In today's work environment, our success is heavily dependent on our ability to consistently deliver strong results. And although there are multiple inputs that lead to our results, there is one secret weapon that outweighs everything else. The key to success ultimately lies in the strength of our relationships. You may be thinking to yourself, "But wait, we are talking about business! With all of the demands on my time, I don't have the luxury to think about something soft and fuzzy like relati...
Oct 24, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 282
Narcissism—an inflated view of the self—is everywhere. Public figures say it’s what makes them stray from their wives. Parents teach it by dressing children in T-shirts that say "Princess." Teenagers and young adults hone it on Facebook, and celebrity newsmakers have elevated it to an art form. In a world that measures success by page views and number of followers, those with narcissistic tendencies often do what is necessary to reach "the top", at the expense of everyone else. So how does the a...
Oct 10, 2017•52 min•Ep. 281
There is no debate that a good education is a critical component of raising smart, well rounded, successful children. But cutting-edge research has proven that early childhood education is crucial for all children as young as 3 years old to gain the academic and emotional skills they need to succeed later in life. In essence, pre-K may actually be the most important year. Children who attend quality pre-K programs have a host of positive outcomes including better language, literacy, problem-solv...
Sep 26, 2017•51 min•Ep. 280
"Calling Trump crazy allows us to avoid confronting the craziness in our society—if we want to get sane, we must first gain insight about ourselves. Simply put: Trump isn’t crazy, but our society is." - Dr. Allen Frances This week on the show we interview one of the men who literally wrote the book on mental illness as we answer the question - Is Trump crazy? And what does it say about America that he was elected to the highest office in the land? Psychiatrist Dr. Allen Frances analyzes the nati...
Sep 12, 2017•56 min•Ep. 279
"Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most." Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. Awareness of death can be a valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go of regret. But how can we sit with something...
Aug 29, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 278
Did you know our world has ended five times? It has been broiled, frozen, poison-gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. And in each of these catastrophic occurrences, climate change has been the culprit. You may be wondering, how do asteroids have anything to do with climate change? We will leave the details to our guest this week, but essentially there is a triggering event (asteroid, volcano, humans) that causes the oceans to become more acidic and very soon after the entire world dies. T...
Aug 15, 2017•57 min•Ep. 277
We all know that technology is evolving at a rapid rate, and it's changing the way we live. Do you call a cab, or do you use Uber? Do you stay in a hotel, or do you check Airbnb? Do you read a book or a Kindle? These products and services quickly enter our world and become the norm. But just knowing that technology is evolving is not enough, you need to understand how it is impacting you and how you can evaluate what industry will be disrupted next. This week on the show we interview an expert w...
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 276
For nearly a decade Brett Velicovich was at the center of America’s new warfare: using unmanned aerial vehicles—drones—to take down the world’s deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of an elite handful in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, and his team successfully killed/captured 14 of America’s 20 most wanted terrorists across Iraq within only three months. In this episode, Brett tells us his never before told story of how drone warfare has co...
Jul 18, 2017•56 min•Ep. 275
Millions of lives are lost to catastrophes that could have been saved by the advance warnings of experts. But how do we know who can truly predict the future, and who is just screaming that the sky is falling? This week on the podcast our expert guest tells us how we can get better at predicting disasters, how to weed out the real warnings from the exaggerations, and what threats we need to be paying attention to right now. Our guest this week is R.P. Eddy, author of the brand new book, Warnings...
Jul 04, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 274
In our episode this week we talk with former Google data scientist and author, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Seth explains exactly how the internet provides a window to the soul and how we can use this data to answer some of the most difficult, and most interesting questions of our time. With conclusions ranging from strange-but-true to thought-provoking to disturbing, he explores the power of this digital truth serum and its deeper potential—revealing biases deeply embedded within us, information w...
Jun 20, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 273
We all sustain emotional wounds. Failure, guilt, rejection, and loss are as much a part of life as the occasional scraped elbow. But while we typically bandage a cut or ice a sprained ankle, our first aid kit for emotional injuries is not just understocked—it’s nonexistent. Think about it... we learn about germs, scrapes, and sprains starting at 2 years old, but we often don't learn about emotional injuries and proper treatment until they have become debilitating. And even worse, many times we d...
Jun 06, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 272
The smart phone is our most treasured tech device. If you don't believe me, try leaving it turned off for a full day and see how many times you yearn for it! This obsession with our phones is creating a massive amount of data that is being harnessed by companies to drive their business decisions in the ever expanding $3.3 trillion dollar mobile economy. In our episode this week, mobile economy expert Anindya Ghose welcomes us to the mobile economy of smartphones, smarter companies, and value-see...
May 23, 2017•55 min•Ep. 271
For anyone who wants to create or innovate - this is the interview for you. When we think about creativity, we most often think of things: impressionism, the iPhone, democracy, Uber. We also narrow in on the few, those rare creators who seem to have something we lack. These tendencies quickly take us off track, perpetuating a myth and unknowingly pushing us further away from the possible. Here’s the truth: Creativity is about the possible. It’s the seed of any human advancement ever made or yet ...
May 09, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 270
Our guest this week is economist Kate Raworth, and in her new book, Doughnut Economics, she sets out seven key ways to fundamentally reframe our understanding of what economics is and does. Along the way, she points out how we can break our addiction to growth; redesign money, finance, and business to be in service to people; and create economies that are regenerative and distributive by design. Named after the now-iconic “doughnut” image that Raworth first drew to depict a sweet spot of human p...
Apr 25, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 269
This week we are speaking with Christopher Brinton and Mung Chiang, both experts on the subject of networks. In fact, the duo recently paired up to write a book called, The Power of Networks: Six Principles That Connect Our Lives. Mung Chiang is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University. His research on networking received the 2013 Alan T. Waterman Award, the highest honor to US young scientists and engineers. He founded the Princeton EDGE Lab in 2009, which bridges the theor...
Apr 11, 2017•47 min•Ep. 268
In this episode, one of the nation’s leading psychologists discusses why today’s corporate leaders desire but reject creative solutions. We will answer questions such as could people love but also hate creative ideas? Could the mindset we use to evaluate ideas turn this love or hate on or off—in an instant? Do experts struggle even more than novices with this bias? And more. Our guest this week is Jennifer Mueller. Jennifer is the author of the new book, Creative Change: Why We Resist It....How ...
Mar 29, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 267
This week we are speaking with an executive coach who works with those seemingly "perfect" people and she's here to tell you that nothing is as it seems. In fact, often times people reach the societal ideal of perfection only to find out that it's not at all what it seems and the price paid to get there was too high. So instead of chasing someone else's dreams, it's time to define your own - and trust me, it's not easy. Our guest this week is Heather Gray, a therapist and coach who is a master a...
Mar 14, 2017•48 min•Ep. 266
Do you feel comfortable delivering bad news? Do you look forward to speaking in public? Do you enjoy networking? Is it easy for you to speak your mind and be assertive with friends and colleagues? If you answered no to any of these questions, this episode can help! In this show we speak with a true academic, Andy Molinsky as he discusses his brand new book, REACH; A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge , and Build Confidence. Andy is a Professor at Brand...
Feb 28, 2017•55 min•Ep. 265
Most of us know what it feels like to chase success and money. We believe that pounding our way through our days is the only way to prosperity and success. We sacrifice time with our loved ones, our weekends, our vacations, and perhaps even our sanity, in exchange for a paycheck. We want to have it all, but don’t find satisfaction in any of our achievements. Instead, we find ourselves sitting in our offices and big houses feeling unhappy, broke, burnt out, and unfulfilled... This week, our guest...
Feb 14, 2017•45 min•Ep. 264
With the international sensation, critical favorite, and New York Times bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari unleashed a global phenomenon. His electrifying debut resonated with notable public figures: the book was lauded by President Obama, Bill Gate, Sebastian Junger, and Mark Zuckerberg. In this episode we discuss Sapiens, as well as his newest endeavor, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 31, 2017•59 min•Ep. 263
In this episode, leading sales trainer, researcher and CEO of Hoffeld Group, David Hoffeld blends cutting-edge research in social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, to show you the best way to sell. He explains how to align the way you sell with how our brains naturally form buying decisions, dramatically increasing your ability to earn more sales. Hoffeld’s evidence-based approach connects the dots between science and situations salespeople and business leaders face every day t...
Jan 17, 2017•58 min•Ep. 262
Our guest this week is an award winning sports journalist and Golf Digest's digital editor. So naturally, we start off the episode talking about digital content, the future of writing and publishing, and of course...golf. But the main focus of the interview is the essential life skill of "learning to lose". Sam shares with us what he uncovered in his interviews and all of the tips to being a good loser, and therefore a real winner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 03, 2017•54 min•Ep. 261
Lawrence Levy is a Silicon Valley lawyer and executive hired by Steve Jobs in 1994 as CFO and member of the Office of the President of Pixar Animation Studios. He was responsible for Pixar's business strategy and IPO and guided Pixar's transformation from a money-losing graphics company into a multibillion-dollar entertainment studio. He later joined Pixar's board of directors. He then left corporate life to study Eastern philosophy and meditation and their relevance to modern life. He now write...
Dec 20, 2016•57 min•Ep. 260
Our guest this week believes capitalism is broken, and he makes a pretty good argument to support this. He explains how capitalism as a system has spawned deepening economic crisis alongside its bought-and-paid-for political establishment. Neither of these outcomes serves the needs of our society. Our guest this week believes he has the solution - a cure for capitalism. In this episode, world renowned economist, Dr. Richard Wolff, offers a fair critique of capitalism and advocates for a worker c...
Dec 06, 2016•58 min•Ep. 259
This week we welcome to the podcast Jerome Hardaway, Executive Director of Vets Who Code. Jerome is an Air Force veteran, alumni/Opportunity Fund recipient of General Assembly's Web Development Immersive Program, and Panelist on the Ruby Rogues podcast. Vets Who Code is a non-profit dedicated to filling the wide chasm between technical expertise needed and available to America’s best. Vets Who Code is looking to close the digital talent gap and ease career transition for military veterans, throu...
Nov 22, 2016•41 min•Ep. 258
In this episode we interview consultant and executive coach, Doug Hensch, and we discuss his brand new book, Positively Resilient: 5 1/2 Secrets to Beat Stress, Overcome Obstacles, and Defeat Anxiety. Doug shares with us lessons learned over 20 years of experience that can help you increase your resilience, so that you can grow in the face of change, and thrive in the midst of adversity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 08, 2016•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 257
This week we welcome back former guest, Jonathan Levi. Jonathan is an entrepreneur, and an expert in speed reading and advanced memorization. His online course is ranked as one of the top selling of all time on Udemy and has been personally recommended by the CEO. Jonathan appeared on Smart People Podcast nearly 2 years ago in Episode 167 where he explained how to become a super learner and a speed reader. Get a free trial of Jonathan's new course (and 10% off if you purchase) at jle.vi/spp. Lea...
Oct 25, 2016•51 min•Ep. 256
Today on the show we speak with leading psychologist, Dr. Jessica Tracy. Dr. Tracy is professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where she also directs the Emotion & Self Lab and she is also the author of the brand new book, Take Pride: Why the Deadliest Sin Holds the Secret to Human Success. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in 2005. Her research focuses on emotions and emotion expressions, and, in particular, those emo...
Oct 10, 2016•51 min•Ep. 255
Chris Bailey - A Life of Productivity. In this episode we speak with productivity expert Chris Bailey and learn the best ways to transform our life by getting done the things that are most important. The Productivity Project—and the lessons Chris learned—are the result of that year-long journey, and we are going to share them with you today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 27, 2016•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 254
Dr. David exposes how our emotions hold us back or carry us forward in our goals depending on how well we confront—not control—them. Science shows us that it’s not possible to smother your emotions with affirmations espoused by the latest positivity movement. It’s equally unrealistic to set your mind to a rigid “grit” goal that might not be working for you. Like it or not, your emotions are there, and the more honest and agile you are with them, the more you can overcome the demands of work and ...
Sep 13, 2016•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 253
