Anne Curzan is a professional word nerd. As a linguist and English professor, Anne studies the history of the English language and how public attitudes about words shift over time. Adam and Anne geek out over whether the grammar rules you learned in school are justified, why some language peeves are (or aren't) worth holding onto, and confess what they're learning from Gen-Z slang. Anne's latest book, Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide For Everyone Who Cares About Words , is out now. Transcr...
Jul 02, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gabrielle Zevin wrote the runaway bestseller Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow , but she doesnt expect anyone to know most of her other nine books. The acclaimed novelist joins Adam to discuss how to face failure, find inspiration, make sure success doesn't hinder creativity, and stay motivated when your goals don't align with your skills. Then, they riff on the most important elements of a story and several mic drop moments in her work. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/...
Jun 25, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sir Richard Branson has spent his lifetime taking dreams and making them reality. As the founder of the Virgin Group, he's built more than 400 businesses spanning from retail to music to transport. In his spare time, hes advocated for human rights and sustainability and set world records for hot air ballooning and kitesurfing. Richard talks with Adam about what hes learned about courage and risk-taking in more than half a century of entrepreneurship, unveils his distinctive view of competition, ...
Jun 18, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Justin Trudeau has served as the Prime Minister of Canada since 2015. And theres a lot to dig into from his years in office and from his life before, as well. Adam sits down with him to discuss lessons learned about leadership. The Prime Minister opens up for the first time about his early struggles with impostor syndrome and how he maintains his motivation in the face of disapproval and criticism today. He also shares how he encourages people to speak truth to power, where his team is challengi...
Jun 11, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast American writer Rebecca Solnit thinks deeply and writes evocatively about our world. Her must-read essays and award-winning books span hope, history, art, leadership, and sustainability. Adam and Rebecca reflect on what we lose when public discourse is diluted to fit into social media, debate how to bring back good conversations online, and share why being able to recalibrate our opinions is crucial in our increasingly digital world. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscr...
Jun 04, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you pay attention to your attention? John Green is the beloved author of The Fault In Our Stars , and when he started tracking his attention, he realized he was obsessed with evaluating human progress. He decided to start rating everything from the capacity for human wonder to Canadian geese on a five-point scale. In this deeply thoughtful conversation with Adam, John shares what he learned from his series of Yelp-style reviews, the gift of a great book, and the unexpected life lessons found ...
May 28, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brian Chesky, the CEO and cofounder of Airbnb, is firmly in the trust business. His focus isn't only on building a trusted platform for people to rent their homes to strangers it's on earning the trust of his employees. Adam and Brian discuss how to lead with care in tough times, why it's better to overcommunicate than undercommunicate, what to expect for the future of work, and why a company should be treated as a community rather than a family. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.te...
May 21, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Years ago, Aza Raskin invented the infinite scroll and yes, he regrets it. Today, Aza is the co-founder of the Center For Humane Technology and the Earth Species Project. Azas work focuses on creating and advocating for ethical technology that benefits collective well-being. For his latest project, hes looking beyond humanity, using artificial intelligence to decode whale communication and see what lessons we might learn from the animal world. In this expansive conversation, Adam and Aza discuss...
May 14, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Duchovny knows a lot about success hes a Golden Globe-winning actor who has had iconic roles from The X-Files to Californication . But as a literature PhD dropout turned director turned songwriter and novelist, David is more interested in failure and what it can teach us. Adam and David discuss the value of falling short of our goals, the perils of success, and whether nice people really finish last. Davids new podcast Fail Better is out now. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go....
May 07, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mae Martin is a comedian, improviser, screenwriter, and podcast host. Their work on Netflix includes the stand-up special Sap and the aptly named TV series Feel Good . Adam and Mae chat about the value of vulnerability in connection, snapping out of procrastination, shame spirals, and life lessons from the art of improvisation. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 30, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kara Swisher made her name by being disarmingly direct with the whos who of tech from Steve Jobs to Bill Gates to Elon Musk. So why doesnt she like the phrase speak truth to power? The journalist, author, and host of the popular podcasts Pivot and On joins Adam to discuss her history of assertiveness and her strategies for challenging authority. Then, they dive into Silicon Valleys favorite status symbols, the difference between being demanding and being demeaning, and the future of technology a...
Apr 23, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anne Lamott may be your favorite writers favorite writer. The author of many beloved books, including the modern classic Bird by Bird , Annes writing is singularly insightful, moving, and oftentimes funny. Adam and Anne chat about the art of great writing, the challenges of being kinder to others and ourselves, and the lessons to be learned from a life examined. Then, Anne helps with a special request. Annes latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love , is out now. Transcripts for ReThinking are avai...
Apr 16, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast How important are your twenties and how bad are they? Meg Jay is a clinical psychologist who specializes in young adult development in twenty year-olds. She and Adam review the science of what makes this developmental period important, discuss the common mistakes that we make, and share tips for twentysomethings (and parents) navigating this tumultuous decade. Megs latest book, The Twentysomething Treatment , is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 09, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yuval Noah Harari is a historian best known for his book Sapiens , which has sold more than 25 million copies and been translated into 65 languages. Adam and Yuval examine the power of stories in shaping humanitys success, discuss the tension between justice and peace, and reconsider the true purpose of studying history. Yuvals latest book, Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why The World Isnt Fair , is for young readers and its out now. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts ...
Apr 02, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Charan Ranganath is a psychologist and neuroscientist who has spent his career studying memory. His new book, Why We Remember, surveys the latest science on the subject and digs into the links between memory and identity. Charan and Adam discuss surprising evidence on why we remember, what we forget, and how learning new ideas happens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 26, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a political scientist and founder of Eurasia Group, Ian Bremmer helps business leaders, policymakers and the general public make sense of the world. He gives a stirring analysis of the current state of global affairs and explains what makes 2024 so complex. Ian and Adam discuss the cyclical nature of geopolitics, whats different about todays crisis of democracy, and what we can do as individuals to cope with it. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acas...
Mar 19, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast You may know will.i.am as the seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and frontman of The Black Eyed Peas. But his interests beyond music have also taken him down a surprising and creative path from serving as the director of creative innovation at Intel, to becoming the first artist to stream a song from the surface of Mars, to hosting the first radio show with an AI co-host. Adam asks about will.i.ams creative process and digs into how he turns his expansive ideas into re...
Mar 12, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cal Newport knows a thing or two about productivity: when hes not teaching computer science at Georgetown, hes writing for The New Yorker , hosting a podcast, or authoring New York Times bestsellers like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism . In his new book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout , Cal proposes that we trade current standards of rapid output for slower, higher-quality, and sustainable ways of working. Adam and Cal dig into the data on productivity, debate...
Mar 05, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sarah Edmondson escaped and blew the whistle against NXIVM, the cult masquerading as a personal and professional development company. With clarity and a surprising and wry sense of humor, Sarah shares her lessons about the dark sides of charisma. She and Adam discuss what makes groups a little (or a lot) culty, the telltale signs of manipulation, and why our highest loyalty belongs to principles not people. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See a...
Feb 27, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robin Arzn is the head instructor at Peloton and an ultramarathon runner, but she didnt plan to make her career based on her athletic prowess. In this conversation with Adam, she talks about how she fell in love with running in adulthood and her radical career pivot from lawyer to renowned exercise instructor. They discuss what hustle culture gets wrong, why motivation may be less important than momentum, and how to create a consistent practice in the gym and beyond it. Transcripts for ReThinkin...
Feb 20, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Denise Hamilton is an inclusion strategist who works with organizations ranging from the UN to the WNBA. She is also the author of Indivisible: How to Forge our Differences into a Stronger Future . Denise and Adam discuss the pain of abandoning old stories, the value of revising long-held beliefs, and how to respond to the backlash against diversity and inclusion. Indivisible is out now. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
Feb 13, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jared Cohen is a history buff with a career that boasts its own remarkable story. From the State Department to founding Jigsaw at Google to leading global affairs and innovation at Goldman Sachs, Jared has worked with the worlds top leaders to tackle humanitys biggest problems. His work in international problem-solving also translates into a passion for U.S. history. His new book, Life After Power , is a fascinating exploration about what seven American presidents did after leaving the most infl...
Feb 06, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist and bestselling author. In this zesty conversation with Adam, Bob shares insights on how to overcome friction at work. The two also discuss steps for leaders to become better listeners, the surprising advantages of inconvenience, and why its better to be a boring leader than an a-hole boss. Bobs latest book, The Friction Project, is out now. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Jan 30, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast You dont always decide what you feel, but you do own how you react to those feelings. In her bestselling book and TED Talk, Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David examines the skills involved in emotional agility. She and Adam go deep on this topic, discussing the risks of judging and suppressing unwanted emotions and effective techniques for managing them. They explore why optimism is not essential to well-being and how to overcome pressure to be positive. And they reveal how paying at...
Jan 23, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emotions are like opinions everyone has them. Thanks to the pioneering research of todays guest, we know that its possible to transform our feelings by changing how we think and talk about them. Lisa Feldman Barrett is a psychologist and neuroscientist at Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School. In this episode, Lisa and Adam bust myths about how emotions are constructed in the brain and experienced in the body. They discuss the surprising evidence that language doesnt just describe e...
Jan 16, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jennifer Garners roles from 13 Going on 30 to Juno to Alias often center strong women who know how to achieve great things. In a fun and surprising live conversation, Jennifer chats with Adam about his latest book, Hidden Potential. They dive into the most eye-opening findings in Adams research and the unexpected factors that build character and long-term success. Plus, the two dream up the ideal school and discuss what its like to be both Type A and Type Z parents. Transcripts for ReThinking ar...
Jan 09, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a clinical psychologist, Becky Kennedy works with parents to raise good kids. Shes best known as Dr. Becky on Instagram, and has been called the "Millennial parenting whisperer" for good reason. Becky and Adam challenge the widespread belief that its a parents job to make their children happy, talk candidly about the surprisingly difficult task of setting and maintaining boundaries, and dig into the science and practice of helping kids (and adults) deal with the ups and downs of life. Transcr...
Jan 02, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize winner who transformed our understanding of the biases that cloud our thinking. In this conversation, he and Adam explore when to trust our intuition and when to second-guess it. Danny explains how he finds joy in being wrong, spells out steps to smarter interviewing, and reveals how hethe master decoder of decision-makingmakes decisions. Find the transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/RT-Kahneman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 26, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Maurice Ashley is a trailblazing chess grandmaster the first African-American player to claim that prestigious title. Hes also a chess coaching legend, as spotlighted in Adam's new book, Hidden Potential. Adam and Maurice discuss the lessons from losing, the benefits of respecting your opponents, and what drives a winning strategy in chess and life. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 19, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you think of the arts as entertainment or luxury, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross might ask you to reconsider. The authors of the New York Times bestseller Your Brain on Art argue that engaging with music, craft projects, and museums can transform our lives in unexpected ways. Susan, Ivy, and Adam delve into the fascinating science of neuroaesthetics, and explore how art can unlock creativity, enhance well-being, and enrich communities. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGs...
Dec 12, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
