2024 is nearly over, so I decided to put together a compilation of some of my favourite moments from the show over the last year. It was going to be a top 10, but I couldn't choose, so it's 11. Expect to learn Andrew Huberman's best advice on how to become a morning person, why Oliver Burkeman thinks you should stop trying to control your life, the reason Eric Weinstein thinks more young men are becoming Right Wing, Dr Mike Israetel's most important advice for choosing muscle-building exercises,...
Dec 28, 2024•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 882
I'm back on my old couch in Newcastle with Jonny, Yusef & George to catch up on what they've learned, their best hacks and new year's resolutions for 2025. Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Mast...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 881
Greg McKeown is an author, public speaker, and leadership consultant Success requires you to focus on what truly matters. But in the modern world there are more distractions than ever before. So how should you best choose what to prioritise, and what are the pitfalls to avoid? Expect to learn how Essentialism has evolved over the past decade, why saying no is so hard and how to get better at saying it, how to counteract your desire for novelty, why it’s so difficult to cut your losses, how to us...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 880
Get my free End Of Year Review Template here - https://chriswillx.com/review/ It’s the end of 2024 and to celebrate I thought I’d run through some of the best lessons I’ve picked up over the last 12 months. This year has had over 10,000 minutes of episodes produced so there was a lot to choose from but I ended up settling on 16 insights from some of my favourite conversations both inside and outside of the podcast. Expect to learn what the insecure overachiever mindset is, whether success has to...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 879
David Senra is the host of Founders podcast and an investor. Every success story is like a unique song, composed with different instruments. Yet, when you listen closely, many of them share the same underlying rhythms. So, what are the core principles that play a key role in the lessons of the most successful individuals from history? Expect to learn why excellence is defined by the capacity to take & manage pain, why having high powered relationships is the secret to running the world, if self-...
Dec 16, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 878
Marc Andreessen is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. America is entering a new chapter. With the recent election in the past, sweeping changes on the horizon, and a lot of uncertainty. Just how optimistic should we be about the upheaval the world is about to face? Expect to learn how we ended up on our current timeline, just how big the civil war is within the Democratic party right now, Marc’s thoughts on the motives and response to the Brian Thompson ki...
Dec 14, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 877
Michael Gelb is an executive coach, speaker, and an author. Given that Leonardo da Vinci is one of history’s greatest minds, presumably we can learn a lot from the life, lessons and background of him. Michael is one of the world's leading writers on the man and today we get to discover his 7 most important rules for thinking like Leonardo. Expect to learn Leonardo da Vinci’s unique way of assessing problems, what Leonardo's demeanour was like as a person, if Leonardo was naturally gifted, what a...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 876
Nedd Brockmann is an Australian ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. Is good mental health the same as strong mental toughness? Nedd has completed some of the most famous endurance feats in Australia, so what is driving him? And does the world actually understand his mission? Expect to learn why Nedd ran 1000 miles around a track raising over $2.5M for charity, Nedd’s reaction to the accusation that his event was just ’just toxic masculinity rebranded”, what Nedd’s die...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 875
Michael Morris is a professor of cultural psychology at Columbia University and an author. Why are humans so tribal? Despite our capacity for empathy and inclusion, why do we always gravitate toward groups of similar individuals? And is there such a thing as good tribalism? Expect to learn why tribalism exists and how it evolved in humans, why we can hate people outside of our group and why we become hostile, if the modern world has worsened tribal instincts, whether tribalism is actually a good...
Dec 07, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 874
Lionel Page is a professor at the University of Queensland and an author. Lionel is one of my favourite writers so I had to bring him on to uncover the invisible psychology which drives our happiness. How can we optimise for wellbeing in a world full of distractions and pressures? Why does persistent happiness remain so elusive, and what shifts can help us build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with it? Expect to learn what everyone gets wrong when thinking about happiness, the most im...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 873
Dr Mike Israetel is a Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Lehman College and the Co-Founder of Renaissance Periodization. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, the idea of humans living forever feels within reach. But what’s the truth about extending our lives? What does the latest science reveal about our pursuit of extended lifespan? Expect to learn the biggest determining factors to increase longevity, the role of genetics, whether fasting is the ultimate hack, how steroid u...
Dec 02, 2024•2 hr•Ep. 872
Dave Smith is a stand-up comedian, podcaster and a political commentator. Why do so many Americans distrust the media? In fact, how can anyone trust the media when they has been proven wrong time and again? And is it possible to salvage this channel of public communication? Expect to learn what Dave thinks of the current state of the media, why they refuse to ever admit they're wrong, how much the media will learn from the recent election outcome, Dave’s thoughts on users leaving X for Bluesky, ...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 871
Cenk Uygur is a political commentator, former attorney and founder of The Young Turks,. The dust has settled after the US election, so what is the post-mortem? As the founder of the biggest Left-leaning show in the world, why does Cenk have so many problems with the way the Left is constructed right now, and how can they improve? Expect to learn if Joe Rogan is more credible than The View, if Elon will give Cenk the resources to run the Pentagon’s budget, whether it's possible for the left to st...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 870
Dewayne Noel is a wrangler, cowboy, educator, and founder of Dry Creek Wrangler School. Hustle culture often tells us that working harder is the only way to succeed—grinding through 80-hour weeks on 4 hours of sleep per night. But what if the real solution isn’t about working harder, but finding balance? What if true success lies in slowing down, savouring life, smoking a cigar on the porch occasionally and being fully present. How differently might we define success then? Expect to learn who Dr...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 869
Mads Larsen is a researcher who focuses on the history of human mating ideologies. The truth can be a tough pill to swallow, but when it comes to saving humanity, even the hardest truth is better than the softest lie. So why is Mads facing outrage for speaking a truth that could save a country? Expect to learn why Mads was canceled for talking about Norway's declining birth rates, the key reasons why people aren’t having more kids, the underlying psychology behind modern mating, the potential in...
Nov 23, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 868
Vani Hari is an author, activist, and founder of Food Babe. Something is profoundly wrong with America’s food industry. From the scientists shaping America's understanding to the regulatory bodies meant to protect us, there are deep-seated problems in the system. The fight to restore America’s health has begun, but corruption and troubling ingredients in our food supply are just the tip of the iceberg. Expect to learn why Vani Hari took her fight straight to the front steps of Kellogg's headquar...
Nov 21, 2024•57 min•Ep. 867
Jesse James West is a YouTuber and an athlete. Fitness is supposed to be enjoyable. And so is creating content about your favourite hobbies. But what about the dark side you don't see in your favourite influencers? How low were the moments they got to and what are the lessons to take away? Expect to learn how to overcome the fear and judgement of others, what running every day for 30 days does to your physique, Jesse’s experience from his first time competing in bodybuilding, the current sate of...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 866
Matthew Syed is a journalist, author and former champion table tennis player. To master anything, you have to put in the time. But what are the key mindset principles that all resilient, high performers have? Expect to learn how people can learn more effectively from failure, the skill you need to develop to overcome the fear of risk, whether the 10,000 hours rule is the actual key to mastery, Matthew's new theory on why the modern generations are struggling so much and much more... Sponsors: Se...
Nov 16, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 865
Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, an author and an expert on ancient philosophy. If you were to divide philosophy into two eras, it would be pre-Socratic and post-Socratic. Socrates is history's greatest philosopher, and today we get to discover new lessons about his life and his teachings. Expect to learn the benefits of thinking like Socrates, why he was so influential, what the Socratic method actually is, the hidden gem lessons from Socrates on how to live a good li...
Nov 14, 2024•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 864
Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award winning actor, a producer and an author. Expect to learn what “Don’t half-ass it” means, the story of how Matthew got his iconic starting role in Dazed & Confused, how to see the upside during any crisis, why having a sense of humour should be your default emotion, McConaughey’s own version of his Lonely Chapter, when you should listen to your gut versus your head, why McConaughey turned down $14.5M to pursue something great, Matthew's reflections on the 1...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 863
Visakan Veerasamy is a writer and an entrepreneur. It's perhaps the biggest competitive advantage no one ever talks about because it's so obvious. But just what does it mean to be a serious person? And if it's such a help, why is it so hard to find? Expect to learn why being serious is so important, how to deal with being too harsh on yourself and holding high expectations of others, how to get better at being disliked, the relationship between seriousness and earnestness, ways to deal with proc...
Nov 09, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 862
Dr Marissa Harrison is a psychologist, professor, researcher and an author. All the most infamous serial killers are men? But 1 in 6 serial killers are women - a group who have totally slipped under the radar. So who are these women? What are their motives and why haven’t we heard of them? Expect to learn why female serial killers are neglected in research, what the average demographic of a female serial killer is, who are the most likely victims of a female serial killer, why they kill, the met...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 861
Sam Morril is a stand-up comedian, writer, and podcaster. America is a strange place, full of quirky customs and bizarre rituals, from tipping practices to unconventional dating trends. So I figured I'd ask one of my favourite comedians how to navigate this odd land. Expect to learn how long it really takes to adjust to NYC, why Sam felt like a medieval country bumpkin for a while, the surprising stats behind American passports, why Spanish supermarket pineapples are a dating hotspot, what Sam t...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 860
Ana Kasparian is a political commentator, journalist, and co-host of The Young Turks. When we talk with normal people about politics, we usually have more common ground than disagreement. So how have public politics become so polarised? Why does it feel so tribal? And is it really that unreasonable to hold beliefs from both sides? Expect to learn why Ana went independent and unaligned herself from the Democratic party, the issues Ana has with the political Left, why the Left are scared of speaki...
Nov 02, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 859
George from TheTinMen is a content creator, pro-men’s advocate and a researcher. Why is it so hard to advocate for the problems of boys and men? If truly we care about half of the population flourishing and living lives they enjoy, why is it so unpopular to talk about the challenges they're facing? Expect to learn what George thinks the current wold of advocacy for men looks like, why the press struggles to define what “healthy masculinity” is, the lessons we can learn from the rise of the Manos...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 858
Ryan Long is a comedian, writer, and filmmaker. The world feels like a comedy goldmine right now. From the upcoming election and DEI backlash to bizarre trends like Japanese and Indian fetish porn, P Diddy conspiracy theories, Hawk Tuah memes and Florida men doing Florida man things, obviously we need an expert like Ryan to help make sense of everything. Expect to learn why companies that embraced DEI are rolling back their support, the hottest Google search trends when you type in “my husband w...
Oct 28, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 857
Krystal Ball is the co host of Breaking Points, a political commentator and a podcaster. Politics has changed a lot over the last 4 years, and even more compared to a decade ago. And yet everything feels unreal, kind of like a pantomime. So, do elections even matter any more? Expect to learn if breaking stories have any real impact, whether Elon Musk is even influential in this election cycle, if Kamala is a change candidate or have incumbent legitimacy, the role of podcasts in deciding the futu...
Oct 26, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 856
Richard Reeves is a writer, researcher and the Founder of the American Institute for Boys & Men. Men have been struggling for a long time. What exactly is going on? What resources can genuinely help modern men, and how can we better understand the dynamics that are driving this decline in male wellbeing. Expect to learn why Obama endorsed Richard’s book, the scary trends about male suicide, why it's important for humans to feel needed, whether the Harris-Walz campaign has even considered men's e...
Oct 24, 2024•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 855
Graham Hancock is a journalist and an author known for his work on ancient civilisations. The Americas hold a profound secret. While human history is often traced back to other parts of the globe, Graham believes that evidence points to the Americas being inhabited far earlier than previously believed. So what is the true history of the Americas and how does it reshape our understanding of human civilisation? Expect to learn how Graham thinks that the first inhabitants of the Americas got there,...
Oct 21, 2024•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 854
Dr Andrew Thomas is a senior lecturer of psychology at Swansea University and a writer. The topic of involuntarily celibates is a spicy one. Half of the internet fears them and the other half pities them, very few have researched about why these communities come together and who constitutes them. Andrew's new work looks at this in fascinating detail. Expect to learn whether incels should be looked at from a mental health perspective, why there isn't more incel violence, what the word Himpathy me...
Oct 19, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 853
