter Show Notes: Why Do People Hate Math? The Power of Posing Problems with Counterintuitive or Shocking Results Using Everyday Examples to Understand Math Concepts Systems Designed to Take Advantage of Innumeracy People’s Ignorance of Randomness and Random Samples The Strange Power of Anchoring Bias Tradeoff...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Chris Wilcha is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and commercial director. His latest film, Flipside, which is co-executive produced by Jim and presented in association with Infinite Films (among others), opens in select US theaters tomorrow (May 31st, 2024). An ode to creative failure, abandoned projects, and rekindled passion, Flipside premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews . Here’s the full description: “When filmmaker Chris Wilcha revisits the record s...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 218
“PHETASY IS a movement disguised as a company. We just want to make you laugh while the world burns.” Bridget Phetasy is an entrepreneur, writer, podcast host, political commentator, burgeoning media mogul, and standup comedian. Over the past few years, her media company - Phetasy - has become an outlet for 100s of hours of social commentary filtered through her sharp and spiky worldview. She joins the show to discuss the comedic temperature in America today; the role of comedy in contemporary s...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 217
Porter Braswell is the Founder and CEO of 2045 Studio, an exclusive network for accomplished professionals of color. Porter is also the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the career advancement platform Jopwell, the host of the Harvard Business Review podcast Race at Work , and the author of two books, including 2019’s Let Them See You . Porter joins the show to discuss how 2045 Studio is harnessing community to empower professionals of color to succeed, how to establish trust within a communi...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 216
Grant Mitchell is a seasoned entrepreneur, operator, and investor in the areas of health, technology, and machine learning. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Every Cure, where he uses AI to research rare diseases and conduct drug repurposing. Grant joins the show to discuss the use of AI in rare drug research, the role of translational scientists, neglected knowledge, and MUCH MORE! Important Links: Every Cure Website Dr. Grant’s Twitter Dr. Grant’s LinkedIn Show Notes: The Organizationa...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Author and friend-of-the-show Jimmy Soni returns to discuss the future of publishing, the changing world of book marketing, the courage of creative risk, and MUCH more! Important Links: Jimmy’s website Jimmy’s Twitter The Great Reshuffle Show Notes: Why Traditional Publishing is in Stasis A Case of Broken Incentives The Changing World of Book Marketing & the Case for Patience Talent Spotting & Creative Risk The Challenge of Self-Publishing Experiment, Experiment, Experiment Taylor Swift, Michael...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 214
Arjun Khemani is a 17-year-old writer and podcaster who dropped out of high school to help lead support at Airchat, the social network co-founded by Naval Ravikant. As the host of the Arjun Khemani podcast, Arjun has spoken to a wide range of guests including David Deutsch, David Perell and Naval Ravikant. His Substack, Progress Good, “ serves as a defense against the anti-Enlightenment tradition, exploring progress, rationality, and optimism. ” Arjun joins the show to discuss why education shou...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 213
Eddy Elfenbein is an OG finance blogger, ETF manager, and FinTwit legend, with over 25 years of experience working in and around Wall Street. Eddy joins the show to discuss the story behind his longtime blog - Crossing Wall Street (CWS), the origins of his famous Buy List, his ETF journey, his philosophy as an investor, and much more! Important Links: Eddy’s Twitter Eddy’s Blog (Crossing Wall Street) Eddy’s Substack The Myth of 1926 Show Notes: Origins of a Wall Street Blogger Bypassing the Gate...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 212
Friend-of-the-show Anna Gát returns to discuss… well… pretty much everything! On April 13th, O’Shaughnessy Ventures and Interintellect are co-hosting a Future of Publishing event at the beautiful Pratt Mansion in NYC. We’re bringing together established publishers, online writers, new publishing houses, journalists, technologists, authors and more to rethink and reimagine how ideas are spread in our changing world. Confirmed speakers include Coleman Hughes , Tara Isabella Burton , Tamara Winter ...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 211
The inimitable Visakan Veerasamy returns for a characteristically wide-ranging discussion… Important Links: Visa's Website Visa's Twitter Visa's Youtube Visa’s Previous Episode Visa’s Post-Episode Thread Show Notes: Life as a Dad A Conversation With David Deutsch Change, Courage, Curiosity & Creativity Possibility Space & the Problem of Wretchedness A Good Blog Post Can Change the World The Outdated Language of Counterculture Colliding Our Reality Tunnels Imperfection Breeds Creativity We Are Co...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 210
Brendan McCord is the founder of Cosmos Institute — a non-profit dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and philosophy. Brendan joins the show to discuss Cosmos’ origins, the pursuit of philosophy as a technologist, the different schools of thought in AI, complex adaptive systems and MUCH more! Important Links: Brendan McCord’s Reading List Cosmos Institute Substack Brendan’s Twitter Show Notes: The Genesis of the Cosmos Institute Philosophy as a Quixotic Pursuit The Man of the System Dil...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 209
Alex Komoroske has spent his career studying, writing about, and working in complex adaptive systems. He has published multiple essays on topics like Schelling points in organizations, why debate should be collaborative, and how to ensure resilient growth in harsh environments. Alex has also worked as a product manager and in corporate strategy at Google and Stripe. Alex joins the show to discuss how to escape busyness, why heroism is overrated, the different types of magic, and MUCH more! Impor...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 208
