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A Bit of Optimism: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Simon Sinek
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism! Let’s grow together.
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- Yesterday57 min
What Is Your Team Afraid to Tell You? | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 3
Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it. But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's just sitting in your blind spot. Your colleagues can see it. Your boss can see it. And nobody will tell you, unless you learn to ask. Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations. In this episode, Alex and Simon take on feedback: how to give it, how to take it, and how to ask for it. You’ll discover ways to give feedback people can actually hear, receive criticism without taking it personally, and build a feedback culture on any team. Alex and Simon share practical techniques like the one-word ritual Simon borrowed from the Air Force that made his whole company crave critiques, the “FBI” method for delivering hard feedback without blowing up relationships, and questions Alex asks her team to surface everything left unsaid, like "What are you afraid to tell me?" In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why we avoid giving feedback + what that avoidance quietly costs our teams ➡️ "Spears": the Air Force ritual that turns criticism into something people actually want ➡️ The “FBI” (Feelings, Behavior, Impact) method for giving feedback people can actually hear ➡️ The Army Rangers' peer assessment’s "foxhole question" + what it reveals about character ➡️ How to think of feedback as preventative care and build that muscle ➡️ Why everyone receives feedback differently (+ how to give people what they need) ➡️ When to give feedback (hint: never the moment you think of it) ➡️ The four-word habit that builds a thick skin: "What can I do better?" Whether you're leading a team, managing up, or just tired of side-texting about a problem no one will name out loud, feedback is one of the most valuable skills you can build. And remember: feedback is kind, even when it’s not nice. This... is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Chapters 00:00:00 The Spinach in Your Teeth Problem: Why Nobody Tells You 00:03:48 The Story of Two Failed Feedback Sessions 00:06:37 Why Feedback Obsession Changes Everything 00:08:05 The Company That Was Too Nice to Give Feedback 00:10:35 Army Rangers and the Three-Level Evaluation System 00:14:24 Why Giving Feedback Feels So Hard 00:17:16 Spears: The Air Force Technique That Changed Everything 00:20:08 All the Information You Need Is in Your Blind Spot 00:22:28 FBI: The Three-Part Formula for Feedback That Lands 00:25:37 Why Vague Praise Doesn't Help Anyone 00:27:16 Credit Is Free: Recognition Languages at Work 00:31:05 The Collaboration Meeting: Preventing Problems Before They Start 00:42:34 The Air Force Commander Who Cried Every Night for Six Months 00:45:08 When to Give Feedback: Not When You Think of It 00:47:24 The Virtuous Cycle: What Happens When You Get Feedback Right 00:49:08 How to Build the Muscle of Receiving Feedback 00:51:43 Generational Difference For Feedback 00:52:57 One Simple Question: What Can I Do Better? 00:55:49 Feedback Is Kind Even When It's Not Nice + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + About Alex Simon Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't. She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun. When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses. In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world. Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.
- 1 weeks ago48 min
The Secret to Better Conversations Isn't Talking | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 2
The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening. Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard. Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations. In this episode, they explore one of the most important communication skills we can develop: listening. Together, they share practical techniques to improve your listening skills, build trust, navigate difficult conversations, and create better outcomes at work and at home. You'll learn why people often ask for one thing but actually need another, how to stop jumping into fix-it mode, and Alex's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener. When people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflicts become easier to navigate, and conversations become more meaningful. Because better conversations don't require everyone to be a great listener. They only require one. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why hearing someone isn't the same as making them feel heard ➡️ How to stop jumping into "fix-it mode" and start listening with curiosity ➡️ Alex Simon's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener ➡️ Why people often ask for one thing but actually need something else ➡️ How better listening builds trust, strengthens relationships, and improves teamwork ➡️ How to navigate conversations when power dynamics are involved Whether you're leading a team, supporting a friend, or navigating a difficult conversation, listening is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Because when people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflict becomes easier to navigate, and better conversations follow. This... is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Chapters 00:00:00 Listening to Understand vs Listening to Be Right 00:00:38 Why Most of Us Are Bad Listeners 00:02:08 What People Ask For vs What They Actually Want 00:02:53 The Four-Second Rule for Better Listening 00:04:05 Defining What Listening Is NOT 00:05:42 Listening Beyond Words: Tone, Volume, and Subtext 00:06:33 The Problem With Knee-Jerk Problem Solving 00:07:14 The Real Story: When We Failed to Listen and Lost an Employee 00:10:56 Needs vs Strategies: Understanding What's Really Being Asked 00:12:28 Being Present: The Social Benefit of Meditation 00:15:48 Body Language: Squaring Up and Putting Phones Away 00:18:26 Listening With Warm Eyes That Believe in Them 00:21:50 When Defensiveness Gets in the Way 00:26:46 The Four-Second Rule in Action 00:29:28 Is There More? The Buddhist Question That Peels Back Layers 00:31:11 Creating Self-Reliance Through Listening 00:34:26 Listening and Power Dynamics at Work 00:35:16 Creating Safety So People Don't Withhold Information 00:36:08 Why People Repeat Themselves Over and Over 00:37:45 Reflective Listening: When to Mirror Back What You Hear 00:40:11 Be As You Wish to Seem: Authenticity in Listening 00:41:42 Listening Up: Understanding What Your Boss Actually Needs 00:42:49 The One Degree Off Problem 00:45:18 Asking Questions Depersonalizes Criticism 00:47:02 Listening Is a Muscle You Can Build + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + About Alex Simon Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't. She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun. When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses. In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional ed
- 2 weeks ago58 min
The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1
Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek. Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement, trust, anxiety, belonging, conflict, and joy. If we want to build healthier teams and better workplaces, we have to get better at understanding the emotions that shape how we work together. That's what this series is about. In each episode, Simon Sinek sits down with Yale professor and Lifeshop founder Alex Simon to explore one emotional challenge that affects how we work, lead, and relate to one another. Together, they unpack the emotional skills most of us were never taught—but use every single day. This episode is about saying yes. Have you ever agreed to something... and immediately regretted it? Maybe you didn't want to disappoint someone. Maybe you thought, I'll figure it out somehow. Maybe your calendar is packed, your to-do list never gets shorter, and somehow you're still worried you're letting people down. Most of us don't think of ourselves as "people pleasers." We just want to be helpful. We want to be dependable. We want to be someone others can count on. But what if constantly saying yes is actually making things harder—for you and everyone around you? Together, Simon and Alex explore why so many thoughtful, capable people take on more than they can realistically handle. They unpack the hidden patterns that lead to overwhelm, resentment, and burnout—and why trying to keep everyone happy can quietly make us less reliable. The good news? This is a skill we can learn. In this conversation, you'll discover practical ways to communicate more honestly, set healthier boundaries, and build stronger relationships—without feeling selfish or letting people down. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why saying yes too often can actually make you less reliable ➡️ The hidden connection between overwhelm, burnout, and self-betrayal ➡️ The simple phrase that creates space before committing ➡️ A better alternative to saying yes or no: how to "share the dilemma" ➡️ What leaders can do to create teams where people feel safe telling the truth ➡️ Why healthy boundaries strengthen relationships instead of hurting them Whether you call it people pleasing or simply trying to keep up with everyone else's expectations, this conversation is a reminder that taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's one of the best ways to show up for the people who matter. This... is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Why We Need to Talk About Feelings at Work 00:02:00 What People Pleasing Actually Looks Like 00:04:20 Why People Pleasing Hurts You and Your Team 00:07:00 Why We Say Yes When We Mean No 00:10:00 Different Types of People Pleasing 00:13:00 Why Approval Can Become Addictive 00:15:00 How People Pleasing Leads to Burnout 00:18:00 The Hidden Cost of Being "Hyper Competent" 00:21:00 Why People Pleasing Doesn't Actually Help People 00:27:30 Simon's Experience With Saying Yes to Too Much 00:31:00 How Leaders Can Help People Pleasers 00:38:20 The Power of "Let Me Get Back to You" 00:40:00 How to "Share the Dilemma" 00:44:00 The Difference Between Being Reliable and Being Available 00:47:00 Building Healthier Boundaries at Work + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + About Alex Simon Alex Simon is a Yale professor and the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't. She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun. When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses. In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world. Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.
- 3 weeks ago53 min
Why We Fall for the Wrong Person | Couples Therapist Dr. Harville Hendrix
Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person who felt so right suddenly feels so wrong. Dr. Harville Hendrix has spent 50 years studying love. And he’s also lived through its hardest challenges: one divorce, two near-misses in his current marriage, and a couple’s therapist who fired him and his wife, calling them "the couple from hell." That marriage is now 45 years strong. Harville is a couples therapist, and alongside his wife and creative partner Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt, they creator Imago Relationship Therapy. They’ve also written 10 books, including the bestseller Getting the Love You Want, the book that made him a fixture on Oprah for nearly two decades. Harville’s theory is this: we don't consciously choose who we fall for, rather our unconscious does. And it has an agenda. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why you keep falling for the same person ➡️ What your childhood has to do with who you swipe right on ➡️ Why the "power struggle" phase might mean you picked the right person ➡️ The shift that saved Harville's own marriage after divorce papers were filed ➡️ Why some of us can't receive love (even when we ask for it) ➡️ What arranged marriages understood about commitment that we forgot ➡️ The difference between equal relationships and egalitarian ones ➡️ How to reach the stage where you have no needs left… only wants In this conversation, Harville makes the case that real romantic love is what gets built after the fantasy collapses, when two people commit to the work of meeting each other's needs instead of demanding their own. And the engine of that transformation goes beyond compatibility and chemistry—it's gratitude and service. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Want to keep up with Harville’s work? Check out: https://harvilleandhelen.com/ If you’d like to buy Harville & Helen’s latest book, How to Talk with Anyone about Anything, head to: https://harvilleandhelen.com/books/how-to-talk-with-anyone-about-anything/ + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Nature's Agenda: Why We Fall for the Wrong Person 00:02:02 From Sharecropper's Farm to Oprah: Harville's Unexpected Journey 00:06:07 The 30-Second Encounters That Changed Everything 00:10:17 We Almost Divorced Twice: The Couple From Hell 00:13:21 Child Consciousness vs Adult Consciousness: The Critical Shift 00:15:57 The Gratitude That Ends the Yearning 00:18:45 Why Both People Don't Need to Change at Once 00:20:28 The Unconscious Imago: Your Brain Picks Who You Fall For 00:26:34 The 18-Month Fantasy: When the Real Person Shows Up 00:30:40 Arranged Marriages vs Choice: The Paradox of Commitment 00:34:47 The No Exit Decision: Why You'll Want to Quit When It's Working 00:36:34 The Transparency Trap: Afraid of Losing What You Found 00:38:35 Receiving Love: The Dinner Story That Changes Everything 00:45:49 Equal vs Egalitarian: The Recipe for Partnership 00:47:23 Dating IRL: Why Technology Can't Replace Face-to-Face 00:50:54 When Needs Become Wants: Life After Gratitude + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
- 4 weeks ago51 min
How to Tell If Fear Is Protecting You or Holding You Back with Extreme Athlete Nelly Attar
We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail. Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them anyway. Nelly is a psychologist turned extreme athlete and mountaineer. She built Saudi Arabia's first dance studio, MOVE, at a time when women couldn't train publicly by sneaking classes into a warehouse and office building after hours. She's the first Lebanese person to climb the five highest peaks in the world, like Everest. And she also became the first Arab to summit K2, the world’s second highest peak that’s so dangerous that one in four people who attempt it survive. But what makes Nelly remarkable aren’t the summits and heights she reaches. It's that she's found a way to turn individual acts of accomplishment into acts of service: for the women she shows what's possible and for the team that climbs beside her. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ The difference between fear that protects you and fear that holds you back ➡️ How preparing and working hard can lighten the load for others ➡️ What small, daily kindness practices become the best investment you can make ➡️ Why there's no such thing as "self-made" and what actually de-risks courage ➡️ The art of “strategic retreat” + why quitting and retreating aren't the same thing ➡️ Why your title and achievements aren’t your identity (and what is) ➡️ How movement is medicine, and why the mind leads the body ➡️ What it really means to live a life of service to the people right in front of you In this conversation, Nelly shows that the size of what you accomplish matters far less than the spirit you bring to it. She faces her fear for herself, but she does the hard work for everyone else. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Want to keep up with Nelly’s adventures? Check out: https://www.nellyattar.com/ + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 If You Don't Try, You'll Never Know: Nellie's Philosophy on Fear 00:02:20 Building Saudi Arabia's First Dance Studio 00:07:45 The Real Risk Worth Taking: Purpose Over Fear 00:12:07 The Support System Behind Every Bold Move 00:14:11 From Dance Floor to Everest: Training in the Desert for Sub-Zero Summits 00:20:13 Climbing for Others: The Service Mindset on the Mountain 00:21:19 Preparing So You Don't Burden Your Team 00:26:11 The Practice of Kindness: Small Acts That Change Everything 00:33:02 Leading Hikes to Help Others Climb Their Mountains 00:36:17 K2: Climbing Through Grief After Losing Her Father 00:39:24 One in Four Don't Come Back: The Reality of K2 00:41:00 Strategic Retreat: Knowing When to Turn Around 00:43:59 The Infinite Mindset: You Are Not Your Accomplishments 00:45:44 Creating Safe Spaces for Others to Discover Their Boundaries 00:48:39 Fear That Protects vs Fear That Holds You Back + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
- Jun 23, 202652 min
Remembering Bob Chapman: The Mentor Who Changed My Life
Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a one-hour lunch turned into three, then four days touring factories together across the Midwest, and an idea I had only imagined turned out to already exist in reality. That CEO was Bob Chapman. Over five decades, Bob grew an unassuming manufacturing company in the Midwest into a global proof point that leadership grounded in humanity can scale and outperform. Bob saw the people in his company as human beings in his care, people he felt responsible to help become healthy, fulfilled, and whole. His belief was simple and profound: when people are cared for at work, they build happier families, stronger communities, and a better world. He called it Truly Human Leadership. In the years that followed, Bob became something more: a mentor, a close friend, the central figure in my book Leaders Eat Last, and one of the people who shaped how I think about leadership itself. In September 2025, I returned to one of Bob's factories in Phillips, Wisconsin, with a camera crew, to capture Bob's incredible legacy in his own words. Six months later, Bob passed away. As a tribute to this great man, we're releasing the full conversation, in its entirety, for the first time. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why Bob believed in seeing every person as someone’s precious child ➡️ How Barry-Wehmiller rewrote the rules and ➡️ The university Bob built to teach his employees skills they were never taught ➡️ What impact a caring workplace can have on an employees life ➡️ The real difference between a prosperous company and a healthy one ➡️ Why Bob believed layoffs meant your business has failed ➡️ Why the greatest act of charity has nothing to do with the checks you write ➡️ What changed in Bob over the fifteen years Simon knew him ➡️ The letter Simon sent Bob years ago that ended up framed on his office wall As Bob said, "You can retire from a job, but you can't retire from a calling." He never did. This conversation is a chance to hear why, in his own words. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To buy Bob’s book, Everybody Matters, head to: https://simonsinek.com/optimism-press/everybody-matters To read about Bob in my book, Leaders Eat Last, head to: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 The Letter That Changed Everything: Meeting Bob Chapman 00:05:23 Bob's Revelation: Seeing People as Somebody's Precious Child 00:08:05 Building a University to Teach Caring: The Three Transformative Classes 00:09:32 The Healing Power of Listening: Why 95% of Feedback Was About Marriage and Kids 00:16:42 Recognition Done Right: Catching People Doing Good 00:20:55 The 2008 Recession Test: Shared Sacrifice Over Layoffs 00:23:07 "Layoffs Means Your Business Has Failed" 00:26:02 You Don't Need to Justify Caring: Safety of the Soul 00:27:53 12% Compound Growth for 25 Years: The Business Case for Humanity 00:29:53 "Our Product Is Our People" 00:34:55 From Selfish to Servant: Simon's Challenge That Sparked a Movement 00:36:26 People's Universal Truth: They Want to Know They Matter 00:38:00 Bob Has Gotten Softer: The Personal Evolution of a Leader 00:40:00 You Cannot Retire From a Calling: Carrying a Message That Heals 00:43:10 Heart Counts, Not Head Counts: The Language of Humanization 00:46:01 The Greatest Act of Charity: How You Treat People You Lead 00:49:38 The Promise: Carrying the Torch for Generations to Come + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
- Jun 16, 202658 min
The AI Skills Nobody is Teaching (And Everyone Needs) with AI Expert Ethan Mollick
Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous. Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're just quietly hoping it'll all slow down. Ethan Mollick says we're underestimating our own agency in the age of AI. Instead of worrying about what AI will do to us, we should focus on what we choose to do with it. Ethan is a Wharton professor, the author of the bestseller Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, and the writer behind “One Useful Thing,” one of the most popular newsletters on AI, work, and education. He's spent twenty years studying how people actually use technology, and he's become the go-to voice for making sense of AI without the hype or the doom. And in his new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, he explores what comes next as AI moves from a tool we prompt to a presence we live and work alongside. In this conversation, Ethan shares the practical playbook most of us are missing and makes the case that our experience, taste, and point of view aren't things AI replaces. They're exactly what make us better at using it. In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why young people are NOT "AI natives" (and why experience is the real AI advantage) ➡️ The $20 decision that instantly upgrades how you use AI ➡️ Why AI agrees with everything you say + the simple prompt that fixes it ➡️ How to make AI write in YOUR voice instead of sounding like everyone else ➡️ The "jagged frontier": what AI is surprisingly bad at (and why that's your opportunity) ➡️ Why taste may become the most valuable skill of the AI era ➡️ How much agency we really have over where AI takes us Ethan believes that the future of AI isn't something that will just happen to us… It's something we get to build together. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To pre-order Ethan’s new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, head to: https://co-existence.ai/ Want to hear more from Ethan? Check out his Substack “One Useful Thing”: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/ + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Why are AI Experts Are Either Doomers or Zealots? 00:02:05 From Video Games to AI: Ethan's Unexpected Journey 00:09:16 AI's Profound Impact on Knowledge Workers 00:14:50 How AI Kills Traditional Talent Pipelines 00:15:57 Why AI Art Doesn't Bother Me, But I'd Never Hang It on My Wall 00:20:40 How To Overcome AI's Complication of Competitive Edge 00:22:06 The 20 Dollar Investment That Changes Everything 00:24:40 The 84 Percent Rule: Why AI Can Now Do Your Seven-Hour Job in 15 Minutes 00:25:59 Your Voice Matters More Than You Think: Why AI Can't Replace Taste 00:19:53 The Discomfort-Avoidant Generation Meets the Efficiency Machine 00:13:08 Why Young People Are Worse at Using AI 00:43:35 The Brain We're Sacrificing: From Phone Numbers to Critical Thinking 00:51:39 Two Prompts That Will Transform How You Use AI 00:52:58 How to Use AI As Co-Intelligence 00:54:57 The Agency You Have Right Now: It's Not About Policy, It's About How You Use It + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
- Jun 9, 202657 min
How to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck with Dr. Ellen Langer
Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen Langer, that certainty is making us miserable… and possibly making us sick. Dr. Langer is a psychologist, Harvard professor, and the "Mother of Mindfulness." In her book The Mindful Body, she makes the case that the way we think directly shapes the way we heal, age, stress, and recover. Her conclusion: the mind and the body were never two separate things to begin with. And we have far more agency over both than we've been led to believe In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ What mindfulness (and mindlessness) really is ➡️ The one question that can dissolve stress almost instantly ➡️ Why the story you tell yourself is more powerful than what actually happened ➡️ The study that proved people lost weight without changing their diet or exercise ➡️ The difference between nervousness and excitement (and why it matters) ➡️ Why certainty is a sign of mindlessness (not intelligence) ➡️ How your body heals faster or slower based on what you believe ➡️ Why "fighting" an illness is the wrong mindset ➡️ The simple reframe that turns every negative trait into a strength ➡️ Why confident people don't need to rely on certainty In this conversation, Ellen makes the case that virtually all of us are mindless almost all of the time. And the moment you recognize that, everything opens up. Your health, your relationships, your ability to recover from hardship. The obstacle, it turns out, has always been the assumption that there was nothing left to question. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To buy a copy of Dr. Ellen Langer’s books The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health and Finding Happy, head to: https://www.ellenlanger.me + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Stress Is a Story We Tell Ourselves 00:01:27 What Mindfulness Actually Means 00:02:59 Why Everything You Know Is Probably Wrong 00:04:29 One Plus One Doesn't Always Equal Two 00:06:59 Are We Wired for Stress or Taught to Be Stressed? 00:08:16 When Ellen's House Burned Down: Finding Gifts in Tragedy 00:13:19 Is This a Tragedy or an Inconvenience? 00:19:24 Nervous or Excited? The Olympic Athletes' Secret to Reframing Stress 00:22:26 The First Step to Mindfulness: Embracing Uncertainty 00:23:15 Behavior Makes Sense From the Actor's Perspective 00:33:24 Context, Context, Context: Who Gets to Decide? 00:42:41 Mind Over Matter: The Stories That Started It All 00:46:24 The Counterclockwise Study: Turning Back Time in Five Days 00:47:07 The Chambermaid Study: When Work Becomes Exercise 00:49:47 Wounds Heal Based on Perceived Time, Not Real Time 00:52:01 Are We Mindless Almost All the Time? + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/
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About A Bit of Optimism
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism! Let’s grow together.
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