Today, our guest is an award-winning beauty reporter and critic whom you might have stumbled upon while reading her super popular newsletter, The Unpublishable, which, as HuffPost says, "basically gives the middle finger to the entire beauty industry." Writing about what the beauty industry won’t tell you, Jessica DeFino has built an identity as a reporter on a mission to reform it. It all started, however, in a place as opposite as it could be: a few years back, Jessica was a product-obsessed e...
Mar 28, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week's episode of Simplify brings you a special collaboration: a conversation with Dhiraj Mukherjee, who is not only the entrepreneur behind Shazam (the app we all love and use so much!), but also a devoted impact investor focused on social good. Drawing from his experience at Shazam, Dhiraj learned firsthand that the best way to predict the future is to create it. That’s why today, his work mostly focuses on investing in mission-driven companies aiming to create a better future for the pla...
Mar 06, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Although we're at the tail end of 2024's symbolic new beginning, we're still confronted with the flood of discounted "detoxes," "cleanses," gym promotions touting a "New Year, new you," and the latest buzzword, "resets." Despite our desire to think that fad diets are relics of the past and that we have collectively moved away from diet culture, we may instead have fallen for a wolf in sheep's clothing. Drawing from her personal narrative and investigative reporting experiences, Cole Kazdin, an E...
Feb 21, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we bring you Simplify's first ever crossover episode with the #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: Acquired! For nearly 9 years David Rosenthal—today's guest—and his co-host Ben have been sharing the strategies and history of 200+ of the world's most successful businesses. From Sequoia to Sony, through to TSMC, Amazon, The New York Times, the NBA and Oprah, Acquired's hosts go deep—sometimes 3 hours deep!—into the details of each business's ups and downs. In this episode of S...
Feb 08, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 1971, Joni Mitchell released Blue, an album teeming with stories of a life shaped by romance, desire, longing, and the default path of sharing life with another person. The ideal might persist to this day, but what happens if the romance we are told will give life meaning... never shows up? How gorgeous and fulfilling can we make our lives, sans romantic partner? Amy Key, the celebrated British essayist and poet, sets out to explore exactly these questions in her memoir, Arrangements in Blue,...
Jan 25, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast We might say that “age is just a number,” but if we're really honest with ourselves, a lot of us still think of “old” people as stubborn hoarders who eat dinner (too) early and are forever talking about their aches and pains. Why is that? And could there be another way? These questions prompted Steven Petrow, an award-winning journalist and author to begin compiling a list of things he won’t do when he gets old shortly after his 50th birthday. The list, which included “You won’t have to shout at...
Jan 22, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast What do people mean when they say, 'I'm a perfectionist'? The colloquial and widespread opinion would sound like this: A perfectionist is someone who desires everything to be perfect at all times and becomes upset when things aren't perfect. This definition is often followed by the (generic) advice that the best way for them to set themselves free is to get rid of their perfectionism. According to Katherine Morgan Schafler, a psychotherapist and a former on-site therapist at Google, this is not ...
Dec 15, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast When we experience a traumatic event or decide to pursue healing, what often follows is the tendency to isolate and hide from the world. Shame, exclusion, and the feeling that no one understands remain intertwined with the term "healing." However, this can and should be different—and that 's the message licensed social worker and therapist Minaa B. is here to spread. "Owning Our Struggles," Minaa’s first book, as well as her work in general, stands out for its unique approach and strong emphasis...
Nov 30, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the post-pandemic era, the debate over whether or not to return to the office seems far from settled — and yet, the push to bring employees back to the office is growing more aggressive. Amazon issued a warning to staff not long ago. Google is factoring employees’ in-office attendance into their performance reviews. And ironically, working from home has been officially replaced by a return to the office by Zoom. So is returning to the old structured schedule really the best way to optimize ou...
Oct 27, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our obsession with beauty and appearance may be deeply rooted, but at this moment, things seem to be reaching a whole new level. Facetune and features like skin smoothing, jaw reduction, and eye enhancement that are standard on social apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and even Zoom, as well as the ubiquitous advertisements for a flawless face and body, are turning our bodies into projects to work on forever. This and much more prompted American journalist and podcaster Elise Hu to research and write h...
Oct 12, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast You were probably hired for your expertise in a certain domain: engineering, product management, paid marketing, or something else. But to be successful in an organization, there are other, secret skills outside your domain that nobody really teaches you—things like effectively communicating your ideas, assessing the business environment, collaborating with leadership, or deciding to leave your current role (and what to say when you do!). To fill in these gaps and create your own stability in a ...
Sep 21, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The systems we live in suggest that a successful human life depends on denying pain, endless hustle, stress, and sustaining trauma—and making it all look easy. The only problem is that human nature objects. Psychological and physical suffering seem to be increasing while illness and trauma continue to define how we live. But, what's in it for our culture? Why and how do we breed disease—and why do we call that normal? Educator, mental chiropractor, musical theater pro, and co-author of The Myth ...
Sep 07, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's a rarely questioned societal norm: feeling bad/mad/disappointed/scared/anxious? A substance (like alcohol) will give you the courage to face it. This is even more true for dating and sex, where we use alcohol as our first line of defense to find the liquid courage to open up to someone. But what happens when we step away, get sober curious, or simply start being more mindful with alcohol? Who might we be? And who might we connect with? In this episode, Tawny Lara, author and speaker, also k...
Aug 24, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast So, what does it take to make the best working relationships? The same ingredients in any relationship, really: a big helping of bravery and the will to dig into deep conversations.There's more to it than that of course, and on this episode, Simplify favorite Michael Bungay Stanier takes Caitlin through it. This is a gentle-but-probing conversation in which you'll learn about the sweet spot between safety and bravery, how to make your colleagueships safer and more vital, and what psychological b...
Aug 11, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are delighted to present a conversation with Stephanie Chandler, founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association and a successful author of several books, including The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan and The Nonfiction Book Marketing Plan. In this episode, Stephanie shares her remarkable insights into all phases of the book-writing process and offers a sharp view of the publishing industry. By exploring assets and liabilities of traditional publishing and self-publishing, we dive deepe...
Jul 27, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're delighted to present a conversation with Natalie Lue, author of the wildly popular blog Baggage Reclaim (baggagereclaim.com) and five books, including the latest, "The Joy of Saying No," that will help you not only identify your people-pleasing style and habits, but also finally leave them behind. In this episode, Natalie shares her unmatched insights on the importance of boundaries and saying no, and the destructive effects a lack of them can have on your body and mind. By exploring the f...
Jul 14, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're thrilled to present a dynamic conversation with Robert Glazer, bestselling author and transformative leadership expert. With deep insights drawn from his revolutionary book, 'Elevate Your Team', Glazer demystifies the four capacities essential to extraordinary team performance. In this episode Glazer shares his unique take on the 'work smarter, not harder' philosophy, offering fresh perspectives to drive both personal and professional development. We challenge common preconceptions around ...
Jun 30, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever listened back to a recording of your voice and cringed at the amount of 'um's' 'uh's' and 'like's' you use? In this episode, Valerie Fridland, linguist, researcher, and author of the book, 'Like, Literally, Dude' delves into the intricacies of speech habits and argues for the inherent value of these often-demonised words. We explore why women are linguistic trend-setters, why some words carry deep-seated prejudices and what can we learn from the social function of language. You can...
Jun 30, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're kicking off Simplify's relaunch with our first-ever two person interview! This lively, probing conversation with Being Well's Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson—a bestselling author and psychologist and also Forrest's dad—digs into common misconceptions in the mental health and self-growth space. They address the maybe-bogus notion that "until you love yourself, you can't love anyone else," dissect the difference between self-esteem and self-worth, and dig deep into the simplest strategy f...
Jun 30, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Want to skip this year’s tsunami of New Year’s hacks, tips, and tricks that don’t even work? We’ve got you covered. In this episode, we’ve distilled powerful ideas and approaches from our 3 most popular episodes. And since we spend all our time divided between focusing on ourselves, our relationships, and our work, we’ll focus on simplifying those three areas. Just what you need for the new year—and nothing you don’t. BONUS: we’ve made a very neat New-Yearsy tool available to you for free. You c...
Jan 11, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Herzlich willkommen beim Aktienrebell, dem Shortcast für Menschen, die ihr Geld unabhängig von Banken und Beratern erfolgreich anlegen wollen.
Nov 12, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Jan Dreher, Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, und Dr. Alexander Kugelstadt, Bestseller-Autor und Facharzt für Psychosomatische Medizin unterhalten sich über Glück, Sex, Prokrastination und andere Psycho-Themen.
Nov 12, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Der Shortcast zum besten Podcast Österreichs 2021: Der Journalist Andreas Sator befragt Expertinnen und Experten zu komplexen Themen des Lebens. Mit jeder Folge weißt du mehr über die Welt – und erhältst praktisch umsetzbare Tipps für dein eigenes Leben.
Nov 12, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hier musst du dich nicht verbiegen: Finde neue Produktivitätsstrategien, die genau zu dir passen. Egal ob du Strukturen und Pläne oder das Chaos brauchst. Dieser Shortcast zum Erfolgs-Podcast bietet Anleitungen zu vielen verschiedenen und einfach anwendbaren Produktivitätsansätzen für verschiedenste Lebensentwürfe. Deine Gastgeberin ist die bekannte Zeitmanagement-Expertin und Bestseller-Autorin Cordula Nussbaum.
Nov 12, 2021•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Jan Dreher, Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, und Dr. Alexander Kugelstadt, Bestseller-Autor und Facharzt für Psychosomatische Medizin unterhalten sich über Glück, Sex, Prokrastination und andere Psycho-Themen.
Nov 12, 2021•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Explore the stories behind the headlines on climate change, and hear from change-makers turning climate challenges into opportunities with Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson.
Nov 11, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In The Baggage Reclaim Sessions, Natalie Lue troubleshoots emotional pitfalls we all run into but don't always see, offering practices and inspiration for living and loving with healthy self-esteem.
Nov 11, 2021•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're taught to think that hard work and success lead to happiness, but we've got it backwards; only by putting happiness first can we achieve our full potential! Listen to Adventures in Happiness and let host Jessica Ortner take you on a journey to explore strategies that help you find and feel your best.
Nov 11, 2021•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fairness—it feels like there's less of it every day. Journalist and bestselling author Michael Lewis looks at what’s happened to it, and how that can change.
Nov 11, 2021•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Being Boss, host Emily Thompson looks at what it means and takes to be "boss" in creative business, freelancing, and side-hustling.
Nov 11, 2021•59 sec•Transcript available on Metacast 
