Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are two of the greatest athletes of all time — Megan is an Olympic gold medalist and was named the best soccer player in the world by FIFA. Sue has won five of her own Olympic gold medals in basketball and four WNBA championships. Now that the couple have each retired from their legendary sports careers, they host a podcast together, a Touch More, and continue to play a major role in the meteoric rise of women’s sports. They talk with Adam about how to make a team grea...
Apr 01, 2025•42 min
David Fajgenbaum had his last rites read to him at 25 years old after a brutal struggle with an inflammatory disease that attacks the vital organs. As a medical student with two weeks left to live, he repurposed a drug and tested it on himself—and saved his own life. Now, he’s repeating the same process for many others through his nonprofit, Every Cure, with the mission of unlocking the full potential of existing drugs to treat every disease possible. David and Adam discuss the building blocks o...
Mar 25, 2025•40 min
Do you ever wish you could hibernate like a bear during the winter? Vladyslav Vyazovskiy thinks it might be possible. As a sleep physiologist at Oxford, Vladyslav studies why humans sleep and the sleep patterns of other species. He and Adam discuss the possibility of unlocking a hibernation ability in humans and its potential benefits – from curing cancer to enabling interplanetary travel. They also debunk some popular sleep misconceptions, debate the value of napping, and uncover just how littl...
Mar 18, 2025•39 min
Do you have an inner monologue? Ethan Kross is a psychologist and neuroscientist who studies our inner lives, from how you respond to the voice in your head to how you manage your emotions. Ethan and Adam compare notes on their inner voices (or lack thereof), share advice on how to calm an anxious mind, and discuss the benefits of mental time travel. They also analyze why venting can backfire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 11, 2025•38 min
Have you heard of the word sonder ? It’s the realization that each “random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” John Koenig introduced it in his book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows— a compilation of new words aiming to capture the nuance and complexity of emotions that can be hard to put a finger on. In this vocabulary-expanding episode, John and Adam explore the sense of loss upon finishing a great book or movie, the dread of chasing a dream, and the awe of human exis...
Mar 04, 2025•32 min
When talking and working with people from different cultures, sometimes meanings and intentions can get lost in translation. Erin Meyer is an expert on how we communicate and collaborate differently around the world. She and Adam discuss how cultural norms affect honesty and assertiveness, unpack the science behind some common American stereotypes, and identify strategies for understanding and bridging cultural divides. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hoste...
Feb 25, 2025•39 min
Seeking acceptance is a natural part of the human experience — but do you know how to dish it out? Clinical psychologist Caroline Fleck believes that validating others is a key to building stronger relationships. She and Adam discuss strategies for recognizing another person’s feelings, the distinction between empathetic validation and exaggerated praise, and why sometimes saying less is more. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Feb 18, 2025•37 min
Allison Sweet Grant is the author of the debut novel I Am the Cage — and also Adam’s wife. In this special episode, Allison and Adam dive into Allison’s book, inspired by her experience growing up with a congenital limb discrepancy and undergoing a complicated medical procedure at a formative age. They explore the lessons for identity, shame, trust, and agency. They also reflect on what they’ve taught each other about parenting, share practices that have helped them in their marriage, and discus...
Feb 11, 2025•42 min
As a public intellectual, activist and professor at Smith College, Loretta Ross is no stranger to confrontation and debate. But years of working to change the minds of others have led her to rethink her own ideas about approaching difficult conversations. Loretta and Adam discuss why shaming rarely changes behavior and her powerful alternative to cancel culture. They also reflect on personal moments of confrontation and explore strategies for talking others out of hate. Available transcripts for...
Feb 04, 2025•37 min
Sharon McMahon is a government expert, but that doesn’t mean she wants to run for office. As an author, podcaster and civics teacher, Sharon finds that her time is best spent kindly correcting people on the internet and leading her millions of Instagram followers — who call themselves the Governerds — in conversations about how to improve democracy. She joins Adam live at the Authors@Wharton series for an energetic discussion about American democracy, from the pitfalls of party loyalty to the be...
Jan 28, 2025•38 min
Adolescence can be an emotionally volatile time, and in the age of social media, concerns about teenage mental health are more pressing than ever — for teens and parents alike. Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist who specializes in teenagers and their mental health, consulting on the Pixar film Inside Out 2 and authoring the New York Times bestselling books Untangled , Under Pressure and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers . Lisa and Adam discuss the real problems facing teenagers today and ...
Jan 21, 2025•41 min
Who do you trust — and when? Rachel Botsman is a leading expert on trust in the modern world, and her new audiobook, How to Trust and Be Trusted , offers bold new ways of thinking about building, maintaining and restoring relationships. Rachel and Adam redefine trust, examine why we often trust the wrong people and question the assumption that transparency is always the solution to our trust issues. Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See ...
Jan 14, 2025•43 min
Sam Altman is the CEO and cofounder of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He and Adam discuss AI's advances in creativity and empathy, its ethical challenges, and the role of human oversight. Sam and Adam also discuss strategies for adapting to a changing world and their hopes for technology that enhances human progress while maintaining human values. Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 07, 2025•40 min
It's been 25 years since the concept of emotional intelligence exploded onto the scene. Cultural critic Merve Emre makes a bold case that in the wrong hands, it can be used to exploit people. We unpack the surprising roots of emotional intelligence, how it's been co-opted as a form of corporate control and why you might want to rethink some of your core assumptions about emotions at work. This episode originally aired on June 8, 2021. You can find the full transcript for this episode at go.ted.c...
Dec 31, 2024•54 min
Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is most famous for her comedic TV characters Elaine Benes in Seinfeld and Selina Meyer in Veep . But in recent years, she's been showing her dramatic chops, including in her latest film, Tuesday , in which she takes on grief, denial and death. She's also been winning awards as the host of her podcast Wiser Than Me . In this episode from On with Kara Swisher , Kara and Julia discuss how in-depth conversations with iconic older women have radicalized her, her concerns abo...
Dec 24, 2024•41 min
When Halla Tómasdóttir lost her bid for the Icelandic presidency in 2016, she wasn't sure she wanted to run again. But after battles with self-doubt, encouragement from her supporters and an epiphany about leadership, she ran again this year — and this time, she won. Halla joins Adam to discuss dealing with impostor syndrome, why leadership is worth the effort and how listening and asking questions can build trust with constituents and make you a stronger leader. The two also dig into the story ...
Dec 17, 2024•34 min
If you don't know Mark Rober, your kids do. He's best known for his viral engineering feats — like creating an obstacle course for squirrels, designing glitter bombs to get revenge on package thieves and building the world's largest Nerf gun. Before launching YouTube's most followed science channel, he was a NASA engineer, and he now runs his own company, CrunchLabs, designing monthly STEM subscription boxes that teach kids how to think, build, play and solve like engineers. Mark joins Adam to s...
Dec 10, 2024•41 min
Have you ever felt like your work colleagues sometimes act like animals? In this conversation, Jane Goodall and Adam take that idea literally, exploring what Jane's expertise on chimp behavior can teach us about how humans relate and organize. With grace and wisdom, she shares primal insights on how we acquire and keep power, the difference between being a leader and being a boss, and the role of patience in making discoveries and making a career. This episode was previously released on March 2,...
Dec 03, 2024•43 min
Nathan Myhrvold may be the closest thing we have to a modern-day Renaissance man. A cofounder, inventor, chef, photographer, dinosaur hunter, author and former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, Nathan infuses creativity and innovation into everything he does. Nathan and Adam dive into the science behind the creative process, discussing what it takes to spark imagination and fight groupthink. Nathan also shares his experience working with Stephen Hawking, and why he believes that an idea is ...
Nov 26, 2024•27 min
Criminologist Nick Cowen doesn't just analyze crime — he studies how to prevent it. As a professor at the University of Lincoln in the UK, he explores the unexpected factors that influence crime rates. Nick joins Adam to discuss how social norms and incentives helped the UK curb drunk driving, and the two talk through the science behind what actually drives individuals and societies to change outdated and dangerous behaviors. Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGsc...
Nov 19, 2024•33 min
Malcolm Gladwell joins Adam for a lively discussion and debate, recorded live at the Authors@Wharton series. More than 20 years after releasing his blockbuster book The Tipping Point , Malcolm has decided to rethink his first famous ideas by writing his new book, Revenge of the Tipping Point . He and Adam riff on the value of acknowledging our past mistakes, strategies for coping with failure and ways to avoid the traps of homogeneous cultures. They also spar about how to change college admissio...
Nov 12, 2024•46 min
Christina Tosi and Will Guidara have found many winning recipes — in food, business and love. Christina is the chef-owner at Milk Bar, a James Beard award winner and the author of multiple cookbooks. Will transformed Eleven Madison Park into a three-Michelin-star restaurant ranked among the world's best. The power couple joins Adam to share remarkable stories about their hospitality and food empires — and they share the secret sauce to their success: a commitment to serving others before yoursel...
Nov 05, 2024•34 min
Niall Ferguson is an intellectual provocateur. His specialty is counterfactual history — imagining how events could have unfolded differently. And he and Adam disagree on nearly everything. In this episode, Niall and Adam have a vigorous debate about the vital qualities of effective leadership in government, sports, business, and education. Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 29, 2024•40 min
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy thinks about public health holistically. Whether he's addressing youth mental health crises, the loneliness epidemic or serving on the White House's COVID-19 pandemic response team, Vivek is dedicated to improving well-being. In a live conversation, Vivek and Adam discuss the individual and collective foundations of belonging and wellness. Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Oct 22, 2024•32 min
You may think no leader could ever be too charismatic, but the evidence is clear: a dazzling personality doesn't always drive success. In this episode, Adam investigates why an excess of charm can actually be detrimental to people and organizations. He chats with bestselling author and executive coach Liz Wiseman and one of her clients, CEO Hazel Jackson, about how to spot baseless charisma — and why sometimes leadership calls for being a bit boring. Available transcripts for WorkLife can be fou...
Oct 15, 2024•24 min
Too many teams are less than the sum of their parts, and building a great team requires more than just picking an all-star roster or doing trust falls. Adam dives into the hard-hitting research on what makes teams work — with members of the “Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team and organizational behavior professor Anita Woolley. You’ll also hear some special tape from Adam’s late mentor Richard Hackman, a leading expert on teams. Available transcripts for WorkLife can be found at go.ted.com/WLtr...
Oct 08, 2024•38 min
Many workplaces hire, reward and promote on culture fit. But that can come with real costs to individuals and organizations. In this episode, Adam dives into the evidence on why overemphasizing fit can overlook promising people — and shows how organizations can fight conformity and support self-expression. Guests include Ellevest founder Sallie Krawcheck, IDEO innovators Jim Yurchenco and Diego Rodriguez, and organizational behavior expert Patricia Hewlin. Available transcripts for WorkLife can ...
Oct 01, 2024•34 min
Before John Legend was coaching The Voice and winning Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys, he was a twenty-something consultant living in Boston. In this episode, John sits down with Adam to share how he hustled from the boardroom to the studio and crafted the creative career that led him to the top of the entertainment industry. John also talks about how he maintains creative vision at the core of his business, and why family and advocacy work are vital to his artistic mission. Available transcrip...
Sep 27, 2024•35 min
Many people believe that success depends on gaining power, but it turns out that status is a more sustainable path to accomplishment and impact. Adam is joined by Survivor star Parvati Shallow, organizational psychologist and author Alison Fragale, and Chynna Clayton — former special assistant to Michelle Obama — to break down the best strategies for gaining and maintaining status at work, building stronger relationships, and getting promoted. Available transcripts for WorkLife can be found at g...
Sep 24, 2024•33 min
Sarah Silverman is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer who doesn;t shy away from saying what she thinks. Her bold, distinctive voice has taken her from Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld to Broadway plays, late-night TV and Disney animated movies. Sarah shares surprising stories about turning haters into fans, and she and Adam discuss strategies for defusing anger, finding courage and forging connections when we don't see eye-to-eye. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscr...
Sep 17, 2024•30 min
