You don't have to be a comic book fanatic to love superheroes. And even if you've never picked up a comic book in your life, you've almost certainly seen a comic book movie. A recent surge in comic book movies has brought us blockbusters such as The Avengers, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and many more. Given the success of this genre of movies, we are honored to interview the man who has been credited with bringing comic books to the big screen, and has...
May 26, 2015•58 min•Ep. 192
For many of us, the suburbs hold a magical place in our heart. We grew up in an environment where we knew our neighbors, we played outside, we didn't lock our doors, and the word "community" meant something. But despite how hard we try to relive those times, todays suburbs are a far cry from what we remember, and many of us are looking for a new type of neighborhood. This week we discuss what happened to the suburbs of the 80's and 90's, and what will our neighborhoods look like in the future. O...
May 19, 2015•56 min•Ep. 191
When you think about professional blogging, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Mommy bloggers of course! The term "mommy blog" has become part of our common lexicon due to the insane success of so many mothers turned bloggers. And this week we are fortunate to interview the queen of mommy blogs, Deedra Determan. Deedra created a blog initially targeted towards moms in her local community and quickly turned it into a 7-figure business with national reach. In this episode Deedra teach...
May 12, 2015•46 min•Ep. 190
For most of us, we don't need to know about how to get media coverage...until we need to get media coverage. You could come up with the most brilliant business idea, or write the next best seller - but if no one talks about it, it's just another particle out there in an atmosphere full of noise. But how do you get coverage? How do you convince a powerful media outlet to cover your story? It turns out, there are very specific tricks that you can use to give yourself the best shot of becoming the ...
May 05, 2015•33 min•Ep. 189
Alexandra Horowitz - The mysteries of human perception. In this episode we speak with author and cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz on what it means to be attentive. In her most recent book, On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, Alexandra shows us how to see the spectacle of the ordinary. In this book, Alexandra goes on a series of eleven walks with experts on a diverse range of subjects, including an urban sociologist, the well-known artist Maira Kalman, a geologist, a physician, and a...
Apr 28, 2015•55 min•Ep. 188
It has been called “the great destroyer” and “the evil.” The Pentagon refers to it as “the pervasive menace.” It destroys cars, fells bridges, sinks ships, sparks house fires, and nearly brought down the Statue of Liberty. Rust costs America more than $400 billion per year—more than all other natural disasters combined. Journalist Jonathan Waldman traveled from Key West, Florida, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to meet the colorful and often reclusive people who are fighting our mightiest and unlikelies...
Apr 21, 2015•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 187
Time Management. We all need it. We all could be better at it. Personally, I need to be much better at it. When we recognize that we could be better at something, in Smart People Podcast fashion, we reach out to leaders in the field. This week we discuss time management with Lee Cockerell. Lee is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World Resort. During his time at Disney, Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members (employees) and was responsible for the operations of...
Apr 14, 2015•49 min•Ep. 186
Alex Korb - The most common psychological disorder in America. It affects more than 1 in 10 Americans and is the cause of more than half of the suicides committed each year. More people suffer from this disorder than coronary heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS...combined. It strains our healthcare system as we seek out treatments and cures. It affects every aspect of life and can leave sufferers feeling alone, isolated, misunderstood, and helpless. It is depression. Depression is the most commo...
Apr 07, 2015•1 hr•Ep. 185
Clay Clark - Entrepreneur of the Year. For many of us, starting a business is the only thing that feels right. The idea of a cubicle, a demanding boss, and a 9-5 schedule is downright depressing. We feel as though we were born to do things our way, to make our own path, and to build our own future. If this sounds like you, you don't want to miss this episode! This week we speak with Clay Clark, Founder of Thrive15.com. Thrive15 is the world’s premier online education platform that helps entrepre...
Mar 31, 2015•49 min•Ep. 184
Dr. Michael Gazzaniga - Left Brain vs. Right Brain. We often hear that if we're creative we must be "right-brained" but if we're logical we must be "left-brained". Science tells us that each hemisphere controls certain cognitive functions, so it only makes sense that there is a dominant side that gives us our tendencies - but is it true? Are we either "left-brained" or "right brained"? Or better yet, what happens when you disconnect the two regions from each other entirely? For over 40 years, ou...
Mar 24, 2015•45 min•Ep. 183
Laura Roeder - Social media is for real. To be honest, I wasn't a believer. I think social media often times just adds to the noise. But after speaking with our guest this week, I realized that what I think doesn't really matter. Social media is here and it's a necessity for any business these days. Even more importantly is the specific way you interact on social media, what you share, how you share it, and what your strategy is. Love it or hate it, it's time to step up your social media game. T...
Mar 17, 2015•43 min•Ep. 182
Edward Humes - Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash. Have you ever thought about how much trash you create? Honestly, have you ever stopped to consider how many trash bags you go through, how many trips to the curb you take, or how much food you throw out? Probably not...most of us don't. But the sad truth is the average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year! Although we have become extremely efficient with keepi...
Mar 10, 2015•47 min•Ep. 181
Technology is revolutionizing the way we work and live, and we can accomplish more in an hour than previous generations could in a week - but it comes at a price. Many of us are overwhelmed and exhausted, stressed out by the numerous demands on our time. We work 12 hour days, eat food on the run, get less sleep, and yet somehow we often don't feel like we got anything accomplished. And for these reasons, the subject of productivity has developed a cult-like following. People want to hack this an...
Mar 03, 2015•47 min•Ep. 180
Markus Kramer - What's in a luxury brand? In this episode we are uncovering the secrets of the world of luxury. For example, how did Apple become the most recognized brand in the world? Why were high heels originally designed for men? And why would anyone EVER pay $5,000,000 for a watch? Learn how luxury brands are able to charge such a premium, and how you can use these same principals to build your business or your own personal brand. Our guest this week is luxury brand expert, Markus Kramer. ...
Feb 24, 2015•54 min•Ep. 179
Few people have had a better perspective on the rise of the "technology revolution" than our guest this week, Kevin Kelly. As a young hippie backpacking his way around the world, Kevin aspired to make art and to learn about the world. By his own admission, he disliked most technologies, especially the computer - which was a large, clunky, useless machine. However, when he snuck his way into one of the earliest groups to try out the internet, he realized that the world was about to change in a bi...
Feb 17, 2015•42 min•Ep. 178
Tiffani Lennon - Are women better? Although we like to think that we are an equal opportunity economy, the glass ceiling still very much exists. As a matter of fact, in 2011, women ran only 12 of the Fortune 500 companies. So how does this impact our ability to compete in a global environment? If women aren't given an equal chance to succeed, aren't we missing out on half of the talented people in the country? As a matter of fact, it's worse than that. According to our guest this week, the data ...
Feb 10, 2015•44 min•Ep. 177
Just as polio loomed over the 1950s, and AIDS stalked the 1980s and ’90s, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) haunts us in the early years of the twenty-first century. Over a decade into the United States’ “global war on terror,” PTSD afflicts as many as 30 percent of the conflict’s veterans. But the disorder’s reach extends far beyond the armed forces. In total, some twenty-seven million Americans are believed to be PTSD survivors. Yet to many of us, the disorder remains shrouded in mystery, ...
Feb 03, 2015•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 176
Erica Peitler - How to Lead. The simple truth is that how you lead is the precursor to what you can achieve, yet it is often underestimated or dismissed. The need to leverage the talents of those around you is a defining trait of the successful. But what is the best way to lead? And how can you manage the various personalities of people you work with on a daily basis? This week we talk to leadership expert, consultant, and coach Erica Peitler as she tells us how to lead in a way that inspires ot...
Jan 27, 2015•43 min•Ep. 175
Dave Birss - How to be creative. Creativity is surrounded by such mystique. It seemed so magical to the ancient Greeks that they attributed the moment of inspiration to muses rather than people. And in our modern work environment, regardless of your job title you are continually being asked to come up with creative solutions to new, complex problems. That's why it's important to understand that there is such thing as the creative process, and there's also a way to get it wrong. This week on the ...
Jan 20, 2015•58 min•Ep. 174
This week on Smart People Podcast we are helping you get lucky... wait a second. Richard Wiseman bring us a groundbreaking new scientific study of the phenomenon of luck and the ways we can bring good luck into our lives. What is luck? A psychic gift or a question of intelligence? And what is it that lucky people have that unlucky people lack? Psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman put luck under a scientific microscope for the very first time in his book, The Luck Factor: Changing your Luck, Changing...
Jan 13, 2015•50 min•Ep. 173
This week, the hosts of the show look back on 2014 by putting together clips from their favorite episodes of the past year. From free diving and philanthropy, to physics and education, we covered a lot of ground last year on Smart People Podcast, and this episode is your highlight reel. Enjoy and Happy New Year! Chris's favorite episodes of 2014: Episode 151 - Roger Hamilton Episode 139 - Gerald Chertavian Episode 155 - Josh Shenk Episode 150 - James Nestor Episode 157 - Collis Ta'eed Episode 16...
Jan 06, 2015•1 hr 11 min
Mary Lee Esty - Conquering Concussion. What do Henry VIII, Mary Todd Lincoln, Howard Hughes, and Elvis Presley have in common? They suffered traumatic brain injuries that had a significant impact on their lives, and perhaps the course of history. Concussions are a hot topic these days, specifically due to the recent findings of the impact of head injuries on professional football players. However, many don't realize that concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBI's) affect many people a...
Dec 30, 2014•42 min•Ep. 172
Shane Harris - Cyber warfare is the greatest threat to national security. @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex "Readers will squirm as they learn how every communications enterprise (Google, AT&T, Verizon, Facebook) cooperates with the national security establishment. Harris delivers a convincing account of the terrible cyber-disasters that loom, and the intrusive nature of the fight to prevent them." -Publishers Weekly The United States military currently views cyberspace as the ...
Dec 23, 2014•42 min•Ep. 171
What are smart drugs? Can you supplement your way to genius? These are primary burning questions I was anxious to ask my guest this week, Dr. Andrew Hill. You see, Dr. Hill received his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA in 2012, studying how attention operates in the brain. He is also the director of the Alternatives Brain Institute, where they help clients look at their brain function as well as examine how their mind works, and work with them to build strengths and resources, flexibility...
Dec 16, 2014•46 min•Ep. 170
How to have the strongest mind in the room with Tony Stubblebine and Erin Frey. This week we talk to the CEO and head researcher of Lift App, an app that helps people create and maintain new habits. With hundreds of thousands of users from across the world, Tony and Erin have a front row view to learning what makes habits stick and why. They have also learned which habits tend to bring out the best in people, or help increase wealth, or help get a good night sleep. So we wanted to know,what have...
Dec 09, 2014•52 min•Ep. 169
Peter Buffett - What's it like to be the son of the richest man on Earth? This week we interview Peter Buffett, youngest son of the "Oracle of Omaha" and once dubbed "richest man on Earth", Warren Buffett. In this interview we ask Peter what it was like to have a household name as a father, what advice did his dad pass along to him, how did the shadow of his last name affect his childhood, and what went on behind the scenes at the Buffett family dinners. This unique upbringing and lessons learne...
Dec 02, 2014•59 min•Ep. 168
Jonathan Levi - Here on Smart People Podcast we get the opportunity to talk with a lot of amazing authors. Doing this on a consistent basis has turned us into what you might call "book worms". However, with only so many hours in the day, there are still thousands of books that we'll probably never have the time to read. If only there were an easier way? What if you could increase your reading speed by five, ten or twenty times and also increase your retention? Think about the possibility! I migh...
Nov 25, 2014•52 min•Ep. 167
Daniel Cloud - This week we tackle the question, "What is life?" Seriously, our guest wrote an entire doctoral dissertation on that exact question. And we don't just stop there! We also discuss the evolution of human language, where it came from, and where it may be going. Have you ever thought about what words mean and where they came from? Why do you use a certain work in conversation instead of another? The choice of which words to use and in which sense to use them is both a "selection event...
Nov 18, 2014•40 min•Ep. 166
Christine Clapp - Back by popular demand, more than a year later, we are talking with our favorite communications expert - Christine Clapp. In this episode we cover crucial topics such as the most common mistakes amateur speakers/presenters make, the most powerful ways to persuade others through communication, the 5 steps of Monroe's motivated sequence, and the best system for speaking off the cuff. Christine covers all of these topics and many more in great detail in her brand new book, Present...
Nov 10, 2014•41 min•Ep. 165
Uri Gneezy - Can economics help us understand human motivation? By asking the right questions, and running the right experiments, can we finally understand why we do what we do? Apparently our guest this week believes so, and he's put together a pretty rock solid argument supporting his case. Uri Gneezy is the Epstein/Atkinson Endowed Chair in Behavioral Economics and Professor of Economics & Strategy at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego. He is also the author of the book, The Why ...
Nov 03, 2014•46 min•Ep. 164
