Episodes

  • Carlos Adell: From Drug Dealer to Industrial Engineer to Finding True Success Through Strategic Environment Design

    Carlos Adell: From Drug Dealer to Industrial Engineer to Finding True Success Through Strategic Environment Design
    Nov 4 2025
    Carlos Adell shares his unconventional path from growing up in a small Spanish town with limited resources to running a six-figure drug dealing business while simultaneously working as a DJ and industrial engineer. After nearly dying from a heart attack at 29 while working in corporate, Adell discovered that he had been living other people’s dreams—adopting identities shaped by whoever surrounded him. He reveals the powerful principle that drove both his descent and his redemption: you become who you surround yourself with. Whether it was “bad boys” leading him into crime or successful entrepreneurs inspiring his transformation, Adell learned to reverse-engineer his environment deliberately. Moving to Australia without speaking English, he rebuilt himself from scratch, applying lessons from drug dealing (understanding markets and people) and engineering (systems thinking) to create a life designed for fulfillment rather than external validation.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    53 mins
  • Alison Shcraeger: The Economics of Risk and What a Las Vegas Brothel Taught Me About Uncertainty

    Alison Shcraeger: The Economics of Risk and What a Las Vegas Brothel Taught Me About Uncertainty
    Oct 31 2025
    Alison Shcraeger, economist and author of An Economist Walks Into a Brothel, explains how risk really works and why most people misunderstand it. From studying sex workers in Nevada to analyzing probability theory, Alison reveals that humans are not naturally wired to process probabilities—but we can learn. She introduces the concept of natural frequencies over percentages, showing how translating 55 percent into 55 out of 100 helps people make better decisions. This conversation explores why probability theory should be taught like reading, how emotion distorts risk assessment, why the past is a flawed predictor of the future, and what economists can learn from industries society prefers to ignore.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    46 mins
  • John Epstein: Testing Acast Sync and Update Functionality

    John Epstein: Testing Acast Sync and Update Functionality
    Oct 30 2025
    This is a test episode to verify that our Acast sync system works correctly. We will upload this episode with a far-future publish date, then update the midroll timestamp to confirm that the PATCH endpoint successfully syncs changes from our local index to Acast without re-uploading the audio file.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    52 mins
  • Akshay Nanavati: Finding Bliss Through Suffering, Silence, and the Edge of Human Endurance

    Akshay Nanavati: Finding Bliss Through Suffering, Silence, and the Edge of Human Endurance
    Oct 29 2025
    Akshay Nanavati is not your typical adventurer — he’s a former Marine, a survivor of war-induced PTSD, and a seeker of what he calls the “crucible of suffering.” In this deeply introspective and intensely raw conversation, Akshay explores how pain, guilt, and darkness became vehicles for transcendence in his life. From confronting suicidal despair and alcoholism to dragging sleds across frozen wastelands in Antarctica, Akshay shares why he deliberately ventures into physical and psychological extremes. He talks about the paradox of finding peace in chaos, the value of darkness retreats, the necessity of knowing when to quit, and how pushing to the edge can awaken a deeper meaning in life. This is a conversation about discipline, purpose, and the pursuit of inner freedom through radical self-mastery.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    50 mins
  • David Brooks: Seeing People Deeply in a World of Shallow Interactions

    David Brooks: Seeing People Deeply in a World of Shallow Interactions
    Oct 21 2025
    New York Times columnist and bestselling author **David Brooks** joins Srini Rao to unpack what it really means to know and see another person — and how our ability to connect deeply has deteriorated in a world dominated by distraction, paradigmatic thinking, and judgment. Drawing from his latest book *How to Know a Person*, Brooks explores emotional architecture, the danger of moral detachment, the layers of trauma and transformation, and the developmental life tasks that shape our identities.Through deeply personal stories — including his own journey through divorce, emotional avoidance, and the workaholic tendencies that nearly derailed his relationships — Brooks offers a rare and unfiltered view of what it means to grow wiser. He shares the practices of “illuminators” who make others feel seen, the humble posture of accompaniment, and how curiosity, patience, and vulnerability are the cornerstones of human flourishing. This is a conversation about becoming unmistakable by showing up as fully human.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    57 mins
  • Damon Centola: Why Change Spreads from the Edges—Not the Influencers

    Damon Centola: Why Change Spreads from the Edges—Not the Influencers
    Oct 20 2025
    Damon Centola, sociologist and author of *Change: How to Make Big Things Happen*, dismantles the myth of the influencer and introduces a radically different model of how ideas and behaviors actually spread. In this thought-provoking conversation, Centola explains why change doesn’t come from social media stars with massive followings—but from dense clusters in the network periphery. He explores how weak ties, wide bridges, and network dynamics shape everything from viral movements like Black Lives Matter to behavioral shifts like installing solar panels or quitting smoking. Drawing from decades of experimental research, Centola reveals that most people misjudge what causes change—believing it’s money, recognition, or messaging—when it’s actually subtle cues from peers. He shares how “complex contagions” require reinforcement from trusted networks, not mass exposure, and why virality alone fails to produce lasting impact. Whether you're a founder, activist, or creator, this episode will challenge how you think about social influence, innovation, and what truly drives societal tipping points.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    57 mins
  • Jennifer Wallace: Raising Resilient Kids in a Culture That Says They're Never Enough

    Jennifer Wallace: Raising Resilient Kids in a Culture That Says They're Never Enough
    Oct 19 2025
    Jennifer Wallace is a journalist, researcher, and mother of three who set out to answer one of the most pressing questions in modern parenting: *Why do our kids feel like they're never enough — and what can we do about it?* Drawing on insights from her book *Never Enough* and years of reporting, Wallace explains how achievement culture, status anxiety, and social comparison are undermining children's mental health, resilience, and self-worth.In this illuminating and deeply personal conversation, she explores how economic uncertainty and hyper-competitive education systems have created a toxic climate that pushes both parents and children toward perfectionism and burnout. From the myth of elite colleges to the danger of tying love to performance, Wallace makes the case for redefining success around the concept of **mattering** — feeling valued, and adding value to others. She shares practical interventions parents can use, and why adult resilience is a prerequisite for raising healthy kids.Whether you're a parent, teacher, or anyone invested in the next generation, this episode will reshape how you think about achievement, love, and what it truly means to succeed.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    52 mins
  • Laura Huang: Creating an Edge in a World That Won’t Hand You One

    Laura Huang: Creating an Edge in a World That Won’t Hand You One
    Oct 18 2025
    In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode, Harvard Business School professor and author **Laura Huang** shares a deeply human and practical roadmap for transforming disadvantage into advantage. Drawing from her book *Edge*, she breaks down the four-part EDGE framework—Enrich, Delight, Guide, and Effort—showing how each of us can flip bias, reshape perceptions, and build momentum on our own terms.Laura opens up about her experience as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, her non-linear path from engineering to investment banking to academia, and the real-world struggles of navigating privilege, expectations, and identity. She tells the story of Dave's Killer Bread as a case study in reclaiming a life shaped by systemic disadvantage. Throughout the conversation, she pushes back on the myth of pure meritocracy, arguing that hard work is critical—but not enough.This conversation will resonate with anyone who's ever felt underestimated, overlooked, or boxed in by other people’s assumptions—and who’s ready to turn that into power.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 6 mins