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Episodes from Modern Wisdom
#1080 - Pursuit of Wonder - The Terrible Paradox of Self-Awareness
Robert Pantano is a writer, creator, and the founder of the Pursuit of Wonder YouTube channel. At what point does self-awareness become self-sabotage? The more you analyze yourself, the easier it is to get stuck overthinking. So how do you improve your life without ruining it? Expect to learn why self-awareness is a problem and the paradox of being too self-aware, if there is a way to be self-aware without becoming self-destructive, why aging is like a road trip, why regret is framed as a prison in which the prisoners are also the guards, if...
#1079 - Tristan Harris - AI Expert Warns: “This Is The Last Mistake We’ll Ever Make”
Tristan Harris is a tech ethicist, entrepreneur, and a speaker. Are we sleepwalking into disaster? AI is unlocking massive progress, but the dangers hiding beneath the surface are exactly what experts fear most. So what’s coming… and could it spiral beyond our control? Expect to learn why AI is distinct from other kind of technologies, what the Ali Baba rogue AI catastrophe that should scare everyone is, how worried Tristan is about the impact of AI deepfakes and misinformation campaigns, what’s happening with the AI safety discussion, if we should be skeptical of AI com...
#1078 - New Studio Launch Party - Indian Fetishes, Betting on Wars & Tom Cruise
Welcome to the new Studio! To celebrate, I put together a new episode style. In this launch episode, we explore: The world’s worst phone call of all time If the act of self-improvement is problematic Tom Cruise stops by the new set and much more… Guests: Michael Smoak is a podcast host, entrepreneur, and investor. Shaan Puri is an entrepreneur, former CEO, podcaster and an angel investor. George Mack is a writer, marketer and entrepreneur. Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Ge...
#1077 - Chris Bailey - Why Some Goals Feel Effortless (and others hurt)
Chris Bailey is a productivity expert, speaker, and author. How do you make goals actually stick? We all want better for ourselves, but most goals fade. So how do you set goals that excite you—and actually follow through? Expect to learn why some goals feel effortless and others feel like a chore, how the role of intentions plays into goal setting and how to stack them, what the practical differences are between default intentions and deliberate intentions, why SMART goals are overrated, what the big triggers of procrastination and aversion are and how to ov...
#1076 - Will Guidara - The Hotdog Effect: Secrets of the World’s #1 Restaurants
Will Guidara is a restaurateur, hospitality expert, and author. What does it take to become the world’s best restaurant? In an era of extravagant dining and over-the-top experiences, the answer might be simpler than you think. So what actually separates the best from the rest? Expect to learn the biggest differences between service and hospitality, how Will went from #50 in the world to #1, how to operationalise magic and why most companies forget the human they are supposed to serve, which tricks of hospitality from well known restaurants most people probably overlook or don’t noti...
#1075 - Roy Baumeister - Why Men Are At The Top Of Society (and the bottom)
Roy Baumeister is a psychologist, professor, and researcher. Are men inherently more expendable from an evolutionary standpoint—and if so, has that dynamic helped drive innovation? If risk-taking outliers are often responsible for progress, what does that say about the role men play in shaping civilization? And does this tradeoff come at the cost of higher failure, instability, and sacrifice along the way? Expect to learn why cultures flourish when they exploit men and what that actually means, why men have ended up in higher positions in society and if civilisation runs on male competition, wh...
#1074 - Nir Eyal - A Masterclass in Changing Your Limiting Beliefs
Nir Eyal is an author, behavioral design expert, and investor. What does it mean to truly hold a belief you endorse? Maybe some of what we believe isn’t true. But more interesting is how beliefs are formed, and how they can be reshaped. So how do you update your beliefs in a way that actually serves you, rather than holds you back? Expect to learn why belief is so important and why they are just tools not truths, what’s wrong with the traditional view of behaviour change and motivation, why smart, disciplined people stil...
#1073 - Gurwinder Bhogal - 19 Uncomfortable Truths About Human Nature
Gurwinder Bhogal is a programmer and a writer. Gurwinder is one of my favourite X follows. He’s written yet another megathread exploring human nature, cognitive biases, mental models, status games, crowd behaviour and social media. It’s fantastic, and today we go through some of my favourites. Expect to learn what the Oxytocin paradox is, why anxiety is now the most common mental-health condition in the world and why the Rumpelstiltskin Effect might be to blame, the reason why 20% and 40% of undergraduates at many elite American universities are now registered as disabled, what AI will...
#1072 - Dr Debra Soh - Why Nobody is Having Sex Anymore (& why it matters)
Dr Debra Soh is a neuroscientist, sex researcher, political commentator, and author. Why are we more connected than ever—but having less sex? Technology promised endless connection, but many people feel more isolated than ever. With sexlessness increasing, what’s causing the modern “sex recession,” and what can be done about it? Expect to learn if people having less sex is a big deal or not, what the current state of modern sexual activity is, when the sex recession started and if rising hypergamy was a factor, if the role of porn attributed to the sex rece...
#1071 - Bill Gurley - If You Hate Your Job, This is How to Start Over
Bill Gurley is a venture capitalist, general partner at Benchmark, and a former Wall Street analyst. How do you find work you actually enjoy? So many people warn about the jobs they hate and the dreams they never chased. But turning passion into a career is harder than it sounds. So how do you reinvent yourself and build a life where work feels meaningful instead of miserable? Expect to learn why most people end up having careers they regret, how to build a framework for regret minimisation, what people do that achieve success in their...
#1070 - Louis Theroux - Is The Manosphere Really That Dangerous?
Louis Theroux is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, broadcaster, and author. What is it really like inside the Manosphere? Online spaces for men have exploded in influence, shaping how millions of young men think about success, relationships, and masculinity. Supporters say it helps men improve their lives. Critics say it’s dangerous and toxic. So what’s the truth, and is the manosphere as harmful as mainstream media says it is? Expect to learn why Louis is so interested in investigating the Manosphere and what’s driving the growing trend, if it’s possible to speak to issue...
#1069 - Dr Max Butterfield - How Love Turns You Insane
Dr Max Butterfield is a physician, health educator, and performance coach. Why does love make us do crazy things? Rom-coms make relationships look easy, but real love is far more complicated. So what actually makes a relationship work—and why does love make us act irrationally? Expect to learn what science says about how should people do to recover from a breakup, if the Norwegian skier who confessed to cheating on his girlfriend was doing more harm than good to his relationship, what, Dr Max wished more men and women knew about how to signal in...