Smart People Podcast

Happy 2016 to each and every one of the Smart People Podcast listeners out there! It’s Jon’s turn to take a look back on 2015 and puts together clips from his favorite episodes of the past year!  He identified 4 areas of his life in which he wanted to improve and hand-picked 4 episodes that inspired...

This week, Chris takes a look back on 2015 and puts together clips from his favorite episodes of the past year.  From finding your calling, to learning about your sleep cycle, to learning how to “get in the zone”, we covered a lot of ground last year on Smart People Podcast, and this episode is...

THE 3rd WAY is a very big idea. In the information age, you simply cannot get ahead on wages alone. In addition to your labor, you must acquire capital (stock, real estate, technology, etc.). Now the middle class is in crisis. Median wages adjusted for inflation have decreased steadily for decades. The middle class is simply...

This week on Smart People Podcast we interview the former CEO of Medtronic, Bill George, as we discuss his new book, Discover Your True North. Originally based on first-person interviews with 125 leaders, this book instantly became a must-read business classic when it was introduced in 2007. New case studies include Warren Buffett, Indra Nooyi,...

This week, prize-winning reporter and bestselling author George Anastasia offers a shocking and very rare glimpse into the Gotti family, witnessed up-close from former family insider John Alite, John Gotti Jr.’s longtime friend and protector. Until now, no one has given up the kind of personal details about the Gottis.  Anastasia offers never-before-heard information about...

Life and business aren’t fair, which is good. If they were, you couldn’t seize the unfair advantage. Think about it. Is your CEO the smartest person in the company? Is the head of your department more driven than you? Probably not. They all have one thing in common, though: They’re on top of the pile...

Although mindfulness gets a lot of ‘air time’ these days, many people are overlooking the fact that in our closely integrated society it is just as important that we recognize how we present ourselves to the world and to others. Humans naturally have many blind spots that don’t allow them to take a true inventory...

Our guest this week, Adam Werbach, has been on the cutting edge of the environmental and sustainability movements for two decades. Adam is an environmental activist, author, and entrepreneur. In 1996, Adam became the youngest person ever elected as national president of the Sierra Club, at the age of 23. He is currently the President...

In the summer of 1804, two of America’s most eminent statesmen squared off, pistols raised, on a bluff along the Hudson River. That two such men would risk not only their lives but the stability of the young country they helped forge is almost beyond comprehension. Yet we know that it happened. The question is...

Happiness experts have long told us to tune out our negative emotions and focus instead on mindfulness, positivity, and optimism. However, our guest this week disagrees. Instead he says positive emotions alone are not enough. Anger makes us creative, selfishness makes us brave, and guilt is a powerful motivator. The real key to success lies...

Growing water shortages around the world are topping the news right now, beyond just California. USA Today recently tracked the top 8 U.S. states that are running out of water. Water policy is broken around the world, but there is one place that has gotten it right…and that’s Israel. The desert nation is not only avoiding...

In this episode we speak with Roger Lowenstein about the tumultuous era and remarkable personalities that spurred the unlikely birth of America’s modern central bank, the Federal Reserve. Today, the Fed is the bedrock of the financial landscape, yet the fight to create it was so protracted and divisive that it seems a small miracle...

In this episode, Wharton Business School professor Maurice Schweitzer helps us unpack the psychology of when and how to interact with people as our friends and our foes, and how we can use this knowledge to get the best outcomes in life. Insights from Maurice can help us in business (how to build trust, gain...

The market for health and wellness products is exploding. Every day there is a new cure, miracle berry, diet, homeopathic remedy, etc., and it’s easier than ever to throw together a webpage and reach a global audience.  And this is all fine and well… except for the small fact that the vast majority of these...

Rich Roll is a graduate of Stanford University and Cornell Law School. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he is also a vegan, ultra-endurance athlete. Rich is a former entertainment attorney turned full-time wellness & plant-based nutrition advocate, motivational speaker, husband, and father of 4 (four!!!). In 2012, Rich became a #1 bestselling author with his book, Finding Ultra: Rejecting...