To celebrate 900 episodes of Modern Wisdom, I broke down some of my favourite lessons, insights and quotes from the last hundred episodes. Expect to learn what unteachable lessons are, why we decide to learn lessons the hard way over and over again, why money won’t make you happy and fame won’t fix your self worth, why you might regret working too much, what it takes to choose a good partner, 5 questions to ask yourself if you’re unsure about any relationship you have, why men can be frustrating...
Feb 08, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sahil Bloom is an investor, writer, and author. Focusing relentlessly on your goals can change your life. And if you work hard enough, one day your friends might call you ‘lucky’. But the truth is, luck is often just a byproduct of relentless effort. So, how do you create more opportunities for yourself and increase your chances of luck? Expect to learn why you’re one year of focus might change your life, the problem with constantly looking at the scoreboard of your life, the relationship betwee...
Feb 06, 2025•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alain de Botton is a philosopher, author, and founder of The School of Life Healing yourself is one of the most transformative journeys you can undertake. From nurturing your inner voice to improving relationships, how can we embrace healing to not only grow personally but also show up better for those around us? Expect to learn where bad inner voices come from and how to hear a negative voice, why we struggle to connect with our emotions, if there is a danger of intellectualising challenges of ...
Feb 03, 2025•2 hr 53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Steve Magness is a performance coach, author, and sports scientist. Performing under pressure isn’t easy. Whether it’s a big test, a game, or a presentation, nerves often get in the way. So how do you stay calm and do your best? How can you turn pressure into an advantage? Expect to learn how pressure impacts performance, how to deal better with stress and anxiety, how to stop focusing on negative outcomes, why identity and self-clarity are so important, the biggest differences between surviving...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep 897•Transcript available on Metacast I hit 3.25 million Subscribers on YouTube!! To celebrate, I asked for questions from YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, so here’s another 90ish minutes of me trying to answer as many as possible. Expect to learn my thoughts on the Fin vs The Internet episode, what my favorite band I’m listening to at the moment is, what my plans for marriage will look like, best lessons I’ve learned from Chris Bumstead, how I’m dealing with my current health issues, if anyone has farted on the podcast before, if th...
Jan 30, 2025•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Piers Morgan is a journalist, host, and author. With all eyes on America, many promises have been made for change. But how confident can we be that this new America will deliver on those promises? And what are the consequences if meaningful change fails to materialise? Expect to learn Piers’ thoughts on Biden pardoning his son, why Elon says cancel culture is cancelled, if wokeism is dead or not, why trigger warnings make life much worse, if the distinction between left and right is breaking dow...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan Koe is a writer, entrepreneur, and creator. Finding your creative spark is one of life’s greatest journeys. So, what are the tips and tricks to help you design a life that maximises your full creative and productive potential? Expect to learn if there is a delusion of hard work and why more hard work doesn’t make you rich, what the tension between creativity and productivity is, how to design your life for peak creative output, how to figure out what you want in life, how to get over imposte...
Jan 25, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jillian Turecki is a relationship coach, teacher, writer and author. How do you create a thriving and loving relationship that truly lasts? While many may stumble into one by chance, building a deep and meaningful connection often requires more than luck. So what role does the inner work play in not just finding love, but building a relationship that continues to grow and flourish over time? Expect to learn why having a thriving relationship begins with self-work, why the mind is a battlefield i...
Jan 23, 2025•2 hr 34 min•Ep 893•Transcript available on Metacast Kyle Forgeard is a content creator, entrepreneur, and co-founder of NELK. From Canada to global fame, the NELK Boys have become a household name. From pranks and viral videos to building an empire, Kyle and his crew have captured the attention of millions. But how did they rise to such heights, and what was the journey like along the way? Expect to learn what Kyle thinks of Canada at the moment, the biggest differences between living in Miami and LA, Kyle's friendship with Donald Trump, what dri...
Jan 20, 2025•2 hr 43 min•Ep 892•Transcript available on Metacast John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist, professor, and YouTube educator. Humans are meaning making machines. Even when we believe our lives lack meaning, we instinctively follow something; an idea, a goal, or a routine. So, how can we intentionally create more meaning in our lives, and what’s the best way to discover it when it feels absent? Expect to learn why humans need meaning and why having meaning is very important to humans, what creates meaning for an individual, why the word purpose is ...
Jan 18, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep 891•Transcript available on Metacast Connor Beaton is a men’s life coach, founder of ManTalks and an author focusing on men’s wellness and personal growth. Emotions can be challenging. Some bring joy and comfort, while others we’d rather avoid entirely. But what if learning to embrace all emotions—even the uncomfortable ones—could lead to greater growth and understanding? Expect to learn why men have bad reputations with emotions, what emotions exactly are and why they’re important, how people can learn to start feeling their feeli...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep 890•Transcript available on Metacast Tony Robbins is a life and business coach, entrepreneur and #1 New York Times Bestselling author. What does it truly mean to live a good life? Many fall into the trap of believing that nothing we have—or ever will have—can fill the voids we feel inside. If material possessions and physical desires aren’t the answer, then what are the keys to a happy and fulfilled life? Expect to learn how to build your self-esteem, strategies for not being so hard on yourself, how to balance ambition & gratitude...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep 889•Transcript available on Metacast David Sutcliffe is a former actor and life coach. Balancing self-compassion with self-discipline can be challenging. On one hand, kindness towards yourself fosters growth and resilience, but on the other, pushing yourself can maintain drive and ambition. How can we navigate this balance to treat ourselves better while staying motivated? Expect to learn the role of authenticity in everyday life, what the cost is of betraying yourself, why self compassion is so hard, why people struggle to access ...
Jan 11, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep 888•Transcript available on Metacast Rangan Chatterjee is a physician, author, and podcaster. Breaking old habits can be just as challenging as building new ones. As we step into a new year, what does the latest science say are the best strategies for forming positive habits and letting go of the old ones? Expect to learn what the problem with reliance is and why having minimal reliance is important, why hero worship is problematic, why there are problems with perfectionism, how to let go of the past, why so many people feel the ne...
Jan 09, 2025•2 hr 39 min•Ep 887•Transcript available on Metacast Konstantin Kisin is a podcaster, a speaker and an author. With Trump's historic victory in the books, the implications of his policies and promises could send shockwaves worldwide. So what does this mean for the future of the West and Trump's impact on the global stage? Expect to learn whether Konstantin is actually right wing or not, if the Trump victory will inspire a broader movement across the globe, what happens if Trump is not able to deliver the big changes he promised, Konstantin’s take ...
Jan 06, 2025•2 hr 9 min•Ep 886•Transcript available on Metacast Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist, professor at the Wharton School and an author. Success is multi-layered. It involves challenges like overcoming nervousness, developing an appetite for risk-taking, and dealing with failures both privately and publicly—the list goes on. So how can we better navigate these hurdles to unlock our full potential? Expect to learn why so many people fail to reach their true potential, what most people don’t realise about where meaning and motivation come f...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep 885•Transcript available on Metacast Nick Pollard, “The People Displeaser,” is a coach and a speaker. Why do we feel so compelled to put others ahead of ourselves? Surely at the very minimum we should be able to prioritise ourselves. Yet it's hard. So, how can you break free from people pleasing tendencies and actually start advocating for your own needs with confidence? Expect to learn why people pleasing is such a trap, how someone can distinguish between being considerate and sacrificing their own identity to please others, how ...
Jan 02, 2025•2 hr 6 min•Ep 884•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Matthew Walker is a neuroscientist, professor at UC Berkley, and author. Many of the mental and physical challenges you might be facing could have a surprisingly simple solution: more sleep. But why is sleep so essential? What happens when we sleep, and how can we optimize our sleep to maximize its benefits? Expect to learn what defines good sleep, how stress impacts your sleep, the keys to getting and maintaining a regular sleep pattern, the best sleeping positions, how to stop snoring, why...
Dec 30, 2024•3 hr 43 min•Ep 883•Transcript available on Metacast 2024 is nearly over, so I decided to put together a compilation of some of my favourite moments from the show over the last year. It was going to be a top 10, but I couldn't choose, so it's 11. Expect to learn Andrew Huberman's best advice on how to become a morning person, why Oliver Burkeman thinks you should stop trying to control your life, the reason Eric Weinstein thinks more young men are becoming Right Wing, Dr Mike Israetel's most important advice for choosing muscle-building exercises,...
Dec 28, 2024•2 hr 6 min•Ep 882•Transcript available on Metacast I'm back on my old couch in Newcastle with Jonny, Yusef & George to catch up on what they've learned, their best hacks and new year's resolutions for 2025. Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Mast...
Dec 23, 2024•2 hr 43 min•Ep 881•Transcript available on Metacast Greg McKeown is an author, public speaker, and leadership consultant Success requires you to focus on what truly matters. But in the modern world there are more distractions than ever before. So how should you best choose what to prioritise, and what are the pitfalls to avoid? Expect to learn how Essentialism has evolved over the past decade, why saying no is so hard and how to get better at saying it, how to counteract your desire for novelty, why it’s so difficult to cut your losses, how to us...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep 880•Transcript available on Metacast Get my free End Of Year Review Template here - https://chriswillx.com/review/ It’s the end of 2024 and to celebrate I thought I’d run through some of the best lessons I’ve picked up over the last 12 months. This year has had over 10,000 minutes of episodes produced so there was a lot to choose from but I ended up settling on 16 insights from some of my favourite conversations both inside and outside of the podcast. Expect to learn what the insecure overachiever mindset is, whether success has to...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 879•Transcript available on Metacast David Senra is the host of Founders podcast and an investor. Every success story is like a unique song, composed with different instruments. Yet, when you listen closely, many of them share the same underlying rhythms. So, what are the core principles that play a key role in the lessons of the most successful individuals from history? Expect to learn why excellence is defined by the capacity to take & manage pain, why having high powered relationships is the secret to running the world, if self-...
Dec 16, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Ep 878•Transcript available on Metacast Marc Andreessen is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. America is entering a new chapter. With the recent election in the past, sweeping changes on the horizon, and a lot of uncertainty. Just how optimistic should we be about the upheaval the world is about to face? Expect to learn how we ended up on our current timeline, just how big the civil war is within the Democratic party right now, Marc’s thoughts on the motives and response to the Brian Thompson ki...
Dec 14, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep 877•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Gelb is an executive coach, speaker, and an author. Given that Leonardo da Vinci is one of history’s greatest minds, presumably we can learn a lot from the life, lessons and background of him. Michael is one of the world's leading writers on the man and today we get to discover his 7 most important rules for thinking like Leonardo. Expect to learn Leonardo da Vinci’s unique way of assessing problems, what Leonardo's demeanour was like as a person, if Leonardo was naturally gifted, what a...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep 876•Transcript available on Metacast Nedd Brockmann is an Australian ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. Is good mental health the same as strong mental toughness? Nedd has completed some of the most famous endurance feats in Australia, so what is driving him? And does the world actually understand his mission? Expect to learn why Nedd ran 1000 miles around a track raising over $2.5M for charity, Nedd’s reaction to the accusation that his event was just ’just toxic masculinity rebranded”, what Nedd’s die...
Dec 09, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep 875•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Morris is a professor of cultural psychology at Columbia University and an author. Why are humans so tribal? Despite our capacity for empathy and inclusion, why do we always gravitate toward groups of similar individuals? And is there such a thing as good tribalism? Expect to learn why tribalism exists and how it evolved in humans, why we can hate people outside of our group and why we become hostile, if the modern world has worsened tribal instincts, whether tribalism is actually a good...
Dec 07, 2024•2 hr 36 min•Ep 874•Transcript available on Metacast Lionel Page is a professor at the University of Queensland and an author. Lionel is one of my favourite writers so I had to bring him on to uncover the invisible psychology which drives our happiness. How can we optimise for wellbeing in a world full of distractions and pressures? Why does persistent happiness remain so elusive, and what shifts can help us build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with it? Expect to learn what everyone gets wrong when thinking about happiness, the most im...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep 873•Transcript available on Metacast Dr Mike Israetel is a Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Lehman College and the Co-Founder of Renaissance Periodization. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, the idea of humans living forever feels within reach. But what’s the truth about extending our lives? What does the latest science reveal about our pursuit of extended lifespan? Expect to learn the biggest determining factors to increase longevity, the role of genetics, whether fasting is the ultimate hack, how steroid u...
Dec 02, 2024•2 hr•Ep 872•Transcript available on Metacast Dave Smith is a stand-up comedian, podcaster and a political commentator. Why do so many Americans distrust the media? In fact, how can anyone trust the media when they has been proven wrong time and again? And is it possible to salvage this channel of public communication? Expect to learn what Dave thinks of the current state of the media, why they refuse to ever admit they're wrong, how much the media will learn from the recent election outcome, Dave’s thoughts on users leaving X for Bluesky, ...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 871•Transcript available on Metacast 
