Modern Wisdom - podcast cover

Modern Wisdom

Chris Williamsonchriswillx.com
Life is hard. This podcast will help. Lessons from the greatest thinkers on the planet with Chris Williamson. Including guests like David Goggins, Dr Jordan Peterson, Naval Ravikant, Sam Harris, Jocko Willink, Dr Andrew Huberman, Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett, Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, Matthew McConaughey, Alain de Botton, Alex Hormozi, Tony Robbins, Chris Bumstead, Mark Manson and more.
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Episodes

#388 - David Pakman - Moving Politics Past Identity

David Pakman is a political commentator and host of The David Pakman Show. The Left and The Right really aren't talking very well at the moment. It feels like if people don't have the same political leaning, they see the world in an entirely different way, whether that's disagreements on identity, health, policy, priorities or babymaking. Expect to learn David Pakman's explanation for why communication from Left to Right seems so strained, whether identity politics really takes up as much focus ...

Oct 23, 20211 hr 1 minEp. 388

#387 - Paige Harden - Are Human Genetics An Unfair Lottery?

Kathryn Paige Harden is a psychologist and behavioural geneticist, Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas and an author. The goal of social equality is to give everyone a fair opportunity to achieve in life. But even if advantages and disadvantages in the environment are equalised, all of us are starting at different positions genetically because we get far more than just environment from our parents. Paige is trying to work out how DNA can be integrated into social equality. Expect ...

Oct 21, 20211 hr 7 minEp. 387

#386 - Daniel Sloss - How To Stop Hating Your Love Life

Daniel Sloss is a comedian, podcaster & now an author. Everyone you hate is going to die. But so is everyone you love. And so are you. Before that happens, you need to live and breathe and make some friends and hopefully find a partner and start a family and have fun. Today we get to hear Daniel's best advice for how to avoid total failure at this. Expect to learn why boomers would probably get rekt on Tinder, what Daniel's thoughts are on his Netflix Special Jigsaw now as a happily engaged ...

Oct 18, 20211 hr 8 minEp. 386

#385 - Gurwinder Bhogal - 15 Mental Models To Understand Psychology

Gurwinder Bhogal is a programmer and a writer. I got tagged in a monstrous thread of Gurwinder's on Twitter exploring human nature, cognitive biases, mental models, status games, crowd behaviour and social media. It's one of the best things I've read this year, so I just had to bring him on. Expect to learn how saying ridiculous things can be a test of loyalty, why people can be too stupid to know that they're stupid, why million-to-one odds happen 8 times a day in New York City, why The Bullshi...

Oct 16, 20211 hr 29 minEp. 385

#384 - Zack Telander - The Female Orgasm, CrossFit & Vasectomies

Zack Telander is a weightlifter, coach & YouTuber. ZT joins me to talk about the world's most pressing issues like whether men should be forced to get vasectomies at age 40, if Jon Jones can ever find redemption, why New Zealand's football team name is problematic, why the female orgasm is so elusive, how Zack got involved in internet beef with a big Texan man, whether CrossFit has rampant steroid use and much more... Sponsors: Get 20% discount on Reebok’s entire range including the amazing ...

Oct 14, 20211 hr 16 minEp. 384

#383 - Robert Greene - 12 Laws Of Power & Human Nature

Robert Greene is an author and historian. Many people want and need power in life, but almost none of us admit it. Robert's new book compiles 366 of his best lessons on power, seduction, human nature and mastery, and today we get to go through my favourites. Expect to learn how remaining absent can increase respect, why you should suffer fools gladly, why focussing on actions not words is the best way to judge someone's character, how to avoid losing your sanity in a group and much more... Spons...

Oct 11, 20211 hr 5 minEp. 383

#382 - Charles Eisenstein - Why Is The Climate Debate Such A Mess?

Charles Eisenstein is a public speaker and author specialising in the ecology movement. The climate debate is chaos. Activists and skeptics can't talk to each other and for every article suggesting one point of view there's another refuting it. People are either malicious world-killers or useful idiot dupes. Expect to learn why the climate change debate is so difficult to navigate, why it's supposedly impossible to find an impartial climate scientist, Charles' suggestions for how to navigate thi...

Oct 09, 202153 minEp. 382

#381 - General Stanley McChrystal - Military Strategies For Dealing With Risk

Stanley McChrystal is a retired four-star general, the former commander of the US and International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan, a CEO and an author. Risk is a constant throughout life. It's permanently shaping our individual and organisational behaviour but humans are inherently bad at judging and adapting to risk. After 34 years of dealing with mortal risk in the field of combat, Stanley has a good insight into a better approach. Sponsors: Get 20% discount on the highest quality ...

Oct 07, 20211 hrEp. 381

#380 - Dan Jones - Is Genghis Khan Harder Than Jocko Willink?

Dan Jones is a historian, TV presenter and an author. Dan took a break from walking about great British castles to write a book about the 1000 years of the Middle Ages. Knights and Templars and Monks and Mongols and Barbarians. Expect to learn why Genghis Khan was harder than Jocko Willink, Dan's best ever finish in Peloton, why I won't be allowed to go as a wizard to his imaginary medieval fancy dress party, just how bad a pandemic in the Middle Ages was, why Rome got rekt by climate change and...

Oct 04, 20211 hr 11 minEp. 380

#379 - Rupert Sheldrake - Does Nature Have A Hidden Memory?

Rupert Sheldrake PhD is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of Morphic Resonance. Morphic Resonance is the idea of mysterious telepathy-type connections between organisms and of collective memories within species. Rupert has spent 30 years investigating and researching this phenomenon, much to the annoyance of the scientific community. Expect to learn why it is that rats who are taught to escape from a maze have children who are able to escape it more quickly and why rats in oth...

Oct 02, 20211 hr 5 minEp. 379

#378 - Ryan Holiday - Finding Courage & Overcoming Fear

Ryan Holiday is a podcaster, marketer and an author. Ryan's next series of books are on the four cardinal virtues of the Stoics with courage being the first and most fundamental. Courage isn't the sort of trait you consider as modern or sexy or massively advantageous when the world isn't at war. But having the ability to overcome your fears is a superpower no matter who you are. Expect to learn how to deal with self doubt in the face of fear, how to overcome social pressure, why Winston Churchil...

Sep 30, 20211 hr 6 minEp. 378

#377 - Brad Stulberg - 6 Principles To Stop Feeling So Frantic

Brad Stulberg is an expert in peak performance, a coach and an author. The pressure we put on ourselves to achieve can be intense. But what is the point of success if it crushes your spirit while you're doing it? Brad has coached some of the world's top performers and come up with 6 principles for groundedness - a path to flourishing which feeds rather than crushes your soul. Expect to learn why your performance will improve if you come from a place of enoughness, the crucial difference between ...

Sep 27, 20211 hr 12 minEp. 377

#376 - Beau Lotto - The Neuroscience Of Awe, Distraction and Anxiety

Beau Lotto is is a professor of Neuroscience at the University of London and an author. Beau is the founder of the Lab Of Misfits which he describes as "lunatic fringe neuroscience". He's created nightclubs in his lab where every action people take is measured, he's locked people in dark rooms and waited to see what happens and he's got actors to have a fit on the floor to observe how people respond. Expect to learn the neuroscience of why awe makes us feel so connected to the world around us, h...

Sep 25, 20211 hr 19 minEp. 376

#375 - Aubrey Marcus - Succeeding In Life, Business & Marriage

Aubrey Marcus is a podcaster, author and founder. Aubrey just sold his company Onnit to Unilever for a huge undisclosed amount and he just got married after years of polyamory. How do you find fulfilment in life when all the pursuits which used to give you meaning are now completed? Expect to learn what it feels like to wake up with millions and millions of dollars in your bank account one day, the dangers of constantly desiring validation, how Aubrey would suggest someone get into psychedelic t...

Sep 23, 20211 hr 13 minEp. 375

#374 - Will Storr - How To Play The Status Game

Will Storr is an award winning author and journalist. Status is the original human currency. Prestige, renown, respect and admiration are all sought after because it gave our ancestors better access to mates, safety and resources. Now the modern era has arrived, the lions are no longer chasing us but our desire for status is a strong as ever. Expect to learn why growing a huge yam can make you the favourite in your tribe, why tall poppy syndrome exists, the reason for our conscience, the risks o...

Sep 20, 20211 hr 15 minEp. 374

#373 - Patrick Moore - Greenpeace's Ex-President - Is Climate Change A Hoax?

Patrick Moore is the Co-Founder & Ex-President of Greenpeace and an author. Climate change has been at the forefront of political, cultural and social battles for the last 40 years. Patrick had a front-row seat as he organised the environmental movement's first ever major demonstration, but now he has some real problems with the direction it's heading in. Expect to learn Patrick's thoughts on humanity's impact on global warming temperatures, his opinion on Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thun...

Sep 18, 20211 hr 36 minEp. 373

#372 - Zack Telander - Elon Musk, Texas & Men Leaving College

Zack Telander is a weightlifter, coach & YouTuber. ZT joins me to talk about the world's most pressing issues like why Elon Musk's silence is violence, why The Satanic Temple is stepping into Texas' abortion debate, why I got involved in TikTok drama, the implications of men leaving college at record rates, whether Joe Rogan will sue CNN, why the new Matrix trailer is so good, my new obsession with AirSoft YouTube and much more... Sponsors: Get 5 days unlimited access to Shortform for free a...

Sep 16, 20211 hr 10 minEp. 372

#371 - Ollie Marchon - Identity Change & Personal Growth

Ollie Marchon is a coach, Nike Master Trainer and business owner. The last year has caused everyone to ask some big questions about life direction. Change is often good but always scary and learning to find your place in a new world takes a lot of work, so how has Ollie managed to balance his family, work, business, coaching and training with finding a new identity. Expect to learn what happens when you've outgrown an old version of you but don't know who you are next, how to ruthlessly chase do...

Sep 13, 20211 hr 6 minEp. 371

#370 - James Bloodworth - Understanding The Modern Dating Economy

James Bloodworth is a journalist, podcaster and an author. The modern dating market is a mess. From polyamory to OnlyFans, Tinder to Trad Wives. No one really knows the best approach for navigating these waters, and the lessons from our parents no longer apply. James has dedicated an entire podcast series to the most interesting parts of the dating economy and today we're going through them. Expect to learn whether porn addiction is really a thing, why sexual inequality is the only inequality no...

Sep 11, 20211 hr 15 minEp. 370

#369 - Mark Williams-Thomas - The Story Of Exposing Jimmy Savile

Mark Williams-Thomas is an investigative journalist, an author and former police detective. True crime documentaries are everywhere, and you've probably seen Mark in many of them. He was the man responsible for investigating and exposing Jimmy Savile which then lead to an avalanche of other abusers being arrested. Today we get an insight into what it's like to be a real life Sherlock Holmes. Expect to learn who are the most disturbing criminals that Mark Williams-Thomas has ever met, what the bi...

Sep 09, 20211 hr 1 minEp. 369

#368 - Unjaded Jade - How To Study For Any Exam

Jade Bowler is a YouTuber and an author. It's weird that we spend the first 18 years of our lives desperately trying to study and revise for exams, but no one ever actually teaches us how to study or revise. Thankfully Jade is kind of a professional nerd and StudyTuber, and today she breaks down exactly what science says are the best ways to own an exam. Expect to learn the fundamental principles for remembering anything, Jade's most effective strategies for revision, how to prepare for the fina...

Sep 06, 202159 minEp. 368

#367 - Dr Dan Engle - How MDMA Is Transforming Mental Health

Dr. Dan Engle is an MD, the Founder and Medical Director of Kuya Institute for Transformational Medicine and an author. For the last 50 years, MDMA has been illegal whilst psychological trauma and depression has mostly been treated by trying to negate their symptoms through medication. After decades of research and lobbying, we are finally on the verge of being able to treat the root causes of psychological pain, by using the very same drug which has been around since 1912. Expect to learn what ...

Sep 04, 20211 hr 32 minEp. 367

#366 - Dr Clay Routledge - A Psychologist's Tips To Find Meaning

Dr Clay Routledge is a Professor of Management at North Dakota State University and an author. How to find meaning in life is a question that's been grappled with for thousands of years. As an Existential Psychologist, Clay uses modern methods to answer these ancient questions and provides an awesome overview of our current understanding of what meaning is, why it's important and how to attain it. Expect to learn why nature would design a creature that requires meaning to feel fulfilled, the mos...

Sep 02, 20211 hr 14 minEp. 366

#365 - Oliver Burkeman - How To Properly Manage Your Time

Oliver Burkeman is a journalist and an author. Time is something we all wish we had more of and tons of productivity gurus have proposed strategies to stop it from slipping through our fingers. After years of investigating and reporting on cutting-edge productivity for The Guardian, Oliver has arrived at a slightly different worldview of time and how we should manage it. Expect to learn why becoming more efficient often just leads to you getting more useless work done, the fundamental problems w...

Aug 30, 20211 hr 5 minEp. 365

#364 - Stuart Russell - The Terrifying Problem Of AI Control

Stuart Russell is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California and an author. Programming machines to do what we want them to is a challenge. The consequences of getting this wrong become very grave if that machine is superintelligent with essentially limitless resources and no regard for humanity's wellbeing. Stuart literally wrote the textbook on Artificial Intelligence which is now used in hundreds of countries, so hopefully he's got an answer to perhaps the most important ...

Aug 28, 20211 hr 49 minEp. 364

#363 - Naama Kates - Investigating The Incel Community

Naama Kates is a writer, producer and creator of the Incel Podcast. The world of involuntary celibates continues to be thrust into the public limelight with incidents in the United States and most recently in the UK with Jake Davison's shooting in Plymouth. Naama has spent years investigating incels so I figured she would be a good place to go to understand what's happening. Expect to learn whether the incel community is a terrorist organisation, why the incel culture can trap members inside of ...

Aug 26, 20211 hr 13 minEp. 363

#362 - James Smith - Dating, Finances & Happiness

James Smith is a PT and not a life coach. It's a weird time to be alive. The rules are completely out of the window for dating, finding a balance between socialising and work is basically impossible, there are a million different ways to organise your personal finances and that's before you even start to throw Tinder into the mix. Expect to learn why James is actually glad to be back from Australia, the optimal approach for getting a kangaroo to tap out in BJJ, what's interesting about being a g...

Aug 23, 20211 hr 24 minEp. 362

#361 - Darren Grimes - What The Right Is Getting Wrong

Darren Grimes is a political commentator and a YouTuber. Conservatism might be the least sexy political viewpoint there is. The righthand side of the aisle is hardly setting anyone's pants ablaze and almost of feels like a movement that should come wrapped in a flat cap and a smoking jacket. Is this just the way things are? Expect to learn whether olympic athletes should be figureheads for politics, why Darren still receives so much Brexit hate 4 years later, whether UK Political Commentator Cel...

Aug 21, 20211 hr 22 minEp. 361

#360 - Incels, Afghanistan & Apple's Privacy Blunder

Jonny & Yusef join me today as we discuss recent news stories including why breastfeeding now needs recategorising to be more inclusive, how being injected with the flu might improve your lifting numbers, whether the incel movement caused the Plymouth shooting, why Apple's new privacy updates are problematic for privacy and much more... Sponsors: Get 20% discount on the highest quality CBD Products from Pure Sport at https://puresportcbd.com/modernwisdom (use code: MW20) Get perfect teeth 70...

Aug 19, 20211 hr 17 minEp. 360

#359 - Stephen Davis - The Secrets Of British Airways Flight 149

Stephen Davis is an investigative reporter and an author. On August 1st 1990, a British Airways flight departed London for Kuwait, on board were nearly 400 passengers including 9 secret service operatives. They landed in a war zone as Sadam Hussein's army rolled into Kuwait and took them hostage. For the next 5 months they were used as human shields, and for the last 30 years BA and the UK Government has covered up why they were really there and what happened. Stephen has been investigating this...

Aug 16, 20211 hr 8 minEp. 359
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