All-Time Greatest Podcasts

Jennifer Louden joins me today to explore our fear of being undefended and explain what an emotional immune system is. She shares her experience with depression and loss and the lessons she learned from them. She explains what “why bothers” are, how they work, how we can use them, and the role that desire plays in it. She defines the difference between signature themes and life purpose and explains how the latter can harm us. She also shares her ideas and processes on writing and explores how a teacher’s highest calling is to live her lessons.

Gavin Edwards joins me today to discuss the life and philosophy of Fred Rogers. He explains what led him to write about Mr. Rogers and shares some of his favorite stories about him. He describes his process of selecting personalities, icons, and topics and how he approaches the people he writes about. He also underscores the power of research in making interviews engaging and explains why the act of writing is valuable unto itself.

Nicholas Webb joins me today to discuss how to foster innovation in companies. He reveals the three key trends that drive disruption as well as the critical risks to companies. He explores the idea of improving and evolving yourself every day, serving a mission that matters, and the importance of living life consciously. He also explains why legacy is an insidious problem in an organization, why spoken communication is the future, and how a post-COVID-19 economy will require individuals and organizations to be innovators.

Gary Taubes joins me to explore the history of obesity research and the dangers of dogmatic thinking in the scientific community. He describes the physiology of obesity, including the roles of hormones and enzymes in the body’s ability to accumulate and store fat. He explains how carbohydrates can lead to obesity and how a low-carb, high-fat diet can address it. He also delves into the moral implications in the view that obesity is the result of energy imbalance and describes the interplay of assumptions and terminologies in science and writing.

Jill Heinerth joins me today to explore the role of cave divers as the hands and eyes of scientists. She shares some of the biggest fears she faced in her life and explains how fear can be transformative experiences. She illustrates the experience of cave diving and how she prepares for a diving mission. She underscores the importance of water and describes how we’re already fighting wars over water supply, and what we can contribute as individuals in response to climate change. She also shares her writing process, reveals the most challenging part about having her book written, and explains...

Mark Charles joins me today to share his experience living in the Navajo Nation and what he realized about the marginalized and disenfranchised. He explores how the enduring social issues of today are institutionalized and deeply rooted in history. He explains what the Doctrine of Discovery is and how it perpetuates white supremacy. He also reveals how trauma and the lack of knowledge on American history hinders racial dialogue and emphasizes the importance of agreeing as a nation on the meaning of life.

Adam Ward joins me today to share how his love of LEGO began, why he set it aside during his teenage years before picking it back up, and how he started a business around his passion for LEGOs. He shares the lessons he learned about earning money, residual income, and sharing your creativity with the world. He highlights the importance of taking action when it comes to starting a business and illustrates the path he is treading in writing his book. He also explores the intersection between creativity and commerce and reiterates his belief in how everybody can earn money...

Mark Silverman joins me today to share his journey from using drugs at the age of 13 and being homeless to getting sober and building a successful career. He defines what Only 10 means and discusses what inspired him to write his book. He shares his morning routine and describes how meditating consistently over the years has benefitted him. He shares his writing process, how accountability partners help him get things done, and his advice for creatives and artists. He also explores how he was able to figure out who he is, his soul’s purpose, and what he wants to...

Karla McLaren joins me today to discuss the genius that comes with emotions, the lessons they try to teach us, and how to work with them. She explores how we can embrace anxiety and illustrates how we can treat it as our friend instead of a problem. She discusses the 17 emotions and the four families they belong to and explains how the belief that there are positive and negative emotions impact our emotional skills. She also shares mindfulness practices to work with emotions, such as conscious complaining and resourcing, and describes society’s tendency to “veilance” emotions.

John Perkins joins me today to share the wisdom and the lessons he learned from his journey in shamanism and his work in economics. He defines what the death economy is and differentiates it from the life economy and explains how we can help the world move toward the latter. He shares his experience as a shaman’s apprentice and illustrates how shamans are similar to psychotherapists. He also explains how our perception creates the world around us and demonstrates how we can confront the fears that hinder us from becoming the people we want to be.

Tal Ben-Shahar joins me today to discuss the lessons he learned about happiness and how we can be happier. He shares his experiences as a squash player and illustrates how winning the Israeli National Championship led him to pursue happiness studies. He describes how we can grow and learn from traumatic experiences and explains why anxiety and depression continue to rise in today’s society. He also shares his “hamburger model” of happiness and reveals the five elements that constitute true and sustainable happiness.

Beth Comstock joins me today to share her insights and wisdom on fostering creativity, innovation, and connection in an organization.

Steve joins me today to talk about how he gets his ideas for his blog posts. We talk about his many personal experiments and passions including polyphasic sleep, vegetarianism, veganism, even 30 consecutive days at Disneyland, and a 40-day water fast. We also talk about a conscious growth club he runs and a time when he realized he could work fewer hours and get better results. A free thinker testing the conventional paths, he says the smarter we are, the faster we grow.

Isaac Bentwich joins me today to share his journey in writing Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time. He explains what the Bhagavad Gita is and illustrates how it’s a guide to help us define the meaning of life. He discusses the poetic nature of the Bhagavad Gita and shares some verses that impacted him. He also shares his thoughts on the creative process of writing a book as well as the joys he finds in meditation retreats.

Dandapani joins me today to discuss the power of focus and concentration. He explains how concentration is something everyone is told to do but not taught how to do and underscores the importance of understanding the mind. He shares the story of how he became a monk and describes his mission to build a botanical garden in Costa Rica. He also enumerates the differences between the mind and awareness, as well as reveals how you can experience the divinity within yourself through the act of writing.

Maryanne Wolf joins me today to discuss the neuroscience of reading. She explains how the act of reading creates circuits in our brains and allow us to gain a deeper perspective and cultivate empathy. She illustrates how the modern reader’s tendency to skim through reading mediums impacts their memory and democracy. She also underscores the need for every teacher to understand the science of reading and how reading helps children realize their fullest potential as human beings.

Dr. Bob Nelson joins me today to discuss what it was like having Peter Drucker as a mentor and teacher. He explains what it really means to recognize your employees and shares tips and ideas on how employers can make employee recognition and engagement part of their daily management routine. We discuss what is required to create a great workplace culture and why accountability matters. We discuss strategies for giving effective feedback to your team and how to effectively acknowledge our colleagues, co-workers, and employees. We also discuss what ‘management’ truly means in the workplace and strategies managers can use...

John Leland joins me today to discuss why older people may be happier than younger people and the benefit of being selective with who you surround yourself with. He shares what it truly means to be storyteller, how to know if your story is worth telling, and how to bring your work to completion. John also highlights where the strength of a sentence lies and the power of truth-telling as a writer.

John Leland joins me today to discuss the renewed perspective on aging he has gained in the process of researching for his latest book. He shares the importance of living a full life rather than just a long one and how the way we frame our lives impacts our mindset and emotional experience, especially as we age. John also highlights the limiting perspectives that many of us who haven’t aged have developed about getting older and whether it is possible to live a full life when faced with loss.

Chip Conley joins me today to discuss retirement, purpose, and how your mindset on aging can add years to your life. He explains the difference between getting older and becoming an elder as well as the common feelings that often accompany transitions. He shares insights into his writing process, how he shapes and structures his books, and his ideal chapter length. Chip also highlights how book marketing has changed from what it used to be and what makes people more likely to buy a book in the moment.

Chip Conley joins me today to share his insights on embracing elderhood, aging, and life satisfaction. He highlights the distinction between elders and the elderly, when adolescence became coined as a term and life stage, and the more recent concept of “middlescence.” He explains how our perspectives change as we age and how he defines the ‘u-curve of happiness.’ Chip also shares the strengths that different age groups bring to the table and why embracing age diversity is so effective.

Mark Divine joins me today to discuss the contents of Staring Down the Wolf and the importance of self-awareness and facing your fears and shadows. He shares the distinction between principles and commitments and how committing to excellence and embracing a growth mindset as a leader can help your team experience accelerated growth. Mark also highlights how relationships play a role in our lives and why you should lead with togetherness and heart rather than ego.

Jenny Santi joins me today to discuss how to find greater fulfillment in giving and the power of self-reflection and gratitude. She describes her struggles with mental health and her journey to allowing her truth to co-exist with her brand as an author. Jenny also highlights the importance of understanding why you are giving and how saying no can open us up to say yes to the things that truly matter.

Jenny Santi joins me today to discuss the power of giving and the impact that giving can have on the giver. She shares the importance of giving in ways that resonate with our genuine interests and passions and how it can allow us to experience more purpose, joy, and fulfillment. Jenny also highlights her work in the philanthropic sector and the insights she gained through the process of interviewing people for her book.

In this final episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Outcomes, and how writing down what we want to accomplish in the future will lead us to our best selves.

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Perspective, and how understanding our position in the universe can help us live a better life.

Mark Nepo joins me today to discuss his relationship with feelings and how he allows fear to exist without drowning in it. He shares why we can’t be all things to all people, and why we need to take the time to intentionally clear our minds and not give in to a “fill it up” world. Mark also highlights his relationship with poetry and how poems are his teachers and the building blocks of his work.

Mark Nepo joins me today to discuss how nearly dying of cancer opened him up to the miraculous aspects of life. He shares the role of inner discovery in book writing, and why you should be open to receive, rather than merely “making use” of writing material. Mark also highlights the power of expression, creativity, artistry, staying close to the pulse of life, and why what you perceive as artistic failure may be something to lean into.

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Move, Breathe, and how pausing to properly breathe can improve every aspect of your day.

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life's Best Practices - Energy, and how to gain the motivation to live a healthy and rewarding life.