Smart People Podcast

This week, we speak with Mark Manson. Mark is a New York Times bestselling author, a blogger, and internet entrepreneur. He often writes about what he considers to be life's most important topics: happiness, self-knowledge, habits, and relationships. Mark's book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is a must read! To learn more about Mark, check out his website: markmanson.net. We discuss:How did you make your transformation into the self-help genre?How do I figure out what I want to do with my life?Where is Mark now in his life (this was 2 years ago!)?What would you tell a 21 year old to figure out what will work for them?

This week, we speak with Karen Wickre. Karen is a Silicon Valley veteran. She worked at Google for a decade and moved to Twitter as the Editorial Director. She is a member of the Board of Visitors for the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, and serves on the boards of the International Center for Journalists, the News Literacy Project, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. She has also been a featured columnist for Wired. Karen’s new book is, Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert’s Guide to Making Connections That Count. To learn more about Karen, follow her on Twitter @kvox. We discuss:As a former twitter executive, what are the best practices to grow a brand on social media?What were the early days of Google like?How do I network if I don’t really like being around strangers?What’s the point of making so many connections on places like LinkedIn?Is email dead?

This week, we speak with Todd Rose. Todd is the co-founder of Populace, a social impact organization that focuses on our understanding of individuality. Todd dropped out of high school, obtained his GED, went to Weber State University. He received his Doctorate in Human Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Todd's most recent book is, Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment. To learn more about Todd, head over to toddrose.com. We discuss:What is a Dark Horse? Who are examples of Dark Horses?What shocked Todd when studying about success?Is there a common theme that Dark Horses displayed? This week's episode is brought to you by the Smart People Podcast Amazon Link. Support Smart People Podcast when doing your Amazon shopping: http://smartpeoplepodcast.com/amazon.

This week, we speak with James Clear. Yup, that's right. James Clear!!! James is an author an entrepreneur and you might know him best for his fantastic newsletter. He writes about habits and human potential. His focus is on self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research, and he has new book called, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. To learn more about James, sign up for his awesome newsletter, or download a free chapter of his book, head over to https://jamesclear.com. We discuss:As a creator, how did you get over the fear of rejection?Why is the book called 'Atomic Habits'?Where do you find a 'vision' falling in the realm of habit creation?How do we identify our weak links in the system so that we can change them to give us better outcomes?

This week, we speak with Dr. James Lewis. Dr. Lewis' clinical and research interest focuses on the treatment and prevention of school problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and behavior and learning problems. Dr. Lewis is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, with a subspecialty certification in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Dr. Lewis' new book, Making Sense of ADHD: Overcoming The Unique Conditions and The Complexity of Coexisting Conditions will be released in November. To find out more about Dr. Lewis' book, head over to: cherryhillhightide.com/adhd. We discuss:At its basic level, what is ADHD?What is the believed prevalence of ADHD and is it increasing?How do you recommend parents deal with the diagnosis of ADHD within their child?How do we medically treat a behavioral disorder?

This week, we speak with Alexandra Levit. Alexandra conducts primary workplace research on behalf of several Fortune 500 companies. She is a former nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a writer for the New York Times, Fast Company, and Forbes. Alexandra has authored many books, but Alexandra's latest book, Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future hits store's shelves on October 28th. Check it out! To find out more about Alexandra, head over to her site at: humanityworksbook.com. We discuss:In preparation of the future workforce, where do you think the education model is going?Do high school and college students have the 'soft skills' they need to be successful in the workforce?Does the next generation have to be invested in technology education moving forward?

This week, we speak with Jeffrey Gitomer. Jeffrey is best known as the "King of Sales." He is an author, a professional speaker, and a business trainer. Jeffrey has written thirteen books, including multiple New York Times best sellers. His works range from The Sales Bible to The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude to The Little Red Book of Selling. He's sold millions of copies and has been translated into 14 languages! Jeffrey's newest book, Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill comes out on October 30th. To find out more about Jeffrey, head over to his site at: www.gitomer.com. We discuss:What if you don't know what to sell or don't have anything that you deem valuable?How do you figure out what you should be spending your time on to keep growing?How do you handle what things to focus on when you have multiple interests?

Dr. Staats is a professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive. Brad also works with companies around the world to develop their learning and analytics strategies. He advises individuals and organizations on how to learn and improve in order to stay relevant, innovate, and succeed on an ongoing basis. Brad is published in numerous places and has won numerous awards, including the Wickham Skinner Early-Career Research Accomplishments Award from the Production and Operations Management Society, the Poets & Quants award, and the Warren Bennis Prize for the best article in Harvard Business Review. To find out more about Brad, head over to his site at: www.bradleystaats.com. We discuss:How much of lifelong learning is inherent curiosity and how much is cultivated because people recognize they need to grow?Why wouldn't we want to specialize versus continuously learn throughout our life?How do we work around our brain when it constantly wants us to take the 'easy route'?

This week we interview Brandon Webb. Brandon Webb is a former US Navy SEAL sniper, New York Times bestselling author, Experimental aircraft pilot, and entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the Hurricane Group, a U.S. based digital entertainment, news and e-commerce company. Brandon is a member of the New York YPO (Young Presidents Organization) chapter, and serves as a board member on the veterans advisory committee to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Brandon has written numerous books, but his most recent is Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL's Guide. After reading Mastering Fear, check out his best-selling book, The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America's Deadliest Marksmen. To find out more about Brandon, head over to his site at: brandontylerwebb.com. We discuss:What's harder... raising three kids or going through SEAL training?What is the hardest and most necessary skill for a sniper?How can you get over trauma and become better by getting through it?

This week we interview Joan C. Williams. Joan is a rock star in her field, who focuses her work on issues faced by women in the workplace. She currently serves as the Founding Director at the Center for WorkLife Law and is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Hastings School Law. Joan contributes to many publications, including the Harvard Business Review blog, the Huffington Post, and the Psychology Today blog. Joan has written numerous books, but her most recent is White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America. To find out more about Joan, head to her site at: https://joancwilliams.com. We discuss:What does it mean to be working class?Why do we have to focus on white working class, why not all races?Why does the white working class resent the "elites" but admire the truly rich?Why don't people just move to where good jobs are located?When you think white working class, do you think hicks? White trash? Stupid? You won't after this interview.Have you ever said, "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual," or gotten a job through a friend? You may be part of the "elite" class.

This week we interview "Dr. B," Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. Dr. B is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and gastroenterology at The University of North Carolina Hospitals. He also earned a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) from Northwestern University and a certificate in nutrition from Cornell University. Dr. Bulsiewicz is board-certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology. To find out more about Dr. B, head to https://theguthealthmd.com. We discuss:What does bacteria matter so much?What bacteria is considered 'bad' bacteria? How do remove those?What are the thoughts around testing for food sensitivities? Studies mentioned in the episode: How diet impacts gut microbiome: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5385025/Benefits of substituting whole grains for processed grains:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28179226https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170208151337.htmGluten free diet reduces short chain fatty acids and damages gut microbiome:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023594/

This week we interview Bob Rosen. Bob is a trusted CEO adviser, organizational psychologist, and bestselling author. Bob set out to help executives become better leaders so he founded Healthy Companies International. Bob is frequently a keynote speaker across the globe. Bob has spoken in all areas of leadership: transformation, innovation, and growth. Bob is the author of many books, but this week, we focus on Conscious: The Power of Awareness in Business and Life. We discuss:Are leaders in organizations struggling with the balance of monetary incentives and purpose driven cultures?What do you think is being missed in the leadership conversation?What are recommendations for those that don't feel like they are "in that right place?"What have you learned about how fear distracts us from becoming conscious? You can learn more about Bob at http://bobrosen.com.

This week we interview Mike Rognlien. Mike spent most of his career in tech. He worked at Facebook, where he built their first-ever professional and manager development programming. He also partnered with COO Sheryl Sandberg to build Facebook’s Managing Unconscious Bias course. He is an expert facilitator that focuses on leadership, strengths, and talking about the tough stuff. Mike is the author of, This Is Now Your Company: A Culture Carrier's Manifesto. We discuss:What do you have to do to enjoy where you work?Where do you start to go down the right path of 'enjoying what you do'?How do you think you go about cultivating curiosity?Why did you write your book and what do you hope to change in the world?

This week we interview Due Quach. Due is a refugee from Vietnam and a graduate of Harvard College and the Wharton MBA program. Due overcame the long-term effects of poverty and trauma by turning to neuroscience and meditation. After building a successful international business career in management consulting and private equity investments, Due traveled throughout Asia to study various contemplative traditions and then created the Calm Clarity Program to make mindful leadership accessible to people of all backgrounds. Due is the author of, Calm Clarity: How to Use Science to Rewire Your Brain for Greater Wisdom, Fulfillment, and Joy. We discuss:How can we find meaning or believe that we have meaning?Do you feel that everyone has the power to change our mental state in a way that can be positive, productive, and happy?How do we progress out of focusing on fear or the downside of things? Learn more about the Calm Clarity Program at https://www.calmclarity.org.

This week we interview Dr. Traci Stein. Dr. Stein is a Columbia-trained, licensed clinical psychologist and health educator. She is also certified in clinical hypnosis by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). Her focus has been on helping people to reduce uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms and gain greater insight into who they are and want to be.  Dr. Stein is also the author of, The Everything Guide To Integrative Pain Management. We discuss:What is the cause of chronic pain?What IS hypnosis?What are verbal suggestions? What does it mean? What are examples?What can we do on our own to work with hypnosis?Biofeedback, what exactly is that?How did you get into the idea of 'intuition' and wanting others to develop it? You can learn more about Dr. Stein at http://www.drtracistein.com.