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Modern Wisdom

Modern Wisdom

By: Chris Williamson
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Life is hard. This podcast will help. Lessons from the greatest thinkers on the planet with Chris Williamson. Including guests like David Goggins, Dr Jordan Peterson, Naval Ravikant, Sam Harris, Jocko Willink, Dr Andrew Huberman, Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett, Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, Matthew McConaughey, Alain de Botton, Alex Hormozi, Tony Robbins, Chris Bumstead, Mark Manson and more.Chris Williamson Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ex-Gang Member: What Makes A Violent Man Change? - Johnny Chang - #1140
    Aug 22 2026
    Johnny Chang is a former gang member and inmate turned Christian pastor, speaker, and podcaster. What happens when a boy enters prison at 12 and doesn’t emerge until 25? That was Johnny Chang’s reality. Raised amid violence and gangs, he eventually found God. But does a violent past define a man forever, or can he choose to become someone better? Expect to learn how Johnny was brought into gang life when he was 12 years old, why Juvie is more violent but less lethal than prison, what life is like in prison and what it takes to survive, the hardest things to unlearn after prison, how Johnny found god and started preaching the gospel, what twelve-year-old Johnny would think if he could see himself now and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/deals⁠ Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com Timestamps: (00:00) How Johnny Got Pulled Into Gang Life (08:44) Surviving California’s Youth Prison System (16:08) How Prison Politics Reshapes Gang Mentality (20:43) The Hidden Status Hierarchy Inside Prison (22:54) Why Prison Violence Is So Manipulative (29:26) Johnny’s Most Dangerous Moment Behind Bars (33:57) The Prison Habits That Are Hardest to Unlearn (39:04) Why Life After Prison Is So Difficult to Rebuild (43:01) Why Johnny Feared Life Outside Prison (57:04) How Johnny Found Purpose Through Christianity (01:11:41) The Courage of Forgiveness (01:16:26) Why Finding Peace Can Feel Like a Battle (01:21:19) How Do We Distinguish God’s Voice From Our Own? (01:25:04) Is Turning to Religion a Sign of Weakness? (01:27:25) Why Are Vulnerable Conversations So Hard? (01:29:59) Is Forgiveness Actually Selfish? (01:41:51) Why Returning to Prison Terrified Johnny (01:52:51) What Would Johnny’s 12-Year-Old Self Think Now? (01:59:01) Where to Find Johnny Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/books⁠ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: ⁠https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom⁠ Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠ #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠ #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠ - Get In Touch: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast⁠ Email: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/contact⁠ - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs
  • Jocko Willink, Matt McCusker & Jeff Dye - Mostly Wise #3 - #1139
    Aug 20 2026
    In the third episode of Mostly Wise, we explore: If Matt and Jeff could survive Navy SEAL selection, training and hazing. Whether the Navy actually has trained animals like killer assassin kamikaze dolphins. How the guys deal with their own versions of sobriety. Why Love on The Spectrum is potentially problematic. What it was like for Jocko to be in the Military on 9/11. The story of the gun no manufacturer dared to make after testing it. And much more... Guests Jocko Willink is a retired United States Navy officer in SEAL Team 3, an author and a podcaster. Matt McCusker is a comedian, writer, author and podcaster. Jeff Dye is a comedian, actor, television host and podcaster. Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/deals⁠ Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get up to $350 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com Timestamps: (00:00) Can You Be Openly Gay in the Military? (02:26) Are Women’s Sports as Good as Men’s? (08:19) What It Really Takes to Become a Navy SEAL (20:17) The Most Uncontrollable Navy SEALs (24:35) Do Dolphins Work for the Navy SEALs? (37:08) Could You Run a Marathon in Wheelies? (38:34) Is Climbing Everest a Good Idea? (44:32) The Privacy Problem With High-Rise Living (51:14) How Embarrassment Pushed Jeff Into Sobriety (01:01:12) Why Men Can’t Win During Labour (01:05:32) Why Jocko Didn’t Have a Batchelor Party (01:07:39) Is Sober Dating Like Love on the Spectrum? (01:17:47) Do Single Guys Go Crazy After 7pm? (01:23:00) Why Social Dating Is Too Complicated (01:30:27) Are Women Trying to Reset Their Body Count? (01:34:22) Why Weed Affects Everyone Differently (01:46:23) Why a 25mm Sniper Rifle Should Never Exist (01:52:46) The Best Perks of Being a Veteran (01:58:31) The Reality of Waking Up to the Iraq War (02:01:07) How 9/11 Changed the World Forever (02:10:00) Why War Never Goes to Plan (02:12:48) How the Russia/Ukraine Conflict Changed Modern Warfare (02:20:27) Is the Military Already Enhancing Soldiers? (02:27:40) Would Veterans Do One More Tour? (02:31:59) Where to Find the Guys Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/books⁠ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: ⁠https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom⁠ Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠ #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠ #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠ - Get In Touch: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast⁠ Email: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/contact⁠ - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 33 mins
  • AI DEBATE: “Most People Have No Idea What’s Coming” - #1138
    Aug 17 2026
    In this AI debate, we explore: Whether humans will exist in 2040. What will happen once we reach AGI. Whether AI gets smart enough to act malevolently or benevolently towards humans. If AI will grow powerful enough to be out of human control. and much more... Guests Zack Kass is an AI futurist, advisor, speaker, and author. Liv Boeree is a physicist, science communicator, podcaster and former professional poker champion. Aric Floyd is an AI writer, and video producer. Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/deals⁠ Timestamps: (00:00) Will Humans Still Be Around in 2040? (08:20) What Jobs Will Be Protected From AI? (14:22) Finding Meaning in a Post-Work World (23:13) Technology Is Pulling Us From Our Purpose (27:12) Where Do We Draw the Line With Outsourcing Thinking? (39:58) Is AI Unlocking Human Potential? (42:28) Refusal or Obedience: What’s More Dangerous? (46:01) The AI Attack That Should Worry Everyone (54:44) Should We Slow Down Advanced AI? (56:41) Does Recursive Research Actually Work? (01:10:52) How Safe Is AI? (01:14:01) Can We Reach a Peace Deal for a Superintelligent World? (01:22:38) Why AI 2040 Got So Much Right (01:26:21) Is AGI Inevitable? (01:30:39) Could Techno-Pastoralism Be the Future? (01:37:16) Is AI Replacing Human Connection? (01:45:36) How Do We Navigate the Purpose-Friction Problem? (02:00:50) Why Data Centre Policy Matters More Than Ever (02:05:56) The Concentration of Power Concern (02:11:39) Is the Frontier Strategy the Winning Condition? (02:18:17) Will AI Weaken Democracy? (02:29:11) How We Can Limit the Concentration of Power (02:31:45) Is ChatGPT Pessimistic About the Future? (02:37:54) What Should We Be Focused On? Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/books⁠ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: ⁠https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom⁠ Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠ #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠ #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠ - Get In Touch: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast⁠ Email: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/contact⁠ - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 43 mins
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Chris is awesome, long time fan, probably top listener out there, notwithstanding his genius and ability to understand the niche areas his guests represent.

Most all-round podcast

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New favorite podcast, would recommend to anyone. even when dealing with topics I don't find particularly interesting, the show is thought provoking and intriguing.

Awesome podcast

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Love this content and it’s my go to podcast, everything you need to hear is here!

No need to listen to anyone else!

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