Mixed Mental Arts - podcast cover

Mixed Mental Arts

Bryan Callen, Hunter Maatsmixedmentalarts.online
As kids, we're like little sponges blindly copying culture from the people around us. The cultures into which we were all born evolved to fit very old agricultural environments. Each contains timeless wisdom about human affairs but none of them is ideally suited to navigating the ever-changing environment in which we find ourselves. The goal of Mixed Mental Arts is to steal the best cultural software from everywhere and apply the core principle of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." Welcome to the dojo! We're excited to learn from you.
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Episodes

Ep 365 - Caroline Criado Perez

Bryan Callen and today's guest, Caroline Criado-Perez, have very different feeeeeeelings about the word feminism. For Bryan, feminism is a bit of a dirty word which he associates with well-meaning but misguided Social Justice Warriors on a crusade to remake the world in denial of the facts. For Caroline, feminism is a noble cause that aims to make the world fair and equal for all regardless of gender. And yet, in spite of their feelings about the word feminism, the case that Caroline makes in he...

Jan 15, 20201 hr 14 min

Ep 364 - Mark Manson

When Mark Manson wrote "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck," he couldn't have anticipated what a tremendous success it would be or that with that success there would be new challenges. Namely, now what? Mark had everything he'd ever wanted and had to face the pressure of a second act. Could he repeat that success? And what if nobody liked his second book? Fortunately, as an F-bomb philosopher, Mark was able to channel the power of his own advice and the life-changing perspective that comes from...

Dec 15, 201950 min

Ep 363 - Cailin O'Connor

In an age of fake news and alternative facts, Cailin O'Connor's "The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread" could not be better timed. With fantastic historical examples and the latest science, this episode forces everyone to reflect on how we form our beliefs and how we can all play our role in creating a healthier information space. Cailin O'Connor is an Associate Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science and a member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science at the Univer...

Nov 15, 20191 hr 19 min

Ep 362 - Jonathan Haidt

Although Bryan and Hunter talk about Jon Haidt all the time, this is actually only Jon's second appearance on the podcast. It was well worth the wait. Having read Jon's books many times and interviewed many of his peers, this podcast was a fantastic opportunity to get stuck in and re-examine the world through the lens of both ancient wisdom and modern science.

Oct 15, 20191 hr 2 min

Hiatus is Over!

While Bryan has been busy filming his new spinoff Schooled, Hunter has been working hard to figure out how to take Mixed Mental Arts to the next level. We've had so much fun sharing the best ideas we've found in books. We can't wait to share them with an even wider audience. But in the meantime, we will be releasing new episodes every so often.

Oct 15, 201958 sec

Ep 356 - A Better Way To Help: Dambisa Moyo

Dambisa Moyo is from Zambia. She's studied the effect of foreign aid on the economies of developing nations. She finds it lacking in many respects. Her new book is Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth and How to Fix It. You can go to mixedmentalarts.online and click on our amazon link to get a hold of Dambisa Moyo's new book, and we'll get a cut of the money. Contribute to us on Patreon for early podcasts releases and other promises!

Jun 24, 20181 hr 3 min

Ep 355 - Learning Through Adversity: Howard Bloom

Howard Bloom developed chronic fatigue syndrome in 1988. That didn't stop him from writing a bunch of books. His most recent book is How I Accidentally Started the Sixties, which is a memoir.

Jun 18, 20181 hr 59 min

Ep 354 - Talking Creativity and Corgis with Allen Gannett

Allen Gannett is the author of The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time and he helps debunk genius myths. That's why Hunter likes him. That's why Bryan likes him. We hope you like him too. Also, Allen loves corgis. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!...

Jun 11, 201846 min

Ep 352 - Real Science, Bro: Dr. Layne Norton

Layne Norton is an expert in nutrition. He's also an elite powerlifter and a professional body builder. In the continuing journey of sorting the wheat from the chaff, Bryan and Hunter learn about how to eat for performance.

May 28, 20181 hr 31 min

Ep 350 - Modern Maori: Te Miri Rangi

Te Miri Rangi is a Maori from New Zealand who instituted a program known as Whakapapa Fridays as an outreach to young people to instill a connection with their roots. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

May 18, 201848 min

Ep 349 - The Knowledge Frontier: Cesar Hidalgo

Cesar Hidalgo is the directer of the Collective Learning Group at the MIT media lab,. His book Why Information Grows combines physics and economics to give a new take on economic growth in the 21st century. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

May 14, 20181 hr 6 min

Ep 348 - Con Body: Coss Marte

Coss Marte did 4 years in state prison for drug trafficking. While in prison, he became interested in physical training. Now he runs a fitness studio in New York where he hires former inmates and trains people on how to improve their fitness. He's literally turning lives around.

May 09, 201837 min

Idea Quickie 8: Way Back with Big Mike (Repost)

From June, 2014 Bryan and Big Mike talked about everything from the History of Western Philosophy, to capital punishment in Saudi Arabia. Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our Patreon!

May 09, 20181 hr 2 min

Ep 346 - Getting to the Root of the Problem: Lawrence Lessig

Lawrence Lessig is a law professor at Harvard, and a friend of the podcast. He ran for the Democratic party nomination in the 2016 presidential election, and was boxed out because he wasn't playing the money game required to compete for elections in the United States. That money problem is the key issue he tackles in his book Republic Lost . Bryan and Hunter get fired up when talking to Lawrence, and this was no exception. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, ...

May 07, 201843 min

Ep 345 - Eat the World: Bryan Edward Hill

Bryan Edward Hill is an entertainment industry consultant, author, screenwriter, musician, graphic novelist, and graphic designer. Bryan and Hunter tease out some of his writing skills and how this all connects to psychology, culture, morality, and the monsters within. Honorable Mention to Drake.

May 04, 20181 hr 35 min

Ep 344 - Ride Hard: Kyle Thiermann

Kyle Thiermann, born 1990, is a professional surfer, podcaster, and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, CA. His podcast is The Kyle Thiermann Show. In this podcast, Bryan and Hunter learn about conservation and oceanography, as well as surfer culture. Don't forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we're doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen can get a focus group for podcast names, or something like that, and use our Amazon affiliate links!...

Apr 30, 201859 minEp. 344

Ep 343 - Own It: Aubrey Marcus

Aubrey Marcus is the purveyor of Onnit. He wrote a new book, Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex. In this interview, Bryan and Hunter delve deep into the concept of human optimization and continue the love fest that accompanies Aubrey, because everyone loves him. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!...

Apr 27, 20181 hr 2 minEp. 343

Ep 342 - Balancing Wealth: Mark Blyth

Mark Blyth is a friend of the podcast and an economist at Brown University. Of note in this episode: a college professor pays a marginal tax rate higher than corporations. What matters is paying fair shares, so people like Bryan Callen don't have to pay extra. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon, use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!

Apr 23, 20181 hr 6 minEp. 342

Ep 341 - Negotiate: Former FBI Hostage Negotiator Gary Noesner

Gary Noesner was a hostage negotiator. He was at Waco. His stories are great. In this episode of Mixed Mental Arts, Gary breaks down the psychology of hostage negotiation and interrogation. His book is Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon , use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media!...

Apr 20, 201858 minEp. 341

Idea Quickie 7: Know Yourself, Train Yourself (Repost)

In this episode, Bryan and Hunter talk about Descartes Error and The Happiness Hypothesis. Humans are bound by their cognitive biases, their emotions, which color their reason. Knowing this aspect of human cognition is critical to better approaching life. From October, 2016. Be sure to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online/, support us on Patreon , use our Amazon affiliate, and follow us on social media! https://www.patreon.com/mixedmentalarts...

Apr 18, 20181 hr 7 minEp. 340

Ep 339 - Write With Your Body: Ed Solomon and Alex Kurtzman

Ed Solomon is a friend of the show and the writer behind Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Men in Black, and Mosaic. He brought along Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of Star Trek, Transformers, and People Like Us. Bryan Callen shares his desire to be a great writer, and gets lessons. Hunter Maats giggles and adds the glue to stick the threads of narrative together. Don't forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we're doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon...

Apr 16, 20181 hr 20 minEp. 339

Ep 338 - Innovative Metaphor: Ken Gordon

Ken Gordon's company helped invent the Swiffer, portable insulin pumps, and much much more. In this episode of Mixed Mental Arts, he shares how his innovation process is based so much on literature and metaphor. Don't forget to go to https://mixedmentalarts.online for all the updates of what we're doing! Social media, too! Give us money on Patreon so Bryan Callen invent better sex robots, or something like that, and use our Amazon affiliate links!...

Apr 13, 20181 hr 17 minEp. 338

Idea Quickie 6: Reflections (Repost)

From Oct 28, 2013 Bryan and Hunter take this episode to reflect on and synthesize everything they've learned over the course of the last dozen or so episodes recording the show together. From the philosophy of Professor Dan Robinson to understanding human memory with Josh Foer, it's been a wild ride. This was a much needed opportunity to digest all they'd learned and pull out the big overarching lessons they've learned in talking to so many awesome guests. Go to our website, https://mixedmentala...

Apr 11, 201859 min
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