You know a magical connection when you feel it—that undeniable magnetism that pulls you together for a fit that's as much like home as it is an adventure. We see these sorts of connections in romcoms all the time, but they're not just relegated to the romcom realm. Magical connections happen in friendships, too, and Rhaina Cohen wants to dignify them. This conversation with the writer and NPR Embedded producer/editor draws on some key stories and insights from her new book: The Other Significant...
May 29, 2024•45 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Here's a chilling thought: experts are saying that we may soon be sustaining 100-year work lives. If that's true, then how many careers might we have? How will we know where to upskill? And how will we keep bagged lunches interesting for so many years? Michelle R. Weise, researcher and author of Long Life Learning: Prepare for Jobs That Don't Even Exist Yet , offers ways to think through and prepare for the long life of work ahead. She outlines five principles for the educational ecosystem that ...
May 08, 2024•45 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 28, 2024•37 min•Ep 32•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•Ep 31•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 ...
Feb 21, 2024•38 min•Ep 30•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•Ep 29•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•Ep 28•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 14, 2023•36 min•Ep 27•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•Ep 26•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 a...
Nov 16, 2023•26 min•Ep 25•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 26, 2023•37 min•Ep 24•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•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Hi! We're taking a publication break this week. But never fear—we'll be back next week with a new full episode! And while we're here, could you please review Simplify on Apple Podcasts ? New reviews help new listeners discover the show—which is good for everybody. So, if Simplify means something to you, or has helped you over the years, or you’ve learned something and used it out in the world, could you please take just a couple of minutes to give it a rating and a review. It matters, and it hel...
Oct 05, 2023•57 sec•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•Ep 22•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•Ep 21•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 ...
Aug 24, 2023•42 min•Ep 20•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 ...
Aug 10, 2023•41 min•Ep 19•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 deep...
Jul 27, 2023•37 min•Ep 18•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 13, 2023•41 min•Ep 17•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 29, 2023•37 min•Ep 16•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 15, 2023•38 min•Ep 15•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 ...
Jun 01, 2023•38 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Being a parent is a big, beautiful, very tough job—which actually might benefit from some of the skills you usually practice when you’re at work! Economist and parenting guru extraordinaire Emily Oster joins Ben to talk about family decision-making: how much infrastructure you really need in your family, your family unit’s mission statement, and why sometimes, you’ve just gotta let your kid eat a lame breakfast. And: our FIRST EVER LISTENER SURVEY is still open! Please go to the survey link and ...
Feb 16, 2023•48 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast We've been listening. You told us through our survey that you wanted more tools, more ways to make what you learn with Simplify concrete. And so: here's exactly that! In this short bonus exercise—a companion to the Ev'Yan Whitney episode, Listen to Your Body, which was released on the same day as this bonus and will be in your feed—Ev'Yan, somatic practitioner and sensuality doula, walks you through a gentle exercise that will help you learn to listen to your body. Try it out, and let us know wh...
Feb 10, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s true of almost all of us: we take our bodies for granted. We force them into uncomfortable positions, we push them long after they’re tired, we starve them for aesthetics—and a million more awful things we wouldn’t do to a friend. One thing we don’t often do to our bodies? Listen to them. And if we did, wow, what we’d learn! This episode is with Ev’Yan Whitney, somatic practitioner, sensualist, author, podcaster—and advocate for awakening people to the sensory pleasures alive inside of all ...
Feb 10, 2023•41 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Being an adult: what does that actually mean? Is it paying taxes? Making your own doctor’s appointments? Owning a home? It's probably all of that stuff, but: what's the more important personal evolution stuff that makes us grownups—no matter if we're 21 or 65? In this episode, Julie Lythcott-Haims, former Dean of freshmen and undergrad advising at Stanford and a best-selling author, walks Caitlin through it by way of a conversation about her book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult https://www.blinki...
Feb 02, 2023•38 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve been making Simplify pretty much the same way since 2017: we focus on a great book and its author, and try to dig out the most helpful ideas. Nearly six years in, we’re wondering: how might we make Simplify even better for all of you? So, we thought we'd ask! Click this link to take the survey: https://try.blinkist.com/simplify-learner-survey/ [1] Tell us what you're curious about lately, what you've been reading, and which authors you’d like to hear from. It’ll probably only take you abou...
Jan 26, 2023•1 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 with just what you need for the new year—and nothing you don't. In this episode, we’ve distilled powerful ideas and approaches from our 3 most popular, impactful episodes. And since we spend all our time divided between focusing on ourselves, our relationships, and our work, we’ll home in on simplifying those three areas. BONUS : we’ve made a very neat New-Yearsy tool available to y...
Jan 05, 2023•53 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine having a mentor that’s available 24/7 to advise you on whatever challenge life puts in front of you—wouldn’t that be nice? In this bonus episode, Ken Page guides you through The Inner Mentor Process™ , a guided meditation practice. In this practice, you'll find you're able to bypass your inner critic and get a message from your own personal mentor, a mentor who is always there, ready to share wisdom that is just for you. This is an unpublished excerpt from the Simplify interview with Ken...
Oct 28, 2021•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the things you need to juggle in order to be a good... anything? A good partner, a good parent, a good worker, a good friend? And in the end, it feels like you never have enough time and energy to focus on what really matters to YOU? In this final episode of Season 7, Tiffany Dufu invites you to stop being "good" and drop the ball . Tiffany is the author of Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/browse/books/drop-the...
Jul 08, 2021•42 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast 
