The Art of Manliness

by The Art of Manliness

NewGo Ahead and Feel Envious (It Can Be a Positive Force)November 10, 2026 · 50 min

Episodes: 1,190
Released: weekly
Latest episode: Nov 10, 2026

About the podcast

The Art of Manliness Podcast aims to deepen and improve every area of a man's life, from fitness and philosophy, to relationships and productivity. Engaging and edifying interviews with some of the world's most interesting doers and thinkers drop the fluff and filler to glean guests' very best, potentially life-changing, insights.

Episodes 1,190

Go Ahead and Feel Envious (It Can Be a Positive Force)
November 10, 202650 minEpisode 1140
Envy is a universal human emotion, but it's one we don't like to admit we feel. When a friend gets a promotion, a neighbor buys a bigger house, or someone you follow on social media seems to be living a better …
Show notes
Envy is a universal human emotion, but it's one we don't like to admit we feel. When a friend gets a promotion, a neighbor buys a bigger house, or someone you follow on social media seems to be living a better life than you, you might feel a pang of envy. And then you probably feel bad about feeling envious.
But what if envy isn't necessarily a bad thing? What if, instead of trying to suppress it, you could use it to build a better life?
My guest today says that's entirely possible. Her name is Dr. Stacy Kim, and she's a social scientist, a coach who works with high achievers, and the author of Envy: Why Wanting What They Have Is the Key to Getting What You Want.
Today on the show, Stacy explains the difference between benign and malicious envy, how envy can reveal what we really want out of life, and how envy is experienced and expressed differently in the U.S. versus Korea, where Stacy was born. We also discuss why you can't simply stop comparing yourself to others, how to turn envy into motivation and meaningful action, and how this uncomfortable emotion can actually help you build stronger relationships with others.
After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/goodenvy
Related
Connect With Stacy Kim
- Stacy's website
0:00 Introduction
1:43 What Kickstarted the Envy Project
4:28 Defining Envy: Benign vs. Malicious
11:08 Envy vs. Jealousy vs. Admiration
13:54 The SIREN Framework for Exploring Envy
19:17 Envy in Korea vs. America
24:50 Collective Envy: Nations & Groups
27:59 Why You Can't Stop Feeling Envy
31:45 Discovering What You Really Want
39:59 Learning From Those You Envy
46:25 Turning Envy Into Service
48:29 Where to Find More & Closing

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Treat Your To-Do List Like a River, and Other Mindset Shifts for Making Better Use of Your Time
November 3, 202652 minEpisode 1041
Note: This is a rebroadcast.When people think about living more fully and making better use of their time, they typically think of finding some new organizational system they can structure their lives …
Show notes
Note: This is a rebroadcast.
When people think about living more fully and making better use of their time, they typically think of finding some new organizational system they can structure their lives with.
Oliver Burkeman says that what you really need instead are perspective shifts — small, sustainable changes in how you view and approach your day-to-day life. He provides those mindset shifts in his new book, Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. And we talk about some of them today on the show, including why you should view life’s tasks and problems like a river instead of a bucket, stop feeling guilt over your “productivity debt,” make peace with your decisions by embracing an unconventional reading of the poem “The Road Not Taken,” aim to do your habits “dailyish,” be more welcoming of interruptions, and practice “scruffy hospitality.”
Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Oliver Burkeman
- Oliver‘s website
:00 Introduction
0:23 Welcome & Book Overview
1:45 Continuation of Four Thousand Weeks
3:40 Why Productivity Makes Us Feel Dead Inside
9:04 The Efficiency Trap
11:09 Productivity Debt
14:56 Treat Your Reading List Like a River
18:58 Your To-Do List Is a Menu, Not a Bucket
23:47 Accepting You'll Always Have Problems
27:43 The Pressure to Solve the World's Problems
34:05 Making Decisions & "The Road Not Taken"
37:32 Daily-ish Habits, Interruptions & Scruffy Hospitality

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The New Dark Ages: The Death of Reading and the Dawn of the Post-Literate Society
October 27, 202656 minEpisode 1139
You can't help but notice, in yourself and in others, how much less people are reading these days. When it comes to content consumption, we're often replacing articles and books with videos and, well …
Show notes
You can't help but notice, in yourself and in others, how much less people are reading these days. When it comes to content consumption, we're often replacing articles and books with videos and, well, podcasts.
My guest says that this shift is having consequences, not only for our shrinking individual attention spans, but for society, and Western civilization writ large.
His name is James Marriott, and he's a columnist at The Times of London and the author of The New Dark Ages: The Death of Reading and the Dawn of the Post-Literate Society. Today on the show, James explains how people thought and interacted before the rise of reading and writing, how literacy changed our minds and made possible everything from democracy to modern science, and how television and smartphones may be returning us in some ways to a preliterate age. We then explore how our increasingly visual culture is making public debate more emotional and influence more personality-driven, and what it might mean for the future.

After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/darkages
Resources Related to the Show
Connect With James Marriott
- James' Substack: Cultural Capital
0:00 Introduction
0:39 The Decline of Reading
5:14 The Golden Age of Mass Literacy
8:24 How Literacy Changed the Mind
12:06 The Preliterate Mind
14:51 Truth and Conflict in Oral Culture
19:18 How Literacy Built Civilization
21:34 The Gutenberg Press & the Reading Revolution
30:45 Television and the Decline of Reading
33:16 Amusing Ourselves to Death
42:03 The Smartphone & the Post-Literate World
50:50 The Future of Reading
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The Lost Art of Mingling: How to Talk to Anyone, Anywhere
October 20, 202642 minEpisode 1138
It's always been intimidating to enter a room where you don't know everyone, or anyone, and to initiate conversation with people at a wedding, holiday party, or work event. But it's never felt more potentially …
Show notes
It's always been intimidating to enter a room where you don't know everyone, or anyone, and to initiate conversation with people at a wedding, holiday party, or work event. But it's never felt more potentially awkward and anxiety-generating than in an age dominated by screen-mediated interactions, when we don't get much practice in mixing at social events and making small talk in real life.
Here to help us get a lot more confident and comfortable in this area is Jeanne Martinet, author of The Art of Mingling, which is out in a newly updated edition. Jeanne last joined me on the podcast nearly a decade ago, and today she's back to share why the ability to mingle is more important than ever and how to get better at it.
We discuss why small talk is more valuable than you might think, and can not only lead to finding a potential romantic partner or lifelong friend, but is something worth doing for its own sake. Jeanne then shares practical tips you can put to use at your next social gathering or simply when you're out and about. She explains how to identify people who are open to conversation, four ways to break the ice with them, as well as an opening line to avoid, how to keep a conversation going, how to gracefully extract yourself from an interaction that's gone on too long, how to recover from putting your foot in your mouth, and more. We end our conversation with how to find more opportunities to socialize and practice your mingling skills.
After the show is over, check out the show notes aom.is/artofmingling

Related
Connect With Jeanne Martinet
0:00 – Introduction
1:19 – Why a New Edition of The Art of Mingling
5:23 – What Is Mingling and Why It Matters
7:14 – The Value of Small Talk
11:10 – What Holds People Back from Mingling
12:43 – How to Spot Someone Open to Conversation
16:17 – The Thin Room, Wingmen & Arriving with a Partner
19:14 – Four Ways to Break the Ice
23:21 – Keeping the Conversation Going
26:41 – Navigating Politics and Sensitive Topics
28:56 – How to Gracefully Exit a Conversation
33:54 – Mingling Anywhere & Finding Opportunities to Socialize
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Brandon Flowers, Frontman of the Killers, on Family, Faith, and Becoming a Thrasher
October 13, 202639 minEpisode 1137
If you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you know that I typically interview the authors of books on this podcast. But,if you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you’ll know …
Show notes
If you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you know that I typically interview the authors of books on this podcast. But,
if you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you’ll know why I had to make an exception for today’s guest.
Brandon Flowers is my very favorite musical artist. He is the frontman for the multi-platinum-record-earning band The Killers and has also put out three solo albums.
I recently had the chance to talk to Brandon backstage before one of his shows in Las Vegas. My wife Kate, as well as a couple of friends, were also on hand, and you’ll hear me allude to them a couple times during the interview.
Brandon and I had a great conversation. We discuss his third and latest solo album, Thrasher and why he went country-western on it, what his dad taught him about what makes a good man, what he’s currently reading (hint: it involves the author of my all-time favorite novel), his top five favorite country songs, the influence of faith in his life and music, what’s on his mind in midlife, and how he balances work and family.
Resources Related to the Podcast
- Thrasher on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
- Flamingo on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
- Pressure Machine on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
- Imploding the Mirage on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
- Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
- The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck
- AoM Podcast #824: Lonesome Dove and Life’s Journey Through Uncertainty
- AoM Podcast #1,104: Ecclesiastes on Enjoying Our Weirdly Unsatisfying Lives
- Mama Baskets at Costco
- Come Follow Me LDS scripture study program
- “My Lord, What a Morning”
- Take the Simple Test That Can Predict Your Mortality
- Brandon’s favorite country songs:
- “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley
- “The Winner” by Kris Kristofferson
- “Silver Stallion” by The Highwaymen
- “A Lot of Things Different” by John Conlee
- “What I’d Give” by Ian Noe
Connect With Brandon Flowers
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Silence, Solitude, Stillness: The Spiritual Disciplines We Need in a Noisy World
October 6, 202653 minEpisode 1136
We live in a world of pervasive noise. Even when we're alone and our surroundings are quiet, our devices bombard us with an endless stream of inputs — messages, news, opinions, entertainment — and we feel …
Show notes
We live in a world of pervasive noise. Even when we're alone and our surroundings are quiet, our devices bombard us with an endless stream of inputs — messages, news, opinions, entertainment — and we feel constantly connected.
My guest argues that this lack of both silence and solitude isn't just generating stress and fragmenting our attention, but doing real damage to our souls.
His name is John Mark Comer, and he’s a pastor and the author of Into the Quiet. Today on the show, we discuss what noise is doing to the deepest parts of us and how engaging in silence and solitude can help us cultivate inner stillness. We explore the monastic tradition behind these spiritual disciplines, why engaging in them can sometimes feel like a negative experience, and what happens when all our usual distractions disappear. We also get into simple ways to bring more quiet into everyday life.
After the show’s over, check out the show notes at aom.is/silence.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With John Mark Comer
- John Mark's website
0:00 Introduction
1:33 What Prompted "Into the Quiet"
5:42 Soundless Noise in the Digital Age
7:39 What Noise Does to Our Souls
11:02 Loneliness vs. Solitude
13:57 Cultivating Inner Stillness
19:02 The Eremos: Jesus' Practice of Solitude
23:58 The Desert Fathers & Monastic Tradition
29:06 What Happens in the Silence
39:17 Confronting Inner Demons in Solitude
47:36 Practical Ways to Practice Silence & Solitude
51:47 Outro

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Why Modern Convenience Feels So Inconvenient
September 29, 202653 minEpisode 1135
Modern life is filled with conveniences designed to make things easier. We can order dinner without leaving the couch, check ourselves out at the grocery store, communicate instantly with anyone, and stream …
Show notes
Modern life is filled with conveniences designed to make things easier. We can order dinner without leaving the couch, check ourselves out at the grocery store, communicate instantly with anyone, and stream nearly every movie and song ever made.
So why do we often feel busier, more stressed, and more, well, inconvenienced than ever?
My guest today argues that many supposed advancements don’t actually save us time, money, or energy — and that even when they do, they can eliminate forms of friction that made life richer, more enjoyable, and more human.
His name is Gabe Bullard, and he’s the author of Against Convenience. Today on the show, Gabe and I discuss how self-checkout, mobile ordering, digital communication, streaming services, food delivery, and even smartphone cameras can paradoxically make life more annoying and less satisfying. Gabe also shares questions to ask yourself to decide which conveniences are worth keeping, and why deliberately adding a little friction back into your life can sometimes make it better.
0:00 Introduction
1:45 Why Convenience Isn't Working
4:22 Self-Checkout & Starbucks App Failures
11:29 The Illusion of Technological Progress
17:28 Phones as a Single Point of Failure
18:20 How Digital Communication Hurts Relationships
23:49 Dating Apps & Making Friends
27:15 Smartphone Cameras & the Value of Photos
32:41 Streaming & Entertainment Disappointment
40:10 Food Delivery Problems
46:30 Wendell Berry's Questions for New Tech
50:12 Practical Tips for Embracing Friction

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The One-Skill-a-Year Plan for a More Interesting Life
September 22, 202654 minEpisode 1134
We all have things we’ve always wanted to know how to do, but have never gotten around to learning. Speak a foreign language. Play an instrument. Write a book. Take up surfing. Maybe you’ve even started one of …
Show notes
We all have things we’ve always wanted to know how to do, but have never gotten around to learning. Speak a foreign language. Play an instrument. Write a book. Take up surfing. Maybe you’ve even started one of these pursuits a few times, only to drop it after a couple of weeks.
My guest calls this collection of abandoned or deferred desires your “invisible list” and is the author of a book of the same name.
Today on the show, Ravi Gupta presents a plan for tackling the things on your invisible list by picking one hobby-like activity each year and working your way to an intermediate level in it. He explains the different categories these pursuits can fall into, from the liftoff project to the mental marathon to the skillbatical, and how to pick the right one for your season of life. We also discuss how camps for grownups can make skill acquisition more enjoyable, why you should consider taking up an adult-appropriate sport like tennis, why Ravi decided to take the MCAT even though he doesn't plan to become a doctor, and how working on your invisible list can give your life chapters and, over the course of a decade, turn you into a Renaissance-man badass.
After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/invisiblelist
0:00 — Introduction
1:45 — What is the Invisible List?
4:38 — Examples & Bucket List Comparison
8:46 — Why a Year Creates Life Chapters
11:10 — Making Time: Family & Constraints
15:44 — Five Rules of the Invisible List
18:39 — Why Aim for Intermediate?
21:19 — The Five Archetypes
26:50 — Liftoff Year: Powerlifting & Journaling
37:30 — Skill-Batical: Surfing & Adult Camps
43:17 — Age-Appropriate Sports: Tennis
45:46 — Mental Marathon: Taking the MCAT

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The 3-Step System for Simplifying Your Work and Life
September 15, 202646 minEpisode 1133
When people are faced with problems and complexity, our instinct is to add instead of subtract. As a result, we have a tendency to make our work and our lives more and more complex, and less and less effective …
Show notes
When people are faced with problems and complexity, our instinct is to add instead of subtract. As a result, we have a tendency to make our work and our lives more and more complex, and less and less effective and fulfilling. Even when what we add is new technology that promises to make us more productive, it often only seems to bog us down and give us even more to do.
My guest says that to fight this drift toward complexity, especially in the modern age, you’ve got to be ruthless about cutting out the superfluous and focusing on what’s most important. His name is Jim VandeHei, and he’s the co-founder and CEO of Axios and the co-author of Simplify.
Today on the show, Jim explains how to simplify your work and personal life using a three-step process: confront, delete, and amplify. We discuss how to identify the “slop” we’re all inundated with (and he’s not just talking about what’s generated by AI), rules of thumb for what to say no to, why you should spend more time developing your strengths than fixing your weaknesses, and the importance of getting clear on what you want out of life, both personally and professionally.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Jim VandeHei
- Jim at Axios
0:00 Introduction & Website Redesign
0:48 The Problem with Complexity
1:56 Interview Begins: Why Another Book on Simplifying?
3:00 How AI Makes Life More Complex
5:42 The Confront, Delete, Amplify Framework
8:14 Why Complexity Creeps Into Everything
11:35 Identifying Slop in Work and Life
17:43 How to Confront Your Habits
24:59 Rules for Saying No
29:48 Amplify Strengths Over Weaknesses
37:35 Simplifying Communication at Work
42:29 Using AI to Simplify Your Life

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If I Don’t Return: A General's Wartime Journal for His Sons
September 8, 202648 minEpisode 1132
When Mark Hertling learned he was deploying for Operation Desert Storm, he decided to start a journal.Back then, Mark was an Army major and cavalry officer with two young sons. His unit would be out in front of …
Show notes
When Mark Hertling learned he was deploying for Operation Desert Storm, he decided to start a journal.
Back then, Mark was an Army major and cavalry officer with two young sons. His unit would be out in front of the main force, and during an intelligence briefing, he was told it could suffer casualties as high as 50 percent. Mark realized there was a real chance he might not come home. So he began writing down what he was experiencing, along with the lessons about life, leadership, and character that he wanted his boys to know if he wasn’t there to teach them himself.
Mark did come home, and went on to serve 38 years in the Army, including as an assistant division commander in Baghdad and later commander of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq during the 2007–2008 surge, before finishing his career as commander of U.S. Army Europe.
Decades later, that wartime journal became the basis for his new book, If I Don’t Return. Today on the show, retired three-star General Mark Hertling and I talk about the reflections it contains on making every day count, planning for friction, marriage and friendship, handwritten notes, casual profanity, the moral weight of war, and what it means to build a man.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Mark Hertling
- Mark on LinkedIn
- Mark's faculty page
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To Change Yourself, Change Your Situation
September 1, 202656 minEpisode 1131
Professor of psychology Angela Duckworth is famous for her work on grit — the combination of passion and perseverance that leads to high achievement. But she’s come to an increasing appreciation for the fact …
Show notes
Professor of psychology Angela Duckworth is famous for her work on grit — the combination of passion and perseverance that leads to high achievement. But she’s come to an increasing appreciation for the fact that success isn't just a matter of the qualities inside you; it's also driven by what's outside you — your peers, your mentors, and even your zip code.
Today on the show, Angela, whose latest book is Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best, shares how our environments play a much bigger role in shaping us than we realize. She explains the three-box model of behavior, why relying on willpower is a fallible strategy for altering your habits, and why the most effective way to change yourself is to change what’s around you. We discuss how different situations bring out different versions of ourselves and how to shape your surroundings to encourage good habits, mitigate bad ones, and become who you want to be — whether that means rearranging what’s on your desk or moving across the country.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Angela Duckworth
0:00 Introduction
1:42 From Grit to Situated
4:18 Michael Phelps: Grit Meets Environment
8:43 The Three-Box Model Explained
12:28 Why Willpower Fails
19:18 Multiple Selves & Code Switching
26:30 Saving a Marriage Through Situational Change
31:51 Curating Your Physical Space
38:26 Shaping Your Digital Environment
43:14 Social Environment & Accountability
47:05 Culture, Microcultures & the Flywheel
53:15 Start With Situational Awareness

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The Lost Virtue of Thumos (And Why Men Need It)
August 25, 202653 minEpisode 1130
The ancient Greeks believed the human soul had three parts: reason, appetite, and something called thumos. Thumos is difficult to translate into English. It encompasses anger, noble spiritedness, pride …
Show notes
The ancient Greeks believed the human soul had three parts: reason, appetite, and something called thumos. Thumos is difficult to translate into English. It encompasses anger, noble spiritedness, pride, ambition, a sense of honor, and the drive to act. The Greeks thought it was essential to living a life of manly virtue, and my guest thinks we could use a lot more of it.
His name is Mike LeBlanc, and he’s a decorated Marine, a Harvard Business School grad, a tech founder, and the author of What If Anger Is the Answer? Today on the show, Mike and I discuss how the angry energy of thumos can help you close the gap between who you are and who you should be. We discuss why physical training helps cultivate thumos, how it can be an aid in overcoming appetites, overthinking, passivity, and cynicism, and the role it can play in being an effective leader.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Mike LeBlanc
- Mike's website
- Mike on LinkedIn
0:00 Introduction
1:42 Meet Mike LeBlanc: Marines, Great Books & Robotics
5:45 A Letter to His Son: What It Means to Be a Man
8:07 Socrates' Metaphor: The Little Man, the Hydra & the Lion
15:26 The Attributes of Thumos: Dignity, Pride & Shame
17:36 Thumos and Action: The Soul's Three Parts at Work
20:19 Thumos in Defending Boundaries
25:31 Thumos and the Physical Body
31:36 Thumos vs. Overthinking: The 70% Solution
36:03 Thumos, Power & Authority in Leadership
44:42 Overcoming Cynicism with Thumos
49:46 Raising Boys with Thumos & Where to Find the Book

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The Secrets of Supercommunicators
August 18, 202645 minEpisode 968
Note: This is a rebroadcast. Have you ever known one of those people who seemed to be able to connect with anyone? The kind of person who had the ability to make others feel understood and smoothly navigate …
Show notes
Note: This is a rebroadcast.
Have you ever known one of those people who seemed to be able to connect with anyone? The kind of person who had the ability to make others feel understood and smoothly navigate even the trickiest of conversations?
Charles Duhigg calls these folks “supercommunicators,” and he’s the author of a new book by the same name. Today on the show, Charles explains that what underlies supercommunicators’ skill in connection is something called the matching principle, and he unpacks how it works and how you can put it to use in your own conversations. We discuss several techniques for how to figure out what kind of conversation you’re having, so you can align your language and energy with the other person. And because emotional conversations can be particularly difficult, we dig into tactics for successfully navigating them, even when they contain a high degree of conflict. We also get into how to carry the skills of connection into your digital conversations.
Resources Related to the Podcast
- Charles’ previous appearances on the AoM podcast:
- Episode #61: The Power of Habit
- Episode #196: The Science of Self-Motivation & Productivity
- AoM Podcast #559: How to Handle Difficult Conversations
Connect With Charles Duhigg
- Charles’ website
0:00 — Intro & Rebroadcast Notice
0:32 — Why Communication Matters
2:08 — The Matching Principle
5:07 — Deep Questions & FBI Negotiator Felix Sigala
9:50 — Identifying What Kind of Conversation You're Having
10:52 — Setting Goals & Preparing for Conversations
15:06 — Conversations as Quiet Negotiations
19:07 — Navigating Emotional Conversations
24:11 — Turning Shallow Questions Into Deep Questions
28:00 — Mood, Energy & NASA's Emotional Intelligence Test
32:34 — Looping for Understanding & High-Conflict Conversations
38:38 — Digital Communication & Closing

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The Joy of Touching Grass (and Knobs, Buttons, and Boarding Passes)
August 11, 202652 minEpisode 1129
Remember the old hotel ice machines? The kind where you'd slide your bucket under the chute and hear the avalanche of cubes crashing into it? There was something so fun and strangely gratifying about that …
Show notes
Remember the old hotel ice machines? The kind where you'd slide your bucket under the chute and hear the avalanche of cubes crashing into it? There was something so fun and strangely gratifying about that thing.
Or think about breaking an icicle off the edge of a roof. Such a gratifying feeling from such a small act.
My guest has written an ode to the outsized pleasures that arise from these kinds of everyday interactions with the physical world. His name is Ian Bogost, and his new book is The Small Stuff. Today on the show, Ian argues that a fulfilling life isn't built solely by chasing the big components of happiness but also by embracing the small moments of gratification that are woven throughout ordinary life. We discuss how those moments can be found in tactile experiences like shifting a manual transmission, turning a well-made knob, or flipping through the pages of a real menu. We explore how these small opportunities for engagement — for contact, connection, and control— have been disappearing as the world becomes more digitized and automated and everything becomes a touchscreen. And Ian shares how opportunities for "sensory enchantment" can still be found in our increasingly dematerialized world.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Ian Bogost
0:00 Introduction
0:40 Ian Bogost and 'The Small Stuff'
2:25 What Kickstarted This Book
6:38 Happiness, Satisfaction, and Gratification
14:58 Gratification Is Everywhere — But Disappearing
18:28 Dematerialization: How the World Is Losing Sensory Richness
26:41 How Work Has Become Less Gratifying
33:09 How to Reclaim Your Sensory Life
38:35 Keep More Junk Around
44:38 Talk About Small Pleasures
48:17 Living Life Sideways (Orthogonality)
50:03 Wrap-Up
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Big P vs. Little P Purpose: Why You Don't Need to Find Your One True Calling
August 4, 202651 minEpisode 1128
People are told their whole lives how important it is to find their purpose. But many find the search frustrating. They feel there's one true calling or one grand goal they're supposed to be pursuing, but they …
Show notes
People are told their whole lives how important it is to find their purpose. But many find the search frustrating. They feel there's one true calling or one grand goal they're supposed to be pursuing, but they can't seem to discern what it is.
My guest, Jordan Grumet, author of The Purpose Code, says that searching for what he calls your big P purpose can be fruitless and even harmful, and that a better path is to embrace a life of little p purposes. Today on the show, Jordan explains the difference between big P and little p purposes and argues that the former can lead to anxiety while embracing the latter can be the path to meaning, satisfaction, connection, and even the legacy you were looking for in the first place. We discuss how Jordan found his way to this philosophy after burning out as a doctor, practical ways to discover your own little p purposes, what he thinks we get wrong in making family our purpose, and what his work in hospice has taught him about living a life without regret.

Connect With Jordan Grumet
- Jordan's website
- Jordan's Substack: The Purpose Code
00:00 Intro & Show Overview
0:41 Meet Jordan Grumet
1:46 From Doctor to Purpose Writer
5:00 Big P vs Little P Purpose
8:32 Why Purpose Talk Makes People Anxious
11:15 What the Research Says
13:42 Burnout and Big P Purpose
16:18 The Podcasting Example: Process vs Goals
19:42 Legacy Through Little P Purpose
28:24 Finding Your Purpose Anchors
38:01 The Climb: Building Your Purpose
43:14 Family, Regrets, and Final Thoughts
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Restless, Rooted: What the Odyssey Reveals About Americans' Divided Souls
July 28, 202653 minEpisode 1127
With the release of Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Odyssey, it seems like everyone's been talking about a 3,000-year-old epic again. But my guest thinks this ancient tale offers a framework for …
Show notes
With the release of Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Odyssey, it seems like everyone's been talking about a 3,000-year-old epic again. But my guest thinks this ancient tale offers a framework for understanding our modern lives that you probably haven't heard before.
Patrick Deneen is a professor of political science and the author of American Odyssey. Today on the show, Patrick argues that Odysseus embodies a tension that has defined the human experience, and especially the American experience: we're both home-seeking and exploring, rooted and restless. We long to settle down somewhere, yet we're equally driven to push beyond the horizon in search of something new. Patrick shares how Alexis de Tocqueville made this observation about our country two centuries ago, how Odysseus navigates the temptation to become both more than human and less than human, and the surprising act Patrick thinks is the most heroic thing Odysseus does. We end our conversation with the idea that having a home can give us the confidence to explore, or as David Brooks put it, "All of life is a series of daring explorations from a secure base."

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Patrick Deneen
0:00 Intro & sponsor plugs
0:41 Patrick Deneen's American Odyssey & Nolan's film
2:28 Nolan's changes to Odysseus's character
4:56 Dante's Odysseus in hell
7:33 Why Odyssey keeps drawing Patrick back
13:02 The most American text: home-seeking vs exploring
17:15 Tocqueville's restless Americans
20:03 Restlessness as source of American unhappiness
21:03 Odysseus vs the temptation to be more/less than human
26:14 That temptation in modern American life
31:26 Odysseus's underworld talk with Achilles
39:41 What today's Americans can take from that
41:24 Does Odysseus stay home? The "sequels" to The Odyssey
45:49 Home as the foundation for risk-taking and adventure
51:14 Where to find the book
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The Secret Skills of Master Negotiators
July 21, 20261 hEpisode 1126
When most people think of negotiation, they picture big, high-stakes moments: haggling over the price of a house, negotiating a starting salary, or hammering out the terms of a business deal. But negotiation is …
Show notes
When most people think of negotiation, they picture big, high-stakes moments: haggling over the price of a house, negotiating a starting salary, or hammering out the terms of a business deal. But negotiation is also something we do every day. It’s working out who’s taking on which chores with your spouse, convincing a coworker to help on a project, or even deciding where to go for dinner with friends. The better you understand negotiation — which is really about influencing other people’s decisions — the better you’ll be at navigating conflicts and opportunities both big and small.
My guest has spent decades studying the art and science of wielding that influence. John Richardson teaches negotiation at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and is the co-author of Never Settle. Today on the show, John shares what he learned from negotiation legends like Roger Fisher, co-author of Getting to Yes, and FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. He unpacks the skills of master negotiators, including how to build reciprocity, uncover what people actually want, and keep your emotions from hijacking your judgment. We also get into the part of negotiation that makes people the most uncomfortable: the back-and-forth over hard numbers like price and salary and how to handle those conversations with greater confidence and better results.
Connect With John Richardson
- Never Settle website
- John’s faculty page
0:00 Everyday Negotiation & Meet John Richardson
2:18 John's Path Into Negotiation
9:50 Why People Fear Negotiation
12:34 Roger Fisher's Philosophy (Getting to Yes)
17:46 Chris Voss & Hostage Negotiation Tactics
22:54 Give Them a Sandwich (Reciprocity)
30:06 Using Someone's Name
33:59 Managing Your Emotions
39:00 Figuring Out What Everyone Wants
46:29 Distributive Negotiation & Anchoring
54:52 Alternatives, Saying No & Closing
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The Art of Easy Discipline
July 14, 202654 minEpisode 1125
Most people assume that if a goal is hard to achieve, getting there has to feel hard too. We tend to believe that extraordinary results require extraordinary suffering.But my guest says the secret to success …
Show notes
Most people assume that if a goal is hard to achieve, getting there has to feel hard too. We tend to believe that extraordinary results require extraordinary suffering.
But my guest says the secret to success isn't gritting your teeth; it's making the path enjoyable. His name is Jia Jiang, and in his new book, Easy Discipline, he argues that consistency comes from designing your work and your life so that doing the right thing becomes something you actually want to do. Today on the show, Jia explains the difference between hard and easy discipline, why "eating bitterness" isn't the best way to go after your ambitions, and how to make your work feel more like play without lowering your standards. Along the way, we discuss Soviet hockey, Japanese tea ceremonies, rejection therapy, one-action goals, and the power of pursuing aims that are an expression of who you are.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Jia Jiang
0:00 Introduction to the AOM Podcast
0:41 Introducing Jia Jiang and Easy Discipline
1:36 Welcome Jia Jiang / The Myth of Sisyphus
6:05 Hard Discipline vs. Easy Discipline
9:36 Eating Bitterness
10:44 Soviet Hockey: Tarasov vs. Tikhonov
16:02 The EASY Framework: Enjoyment
31:02 Artistry and Ichi-go Ichi-e
33:54 Systems and One Action Goals
41:22 Repetition with Variation
44:18 Why: Being True to Yourself
52:33 Where to Find Jia Jiang's Work
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Beyond Midlife Myths: Why Middle Age Can Be Your Prime Time
July 7, 202650 minEpisode 1124
Many of us grow up believing that midlife is when things start going downhill. Your body's breaking down, your best work is behind you, and you may fall into a full-blown existential crisis. But a lot of what …
Show notes
Many of us grow up believing that midlife is when things start going downhill. Your body's breaking down, your best work is behind you, and you may fall into a full-blown existential crisis. But a lot of what we think we know about midlife turns out to be based more on pop culture than actual research.
My guest says the reality is much more encouraging. Her name is Margie Lachman. She's a professor of psychology, the Director of the Lifespan Lab at Brandeis University, and the author of Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife. Today on the show, Margie discusses what age range constitutes midlife — and how it's not just a matter of chronological age — and whether people really become less happy and experience a midlife crisis during these years. She explains the surprising ways your mind continues to improve even as some abilities slow down, and why this stage of life often represents a peak combination of creativity and judgment. We also talk about the real challenges that come with midlife and how adopting the right mindset and habits can mitigate those downsides while helping you make the most of what Margie argues can truly be a sweet spot in life — a time when you still have much of your physical and mental vitality, and it's coupled with seasoned experience and wisdom.

Resources Related to the Podcast
- Seasons of a Man’s Life by Daniel Levinson
- AoM series on Levinson’s research
- Transformations: Growth and Change in Adult Life by Roger Gould
- Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life by Gail Sheehy
- AoM Podcast #598: Journeying From the First to the Second Half of Life With James Hollis
- AoM Podcast #776: How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise
Connect With Margie Lachman
- Margie's website
- Margie's faculty page
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George Washington: The Man Behind the Monument
June 30, 20261 h 14 minEpisode 1123
George Washington is perhaps the most familiar figure in American history. But most people really only know the image of him they see in marble statues and patriotic paintings. Behind those symbols was a real …
Show notes
George Washington is perhaps the most familiar figure in American history. But most people really only know the image of him they see in marble statues and patriotic paintings. Behind those symbols was a real man: ambitious, self-taught, intensely concerned with honor, and constantly wrestling with the immense responsibilities history placed on his shoulders.
In celebration of America's 250th birthday, we're taking an extended look at the life of the man more responsible than anyone else for the nation's founding. Here to unpack that life for us is H.W. Brands, a historian and the author of a new biography of Washington, American Patriarch. Brands traces Washington's journey from a young Virginia surveyor to military commander, founding father, and first president. Along the way, we discuss how Washington's upbringing shaped his character, why he became a surprisingly effective military leader despite losing more battles than he won, how he held together a fragile revolutionary army, how he shaped the presidency through the precedents he set, and whether a leader like Washington could still succeed today.
Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With H.W. Brands
- H.W. on Substack
- H.W.’s faculty page
00:00 Introduction
01:53 About the book American Patriarch
03:03 Washington's childhood & Virginia gentry upbringing
06:54 Self-education, surveying, and early ambition
11:47 First military mission to the Ohio country
17:11 The French and Indian War & Washington's baptism under fire
24:44 Washington marries Martha Custis
33:57 Washington takes command of the Continental Army
40:17 Military strategy: how Washington won by not losing
46:41 Holding the army together at Valley Forge
55:57 Washington as first president & setting precedents
1:09:56 The Farewell Address & legacy
1:10:15 What Washington teaches us today

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The Retirement Trap: Should You Really Stop Working at 65?
June 23, 202633 minEpisode 1122
The modern idea of retirement was built on a bet that turned out to be wrong. It assumed people would spend most of their lives working and only a relatively short period of time retired. Instead, many …
Show notes
The modern idea of retirement was built on a bet that turned out to be wrong. It assumed people would spend most of their lives working and only a relatively short period of time retired. Instead, many Americans now reach 65 healthy, active, and with an entire third of their life ahead of them. Yet we're still using a retirement model designed for a world in which old age was shorter and fewer people expected decades of life after leaving the workforce.
My guest says that outdated assumption creates some unfortunate unintended consequences. It causes people to stress excessively about money, postpone meaningful experiences with family and friends, and sometimes sacrifice the very things that make life worth living in the first place. He argues that by rethinking retirement — not necessarily eliminating it, but reimagining it — we can enjoy more of our lives now while actually feeling more secure about the future.
His name is Derek Coburn, and he's a financial advisor and the author of Let's Retire Retirement. Today on the show, Derek explains why the traditional retirement model came about, why it may no longer make sense for many people, and how working even a few years past 65 can dramatically change the math of retirement planning. We also discuss the surprising psychological challenges many people face after they stop working, why purpose matters more than leisure, and how thinking differently about retirement can free you up to spend more time on what matters most right now — whether that's traveling, strengthening your marriage, or making the most of the limited summers you have left with your kids.

Connect With Derek Coburn
- Derek's website (including his retirement calculator)
- Derek on IG
0:00 - Introduction
1:22 - The Outdated Origins of Retirement (Bismarck's 1889 Social Insurance Plan)
4:12 - Why the Traditional Retirement Model Creates Stress and Anxiety
6:13 - The "Arrival Fallacy" — Why Retirement Isn't What You Think It Will Be
8:42 - The Psychological Crisis of Stopping Work Cold Turkey
11:05 - The Math: How Working 10 More Years Cuts Your Savings Requirement by 96%
13:21 - Enjoying Life NOW Instead of Deferring It to Retirement
14:22 - Maximizing the Limited Summers You Have with Your Kids
19:48 - Sponsor Break
20:07 - What If You Hate Your Job? Find One You "Don't Hate"
22:37 - Side Hustles as an On-Ramp to Work You Love
24:09 - Physical Jobs and Mandatory Retirement — What Then?

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Belonging Without Conforming: The Path From Pseudo Self to Solid Self
June 16, 202659 minEpisode 1121
We all want two things that can seem at odds with each other: to be our own person and to belong. We want to stand apart from the crowd, but we also want to be connected to it. When that balance gets out of …
Show notes
We all want two things that can seem at odds with each other: to be our own person and to belong. We want to stand apart from the crowd, but we also want to be connected to it. When that balance gets out of whack, we either lose ourselves in tribalism or drift into isolation.
My guest today says many of the problems in modern life stem from our inability to hold these two impulses in tension. His name is Luke Burgis, and he’s the author of The One and the 99: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion. Today on the show, Luke explains how becoming a true individual can give you the strength to be a part of a community. We discuss the difference between a solid self and a pseudo self — and what role families and rites of passage can play in moving us toward one or the other — why modern politics feels like a dysfunctional family, the dangers of performative religion, and much more.
Connect With Luke Burgis
- Luke’s website
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Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
0:54 Guest Intro: Luke Burgis & The One and the 99
4:48 The Parable of the Lost Sheep & the Book's Framework
10:17 Defining the Self (vs. Identity & Soul)
14:37 The Pseudo Self Explained
19:40 How to Develop a Solid Self
25:35 Louis L'Amour & Education for a Solid Self
28:18 Curiositas vs. Studiositas (Ordered vs. Disordered Knowledge)
44:30 Tribalism, Politics, & the Pseudo Self
45:08 How Undifferentiation Fuels Political Dysfunction
51:13 Religion, Performative Piety & the Digital World
54:15 What Monasteries Teach Us About Community & Solid Selves

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How to Try Again
June 9, 202656 minEpisode 1120
Life rarely unfolds according to plan. A relationship implodes. A move or job change doesn't work out. Or you simply fail in a goal you've set for yourself.My guest has spent almost two decades researching and …
Show notes
Life rarely unfolds according to plan. A relationship implodes. A move or job change doesn't work out. Or you simply fail in a goal you've set for yourself.
My guest has spent almost two decades researching and field-testing how to get back on track when smaller slip-ups and larger upheavals knock you off course. His name is Steve Kamb, and he's the founder of Nerd Fitness and the author of How to Try Again: An Approachable Guide to Navigating Chaos and Making Change THAT STICKS. Today on the show, Steve shares practical principles for dealing with life's frustrating and demoralizing setbacks. We discuss why sometimes the best move is to pause rather than push harder, how to accept reality without resigning yourself to it, why treating change as an experiment can help you beat paralysis and take action, why you should treat consistency with your goals the way you do showering, and more.
Resources Related to the Podcast
- Steve's previous appearances on the AoM podcast:
- Episode #42: Level Up Your Life With Nerd Fitness & Steve Kamb
- Episode #170: Level Up Your Life
- Steve's AoM guest posts:
- Don’t Be That Guy: The Taxonomy of Lousy Male Friends
- How Superheroes, Movies, and Video Games Taught Me to Conquer Fear
- Nerd Fitness
- Museum of Failure
- Sunday Firesides: Good Times Are Not Around the Corner (And That's Great News!)
- Sunday Firesides: Treat Life Like an Experiment
- "Lightning Fields" by the Killers
Connect With Steve Kamb
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Built to Walk: How Modern Shoes and Weak Feet Are Holding You Back
June 2, 202659 minEpisode 1119
Walking is one of the most powerful health tools we have. It improves cardiovascular fitness, boosts mood, sharpens cognition, and can even be a predictor of how well you'll age. But all those benefits depend …
Show notes
Walking is one of the most powerful health tools we have. It improves cardiovascular fitness, boosts mood, sharpens cognition, and can even be a predictor of how well you'll age. But all those benefits depend on something we rarely think about until it starts hurting: our feet.
For many of us, walking is so automatic that we never consider the mechanics that make it possible. Yet the way we move, the shoes we wear, and the strength of the muscles in our feet can have a profound impact on how comfortably and efficiently we walk. When something goes wrong at our physical foundation, the effects can ripple upward, leading to pain not just in the feet, but in the knees, hips, and back.
My guest today is Dr. Milica McDowell, a physical therapist and the co-author of the new book Walk. Today on the show, Milica explains why walking speed may be a hidden vital sign, what gives you your signature walking style, and how to spot and address injury-inducing inefficiencies in your gait. We then talk about feet: whether you should worry about pronation, how to rehab plantar fasciitis — and no, it's not stretching — the best kind of shoes to wear, and much more.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Milica McDowell
- Milica's website
- Milica on IG
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How to Turn a Boy Into a Man
May 26, 20261 h 12 minEpisode 810
Note: This is a rebroadcast.A lot of young men today struggle in finding their footing in adulthood. They feel lost, directionless, and unsure of who they are and how to confidently and competently navigate the …
Show notes
Note: This is a rebroadcast.
A lot of young men today struggle in finding their footing in adulthood. They feel lost, directionless, and unsure of who they are and how to confidently and competently navigate the world.
Part of the reason for this is that most young men today lack something which was once a part of nearly every culture in the world, but has now almost entirely disappeared: a rite of passage.
My guest today didn’t want his son to flounder on the way to maturity, nor to miss out on having an initiation into manhood, so he set out to create a 6-year journey for him that would help him move from boy to man. His name is Jon Tyson, and he’s the author of The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character. Today on the show, Jon unpacks the components of the years-long journey into manhood he created for his son, beginning with how he brainstormed those components by doing “The Day Your Son Leaves Home” exercise. We then discuss how old Jon’s son was when he started his rite of passage and why it began with him having a “severing dinner” with his mom. We get into what his rite of passage consisted of, from the kickoff ceremony to the challenges, experiences, trips, and daily rituals Jon used to impart values and teach his son the “5 Shifts of Manhood.” Jon shares how moving his son’s focus from being a good man, to being good at being a man, helped him get remotivated to continue the process, why his rite of passage included a gap year after high school, and how Jon celebrated the end of his son’s journey into becoming a man. We also discuss whether Jon did something similar with his daughter. We end our conversation with some key principles any dad can use to start intentionally helping their kids become well-rounded individuals who can confidently step out on their own and into the world.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Jon Tyson
0:00 Introduction
0:29 Guest Introduction: John Tyson & The Intentional Father
2:28 The Research on Fatherless Boys
4:54 What Men Lack Without a Rite of Passage
8:37 The "Day Your Son Leaves Home" Exercise
10:47 Building an Asset Map & Community of Fathers
13:37 The Severing Dinner with Mom
17:10 The Beach Initiation Ceremony at Age 13
20:42 Taking Your Son Back to Your Roots
28:14 The Five Shifts of Manhood
31:52 Daily Morning Talks, Books & Movies
42:32 Good Man vs. Good AT Being a Man
46:28 The Archetypes: Lover, Leader, Warrior, Brother, Sage
50:01 The Life Arc Interview
56:03 The Gap Year as the Ordeal
1:01:16 The Capstone Ceremony on the Camino de Santiago
1:04:44 Doing Something Similar for His Daughter
1:09:09 Key Principles Any Dad Can Start With Today
That's 17 — let me trim to the 12 most distinct:
0:00 Introduction & Why Rites of Passage Have Disappeared
2:28 The Research on Fatherless Boys
4:54 What Men Lack Without a Rite of Passage
8:37 The "Day Your Son Leaves Home" Exercise
13:37 The Severing Dinner & Beach Initiation Ceremony
20:42 Taking Your Son Back to Your Roots
28:14 The Five Shifts of Manhood
31:52 Daily Talks, Books & Movies
42:32 Good Man vs. Good at Being a Man
50:01 The Life Arc Interview
56:03 The Gap Year as the Ordeal
1:01:16 The Capstone Ceremony & Key Principles for Any Dad

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Inside With the Old Breed: A Conversation With Eugene Sledge’s Son
May 19, 202659 minEpisode 1118
With the Old Breed is widely considered one of the greatest war memoirs ever written. Penned by Eugene Sledge, a Marine who fought with the 1st Division — the old breed — in the Pacific campaigns of Peleliu and …
Show notes
With the Old Breed is widely considered one of the greatest war memoirs ever written. Penned by Eugene Sledge, a Marine who fought with the 1st Division — the old breed — in the Pacific campaigns of Peleliu and Okinawa, the book is unflinching, deeply human, and so vividly written that you can practically feel the heat, mud, exhaustion, and terror coming off the page.
But Sledge wasn't a professional writer. He was a biology professor who started jotting notes on scraps of paper tucked inside the New Testament he carried in his breast pocket. He wrote the book decades later, partly to process his own trauma, partly to leave a record for his sons.
One of those sons is my guest today. Henry Sledge has spent years carrying his father's legacy forward, and he's written his own book — The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed — that pairs his father's combat experience with previously unpublished material and his own perspective as Eugene's son. Today on the show, Henry and I talk about why his dad wrote With the Old Breed, what made fighting in the Pacific uniquely hellish, and how Eugene managed to come home and live a full, honorable life despite carrying the war with him for the rest of his days.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Henry Sledge
- Henry on IG
- Henry on FB
Thanks to This Week's Sponsor!
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0:00 - Introduction
0:41 - About With the Old Breed: Eugene Sledge's War Memoir
1:15 - Why Eugene Wrote the Book
3:07 - How He Kept Notes in Combat
4:20 - Writing & Publishing the Book
6:03 - Eugene's Writing Style
9:44 - Why Eugene Enlisted as a Private
16:03 - Boot Camp Training
21:35 - Why Peleliu Is the "Forgotten Battle"
27:49 - What Made Fighting on Peleliu Hell
31:40 - The Japanese as an Enemy
43:10 - Life After the War: Coming Home
50:00 - Lessons from With the Old Breed

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How Constraints Help You Focus, Create, and Finish
May 12, 202645 minEpisode 1117
Back in 2019, David Epstein joined me to talk about his book Range and why generalists often thrive in a specialized world. Now he’s back with a new book that explores a seemingly opposite idea: the power of …
Show notes
Back in 2019, David Epstein joined me to talk about his book Range and why generalists often thrive in a specialized world. Now he’s back with a new book that explores a seemingly opposite idea: the power of constraints. In Inside the Box, David argues that limits — deadlines, boundaries, and even setbacks — are often the very things that spark creativity, sharpen focus, and help us actually get meaningful work done.
Today on the show, David shares how, in a world of endless freedom and options, constraints might actually be the thing you need most. He shares the surprising true story behind the creation of the periodic table, explains how a broken arm changed the course of his own life, and explores why giving people too much leeway can actually kill innovation. We discuss what Pixar did right that doomed companies like General Magic got wrong, why brainstorming sessions are usually ineffective, how to identify the bottlenecks holding back your work and life, and why learning to settle for “good enough” may be the key to getting more great things done.
- Resources Related to the PodcastDavid’s previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #512 — Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
- Pixar’s Tin Toy
- AoM Article: Curing Your Restlessness — Limiting Your Choices
- The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
- David’s This American Life Episode: “Something Only I Can See”
- AoM Article: Via Negativa — Adding to Your Life By Subtracting
- Connect With David EpsteinDavid’s website
0:00 - Introduction
0:40 - David Epstein & "Inside the Box": Overview
1:50 - How Range and Constraints Are Connected
3:14 - The Real Story Behind the Periodic Table
7:00 - How a Broken Arm Changed David's Life
10:22 - General Magic: What Happens With No Constraints
20:14 - Pixar vs. General Magic: Constraints Done Right
25:37 - This American Life's Editing Process
31:10 - Finding Your Bottlenecks (The Goal)
38:10 - Why Brainstorming Doesn't Work (And What Does)
43:00 - The Case for Satisficing (Good Enough)
51:11 - When Maximizing Makes Sense

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Why Screen Time Leaves You Exhausted: And How to Reverse Its Effects
May 5, 202651 minEpisode 1116
You hear a lot today about how our ample screentime is affecting our mental health. But how is it affecting our bodies, and how is that impact on our bodies affecting, well, our mental health?My guest today …
Show notes
You hear a lot today about how our ample screentime is affecting our mental health. But how is it affecting our bodies, and how is that impact on our bodies affecting, well, our mental health?
My guest today will unpack the ways that digital technology is sapping our vitality, and offer a simple protocol to get it back. Her name is Manoush Zomorodi, and she's the host of the TED Radio Hour and the author of Body Electric. In our conversation, Manoush explains why a day spent sitting in front of screens can leave you exhausted, even though you haven't really done anything, and how small bouts of movement throughout the day can counteract that drain and keep you feeling energized and focused. She shares how much activity you need to offset periods of being sedentary, and how to realistically incorporate these movement breaks into your routine. We also get into the specific effects digital technology is having on our eyes and ears — and what you can do to prevent the damage.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Manoush Zomorodi
- Manoush's website
- Manoush on IG
0:00 - Introduction
0:41 - Meet Manoush Zomorodi & Body Electric
1:10 - Why Are We So Tired After Sitting All Day?
5:30 - The Physical Effects of Sitting & Screens on the Body
10:02 - Walt Whitman, Clerks & the History of Sedentary Work
16:42 - Keith Diaz's Study: 5 Minutes of Movement Every 30 Min
20:07 - Testing the Protocol: Manoush's Lab Experience
21:15 - The Global Clinical Trial Results
29:11 - How to Actually Integrate Movement Breaks Into Your Day
32:11 - Even Exercise Isn't Enough If You Sit All Day
37:50 - What Screens Are Doing to Your Eyes
46:10 - What Earbuds Are Doing to Your Hearing
49:22 - How Screens Disrupt Sleep (It's Not Blue Light)

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A Map for Finding Direction and Purpose in Life (Again and Again)
April 28, 202658 minEpisode 1115
While we often think of life as linear, my guest’s own life, along with a decade of research, has taught him that it’s anything but. In his latest book, What to Make of a Life, Jim Collins unpacks the cyclical …
Show notes
While we often think of life as linear, my guest’s own life, along with a decade of research, has taught him that it’s anything but. In his latest book, What to Make of a Life, Jim Collins unpacks the cyclical pattern life actually unfolds in, and how to navigate it. He explains how we all go through periods of “fog” — times of disorientation and uncertainty — at least three times: in youth, after a life-changing “cliff” event, and as we move through midlife into older age. We find our way out of these fogs by what Jim calls coming into “frame” — aligning what you're built to do with what you actually do in a way that feels enlivening and meaningful. And Jim unpacks the three elements that help you find, and re-find, this frame over the course of your life.
Along the way, Jim shares case studies of these principles at work, and we explore the role of luck, the inevitability of drudgery (even in work you love), and how to keep your inner fire lit over the long haul.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With Jim Collins
- Jim's website
0:00 - Introduction & Guest Overview
0:41 - What Is "What to Make of a Life"?
2:17 - The Three Seeds That Started the Research
7:26 - What Are "Encodings"? Finding What You're Built For
8:58 - John Glenn & Gordon Cooper: Encodings in Action
14:32 - It's Never Too Late to Find Your Frame (Eisenhower & Franklin)
19:34 - Multiple Frames: Alan Page's Second Life in Law
25:56 - Navigating Cliffs: Expected vs. Shocking Life Changes
31:09 - The Fog: Why Feeling Lost Is Normal
40:58 - Simplex Stepping: How to Navigate the Fog
49:32 - Flipping the Arrow of Money & Building a Flywheel
57:34 - Thriving in the Second Half of Life

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Become an Automatic Millionaire
April 21, 202652 minEpisode 1114
Building substantial personal wealth can feel difficult and out of reach. But my guest says that even those with modest means can, with a few simple decisions and strategies, become millionaires, and even …
Show notes
Building substantial personal wealth can feel difficult and out of reach. But my guest says that even those with modest means can, with a few simple decisions and strategies, become millionaires, and even multi-millionaires.
David Bach is the author of the bestselling, newly updated personal finance classic, The Automatic Millionaire. Today on the show, we talk about the money management framework that will put you on the path to a free, secure, rich retirement. David explains his controversial "Latte Factor" principle, the astonishing power of compounding interest, how setting your finances on autopilot may be the most important financial move you can make, why he still believes in buying a home as an incomparable way to build wealth, the best way to pay down your debt, and more.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Connect With David Bach
0:00 - Introduction
0:41 - Meet David Bach & The Automatic Millionaire
2:18 - The McIntyre Story: How Ordinary Income Built Millions
7:37 - The Latte Factor Explained
17:37 - The Power of Compound Interest
20:27 - The Rule of 72 & Rate of Return
23:32 - Why Starting Early Is the Key to Wealth
33:55 - How Much to Save: The Millionaire Formula
36:05 - Setting Up Automatic Investing (401k & IRAs)
44:23 - Why Homeownership Still Builds Wealth
50:22 - How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
47:14 - Paying Down Debt While Saving for Retirement

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