A Bit of Optimism

1. Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis

   October 20, 20261 h 1 minSeason 6 · Episode 35

   Hello from Team Simon! Brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism are back next Tuesday, October 27. Before then, we're revisiting one last favorite: the company Simon names whenever someone asks which business …

   Show notes

   Hello from Team Simon! Brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism are back next Tuesday, October 27. Before then, we're revisiting one last favorite: the company Simon names whenever someone asks which business actually lives the ideas he writes about. It's Gymshark, and its founder, Ben Francis.
   

   Maybe you know the pull: the bigger something gets, the more it feels like it should do more. More products, more markets, more people to please. It looks like growth. But it can quietly water down the very thing that made you special.
   
   Gymshark didn't start with a vision. It started with a website, a list of drop-shipped supplements, and months of waiting for anyone to buy anything. Then Ben spotted his nan's sewing machine on the dining room table and started making gym clothes for himself and his friends. Years later, with the business booming, Gymshark did what growing companies do and expanded into swimwear, hiking, and sportswear. The brand started to blur. So Ben pulled it all back to three words: We Do Gym.
   
   Ben is the founder and CEO of Gymshark, the gymwear brand he launched in 2012 while still working shifts at Pizza Hut. Today it's a billion-dollar global brand with a devoted community, a flagship store on London's Regent Street, and one ambition that shapes every decision Ben makes: to build a 100-year brand.
   
   I sat down with Ben at Gymshark HQ in the West Midlands, where the company values are painted on the walls in refreshingly blunt language. And I push him on the irony at the heart of the brand: how does a company built on humility make clothes designed for showing off?
   
   In this episode you'll learn:
   ➡️ Why the best businesses often start with ridiculously low ambitions
   ➡️ The "small menu" rule: why selling fewer things builds a better business
   ➡️ Why Ben stepped aside as CEO, and how it made him ready to take the job back
   ➡️ How a 100-year mindset changes who you hire (+ why "have they done it before?" is the wrong question)
   ➡️ His granddad's one-question test for a good year
   ➡️ Why even the most successful founders admit they're "just winging it"
   ➡️ Why the only competition worth winning is against yourself
   
   Ben's lesson is a freeing one: you don't have to be everything to everyone. Pick the thing you love, serve the people who love it too, and keep getting better at it. That's how you build something that lasts.
   
   This… is A Bit of Optimism.
   
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   Want to check out Gymshark? Head over to: https://www.gymshark.com/
   
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   Chapters
   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 Why Building a 100-Year Brand Changes Everything
   • 00:01:55 The Accidental Birth of Gymshark: From Supplements to Sewing Machines
   • 00:07:38 Setting the Bar Low: Why Small Ambitions Lead to Big Success
   • 00:10:34 The Temptation to Expand: When Gymshark Lost Its Way
   • 00:11:23 The Restaurant Menu Philosophy: Why Less Product Means Better Business
   • 00:13:48 Stepping Down as CEO: The Hardest Decision That Saved the Company
   • 00:20:43 What Cool Dads Build: The Personal Drive Behind a 100-Year Vision
   • 00:24:27 The American Mistake: When Freedom Killed the Brand
   • 00:27:45 The Onyx Launch: Selling to 1 Percent of Your Audience
   • 00:34:46 Did You Make Any Money This Year: Lessons from Granddad
   • 00:37:06 Give a Sh**: The Honest Values Written on the Walls
   • 00:44:14 Winging It With Purpose: What Simon Learned in Fiji
   • 00:47:56 Two Types of Winging It: Foundation vs Quicksand
   • 00:53:21 The Head Nod Philosophy: Competition That Lifts Everyone Up
   • 00:57:13 Family First: When Your Kid's Hug Beats Every Business Win

   
   
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   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
   
   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
   
   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
   
   + + +
   
   Website: http://simonsinek.com
   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek
   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

2. Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel

   October 13, 20261 h 2 minSeason 6 · Episode 34

   Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations …

   Show notes

   Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. 

   Until then, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations, including this one with a longtime friend of Simon’s: Esther Perel.

   For most of history, we stayed in marriages and jobs because we had to. Happiness was a nice bonus. Today we get to choose who we love and where we work, so happiness has become the glue that holds it all together.

   Few people have watched that shift as closely as Esther Perel. For four decades, she’s seen how love, family and work have been reshaped by no-fault divorce, the internet, and now AI. Her conclusion hasn’t changed: the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. It’s a line she first said out loud years ago, in a WHY Discovery session with Simon.

   Esther is a psychotherapist, the bestselling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, and the host of the podcast Where Should We Begin? Her card game “Where Should We Begin? At Work,” is built to spark real conversations between colleagues.

   In this conversation, Esther and Simon talk about why one partner can’t be our whole village, what kids lose when they stop playing in the street, and why an entry-level job may be the last great playground. Simon also shares a personal update: how he made peace with the question, "Why haven’t you been married?"

   In this episode you'll learn:

   ➡️ Why happiness went from a perk to the glue, in love and at work
   ➡️ The “relationship CV” everyone brings to work (+ how it shapes the way you handle conflict and authority)
   ➡️ Why we’re asking one person to give us what a whole village used to
   ➡️ How frictionless apps are changing what we expect from each other
   ➡️ Why entry-level jobs are the best place to scrape your knees
   ➡️ The number one relationship skill Gen Z should master before their first job
   ➡️ Why play is just risk that feels fun, and how it builds trust

   And remember, every relationship you treasure started as a conversation with a stranger.
   

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

   + + +

    

   To learn more about Esther's work, visit: https://www.estherperel.com/

   And check out "Where Should We Begin? At Work" here: https://game.estherperel.com/products/where-should-we-begin-at-work

   + + +

    

   Chapters

   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 Why the Quality of Our Relationships Determines the Quality of Our Lives
   • 00:03:43 The Dual Revolution: How Work and Romance Transformed Together
   • 00:09:40 From Duty to Desire: When Happiness Became the Glue
   • 00:17:11 The Death of the Playground: Where We Lost Our Social Skills
   • 00:19:24 Why Lion Cubs Fight: The Mammal Lesson We're Ignoring
   • 00:25:46 The Harvard Study Secret: Relationships Are #1 Predictor of Happiness
   • 00:28:10 The Kindergarten Separation: A Cultural Moment That Reveals Everything
   • 00:30:17 The Two CVs: Your Work Resume and Your Relationship History
   • 00:31:04 The Predictive Technology Problem: Why Apps Are Ruining Human Connection
   • 00:38:56 The Three Models of Relationships: Romance, Scaffolding, and Friendship Networks
   • 00:42:49 Belonging vs Fitting In: Why Forcing Relationships Fails
   • 00:44:23 The Workplace Revolution: When Psychology Entered Business
   • 00:45:26 Where Should We Begin at Work: Using Storytelling to Build Connection
   • 00:46:20 The Entry-Level Crisis: Why Young Workers Are Most at Risk
   • 00:49:39 Remote Work Reality: Flexibility Without Dogma
   • 00:50:40 The Transactional Trap: Why We Skip the Coffee and Go Straight to Business
   • 00:56:20 Talk to Strangers: The Number One Skill Gen Z Needs
   • 00:57:48 The Discomfort Doctrine: Why Comfort Has Become Too Central to Life
   • 00:58:45 The Third Space: Finding Five Minutes Away From All Responsibility
   • 01:00:22 The Voice Matters: Why We Misinterpret Text and Need to Hear Each Other
   • 01:01:15 The Trojan Horses: Teaching Human Skills Through Work and Romance

    

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   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

3. Revisited: Your Instincts Know What You Want with Happiness Expert Arthur Brooks

   October 6, 202656 minSeason 6 · Episode 33

   Team Simon here! A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, and brand-new episodes return October 27. Until then, we're revisiting a few conversations we keep coming back to.This week it's Arthur Brooks, a longtime …

   Show notes

   Team Simon here! A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, and brand-new episodes return October 27. Until then, we're revisiting a few conversations we keep coming back to.
   

   This week it's Arthur Brooks, a longtime friend of Simon's and one of his favorite people to talk to.
   
   Have you ever felt like you're falling behind? Everyone else seems to have a plan, a timeline and the next rung on the ladder lined up. Any detour, like a gap year, a pivot or a job that isn't quite right, feels like losing ground.
   
   Arthur Brooks thinks you're running the wrong race. Chasing a finish line is one of the surest ways to end up unhappy. He argues that happiness lives in the process, not the outcome.
   
   Arthur is a bestselling author and teaches one of the most popular classes at Harvard Business School: a whole course on happiness. He lives what he teaches, too. He played French horn professionally from 19 to 31 and then reinvented himself as a behavioral scientist. After that, he became president of a Washington think tank without ever having raised a dollar. When he left that job with no idea what came next, he walked the Camino de Santiago to find out.
   
   In this conversation, Arthur explains how to know when to trust your gut, why reinvention starts with curiosity rather than skills, and why meaning has collapsed for people under 35. Simon pushes on something that worries him: if AI takes away the struggle, what happens to the wisdom that struggle builds?

   In this episode you'll learn:
   ➡️ The 80/20/0 rule for knowing a big decision is the right one
   ➡️ Why reapplying your skills isn't the same as reinventing yourself
   ➡️ Why your career is a spiral, not a staircase
   ➡️ The "arrival fallacy," and why so many Olympic gold medalists struggle after they win
   ➡️ Why life's most unwelcome changes usually look like gifts in hindsight
   ➡️ The three parts of happiness 
   ➡️ Why feelings are the evidence of happiness, not the thing itself
   ➡️ Why Arthur calls AI a "dark triad," and what that means if you're using it as a therapist
   ➡️ What to do when you're between things: take a walk 

   
   Arthur's argument is a freeing one. Happiness lives in the doing, so you can be fully alive right now. You don't have to arrive first.
   

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.
   

   + + +

    

   If you want to see more of Arthur’s work, check out: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/

    

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   Chapters

   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 Why Meaning Has Cratered in Modern Life
   • 00:02:00 Career Reinvention: The Spiral Path
   • 00:06:05 The Decision Formula: 80% Excitement, 20% Fear
   • 00:09:27 Moving "Backwards" to Move Forward
   • 00:14:12 The Arrival Fallacy & Why Progress Matters
   • 00:18:18 Navigating "Lifequakes" and Liminal Space
   • 00:22:26 The Metaphor of the Pilgrimage
   • 00:25:13 Intention Without Attachment
   • 00:27:16 How Fast Technology & AI Threaten Human Wisdom
   • 00:33:38 Lessons from Prisoners of War: Embracing Process Over Deadlines
   • 00:39:48 The Danger of Using AI for Human Connection
   • 00:41:45 The 3 True Elements of Happiness (Enjoyment, Satisfaction, Meaning)
   • 00:45:20 Cultivating Curiosity & Rethinking Education
   • 00:48:40 Superpowers in Neurodivergence
   • 00:52:25 Translating Ancient Wisdom: Be Alive Now

    

   + + +

    

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

4. Revisited: The Power of Saying "Screw It" with Rob Lowe

   September 29, 20261 h 2 minSeason 6 · Episode 32

   Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations …

   Show notes

   Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations, starting with one of the most fun we've ever had: Rob Lowe.
   

   Maybe you know the feeling: you've got an idea, a joke, a risk you want to take… and you talk yourself out of it before anyone else gets the chance. Rob Lowe has spent four decades doing the opposite. He calls it a healthy case of the "screw-its."

   It's how he survived an industry famous for chewing people up. He went from movies to The West Wing when movie stars didn't do TV, and from TV to hosting a game show when that was supposed to be career death. His secret isn't avoiding failure. It's never letting failure decide what he tries next.

   Rob is an actor, producer, and bestselling author whose career runs from The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire to The West Wing and Parks and Recreation. He hosts FOX's The Floor and the podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe, and stars alongside his son John Owen Lowe in Netflix's Unstable.

   In this conversation, Rob tells the story of his infamous Oscars song-and-dance number (and the open letter from Hollywood legends that followed it). He also shares the Letterman appearance that taught him to trust his instincts for good, and explains why authenticity has become the only currency that matters. And I push him on the question under all of it: can the rest of us learn to take a punch the way he does?
   

   In this episode you'll learn:

   ➡️ Why a healthy case of the "screw-its" is a career strategy, not a character flaw

   ➡️ What the world's top tennis players can teach us about bouncing back

   ➡️ The one practical rule for being more authentic: stop self-editing

   ➡️ Why the thing you least want to talk about is the thing that makes you relatable

   ➡️ Why "availability" might be a better word than "vulnerability"

   ➡️ How to spot performative authenticity (+ Rob's three red-carpet poses)

   ➡️ Why you can meet your heroes, but shouldn't get to know them

   ➡️ How humor makes even the hardest subjects easier to talk about
   

   Rob's lesson is a freeing one: take the work seriously, laugh at the absurd parts, and trust your gut on the next big swing. Worst case, you get a great story.
   

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    

   + + +

    

   If you want to listen to Rob’s podcast, Literally! with Rob Lowe, head to: https://teamcoco.com/podcasts/literally-with-rob-lowe 

   Find out where you can watch Rob as host of GSN’s The Floor, weekends at 8pm ET: https://www.gameshownetwork.com/the-floor 

    

   + + +

    

   Chapters

   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 The Oscars Disaster: When Rob Lowe Bombed on Stage
   • 00:01:59 From Teen Beat Cover Boy to Career Crisis at 17
   • 00:03:33 The Fame Freeze: Why Celebrities Stop Growing
   • 00:05:29 The Secret to Staying Relevant for Decades
   • 00:06:55 Breaking the Rules: From Movies to TV When No One Did
   • 00:12:45 The Comedy Central Roast and the Price of Humiliation
   • 00:14:39 Learning to Trust Your Instincts After Letterman
   • 00:21:05 What Authenticity Actually Means in Hollywood
   • 00:31:30 The Art of Self-Deprecation Without Losing Respect
   • 00:38:00 Red Carpet Secrets: Man of the People, Blue Steel, and Iconic
   • 00:51:29 Don't Meet Your Heroes - Or At Least Don't Get to Know Them
   • 00:53:26 Finding Humor in the Darkest Moments
   • 00:57:01 Why Game Shows Are Actually the Hardest Thing He's Done
   • 01:01:18 Live in Gratitude and Manage Your Expectations

    

   + + +

    

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

5. What Mentally Strong People Do on Their Worst Days with Psychotherapist Amy Morin

   September 22, 20261 h 2 minSeason 6 · Episode 31

   Be honest: you've taken a mental health day that made you feel worse. You stayed in bed, you avoided the thing, and by evening it was still waiting for you—with less of the day left to face it.Amy Morin thinks …

   Show notes

   Be honest: you've taken a mental health day that made you feel worse. You stayed in bed, you avoided the thing, and by evening it was still waiting for you—with less of the day left to face it.

   Amy Morin thinks the problem starts with the word. We treat mental health as something you either have or you don't… and framed that way, there's nothing to actually do on a bad day. Her work runs on the opposite premise: mental strength is a practice, and you build it like you'd build anything else.

   Amy is a psychotherapist, a clinical social worker, and the author of the bestseller 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do and the new The Mental Strength Playbook. She became a therapist at 22 and lost her mother at 23. Three years later—to the day—her husband died, and the mental health agency where she worked gave her three days of bereavement leave. She built the practices that became her book in real time, from there.

   In this conversation, Amy walks through exactly what she did to get mentally fit. Not as theory, but as the small, unglamorous things that got her out of bed. And I press her on the question nobody in her field says out loud: whether an industry built to help us has any incentive to finish the job.

   In this episode you'll learn:
   ➡️ Why the mental health day you take to feel better isn’t helping
   ➡️ How to tell whether to solve the problem or solve the feeling (most of us pick wrong)
   ➡️ The 15-minute daily exercise Amy's clients say lifts the weight of the world
   ➡️ Why "I am anxious" and "I have anxiety sometimes" build two different lives
   ➡️ How to compromise with yourself on a bad day instead of going all-or-nothing
   ➡️ Why "I'm just staying busy" is avoidance we've learned to compliment
   ➡️ What playing the victim actually gives you (+ why it's so hard to give up)
   ➡️ Simon's rule for hard days: no crying alone
   

   Amy's argument is a hopeful one: the feeling follows the action. Do one small, ordinary thing today, and you've already started.

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.
   

   + + +

   This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW

   + + +

   If you’d like to buy Amy’s new book, The Mental Strength Playbook, head to: https://amymorinlcsw.com/books/ 

   + + +

   Chapters
   
   

   + + +

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
   

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
   

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

6. The Dating Advice Making Us Worse at Love with Relationship Expert Amy Chan

   September 15, 202650 minSeason 6 · Episode 30

   The internet is flooded with advice for dating in the smartphone age: know your type, trust the spark, watch for red flags, protect your peace, never settle.It sounds like self-respect, but relationship expert …

   Show notes

   The internet is flooded with advice for dating in the smartphone age: know your type, trust the spark, watch for red flags, protect your peace, never settle.

   It sounds like self-respect, but relationship expert Amy Chan thinks it’s a big reason dating feels impossible right now.

   Her argument: we need to correct the lessons we’ve learned when it comes to dating. The person who’s great on a first date isn’t necessarily great at a relationship. Instant chemistry isn’t always a good sign. A red flag could just be an imperfection. And keeping our options open has made a lot of us genuinely bad at choosing someone.

   Amy is the founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp and the author of Unsingle: How to Date Smarter and Create Love That Lasts. For nearly two decades she’s looked at dating through psychology and neuroscience — why we’re drawn to certain people, why relationships fall apart, and what actually predicts whether one lasts. She started her career helping people end relationships… Now, she teaches them how to build one.

   In this episode you'll learn:
   ➡️ Why “instant chemistry” is one of the worst predictors of a lasting relationship
   ➡️ The quiet qualities research says actually predict a happy partnership
   ➡️ Why dating skills and relationship skills are two completely different skill sets
   ➡️ How the algorithm rewards red-flag advice 10X over green-flag advice (and what that’s doing to you)
   ➡️ Situationships: why the breakup hurts more when there was never a breakup
   ➡️ “Leaky energy,” micro-cheating, and the honest test for both
   ➡️ The 9-date experiment Amy gives clients who are stuck dating the same person
   ➡️ How the right relationship shrinks old wounds 

   ➡️ Why discomfort is a critical skill dating requires

   Amy’s advice isn’t about finding a better person. It’s about becoming someone better at love. And that’s advice all of us could use! 

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

   + + +
   

   This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW

   + + +

   To get a copy of Amy's book, Unsingle: How to Date Smarter and Create Love That Lasts, head to: https://missamychan.com/#books 

   + + +

   Chapters

   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 Why Modern Dating Advice Is Making Us Worse at Love
   • 00:02:26 From Broken Heart to Breakup Bootcamp
   • 00:09:50 Why Dating Feels Harder Than Ever
   • 00:11:35 The Two Different Skill Sets: Dating vs. Relationship
   • 00:12:26 Online Dating and the Imagination Problem
   • 00:14:17 The Coffee Date Defense and the "Five Out of Ten Rule"
   • 00:15:53 The Cure for Avoidant Attachment
   • 00:18:13 The ADHD Love Bomb Confession
   • 00:24:49 What Self-Care Culture Gets Wrong About Commitment
   • 00:30:31 Situationships: The Safe Space That Keeps You Stuck
   • 00:33:07 Leaky Energy and Micro-Cheating
   • 00:35:08 Amy's Seven-Year Relationship and Emotionally Corrective Experiences
   • 00:39:28 The Instant Chemistry Trap
   • 00:40:59 The Nine-Person Dating Experiment
   • 00:44:37 Why Young People Aren't Dating Anymore
   • 00:45:49 Bad Feelings Don't Mean It's Bad
   • 00:48:02 The Single Skill That Saves Relationships

   
   

   + + +

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

7. Why Trying to “Sound Smart” is Losing You the Room with Strategic Story Producer Rob Willis

   September 8, 202647 minSeason 6 · Episode 29

   Have you ever sat through a presentation and felt your attention just start to…drift? Chances are, it wasn't the content. It was the delivery.A year ago, Rob Willis was a corporate trainer with years of …

   Show notes

   Have you ever sat through a presentation and felt your attention just start to…drift? Chances are, it wasn't the content. It was the delivery.

   A year ago, Rob Willis was a corporate trainer with years of experience and a sharp eye for what makes people listen. He wondered if what he taught in workshops would resonate with a larger audience. So he started making short videos that break down what makes great speakers great: from their word choice, to structure, to the energy they brought to any room or conversation. 

   Rob even made a video breaking down my method of public speaking. In his video,  Rob dissects my signature opening line, and my friends couldn't stop sending it to me. One hundred videos in one hundred days later, Rob's videos are going viral on a regular basis, and a whole new audience is eager to learn from him.

   But what I find most interesting about Rob is where he actually learned all of this. Not in a classroom. He learned it by giving free walking tours in Berlin, where nobody pays up front and anyone can leave at any moment. If you're boring, people simply walk away — no tip, no small talk, just people voting with their feet.

   Rob and I discuss what that taught him about holding a room, why the smartest person in the room is rarely the most persuasive one, and the handful of simple, almost mechanical shifts that separate a forgettable pitch from one people actually remember.
   

   In this episode you'll learn:

   ➡️ Why "if I just explain it better" is the most common, and most inaccurate, assumption speakers make

   ➡️ Rob's trick for holding anyone's attention, whether it's a boardroom or a crowd on a street corner

   ➡️ What real charisma is made of (hint: it's not confidence, it's belief)

   ➡️ Why so many people suddenly sound fake the moment they step on stage

   ➡️ 5 things you can do in your next meeting to immediately present better 

   You don't need a TED Talk on your calendar to get something out of this one. Any of us who wants to be understood — in a meeting, a pitch, a hard conversation — will find something worth stealing.

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

   + + +

   This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW

   + + +

   Want to keep up with Rob and his video breakdowns? Check out: https://robdwillis.carrd.co/

   + + +

   Chapters
   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 The Former Tour Guide Who Cracked the Code
   • 00:03:12 Why Trying to Sound Smart is Losing You the Room
   • 00:03:48 100 Videos in 100 Days
   • 00:06:16 Breaking Down the Patterns: What Makes Simon Sinek Work
   • 00:07:33 Learning to Speak Without a Plan
   • 00:11:41 The Knowledge Deficit Trap: Why More Information Doesn't Always Work
   • 00:12:33 The Tour Guide Philosophy and Tracking What Actually Works
   • 00:16:20 Simon's Book Writing Journey
   • 00:23:10 The Art of the Distilled Message
   • 00:25:53 The Bolt of Lightning Myth: How Great Ideas Really Happen
   • 00:26:55 Let Them Get There First: The Power of the Aha Moment
   • 00:29:10 Hans Rosling and What is True Charisma
   • 00:31:47 Speaking With Conviction, Not Questions
   • 00:34:30 The Speaking Voice Trap: Why You Sound Weird on Stage
   • 00:36:42 Five Things You Can Do Tomorrow to Become a Better Speaker
   • 00:44:14 The Five-Minute Rule: Why Less is Always More

   + + +

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

   + + +

8. Your Limits Are Learned (And They Can Be Unlearned) with Brain Coach Jim Kwik

   September 1, 202651 minSeason 6 · Episode 28

   This might sound familiar: you read a full page, get to the bottom, and realize you absorbed none of it. There's a stack of books beside your bed you fully intend to finish. And the only phone number you can …

   Show notes

   This might sound familiar: you read a full page, get to the bottom, and realize you absorbed none of it. There's a stack of books beside your bed you fully intend to finish. And the only phone number you can remember is your own.

   Jim Kwik says none of that means something is wrong with our brains. It’s that we were taught what to learn, but rarely ever taught how to learn.

   Jim would know. A well-meaning teacher called him "the boy with the broken brain" when he was nine, and for years he believed it. He's spent the three decades since proving otherwise — as a top brain coach, a leading expert on memory and accelerated learning, and the bestselling author of Limitless. His new book, Limitless Daily, offers 366 daily upgrades to help you focus, remember, and think better.

   In this episode you'll learn:
   ➡️ Why reading faster can actually improve comprehension
   ➡️ The free technique that stops your mind wandering mid-page
   ➡️ How to prompt your own brain the way you prompt AI
   ➡️ What your "dominant question" reveals about your personality
   ➡️ Why school teaches us what to learn but never how to learn
   ➡️ What digital dementia is + how to spot it in yourself
   ➡️ Why focus is a muscle, not a personality trait
   ➡️ The one thing AI will never be able to do for you

   I asked Jim an entirely selfish question about how to actually get through the unread books next to my bed, and got an answer that goes far beyond discipline. Jim explains why the technology making us more capable is quietly making us less able. 

   And by the end, we landed somewhere neither of us expected: AI could have given Jim every piece of advice that changed his life, word for word. But it wasn't the advice that changed him. It was that a living, breathing person cared enough to give it.

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

   + + +

   This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW

   + + +
   

   If you want to buy Jim’s new book, Limitless Daily, head to: https://limitlessdaily.com 

   Want to check out Jim’s other work like his best-selling book Limitless? Go to: https://jimkwik.com 

   + + +

   Chapters
   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 The Boy With the Broken Brain: When Labels Become Limits
   • 00:00:25 The Power of Adult Words on Children
   • 00:06:51 The Freshman English Failure: Rock Bottom Before the Breakthrough
   • 00:09:54 The Breaking Point: Collapsing in the Library
   • 00:14:26 The Intervention: A Mentor Who Saw Potential, Not Limits
   • 00:15:16 Accidental Careers: When Your Work Becomes Service to Others
   • 00:20:48 110 People Showed Up: The Accidental Beginning of a Career
   • 00:25:02 30 Books in 30 Days: The Student Who Saved Her Mother's Life
   • 00:26:19 Service Over Success: Why Purpose Matters More Than Profit
   • 00:31:31 Grow Givers vs Go Getters: Growing So You Have More to Give
   • 00:32:23 Why Smart People Can't Finish Books
   • 00:34:24 Your Brain Is Bored, Not Broken
   • 00:38:49 The Visual Pacer Hack That Changes Everything
   • 00:40:23 Ask Better Questions: How to Prime Your Brain for Learning
   • 00:44:55 Focus Is a Muscle: Training Attention in the Age of AI
   • 00:46:00 Why AI Will Never Replace Bedside Manner
   • 00:49:11 It Was Never About the Information, It Was The Power of Being Seen

   
   

   + + +

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

   + + +

9. How to Trust Yourself When Everyone Has an Opinion with Love Thy Nader's Mary Holland Nader

   August 25, 202658 minSeason 6 · Episode 27

   Maybe this sounds familiar: you finally get the opportunity you've been waiting for, and the voice in your head says, "I'm not ready, I don't belong here." Now imagine hearing that voice with millions of people …

   Show notes

   Maybe this sounds familiar: you finally get the opportunity you've been waiting for, and the voice in your head says, "I'm not ready, I don't belong here." 

   Now imagine hearing that voice with millions of people watching.

   Mary Holland Nader has lived it. She never dreamed of fame, but when Hulu's reality series Love Thy Nader came knocking, she traded her secure Wall Street job for the spotlight and put her new platform to work. It allowed her to launch Mary & Pip, a purpose-driven fintech company that takes a wellness approach to money, demystifying finance for those of us it usually makes feel dumb. She also brings that expertise to her new podcast, Growing Interest (where I was lucky to be among her first guests).
   

   On the show, Mary Holland lets us join every step of her founder’s journey… even when it’s messy. Because she never wanted to be famous, but now that she is, she’s realized fame is leverage. And Mary Holland's committed to using hers to help and inspire others.
   

   In this episode you'll learn:

   ➡️ How to survive a 180-degree life pivot

   ➡️ Why your gut doesn't tell you what to do — it checks your values
   ➡️ The "corny" morning ritual that transformed Mary Holland's confidence
   ➡️ How to stop making your doubts your identity (with one simple grammar change)
   ➡️ The difference between being nice and being kind — and why feedback is kind
   ➡️ The 2 questions every founder should ask before raising money 

   ➡️ Why Simon gives his time to supporters instead of critics
   ➡️ The "reluctant sellout" + how financial stability protects your values
   ➡️ How to introduce yourself when you're more than one job title

   Mary Holland is a new breed of entrepreneur — proof of what happens when you use your platform for something bigger than yourself. She stopped waiting for confidence to arrive and decided to build it… in front of everyone.
   

   This… is A Bit of Optimism.

   + + +

   This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW

   + + +

   Tune in to Mary Holland’s new podcast, Growing Interest, and you might just see Simon as a guest.

   Improve your financial wellness with Mary & Pip. Head to: https://www.maryandpip.com
   

   Want to keep up with Mary Holland and her sisters? Check out Love Thy Nader on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/love-thy-nader 

   + + +

   Chapters
   Chapters

   • 00:00:00 From Wall Street to Reality TV: Using Fame as a Tool for Good
   • 00:02:57 Growing Up in the Bayou: Four Sisters and a Pet Alligator
   • 00:07:19 Why Finance? Growing Up With Money Anxiety
   • 00:08:25 Meeting Jimmy Kimmel's Agent: The Accidental Origin Story
   • 00:10:29 Quitting Wall Street for Reality TV
   • 00:12:58 Why Finance Makes Everyone Feel Stupid
   • 00:14:14 Mary and Pip: Translating Finance for Real People
   • 00:17:23 Becoming Confident on Camera: From Mortified to Vulnerable
   • 00:25:22 The Power of Positive Self-Talk: Mirror Affirmations That Actually Work
   • 00:28:31 Trust Your Gut: When Smart People Give You Bad Advice
   • 00:30:09 What Does A Mentor Actually Look Like?
   • 00:33:27 Gazelles Get Eaten: Why Hypergrowth Isn't Always Good
   • 00:42:24 Spears: The Feedback Technique That Changed Everything
   • 00:45:32 Correcting Language That Creates False Narratives
   • 00:54:02 The Reluctant Sellout: When Freelancers Are Forced to Compromise
   • 00:56:02 You're Not a Founder, You're an Inviter: Finding Your True Identity

   
   

   + + +

   Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

   Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

   Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
   

   + + +

   Website: http://simonsinek.com/

   Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

   Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

   Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

   Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

   Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

10. What Happens When You Bet on Yourself with Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt

    August 18, 20261 h 1 minSeason 6 · Episode 26

    Maybe you know the feeling: everyone around you seems to be getting ahead, and every hour you spend on something "frivolous" — the hobby, the detour, the game on a Sunday afternoon — feels like falling behind …

    Show notes

    Maybe you know the feeling: everyone around you seems to be getting ahead, and every hour you spend on something "frivolous" — the hobby, the detour, the game on a Sunday afternoon — feels like falling behind. 

    
    Brendan Hunt's career is proof those hours are never wasted. The detour turned out to be the path all along.

    
    Most of us know Brendan as Coach Beard and as the Emmy Award-winning co-creator of Ted Lasso. But before any of that, he was an unknown Chicago improv actor when the Amsterdam comedy institution Boom Chicago offered him something different. He moved to Amsterdam for a year… that turned into five… and he joined an alumni roster that now includes comedians like Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, and Jason Sudeikis. 
    

    Brendan performed every night, fell head over heels for soccer ("a soccer missionary for all Americans," as he puts it), and struck up a friendship with Jason Sudeikis. Years later, all of it collided into one of the most beloved shows on television, Ted Lasso, which is back for Season 4 on Apple TV+. Brendan has also returned to his first love, the stage, with his solo show The Movement You Need.

    In this conversation, Brendan and I trace the wildly unplanned path from Chicago to Amsterdam to AFC Richmond… and land on a different way to think about ambition: master the craft in front of you, and let the plan catch up later.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ The real origin story of Ted Lasso (it began as a YouTube-only commercial written by a pool) 

    ➡️ Why Coach Beard barely talks + the improv rule that explains everything he does 

    ➡️ The "Beatles in Hamburg" secret to mastering any craft 

    ➡️ Why stepping away won't put you behind (everything will be exactly where you left it) 

    ➡️ How "wasting" Sundays watching Dutch soccer created the Lasso–Beard dynamic 

    ➡️ The surprising origin of the BELIEVE sign + who it was designed to annoy 

    ➡️ Why the flip side of belief is trust + and how it shapes Season 4

    We spend so much of our lives protecting the plan. Brendan's story is a reminder that the things worth protecting are usually the ones we never planned for at all.
    

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW
    

    + + +
    

    Check out Brendan as Coach Beard on season 4 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso 
    

    If you want to learn more about Brendan’s solo show, The Movement You Need, head to: https://themovementyouneed.com 

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Plans vs. Imagination: The Risk of Staying Safe
    • 00:02:43 From Chicago to Amsterdam: The Audition That Changed Everything
    • 00:07:02 The Boom Chicago Pitch: When Amsterdam Became Irresistible
    • 00:11:58 The Beatles in Hamburg: Getting Your 10,000 Hours
    • 00:16:18 The Joy of the Thing: Why Not Thinking About Your Career Makes You Better
    • 00:20:01 Real Opportunity vs. Your Imagination: Why People Stay Put
    • 00:20:58 Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: The Art of the Flexible Plan
    • 00:21:28 Curiosity as Currency: The Jack of All Trades Philosophy
    • 00:22:51 The Ted Lasso Origin Story: A Pool, Some Bits, and a Name
    • 00:25:45 The Soccer Missionary: How Amsterdam Made Brendan the Beard to Ted's Lasso
    • 00:27:31 Everything Contributes to Everything: The Payoff of Wasted Time
    • 00:30:31 Midwestern Chipperness Meets British Stiff Upper Lip: The Culture Clash of Ted Lasso
    • 00:32:57 Diagnosed as Ted Lasso: When Your Company Is the Character
    • 00:33:46 Bringing Yourself to the Character: Acting as Being, Not Becoming
    • 00:37:23 Coach Beard Was a Placeholder: How a Play Gave Him a Name
    • 00:44:06 The Art Couple: The Play Brendan Wishes He Could Do Forever
    • 00:46:33 The 1986 NFC Championship: A Pure Childhood Memory
    • 00:54:07 When Comedy Became a Need: Making Mom Laugh
    • 00:55:59 Season Four: Belief, Trust, and Starting Over
    • 00:57:28 Don't Pick Sides: The Gift of Knowing Your Own Mistakes
    • 00:59:04 The Purity of Art: Why Brendan Keeps Writing

    
    

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    + + +

11. How to Say the Hard Thing and Keep the Relationship | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 5

    August 11, 202646 minSeason 6 · Episode 25

    Every lasting relationship has survived at least a few hard conversations. But most of us would still rather not have them... So we put them off and tell ourselves the tension will fade on its own. Instead it …

    Show notes

    Every lasting relationship has survived at least a few hard conversations. 

    But most of us would still rather not have them... So we put them off and tell ourselves the tension will fade on its own. Instead it goes underground: into the stories we build about people, the resentments we quietly collect, and the side-texts we send about a colleague we won't talk to directly.

    But a hard conversation is a short burst of discomfort in exchange for something better on the other side: trust, collaboration, and a relationship strong enough to survive the next one. 

    Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.

    In this final episode, Simon and Alex take on hard conversations: why tension is telling us something useful, why the story we build about someone gets harder to undo the longer we wait, and what to actually say when it's time to have the hard conversation.

    Simon and Alex share tools like how to know when to bring something up so you don't show up hot, how to break the fourth wall and reset a conversation that's already going sideways, and the practice of “Watering Someone’s Flowers.” 

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why tension is a smoke signal telling you to address something 

    ➡️ How conflict is a team sport for mutual understanding

    ➡️ How to move from "you're the problem" to both of you facing it together 

    ➡️ The "resentment gremlin" + why feeding it feels so satisfying 

    ➡️ When to initiate a hard conversation 

    ➡️ Why it’s important to start with a request for grace

    ➡️ “Watering someone's flowers”: the practice that softens any tension

    ➡️ What to do instead of “feedback sandwiches”

    ➡️ How to interrupt, reset, and take something back during a conversation 

    Whether you're leading a team, dreading a review, or rehearsing the same speech in your car for the third week running, learning how to have hard conversations is an essential skill to build. 

    And remember: a hard conversation isn't a sign that something has gone wrong. It's a sign that something matters enough to fix.

    This... is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    CHAPTERS

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 When Conflict Turns People Into Monsters
    • 00:02:16 Reframing Tension: It's a Sign, Not a Problem
    • 00:02:43 The Resentment Gremlin: How Waiting Makes It Worse
    • 00:03:50 Oh No, Let's Just Skip It: Why Hard Conversations Feel Impossible
    • 00:08:01 The Passive Aggressive Company: When Tens of Thousands Avoid Feedback
    • 00:10:02 When Passive Aggression Is The Solution to Conflict
    • 00:11:15 What Actually Stops Us: Fear, Narrative Building, and Self-Righteousness
    • 00:20:38 Conflict Is a Team Sport for Mutual Understanding
    • 00:23:04 You're Not the Problem, I'm Not the Problem: The Problem Is the Problem
    • 00:25:21 The Interruption Technique That Stops Character Assassination
    • 00:26:27 Timing Matters: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold
    • 00:28:31 Setting a Goal: What Do You Actually Want From This?
    • 00:29:44 Asking for Grace Grace: "I'm Going to Get This Wrong"
    • 00:33:07 How to "Water Someone's Flowers"
    • 00:38:02 Try This Instead of Feedback Sandwiches
    • 00:40:25 Breaking the Fourth Wall: Pause, Reset, and Start Again
    • 00:43:41 The Scaffolding Philosophy: Messy Humans Need Support Structures

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

    + + +

    About Alex Simon

    Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

    She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

    When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

    In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

    Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

12. Why Being Right Is Costing You Trust | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 4

    August 4, 202653 minSeason 6 · Episode 24

    Everyone says they want more accountability at work… yet few of us think we're the ones who need to learn how to be more accountable.Most of us believe we already know how to own a mistake. We've all said sorry …

    Show notes

    Everyone says they want more accountability at work… yet few of us think we're the ones who need to learn how to be more accountable.

    Most of us believe we already know how to own a mistake. We've all said sorry and truly meant it. But meaning it and doing it well are two very different things. And when we’re the first to apologize, we model to everyone around us how cathartic accountability can be.

    Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.

    In this episode, Simon and Alex take on accountability: why owning a mistake can feel like losing, why taking credit and dodging blame come from the same place, and what a real repair actually looks like.
    

    You'll discover why owning your part doesn't mean admitting you were wrong, why the confidence to say, "I got that wrong," is what actually makes people follow you, and how to repair something in a way that genuinely clears a pathway forward. Simon and Alex share practical tools like the "wheelie bag" rule for separating intent from impact, the two-part formula that turns an empty gesture into apologies people can actually feel, Alex's practice of "micro-accountability" for owning small things before they accumulate, and the one word that quietly cancels everything you said before it.
    

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why saying you're sorry doesn't mean you're wrong

    ➡️ The two-part apology formula: what you actually did + the impact it had
    ➡️ How to name someone's hurt + leave room to be corrected
    ➡️ "Micro-accountability": owning the small stuff before it turns into the big stuff
    ➡️ Why people who take too much credit are the same people who dodge blame
    ➡️ What real confidence actually looks like
    ➡️ How to receive an apology and why refusing it is its own kind of failure
    ➡️ Why being uncoachable is the biggest problem at work

    ➡️ How to ask people to build the fix with you

    Whether you're leading a team, rebuilding trust with a colleague, or still quietly replaying an argument from three years ago, accountability is one of the most healing skills you can develop.
    

    And remember: owning your part is a gift you give the other person AND you give yourself.

    This... is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    CHAPTERS

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Why Nobody Thinks They Need to Learn How to Apologize
    • 00:05:49 The Wheelie Bag Philosophy: What Saying Sorry Actually Means
    • 00:08:52 Why People Who Take Too Much Credit Can't Handle Blame
    • 00:10:15 Blame Culture: Why Our First Instinct Is Always to Point Fingers
    • 00:13:37 The Difference Between Being Wrong and Taking Accountability
    • 00:17:34 The Catharsis of Apologizing: Relief for Both Sides
    • 00:24:04 The Leader Who Gives All Credit and Takes All Blame
    • 00:27:55 The Anatomy of a Real Apology: Recognition Plus Impact
    • 00:30:19 When Guessing the Impact Goes Wrong
    • 00:33:46 Repair In Real-Time With Micro-Accountability
    • 00:35:17 The Three-Part Apology That Finally Landed
    • 00:41:06 How to Receive an Apology Without Twisting the Knife
    • 00:43:18 When Sorry Isn't Enough Without Behavioral Change
    • 00:46:16 When You Can't Just Fix It: Asking for Help With Repair
    • 00:49:57 Why We All Think We Already Know How to Apologize
    • 00:51:10 Accountability Is the Gateway to Trust

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    + + +

    
    About Alex Simon

    Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

    She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

    When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

    In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

    Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

13. What Is Your Team Afraid to Tell You? | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 3

    July 28, 202658 minSeason 6 · Episode 23

    Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it.But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's just …

    Show notes

    Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it.
    

    But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's just sitting in your blind spot. Your colleagues can see it. Your boss can see it. And nobody will tell you, unless you learn to ask.

    Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations. 

    In this episode, Alex and Simon take on feedback: how to give it, how to take it, and how to ask for it. 

    You’ll discover ways to give feedback people can actually hear, receive criticism without taking it personally, and build a feedback culture on any team. Alex and Simon share practical techniques like the one-word ritual Simon borrowed from the Air Force that made his whole company crave critiques, the “FBI” method for delivering hard feedback without blowing up relationships, and questions Alex asks her team to surface everything left unsaid, like "What are you afraid to tell me?"
    

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why we avoid giving feedback + what that avoidance quietly costs our teams 

    ➡️ "Spears": the Air Force ritual that turns criticism into something people actually want 

    ➡️ The “FBI” (Feelings, Behavior, Impact) method for giving feedback people can actually hear 

    ➡️ The Army Rangers' peer assessment’s "foxhole question" + what it reveals about character 

    ➡️ How to think of feedback as preventative care and build that muscle

    ➡️ Why everyone receives feedback differently (+ how to give people what they need)

    ➡️ When to give feedback (hint: never the moment you think of it) 

    ➡️ The four-word habit that builds a thick skin: "What can I do better?"

    Whether you're leading a team, managing up, or just tired of side-texting about a problem no one will name out loud, feedback is one of the most valuable skills you can build. 
    

    And remember: feedback is kind, even when it’s not nice.

    This... is A Bit of Optimism.
    

    + + +
    

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 The Spinach in Your Teeth Problem: Why Nobody Tells You
    • 00:03:48 The Story of Two Failed Feedback Sessions
    • 00:06:37 Why Feedback Obsession Changes Everything
    • 00:08:05 The Company That Was Too Nice to Give Feedback
    • 00:10:35 Army Rangers and the Three-Level Evaluation System
    • 00:14:24 Why Giving Feedback Feels So Hard
    • 00:17:16 Spears: The Air Force Technique That Changed Everything
    • 00:20:08 All the Information You Need Is in Your Blind Spot
    • 00:22:28 FBI: The Three-Part Formula for Feedback That Lands
    • 00:25:37 Why Vague Praise Doesn't Help Anyone
    • 00:27:16 Credit Is Free: Recognition Languages at Work
    • 00:31:05 The Collaboration Meeting: Preventing Problems Before They Start
    • 00:42:34 The Air Force Commander Who Cried Every Night for Six Months
    • 00:45:08 When to Give Feedback: Not When You Think of It
    • 00:47:24 The Virtuous Cycle: What Happens When You Get Feedback Right
    • 00:49:08 How to Build the Muscle of Receiving Feedback
    • 00:51:43 Generational Difference For Feedback
    • 00:52:57 One Simple Question: What Can I Do Better?
    • 00:55:49 Feedback Is Kind Even When It's Not Nice

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

    + + +

    About Alex Simon

    Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

    She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

    When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

    In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

    Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

14. The Secret to Better Conversations Isn't Talking | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 2

    July 21, 202649 minSeason 6 · Episode 22

    The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening.Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard.Feelings at Work is a special five-part series …

    Show notes

    The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening.

    Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard.

    Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.

    In this episode, they explore one of the most important communication skills we can develop: listening.

    Together, they share practical techniques to improve your listening skills, build trust, navigate difficult conversations, and create better outcomes at work and at home. You'll learn why people often ask for one thing but actually need another, how to stop jumping into fix-it mode, and Alex's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener.

    When people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflicts become easier to navigate, and conversations become more meaningful.

    Because better conversations don't require everyone to be a great listener.

    They only require one.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why hearing someone isn't the same as making them feel heard

    ➡️ How to stop jumping into "fix-it mode" and start listening with curiosity

    ➡️ Alex Simon's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener

    ➡️ Why people often ask for one thing but actually need something else

    ➡️ How better listening builds trust, strengthens relationships, and improves teamwork

    ➡️ How to navigate conversations when power dynamics are involved

    Whether you're leading a team, supporting a friend, or navigating a difficult conversation, listening is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.

    Because when people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflict becomes easier to navigate, and better conversations follow.

    This... is A Bit of Optimism.
    

    + + +

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Listening to Understand vs Listening to Be Right
    • 00:00:38 Why Most of Us Are Bad Listeners
    • 00:02:08 What People Ask For vs What They Actually Want
    • 00:02:53 The Four-Second Rule for Better Listening
    • 00:04:05 Defining What Listening Is NOT
    • 00:05:42 Listening Beyond Words: Tone, Volume, and Subtext
    • 00:06:33 The Problem With Knee-Jerk Problem Solving
    • 00:07:14 The Real Story: When We Failed to Listen and Lost an Employee
    • 00:10:56 Needs vs Strategies: Understanding What's Really Being Asked
    • 00:12:28 Being Present: The Social Benefit of Meditation
    • 00:15:48 Body Language: Squaring Up and Putting Phones Away
    • 00:18:26 Listening With Warm Eyes That Believe in Them
    • 00:21:50 When Defensiveness Gets in the Way
    • 00:26:46 The Four-Second Rule in Action
    • 00:29:28 Is There More? The Buddhist Question That Peels Back Layers
    • 00:31:11 Creating Self-Reliance Through Listening
    • 00:34:26 Listening and Power Dynamics at Work
    • 00:35:16 Creating Safety So People Don't Withhold Information
    • 00:36:08 Why People Repeat Themselves Over and Over
    • 00:37:45 Reflective Listening: When to Mirror Back What You Hear
    • 00:40:11 Be As You Wish to Seem: Authenticity in Listening
    • 00:41:42 Listening Up: Understanding What Your Boss Actually Needs
    • 00:42:49 The One Degree Off Problem
    • 00:45:18 Asking Questions Depersonalizes Criticism
    • 00:47:02 Listening Is a Muscle You Can Build

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
    

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
    

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

    + + +

    About Alex Simon

    Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

    She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

    When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

    In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

    Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

15. The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1

    July 14, 202658 minSeason 6 · Episode 21

    Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek. Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement …

    Show notes

    Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek. 

    Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement, trust, anxiety, belonging, conflict, and joy. If we want to build healthier teams and better workplaces, we have to get better at understanding the emotions that shape how we work together.

    That's what this series is about.

    In each episode, Simon Sinek sits down with Yale professor and Lifeshop founder Alex Simon to explore one emotional challenge that affects how we work, lead, and relate to one another. Together, they unpack the emotional skills most of us were never taught—but use every single day.

    This episode is about saying yes.

    Have you ever agreed to something... and immediately regretted it?

    Maybe you didn't want to disappoint someone. Maybe you thought, I'll figure it out somehow. Maybe your calendar is packed, your to-do list never gets shorter, and somehow you're still worried you're letting people down.

    Most of us don't think of ourselves as "people pleasers."

    We just want to be helpful. We want to be dependable. We want to be someone others can count on.

    But what if constantly saying yes is actually making things harder—for you and everyone around you?

    Together, Simon and Alex explore why so many thoughtful, capable people take on more than they can realistically handle. They unpack the hidden patterns that lead to overwhelm, resentment, and burnout—and why trying to keep everyone happy can quietly make us less reliable.

    The good news? This is a skill we can learn.

    In this conversation, you'll discover practical ways to communicate more honestly, set healthier boundaries, and build stronger relationships—without feeling selfish or letting people down.

    In this episode you'll learn: 

    ➡️ Why saying yes too often can actually make you less reliable

    ➡️ The hidden connection between overwhelm, burnout, and self-betrayal

    ➡️ The simple phrase that creates space before committing 

    ➡️ A better alternative to saying yes or no: how to "share the dilemma"

    ➡️ What leaders can do to create teams where people feel safe telling the truth

    ➡️ Why healthy boundaries strengthen relationships instead of hurting them

    Whether you call it people pleasing or simply trying to keep up with everyone else's expectations, this conversation is a reminder that taking care of yourself isn't selfish.

    It's one of the best ways to show up for the people who matter.

    This... is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    Chapters

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Why We Need to Talk About Feelings at Work
    • 00:02:00 What People Pleasing Actually Looks Like
    • 00:04:20 Why People Pleasing Hurts You and Your Team
    • 00:07:00 Why We Say Yes When We Mean No
    • 00:10:00 Different Types of People Pleasing
    • 00:13:00 Why Approval Can Become Addictive
    • 00:15:00 How People Pleasing Leads to Burnout
    • 00:18:00 The Hidden Cost of Being "Hyper Competent"
    • 00:21:00 Why People Pleasing Doesn't Actually Help People
    • 00:27:30 Simon's Experience With Saying Yes to Too Much
    • 00:31:00 How Leaders Can Help People Pleasers
    • 00:38:20 The Power of "Let Me Get Back to You"
    • 00:40:00 How to "Share the Dilemma"
    • 00:44:00 The Difference Between Being Reliable and Being Available
    • 00:47:00 Building Healthier Boundaries at Work

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    + + +

    About Alex Simon

    Alex Simon is a Yale professor and the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

    She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

    When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

    In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

    Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

16. Why We Fall for the Wrong Person with Couples Therapist Dr. Harville Hendrix

    July 7, 202654 minSeason 6 · Episode 20

    Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person who felt so …

    Show notes

    Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person who felt so right suddenly feels so wrong.

    Dr. Harville Hendrix has spent 50 years studying love. And he’s also lived through its hardest challenges: one divorce, two near-misses in his current marriage, and a couple’s therapist who fired him and his wife, calling them "the couple from hell." That marriage is now 45 years strong.

    Harville is a couples therapist, and alongside his wife and creative partner Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt, they creator Imago Relationship Therapy. They’ve also written 10 books, including the bestseller Getting the Love You Want, the book that made him a fixture on Oprah for nearly two decades. Harville’s theory is this: we don't consciously choose who we fall for, rather our unconscious does. And it has an agenda.
    

    In this episode you'll learn:
    ➡️ Why you keep falling for the same person
    ➡️ What your childhood has to do with who you swipe right on
    ➡️ Why the "power struggle" phase might mean you picked the right person
    ➡️ The shift that saved Harville's own marriage after divorce papers were filed
    ➡️ Why some of us can't receive love (even when we ask for it)
    ➡️ What arranged marriages understood about commitment that we forgot
    ➡️ The difference between equal relationships and egalitarian ones
    ➡️ How to reach the stage where you have no needs left… only wants
    

    In this conversation, Harville makes the case that real romantic love is what gets built after the fantasy collapses, when two people commit to the work of meeting each other's needs instead of demanding their own. And the engine of that transformation goes beyond compatibility and chemistry—it's gratitude and service.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +
    

    Want to keep up with Harville’s work? Check out: https://harvilleandhelen.com/

    If you’d like to buy Harville & Helen’s latest book, How to Talk with Anyone about Anything, head to: https://harvilleandhelen.com/books/how-to-talk-with-anyone-about-anything/

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Nature's Agenda: Why We Fall for the Wrong Person
    • 00:02:02 From Sharecropper's Farm to Oprah: Harville's Unexpected Journey
    • 00:06:07 The 30-Second Encounters That Changed Everything
    • 00:10:17 We Almost Divorced Twice: The Couple From Hell
    • 00:13:21 Child Consciousness vs Adult Consciousness: The Critical Shift
    • 00:15:57 The Gratitude That Ends the Yearning
    • 00:18:45 Why Both People Don't Need to Change at Once
    • 00:20:28 The Unconscious Imago: Your Brain Picks Who You Fall For
    • 00:26:34 The 18-Month Fantasy: When the Real Person Shows Up
    • 00:30:40 Arranged Marriages vs Choice: The Paradox of Commitment
    • 00:34:47 The No Exit Decision: Why You'll Want to Quit When It's Working
    • 00:36:34 The Transparency Trap: Afraid of Losing What You Found
    • 00:38:35 Receiving Love: The Dinner Story That Changes Everything
    • 00:45:49 Equal vs Egalitarian: The Recipe for Partnership
    • 00:47:23 Dating IRL: Why Technology Can't Replace Face-to-Face
    • 00:50:54 When Needs Become Wants: Life After Gratitude

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
    

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

17. How to Tell If Fear Is Protecting You or Holding You Back with Extreme Athlete Nelly Attar

    June 30, 202651 minSeason 6 · Episode 19

    We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail.Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them anyway.Nelly is a …

    Show notes

    We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail.

    Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them anyway.

    Nelly is a psychologist turned extreme athlete and mountaineer. She built Saudi Arabia's first dance studio, MOVE, at a time when women couldn't train publicly by sneaking classes into a warehouse and office building after hours. She's the first Lebanese person to climb the five highest peaks in the world, like Everest. And she also became the first Arab to summit K2, the world’s second highest peak that’s so dangerous that one in four people who attempt it survive.
    

    But what makes Nelly remarkable aren’t the summits and heights she reaches. It's that she's found a way to turn individual acts of accomplishment into acts of service: for the women she shows what's possible and for the team that climbs beside her.

    In this episode you'll learn:
    ➡️ The difference between fear that protects you and fear that holds you back
    ➡️ How preparing and working hard can lighten the load for others
    ➡️ What small, daily kindness practices become the best investment you can make
    ➡️ Why there's no such thing as "self-made" and what actually de-risks courage
    ➡️ The art of “strategic retreat” + why quitting and retreating aren't the same thing
    ➡️ Why your title and achievements aren’t your identity (and what is)
    ➡️ How movement is medicine, and why the mind leads the body
    ➡️ What it really means to live a life of service to the people right in front of you
    

    In this conversation, Nelly shows that the size of what you accomplish matters far less than the spirit you bring to it. She faces her fear for herself, but she does the hard work for everyone else. 
    

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.
    

    + + +
    

    Want to keep up with Nelly’s adventures? Check out: https://www.nellyattar.com/ 

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 If You Don't Try, You'll Never Know: Nellie's Philosophy on Fear
    • 00:02:20 Building Saudi Arabia's First Dance Studio
    • 00:07:45 The Real Risk Worth Taking: Purpose Over Fear
    • 00:12:07 The Support System Behind Every Bold Move
    • 00:14:11 From Dance Floor to Everest: Training in the Desert for Sub-Zero Summits
    • 00:20:13 Climbing for Others: The Service Mindset on the Mountain
    • 00:21:19 Preparing So You Don't Burden Your Team
    • 00:26:11 The Practice of Kindness: Small Acts That Change Everything
    • 00:33:02 Leading Hikes to Help Others Climb Their Mountains
    • 00:36:17 K2: Climbing Through Grief After Losing Her Father
    • 00:39:24 One in Four Don't Come Back: The Reality of K2
    • 00:41:00 Strategic Retreat: Knowing When to Turn Around
    • 00:43:59 The Infinite Mindset: You Are Not Your Accomplishments
    • 00:45:44 Creating Safe Spaces for Others to Discover Their Boundaries
    • 00:48:39 Fear That Protects vs Fear That Holds You Back

    
    

    + + +
    

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

18. Remembering Bob Chapman: The Mentor Who Changed My Life

    June 23, 202652 minSeason 6 · Episode 18

    Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a one-hour lunch …

    Show notes

    Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a one-hour lunch turned into three, then four days touring factories together across the Midwest, and an idea I had only imagined turned out to already exist in reality.

    That CEO was Bob Chapman. Over five decades, Bob grew an unassuming manufacturing company in the Midwest into a global proof point that leadership grounded in humanity can scale and outperform. Bob saw the people in his company as human beings in his care, people he felt responsible to help become healthy, fulfilled, and whole. His belief was simple and profound: when people are cared for at work, they build happier families, stronger communities, and a better world. He called it Truly Human Leadership. 
    

    In the years that followed, Bob became something more: a mentor, a close friend, the central figure in my book Leaders Eat Last, and one of the people who shaped how I think about leadership itself.

    In September 2025, I returned to one of Bob's factories in Phillips, Wisconsin, with a camera crew, to capture Bob's incredible legacy in his own words. Six months later, Bob passed away.

    As a tribute to this great man, we're releasing the full conversation, in its entirety, for the first time.

    In this episode you'll learn:
    ➡️ Why Bob believed in seeing every person as someone’s precious child

     ➡️ How Barry-Wehmiller rewrote the rules and
    ➡️ The university Bob built to teach his employees skills they were never taught
    ➡️ What impact a caring workplace can have on an employees life
    ➡️ The real difference between a prosperous company and a healthy one
    ➡️ Why Bob believed layoffs meant your business has failed
    ➡️ Why the greatest act of charity has nothing to do with the checks you write
    ➡️ What changed in Bob over the fifteen years Simon knew him
    ➡️ The letter Simon sent Bob years ago that ended up framed on his office wall

    As Bob said, "You can retire from a job, but you can't retire from a calling." He never did. This conversation is a chance to hear why, in his own words.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    To buy Bob’s book, Everybody Matters, head to: https://simonsinek.com/optimism-press/everybody-matters 

    To read about Bob in my book, Leaders Eat Last, head to: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last 
    

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 The Letter That Changed Everything: Meeting Bob Chapman
    • 00:05:23 Bob's Revelation: Seeing People as Somebody's Precious Child
    • 00:08:05 Building a University to Teach Caring: The Three Transformative Classes
    • 00:09:32 The Healing Power of Listening: Why 95% of Feedback Was About Marriage and Kids
    • 00:16:42 Recognition Done Right: Catching People Doing Good
    • 00:20:55 The 2008 Recession Test: Shared Sacrifice Over Layoffs
    • 00:23:07 "Layoffs Means Your Business Has Failed"
    • 00:26:02 You Don't Need to Justify Caring: Safety of the Soul
    • 00:27:53 12% Compound Growth for 25 Years: The Business Case for Humanity
    • 00:29:53 "Our Product Is Our People"
    • 00:34:55 From Selfish to Servant: Simon's Challenge That Sparked a Movement
    • 00:36:26 People's Universal Truth: They Want to Know They Matter
    • 00:38:00 Bob Has Gotten Softer: The Personal Evolution of a Leader
    • 00:40:00 You Cannot Retire From a Calling: Carrying a Message That Heals
    • 00:43:10 Heart Counts, Not Head Counts: The Language of Humanization
    • 00:46:01 The Greatest Act of Charity: How You Treat People You Lead
    • 00:49:38 The Promise: Carrying the Torch for Generations to Come

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
    

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
    

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

19. The AI Skills Nobody is Teaching (And Everyone Needs) with AI Expert Ethan Mollick

    June 16, 202659 minSeason 6 · Episode 17

    Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous.Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're just quietly …

    Show notes

    Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous.

    Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're just quietly hoping it'll all slow down. 

    Ethan Mollick says we're underestimating our own agency in the age of AI. Instead of worrying about what AI will do to us, we should focus on what we choose to do with it.

    Ethan is a Wharton professor, the author of the bestseller Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, and the writer behind “One Useful Thing,” one of the most popular newsletters on AI, work, and education. He's spent twenty years studying how people actually use technology, and he's become the go-to voice for making sense of AI without the hype or the doom. And in his new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, he explores what comes next as AI moves from a tool we prompt to a presence we live and work alongside.

    In this conversation, Ethan shares the practical playbook most of us are missing and makes the case that our experience, taste, and point of view aren't things AI replaces. They're exactly what make us better at using it.

    In this episode you'll learn: 

    ➡️ Why young people are NOT "AI natives" (and why experience is the real AI advantage) 

    ➡️ The $20 decision that instantly upgrades how you use AI 

    ➡️ Why AI agrees with everything you say + the simple prompt that fixes it 

    ➡️ How to make AI write in YOUR voice instead of sounding like everyone else 

    ➡️ The "jagged frontier": what AI is surprisingly bad at (and why that's your opportunity) 

    ➡️ Why taste may become the most valuable skill of the AI era 

    ➡️ How much agency we really have over where AI takes us
    

    Ethan believes that the future of AI isn't something that will just happen to us… It's something we get to build together.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    To pre-order Ethan’s new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, head to: https://co-existence.ai/ 

    Want to hear more from Ethan? Check out his Substack “One Useful Thing”: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/ 

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Why are AI Experts Are Either Doomers or Zealots?
    • 00:02:05 From Video Games to AI: Ethan's Unexpected Journey
    • 00:09:16 AI's Profound Impact on Knowledge Workers
    • 00:14:50 How AI Kills Traditional Talent Pipelines
    • 00:15:57 Why AI Art Doesn't Bother Me, But I'd Never Hang It on My Wall
    • 00:20:40 How To Overcome AI's Complication of Competitive Edge
    • 00:22:06 The 20 Dollar Investment That Changes Everything
    • 00:24:40 The 84 Percent Rule: Why AI Can Now Do Your Seven-Hour Job in 15 Minutes
    • 00:25:59 Your Voice Matters More Than You Think: Why AI Can't Replace Taste
    • 00:19:53 The Discomfort-Avoidant Generation Meets the Efficiency Machine
    • 00:13:08 Why Young People Are Worse at Using AI
    • 00:43:35 The Brain We're Sacrificing: From Phone Numbers to Critical Thinking
    • 00:51:39 Two Prompts That Will Transform How You Use AI
    • 00:52:58 How to Use AI As Co-Intelligence
    • 00:54:57 The Agency You Have Right Now: It's Not About Policy, It's About How You Use It

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
    

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
    

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
    

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

20. How to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck with Dr. Ellen Langer

    June 9, 202657 minSeason 6 · Episode 16

    Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen …

    Show notes

    Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen Langer, that certainty is making us miserable… and possibly making us sick.

    Dr. Langer is a psychologist, Harvard professor, and the "Mother of Mindfulness." In her book The Mindful Body, she makes the case that the way we think directly shapes the way we heal, age, stress, and recover. Her conclusion: the mind and the body were never two separate things to begin with. And we have far more agency over both than we've been led to believe

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ What mindfulness (and mindlessness) really is

    ➡️ The one question that can dissolve stress almost instantly

    ➡️ Why the story you tell yourself is more powerful than what actually happened

    ➡️ The study that proved people lost weight without changing their diet or exercise

    ➡️ The difference between nervousness and excitement (and why it matters)

    ➡️ Why certainty is a sign of mindlessness (not intelligence)

    ➡️ How your body heals faster or slower based on what you believe

    ➡️ Why "fighting" an illness is the wrong mindset

    ➡️ The simple reframe that turns every negative trait into a strength

    ➡️ Why confident people don't need to rely on certainty

    In this conversation, Ellen makes the case that virtually all of us are mindless almost all of the time. And the moment you recognize that, everything opens up. Your health, your relationships, your ability to recover from hardship.

    The obstacle, it turns out, has always been the assumption that there was nothing left to question.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    To buy a copy of Dr. Ellen Langer’s books The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health and Finding Happy, head to: https://www.ellenlanger.me

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Stress Is a Story We Tell Ourselves
    • 00:01:27 What Mindfulness Actually Means
    • 00:02:59 Why Everything You Know Is Probably Wrong
    • 00:04:29 One Plus One Doesn't Always Equal Two
    • 00:06:59 Are We Wired for Stress or Taught to Be Stressed?
    • 00:08:16 When Ellen's House Burned Down: Finding Gifts in Tragedy
    • 00:13:19 Is This a Tragedy or an Inconvenience?
    • 00:19:24 Nervous or Excited? The Olympic Athletes' Secret to Reframing Stress
    • 00:22:26 The First Step to Mindfulness: Embracing Uncertainty
    • 00:23:15 Behavior Makes Sense From the Actor's Perspective
    • 00:33:24 Context, Context, Context: Who Gets to Decide?
    • 00:42:41 Mind Over Matter: The Stories That Started It All
    • 00:46:24 The Counterclockwise Study: Turning Back Time in Five Days
    • 00:47:07 The Chambermaid Study: When Work Becomes Exercise
    • 00:49:47 Wounds Heal Based on Perceived Time, Not Real Time
    • 00:52:01 Are We Mindless Almost All the Time?

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    Simon’s books:

    The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/

    Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/

    Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/

    Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/

    Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/

21. What Happens When You Stop Optimizing and Start Committing with Former LA Lakers President Tim Harris

    June 2, 202657 minEpisode 227

    In a world of job-hopping, side hustles, and an endless LinkedIn feed, Tim Harris did something almost no one does anymore. He stayed put.Few executives spend an entire career helping build a dynasty. Tim …

    Show notes

    In a world of job-hopping, side hustles, and an endless LinkedIn feed, Tim Harris did something almost no one does anymore. He stayed put.

    Few executives spend an entire career helping build a dynasty. Tim Harris spent 35 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, rising to President of Business Operations and helping transform the franchise into a global brand. Through championship eras, iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and decades of change in professional sports, Tim's influence was felt not on the hardwood, but in the culture, leadership, and business excellence that powered one of the NBA's most storied organizations.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why clarity of role is the most underrated tool in any leader's arsenal

    ➡️ The three unspoken words that silently destroy any team 

    ➡️ What Kobe Bryant taught Tim about mindset (+ why it matters off the court)

    ➡️ How the Lakers built one of the most powerful brands in sports

    ➡️ What elite athletes do differently + how it translates directly to business 

    ➡️ What caring, high-performing leadership actually looks like 

    ➡️ Why giving away free tickets to strangers was a brilliant + caring business decision

    ➡️ The cost of short-termism + what we lose when we stop playing the long game

    Even a brand as iconic as the Lakers wasn't built by championships alone. Tim says its foundation was built one small, genuine human moment at a time. 

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 You Have to Love Them in Order to Win
    • 00:01:54 Why Tim Stayed 35 Years With One Company
    • 00:04:30 From Soccer Player to Lakers President: Tim's Unlikely Journey
    • 00:07:54 Coaching as Leadership: Don't Play on the Field
    • 00:09:39 The Long Game vs Day Trading Success
    • 00:11:00 The Underrated Tool of Clarity of Role
    • 00:13:29 Kobe's Compartmentalization: Nice Guy Off Court, Competitor On Court
    • 00:15:19 The Mental Game: What Separates Elite Athletes From Everyone Else
    • 00:22:08 The Three Unspoken Words That Ruin Any Team
    • 00:24:16 Meeting People Where They Are
    • 00:36:45 Caught You Being a Laker: Empowering Employees to Create Magic
    • 00:30:31 The Empty Seat Philosophy: Turning Sunk Costs Into Memories
    • 00:31:35 Building Brands One Tiny Act at a Time
    • 00:38:42 Remember That Business Is Always Human
    • 00:42:04 The Jenga Theory: Every Interaction Either Builds or Destroys Your Brand
    • 00:46:31 Caring Structure: What People Actually Crave at Work
    • 00:47:26 Never Miss Your Kid's Game: The Accountability Agreement
    • 00:50:09 Learning From Legends: Phil Jackson and the Human-First Philosophy
    • 00:48:48 The Work Happens in the Dark: What Made Kobe and LeBron Great
    • 00:50:56 Stop and Look at the Joy: Championship Lessons and Kobe's Legacy

    
    

    + + +
    

    Credits

    Footage: NBA Entertainment

    Photos: http://bit.ly/43Fb37Z (Full List)

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
    

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
    

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

22. Revisited: Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely with Author Fredrik Backman

    May 26, 202658 minEpisode 226

    Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a quick break this week and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism next Tuesday. Until then, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes — when …

    Show notes

    Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a quick break this week and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism next Tuesday. 
    

    Until then, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes — when bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman joined the show to talk about the thing he's spent his whole career writing about: the quiet, radical power of showing up for people.
    

    And Fredrik says great friendships aren't found by luck. They're built deliberately, repeatedly, and, sometimes, inconveniently by people who choose to do the work.

    Fredrik is the internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (adapted into the film A Man Called Otto), Anxious People, and the Beartown series. His book, My Friends, is a love letter to the relationships that quietly shape who we become.

    In this conversation, Fredrik opens up about his best friend of over 30 years and what 30 years of real friendship actually requires. His words will have you thinking hard about the friends you might be taking for granted.

    In this episode you'll learn: 

    ➡️ Why great friendship is a skill + what the work actually looks like 

    ➡️ The concept of your "people” vs. “humans" 

    ➡️ Why your friends are your best editors

    ➡️ The friendship rule that changed how Fredrik's entire friend group thought about relationships

    ➡️ The unexpected value of quantity of time vs. quality of time 

    ➡️ How to be genuinely happy for someone else 

    ➡️ The difference between healthy self-deprecation and low self-esteem 

    ➡️ Why the work in a relationship is never solely on the relationship — it's always on you

    A great relationship isn't a stroke of luck. It's a choice you make every day, in small ways, often when it's inconvenient. This conversation is a reminder of why it's worth it.
    

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    To buy Fredrik’s book, My Friends, visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Fredrik-Backman/411545926 
    

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 We Don't Need Algorithms to Find Our People
    • 00:02:45 Fredrik's Viral Speech: Fueled by Pure Panic
    • 00:05:55 The Power of Authenticity: Why Imperfection Resonates
    • 00:07:29 Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely
    • 00:08:56 The Friend Who Taught Him Everything
    • 00:15:43 Quality Time vs Quantity Time: The ROI of Presence
    • 00:17:53 The "I Want To," Not "I Have To" Philosophy
    • 00:20:55 Your Friends Are Your Best Editors
    • 00:13:23 Writing as Self-Editing
    • 00:15:06 Learning to Be Happy for Others
    • 00:22:41 The Gift of Time: Showing Up When It Matters
    • 00:23:56 Be A Great Friend, Get Great Friends
    • 00:28:55 The Work Is On You: Relationships and Self-Growth
    • 00:36:23 Algorithms Would Never Match Us: The Value of Difference
    • 00:34:21 Trying Is Everything
    • 00:35:55 People vs Humans
    • 00:37:18 Self-Deprecation vs Low Self-Esteem
    • 00:39:22 The Jantelagen: Swedish Humility Law
    • 00:45:26 The Fear of Disappointing People
    • 00:48:00 Expectations vs Reality: Letting Go of Fantasy
    • 00:49:00 Understanding Bullies: Finding What We Have in Common
    • 00:51:21 Fighting Narcissism: Surrounding Yourself With Better People
    • 00:52:08 Being Comfortable Not Knowing: The Gateway to Learning
    • 00:55:28 The World's Best Cardamom Bun Debate

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
    

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

23. How to Stop Being Socially Awkward (According to Science) with Behavioral Scientist Vanessa Van Edwards

    May 19, 202659 minEpisode 225

    Maybe this sounds familiar: you leave a party and spend the rest of the night convinced everyone was upset with you. Or you replay something you said in a meeting for days and second-guess every last …

    Show notes

    Maybe this sounds familiar: you leave a party and spend the rest of the night convinced everyone was upset with you. Or you replay something you said in a meeting for days and second-guess every last word.
    

    Vanessa Van Edwards has been there. As a self-proclaimed "recovering awkward person," she’s spent two decades decoding the hidden dynamics of human interaction to make those skills teachable for introverts and extroverts alike.
    

    Vanessa is a behavioral researcher, bestselling author, and founder of Science of People. In her book, Conversation: How to Be Instantly Likeable in Any Interaction, she makes the case that social skills aren't a personality type, they're learnable. And she believes we are living in the most critical moment in history to start learning them.
    

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why "just be yourself" is unhelpful advice + potentially cruel

    ➡️ The important everyday interactions technology + AI replaced

    ➡️ Where to stand at a party so someone always talks to you

    ➡️ How to have better conversations (+ why you already have the skills)

    ➡️ What the real antidote to awkwardness is

    ➡️ How to practice micro-social skills without turning people off

    ➡️ Why we’re all ambiverts + how to understand ambiversion

    ➡️ How soft skills drive major career inflection points

    ➡️ The concept of social fitness + the “nutrition” of your relationships
    

    In this conversation, Vanessa lays out how even the most socially anxious among us can build real connections and become more likable… even in a world that has quietly removed all the places we used to accidentally get good at being human. And the secret isn't confidence. It's something far more generous.
    

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    
    + + +
    

    Watch A Bit of Optimism on Spotify, and Spotify Premium users can enjoy the show ad-free.

    
    + + +

    
    To pre-order Vanessa’s new book, Conversation: How to Be Instantly Likeable in Any Interaction, head to: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/conversation/

    
    Want to learn more people skills from Vanessa? Check out The Science of People: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/

    
    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Social Skills in the Digital Age Crisis
    • 00:01:47 Vanessa's Journey: The Accidental Social Skills Expert
    • 00:05:45 Mistakes Everyone Makes Learning to Improve Social Skills
    • 00:08:09 Where Did Our Places to Practice Being Human Go?
    • 00:11:17 Where to Stand at a Party When You Don't Know Anyone
    • 00:14:17 The Ambivert Reality: Social Fitness and Friendship Nutrition
    • 00:18:07 The Discomfort Problem: Why Young People Avoid Rather Than Adapt
    • 00:21:33 Put the Shoes in the Box: The Art of Knowing When to Stop
    • 00:34:54 Intention Matches Action: Defining Authenticity
    • 00:46:56 The Power of Being Seen: How Love Changed Everything
    • 00:49:51 The Ultimate Social Skill: Helping Others Feel Normal
    • 00:42:20 Micro-Social Skills: Finding the Parts of Yourself You Like

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

24. Stop Telling Us Everything Happens for a Reason with Anti-Victim Tom Nash

    May 12, 20261 h 2 minEpisode 224

    We often comfort ourselves with the idea that things happen for a reason, or define our struggles as a test of strength. Tom Nash might ask you to reconsider.Tom is a speaker, former DJ, and globe-trotting …

    Show notes

    We often comfort ourselves with the idea that things happen for a reason, or define our struggles as a test of strength. Tom Nash might ask you to reconsider.

    Tom is a speaker, former DJ, and globe-trotting advocate for agency, anti-fragility, and the radical idea that your worst moment might be your greatest asset — as he argued in his TED Talk, "The Perks of Being a Pirate.” He’s also the mind behind Last Meal with Tom Nash where he asks his guests what their last meal would be if the world ended tomorrow, and then actually cooks it for them.
    
    In our conversation, Tom shares how, at 19, a rare bacterial infection left him a quadruple amputee with a 2% chance of survival. And he'll tell you it's the best thing that ever happened to him.
    
    This isn’t just another conversation about resilience. It’s a deep dive into agency and the difference between a life that happens to you and one you actually choose.

    In this episode, we explore:

    ➡️ Why the story you tell yourself about your own life is the most powerful force in it

    ➡️ The difference between resilience and anti-fragility (and why it matters)

    ➡️ Tom’s framework for navigating adversity: The Artist, the Author, and the Alchemist

    ➡️ The counterintuitive reason why we actually need support networks

    ➡️ Why "everything happens for a reason" can be a trap (and the perspective that works better)

    ➡️ What your last meal choice reveals about what you're really searching for

    ➡️ Why the concept of being "self-made" is a dangerous illusion
    

    Tom joins me to ask a fundamental question: who is really holding the pen when it comes to your story?

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +
    

    Watch the new season of Tom’s show Last Meal with Tom Nash and head to: https://www.lastmealwithtomnash.com

    Want more Tom? Check out his website: https://www.tomnash.com

    + + +

    Chapters
    
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Adversity Can Be The Best Thing You Experience
    • 00:03:45 Tom's Story: Contracting Meningococcal Disease
    • 00:07:47 The Gift of Agency: Choosing to Amputate
    • 00:16:18 The Artist, The Author, and The Alchemist: A Framework for Anti-Fragility
    • 00:20:28 The Alchemist: Turning Adversity Into Advantage
    • 00:23:52 Learning to Walk Again: The Momentum Metaphor
    • 00:26:57 The True Purpose of Support Networks
    • 00:34:33 Why 'Everything Happens for a Reason' Robs You of Agency
    • 00:47:37 The Last Meal Question: What Your Choice Reveals About Freedom
    • 00:42:23 Joel Robuchon: Leadership Through Teaching, Not Commanding
    • 00:58:34 The Problem With Inspirational Affirmations
    • 01:00:59 Stop Saying Everything Happens for a Reason

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    Simon’s books:

    The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/

    Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/

    Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/

    Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/

    Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/
    

25. The Real Reason You Feel Empty (Even When Life Looks Good) with Musician Mike Posner

    May 5, 202653 minEpisode 223

    If at some point, you've looked at your life—your job, your relationships, your achievements—and thought: “is this it?” This episode is for you. Mike Posner had that moment at 30. His life, by every external …

    Show notes

    If at some point, you've looked at your life—your job, your relationships, your achievements—and thought: “is this it?” This episode is for you. 

    Mike Posner had that moment at 30. His life, by every external measure, was extraordinary: he had hit songs, Grammy nominations, millions in the bank. He was a pop star… And he was miserable.

    What followed was one of the most honest reckonings we've ever heard on this show. Mike walked across America, survived a rattlesnake bite, climbed Everest, and came out the other side with something no amount of success had ever given him: peace.

    Mike Posner is a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated recording artist, songwriter, and producer. But the reason you should listen to this conversation has nothing to do with any of that. It has everything to do with where he was and his incredibly human journey getting to somewhere better, more peaceful, and more meaningful. He even wrote a song about it—a follow up to his hit song “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” called “I Went Back To Ibiza.”

    In this episode you'll learn:

    ➡️ Why achieving your biggest goals can leave you feeling emptier than before you started 

    ➡️ The difference between real vulnerability and broadcasting your pain online (and why intention changes everything) 

    ➡️ Why comfort (not failure) might be the thing quietly hollowing out your life 

    ➡️ What walking across America actually taught Mike about who he was and who he wasn't 

    ➡️ Why self-improvement taken too far becomes selfishness 

    ➡️ The one pursuit more valuable than success, grit, or getting to the top

    You don't need a Grammy nomination to relate to this conversation, you just need to have ever wondered if the life you're building is actually the life you want.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +
    

    Watch A Bit of Optimism on Spotify! If you’re subscribed to Spotify Premium, you don’t get any Spotify ads on my video.

    If you want to watch Mike’s new music video for “I Went Back To Ibiza,” check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDL6SEW4xKU

    You can find “I Went Back To Ibiza” wherever you stream music.

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 The Real Reason You Feel Empty
    • 00:06:51 Art as Alchemy: Turning Pain into Beauty
    • 00:18:12 The Asymmetry Between What We Have and What We Give
    • 00:20:32 Walking Across America: Getting Out of His Comfort Zone
    • 00:24:54 The Snake Bite: When Attention Came From Pain
    • 00:30:13 The Problem With Avoiding Discomfort
    • 00:33:47 From Fraud to Peace: Mike's Transformation
    • 00:36:31 Walking Each Other Home: The Purpose of Art and Life
    • 00:38:56 The Pursuit of Peace, Not Just Hardship
    • 00:48:48 Getting to the Top of Everest: Only Half of the Journey

    
    

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +
    

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

26. The Real Reason Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work (And What Leaders Need to Hear) with Generations Expert Dr. Eliza Filby

    April 28, 20261 h 4 minEpisode 222

    Admit it, you've complained about at least one other generation. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—somehow, they all end up with reputations built around what's wrong with them.Dr. Eliza Filby has a different …

    Show notes

    Admit it, you've complained about at least one other generation. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—somehow, they all end up with reputations built around what's wrong with them.

    Dr. Eliza Filby has a different suggestion: stop asking what's wrong with them. And start questioning what world they were handed.

    Eliza is a contemporary historian, generations expert, and the author of Sunday Times bestseller: Inheritocracy. And with more generations in the workplace than at any point in history, she is precisely the person we need to show us a new way to win… together. 
    

    In this conversation, Eliza makes connections about how generational change is reshaping work, wealth, and modern life that I’d never thought to connect. She might just change how you see the world (and people) around you.
    

    In this episode you'll learn:
    ➡️ Why calling Gen Z "entitled" is the wrong diagnosis (and what's really driving the behavior leaders complain about most) 

    ➡️ How retirement planning and eldercare became the new midlife crisis

    ➡️ How the economy changed after 2008 + quietly rewrote the rulebook for every generation that followed 

    ➡️ Why belonging is becoming increasingly rare (even though we need it)

    ➡️ Why Millennials + Gen Z are more likely become homeowners by being loyal to their parents than by being loyal to their jobs

    ➡️ 3 things no AI will replace in the workplace…

    ➡️ What’s driving hyper-individualism + how do we fix it

    We all may have strong opinions about one another, but it’s time to focus on building greater understanding. This conversation is a good place to start.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    + + +

    To buy a copy of Dr. Eliza Filby’s bestselling book Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad, head to: https://www.elizafilby.com/books 

    Want to hear more from Eliza? Check out her It’s All Relative Newsletter: https://www.elizafilby.com/newsletter 

    + + +
    

    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 Rethinking the Generational Divide at Work
    • 00:01:35 How Dr. Filby Became a Generations Expert
    • 00:04:33 Defining Generations: Why They're Getting Shorter
    • 00:08:42 The Fragmentation of Shared Experience
    • 00:14:29 Conspiracy Culture Infiltrates the Workplace
    • 00:16:16 The End of Job Security and the Rise of the Solopreneur
    • 00:18:02 What Leaders Must Offer in the Age of Uncertainty
    • 00:20:31 The Bank of Mom and Dad: Living in an Inheritocracy
    • 00:28:23 Why Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work
    • 00:31:35 The Changing Life Cycle: Delayed Adulthood and Pressured Midlife
    • 00:41:45 Rising Individualism and the Loss of 'We' at Work
    • 00:47:02 Gen AI: The Next Generation in the Workplace
    • 00:50:44 The Solution: Let Humans Do What Can't Be Counted
    • 01:00:42 Disrupting the Path to Mastery and Nurturing Human Skills
    • 01:03:02 How the Generations Can Come Together

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
    

27. The Leadership Advice Nobody Follows (But Everyone Should) with Top Leadership Expert Don Yaeger

    April 21, 202655 minEpisode 221

    The most successful leaders, coaches, and teams in history share one counterintuitive secret: their main focus wasn’t winning. And yet… they won more than everyone else. My guest, Don Yaeger, learned this …

    Show notes

    The most successful leaders, coaches, and teams in history share one counterintuitive secret: their main focus wasn’t winning. And yet… they won more than everyone else. 
    

    My guest, Don Yaeger, learned this lesson from his mentor: legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. Don is one of my favorite master storytellers, a top business leadership coach, author of 44 books, 13 of them New York Times bestsellers, and a former Associate Editor at Sports Illustrated. Don has worked alongside the greatest athletes of our generation: Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps. But no relationship shaped him more than the 12 years he spent as Coach Wooden's mentee.
    

    Whether or not you're a sports fan, I promise you: the lessons Don shares are as universal as it gets.

    We explore what it really means to win in business and in life. The greatest leaders in history already figured this out. The question is why the rest of us aren't following their lead.
    

    In this episode you'll learn: 

    ➡️ Why the winningest coach in college basketball history never talked about winning (and what he focused on instead)

    ➡️ The Bill Walton story that reveals how great leaders hold standards without exceptions (even for their best people) 

    ➡️ How one conversation with John Wooden transformed Don's marriage & the weekly habit he's kept for 16+ years 

    ➡️ What Delta CEO Ed Bastian's "virtuous cycle" can teach any leader about putting people before results 

    ➡️ What a great mentor actually look like and how to know when you’ve found one

    If you've ever chased the short-term win at the cost of the long game… this episode is the reset you didn't know you needed. 
    

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.
    
    + + +
    If you want to read a free chapter from Don's upcoming book The Business of Storytelling, head to: https://www.donyaeger.com/chapter

    + + +

    Chapters
    Chapters

    • 00:00:00 The Power of Appreciation: What You Look For, You Find
    • 00:02:02 From Delivering Newspapers to Sports Illustrated: Don's Journey to Journalism
    • 00:04:21 Don’s 12-Year Mentorship with Coach John Wooden
    • 00:06:50 Coach Wooden's Philosophy: Pyramid of Success
    • 00:09:00 The Bill Walton Haircut Story: How Wooden Managed Ego and Held Everyone to the Same Standards
    • 00:10:33 Building Better Humans, Not Just Better Players
    • 00:14:36 The Love Letters That Changed Don's Marriage
    • 00:19:35 Looking for Things to Love: The Mindset That Changes Everything
    • 00:22:23 Leading with Employee Care Over Customer-First Mentality
    • 00:33:55 What True Mentorship Really Means: It's Not Transactional
    • 00:47:07 Why Aren't More Leaders Following Coach Wooden's Example?
    • 00:53:17 The Best Storytelling Advice: Know Your Audience

    + + +

    Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

    Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

    Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

    + + +

    Website: http://simonsinek.com/

    Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/

    Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

    Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

    + + +

    Photo/Video credits for this episode: https://tinyurl.com/ycxdw52s

28. Why This Baseball Team Has a 4.2 Million Person Waitlist With Savannah Bananas Founder Jesse Cole

    April 14, 20261 h 6 minEpisode 220

    We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love?Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and the Banana …

    Show notes

    We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love?

    Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League. They’re a viral sensation, selling out stadiums across the country, and have over 4.2 million fans on their  ticket waitlist. On the surface, Banana Ball looks like a wild and entertaining version of baseball. But underneath it all is something much more disciplined: an obsession with the fan experience. 

    Jesse calls his approach Fans First and it’s more than a slogan and the title of his book… It’s a standard. Every minute of the two-hour games are crammed with attention grabbing spectacle. It’s a full-blown live experience designed for every seat in the stadium: players dance, fans are part of the show, trick plays defy the laws of physics, there are multiple sing-alongs… all during an actual baseball game. 

    In this conversation, we talk about building something new for others, from embracing years of failure (including selling just two tickets in the first three months), to creating experiences that make people feel included, joyful, and valued. We also discuss how he took inspiration from Disney and PT Barnum, the importance of affordable in-person experiences, and how his team reviews every single detail after every show to get better the next day.

    Because what Jesse’s building goes beyond just entertainment. It’s a place where people can feel seen for generations to come. And in a world that often moves too fast to build things with care… Those human details might be what matter most.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    ---------------------------

    To learn more about the Banana Ball League or sign up for the ticket waitlist, check out: https://bananaball.com/ 

    Or if you want all things Savannah Bananas, head to: https://thesavannahbananas.com/ 

    ---------------------------

29. Ken Burns and the Art of Telling the Whole Story

    April 7, 202654 minEpisode 219

    We live in a world that pushes us to simplify everything: right or wrong, good or bad, this or that. It makes things and our place in the world easier to understand. But the truth is rarely simple… in fact …

    Show notes

    We live in a world that pushes us to simplify everything: right or wrong, good or bad, this or that. It makes things and our place in the world easier to understand.

    But the truth is rarely simple… in fact, it’s often messy and deeply human.

    For 50 years, Ken Burns has mastered his craft, becoming one of the most prolific and respected documentary filmmakers. His documentaries notably resist easy answers. From The Civil War to The Vietnam War to Baseball, Ken has shaped how we understand American identity, political memory, and our shared history. His latest project, The American Revolution, is a six-part PBS series that tells the story of America’s founding. He revisits the revolution through multiple human perspectives, which reveals new complexity to a familiar story.

    Ken’s guiding principle is simple: “it’s complicated.” And that philosophy shows up in everything he does. Because the most honest stories hold opposing truths at the same time.

    In this conversation, Ken and I explore why storytelling matters more than arguments, how simplifying the world can help us understand it—but also distort it—and why empathy lives in the space between what’s included in a story and what’s left out.

    We also dive into why human behavior hasn’t changed much over time, what mistakes humans keep repeating, how embracing complexity might help us better understand each other, and what history can teach us about who we are and who we’re still becoming.

    If you’ve ever struggled to make sense of a complicated world, or felt frustrated by how quickly we reduce people to labels, this episode is a powerful reminder: understanding lives in our ability to see the whole story.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    ---------------------------

    If you want to watch “American Revolution” the six-part, 12-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt on PBS, head to: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution

    ---------------------------

30. What Happens When You’re Naive Enough to Try with KIND Founder Daniel Lubetzky

    March 31, 202655 minEpisode 218

    Naiveté is one of the most powerful assets an entrepreneur can have. In fact, I think some of the most meaningful things in the world only exist because someone was naive enough to try. Daniel Lubetzky would …

    Show notes

    Naiveté is one of the most powerful assets an entrepreneur can have. In fact, I think some of the most meaningful things in the world only exist because someone was naive enough to try.

    Daniel Lubetzky would know. In a crowded category and cutthroat industry, Daniel dared to build a company called KIND. He started with a simple question: how can we help people snack healthily without compromising their values? KIND Bars are now a household name and Daniel achieved his dream of building the culture behind the brand. A culture rooted in trust, long-term thinking, and social good. Essentially, a place where people loved to work and a company that thrived as a result.

    In this conversation, Daniel and I explore why entrepreneurship is less about ego and more about problem-solving, why brands are promises that must be kept, and how thinking in the short-term erodes trust in both business and society.

    Daniel’s story doesn’t stop at the wildly successful business he founded. The son of a Holocaust survivor, he grew up with a deep sense of responsibility to prevent hatred and division from taking root again. That calling first led him to create PeaceWorks, bringing people together through commerce, and now fuels his work with the Builders Movement. Builders is an effort to channel curiosity, compassion, and courage to reduce polarization and rebuild trust… together.

    Some important context, because this episode touches on peace building and polarization, is that it was recorded back in December 2025 and before recent developments in the Middle East. But this episode is about how kindness can be a competitive advantage, how optimism can be strategic, and how each of us has a role to play in building a future that’s more connected than divided.

    This… is A Bit of Optimism.

    ---------------------------

    If you want to learn more about the Daniel’s work with The Builders Movement, head to: https://buildersmovement.org

    Check out the products and work being done at KIND: https://www.kindsnacks.com

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These are the latest 100 of 245 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.