Angela Duckworth ( @angeladuckw ) is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of the non-profit Character Lab, co-host of the No Stupid Questions podcast, and author of NYT bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance . [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!] What We Discuss with Angela Duckworth: What grit is and how it overrides the myth of innate "talent." How to quantify your...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 752•Transcript available on Metacast General Robert Spalding ( @@robert_spalding ) is a retired US Air Force brigadier general, the CEO of digital infrastructure company SEMPRE , and the author of Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept and War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination . What We Discuss with General Robert Spalding: How a 1999 book by military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui called Unrestricted Warfare has become China's playbook for global domination against the West...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep 751•Transcript available on Metacast Your best friend's tether to reality was severed by a psychotic break when you were living abroad, and you were disheartened upon returning to discover just how immersed in paranoid delusions he'd become. His state seems to have improved for the moment, but you're worried he could succumb to these delusions again at any time. Is there anything you can do to help him, or is this something he needs to work out on his own? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in...
Nov 11, 2022•53 min•Ep 750•Transcript available on Metacast Yasmine Mohammed ( @yasmohammedxx ) is a human rights activist who advocates for the rights of women living within Muslim-majority countries, as well as those who struggle under religious fundamentalism in general. She is the founder of Free Hearts Free Minds and the author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam . [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch part one here !] What We Discuss with Yasmine Mohammed: Why curtailing expression in free societies is the ...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep 749•Transcript available on Metacast Yasmine Mohammed ( @yasmohammedxx ) is a human rights activist who advocates for the rights of women living within Muslim-majority countries, as well as those who struggle under religious fundamentalism in general. She is the founder of Free Hearts Free Minds and the author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam . [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!] What We Discuss with Yasmine Mohammed: Why curtailing expression in free soci...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep 748•Transcript available on Metacast Would marrying your type-A "girlboss" special lady friend cramp that type-A "boyboss" lifestyle you've been rocking since college? We'll try to find a reasonable answer to this very serious question (and more!) here on Feedback Friday. And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 747•Transcript available on Metacast Yass Alizadeh ( @AlizadehYass ) is a clinical assistant professor of Persian language and literature and the Persian program coordinator at New York University. Her research focuses on the layering of ethical themes in the ambiguously coded language of folktales in Modern Iran, the intricate link between politics and fiction, and the critical role of metaphors in the reframing of Iran’s classical oral tales. Welcome to what we're calling our "Out of the Loop" episodes, where we dig a littl...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep 746•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Farina ( @daveexplains ) is on a mission to make science make sense for everyone — whether it's through his Professor Dave Explains YouTube channel, his Professor Dave Debates podcast, or his new book, Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online (Science Myths Debunked) . What We Discuss with Dave Farina: How the Internet went from a promising reservoir of unlimited knowledge for all to an insidious superspreader of disinformation. Why it's easier than ever for peo...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep 745•Transcript available on Metacast Your brother is such an overall horrible, vicious, violent person that the cops could pick him up for murder and you'd confidently say, "I'm pretty sure you've got the right guy." So the years he's chosen to drop out of your life have been blissful. Unfortunately, he's back causing havoc in your life and the only way you'll ever have peace is to distance yourself from him completely. But how? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already kno...
Oct 28, 2022•55 min•Ep 744•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Ramani Durvasula ( @DoctorRamani ) is a clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, media expert, and author. Her latest book is "Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility . [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to listen to part one here !] What We Discuss with Dr. Ramani Durvasula: We're all a little selfish sometimes. So how do you tell a genuine narcissist from someone who's just having a bad day? Is it just our coll...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep 743•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Ramani Durvasula ( @DoctorRamani ) is a clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, media expert, and author. Her latest book is "Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility . [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!] What We Discuss with Dr. Ramani Durvasula: We're all a little selfish sometimes. So how do you tell a genuine narcissist from someone who's just having a bad day? Is it just...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 742•Transcript available on Metacast He may not physically be cheating on you, but his penchant for "mentoring" young women — on at least four occasions that you know of — is tantamount to having multiple emotional affairs. He's a good father and a mostly considerate partner, but the fact that these overly intense relationships with other women continue in spite of your protests makes you wonder if your marriage is worth saving. What should you do? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! An...
Oct 21, 2022•55 min•Ep 741•Transcript available on Metacast Ryan Holiday ( @ryanholiday ) is the host of The Daily Stoic podcast and the bestselling author of countless books about marketing, culture, Stoicism, and the human condition. His latest offering is Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control , and he joined us live in Los Angeles to talk about this and lots more! What We Discuss with Ryan Holiday: How do you get into the headspace where you do your best work when everything in the modern world is trying to distract you from getting there? ...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep 740•Transcript available on Metacast Matthew Campbell ( @MattCampbell ) is an award-winning reporter and editor for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine and the co-author, with Kit Chellel, of Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy . What We Discuss with Matthew Campbell: The International Chamber of Shipping estimates about 90 percent of world trade is carried by the international shipping industry to the tune of around $14 trillion (about 2/3rds of the US GDP) per year. Piracy persists i...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep 739•Transcript available on Metacast What do you do when the very married pastor you've known your whole life as a pillar of the church and community propositions you on LGBTQ hookup app Grindr? You know his wife and kids would be devastated if they knew, but you also know he's vindictive and would likely take any blowback out on your family and their standing in that very same church and community. And if you just do nothing, he's free to prey on other young men without consequence. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 738•Transcript available on Metacast Winston Sterzel ( @serpentza ) is a South African vlogger and video producer who lived in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China for 14 years. He hosts his own YouTube channel as SerpentZA and co-hosts vlog ADVChina with Laowhy86. What We Discuss with Winston Sterzel: How does the pig-butchering scam work , and why is it called this? Who tends to be the most common target of the pig-butchering scam , and how has this changed since its inception? The psychological levers that get used to man...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 737•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Bremmer ( @ianbremmer ) is a political scientist, the president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, and the author of NYT bestseller The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats — and Our Response — Will Change the World . What We Discuss with Ian Bremmer: How the COVID pandemic exposed cracks in the ability of major powers to cooperate with one another for the common good. What a Goldilocks crisis is and how one could galvanize successful cooperation on a global scale. Why c...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 736•Transcript available on Metacast Though your name's been officially cleared, a shadow of doubt about your true innocence looms over every interaction since being falsely accused of sexual assault. Now you're wondering if this reputational bruise is ever going to heal, or if it's just something you'll have to live with — forever. We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and ...
Oct 07, 2022•58 min•Ep 735•Transcript available on Metacast Scott Galloway ( @profgalloway ) hosts The Prof G Pod and The Prof G Show , cohosts Pivot with Kara Swisher, publishes the No Mercy/No Malice newsletter, is a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and is a bestselling author. His latest book is Adrift: America in 100 Charts . What We Discuss with Scott Galloway: What the 70% of Americans who describe themselves as middle class should consider in the election cycles ahead. Do we want advanced technologies in the hands of elected ...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep 734•Transcript available on Metacast Maya Shankar ( @slightchangepod ) is a cognitive scientist who once aspired to become a career violinist, and is the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans . What We Discuss with Maya Shankar: How Maya's love for the violin and sense of playfulness — not flawless technique or prodigious talent — gave her the opportunity to learn from Itzhak Perlman at Juilliard School of Music when she was just nine years old. The unfortunate mishap that deraile...
Oct 04, 2022•2 hr 31 min•Ep 733•Transcript available on Metacast Your wife of 11 years has butt-dialed you twice in conversation with another man , and she lied about her whereabouts when you tracked her phone. Are you right to be worried? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of ou...
Sep 30, 2022•58 min•Ep 732•Transcript available on Metacast Jordan ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabe ( @GabeMizrahi ) take a deep dive into the pros and cons of candor, how honesty is a core element of all healthy and productive relationships, and why we owe it to others — as well as ourselves. What We Discuss: Honesty deepens relationships. It requires a great deal of trust and confidence — in ourselves and in our friends — and it implies a whole new conception of what friendship actually is. Honesty attracts people who s...
Sep 29, 2022•55 min•Ep 731•Transcript available on Metacast Nury Turkel ( @nuryturkel ) is a human rights attorney for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and the author of No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs . What We Discuss with Nury Turkel: How the Chinese Communist Party is using artificial intelligence to arbitrarily round up Uyghurs for fabricated crimes — including 17,000 who were arrested within 10 days thanks to assistance from an algorithm. Some of the 48 behaviors that will get Uyghurs flagged a...
Sep 27, 2022•2 hr 45 min•Ep 730•Transcript available on Metacast As you have a higher libido than your partner, it seems as though it should feel like a blessing when he makes sexual advances on you in the middle of the night when his sexsomnia (" a rare sleep disorder in which a person engages in sexual activity during their sleep") takes over. But this is problematic for two reasons : A) It briefly triggers your PTSD from being sexually assaulted in your sleep years ago, and B) When your PTSD subsides, you feel guilty for engaging in sex with a partner who ...
Sep 23, 2022•54 min•Ep 729•Transcript available on Metacast Maria Konnikova ( @mkonnikova ) shows us how we can defend ourselves against would-be con artists and use the same principles for more benign purposes in her book The Confidence Game . [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!] What We Discuss with Maria Konnikova: As it turns out, you can fool an honest man. But cynics — by their own overconfidence in being savvy and “scamproof” — ar...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 728•Transcript available on Metacast Neil deGrasse Tyson ( @neiltyson ) is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, host of StarTalk Radio , and author. He is kind enough to rejoin us and discuss his latest book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization . What We Discuss with Neil deGrasse Tyson: The problems society faces when average citizens lose their ability to distinguish between facts and opinions — and how this can be remedied. What some of our dearest opinions look like under the s...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 727•Transcript available on Metacast Is your 10-year marriage worth saving when you've just discovered your wife has been working as a "non-intimate" escort behind your back? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger ) and Gabriel Mizrahi ( @GabeMizrahi ) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one ...
Sep 16, 2022•53 min•Ep 726•Transcript available on Metacast Paul Holes ( @PaulHoles ) is a former investigator known for his contributions to solving the Golden State Killer case using advanced methods of identification with DNA and genealogy technology, and he is the author of Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases . What We Discuss with Paul Holes: Why do some serial killers take breaks between their murder sprees or even quit killing altogether? Why does it seem like there were so many serial killers in the '70s compared to today? How rare are...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 725•Transcript available on Metacast Bill Nye ( @billnye ) is a lifelong champion of science who is determined to teach you something today that you didn’t know yesterday — whether it’s from a television screen, the pages of a book, or next to you at a dinner party. He can be found hosting his new series, The End Is Nye , on Peacock TV. What We Discuss with Bill Nye: The environmental changes that currently threaten humanity and much of life on Earth. How to maintain childlike curiosity as an adult. If you believe...
Sep 13, 2022•54 min•Ep 724•Transcript available on Metacast It didn't bring back any particularly traumatic memories when your older brother confessed that he molested you when you were children. Would it be worth the possibility of dredging up a painful past through therapy to heal wounds you aren't even aware you've been carrying, or should you just shut this confession out of your thoughts and hope the memories remain unattainable? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harb...
Sep 09, 2022•59 min•Ep 723•Transcript available on Metacast 
