This episode is a review/summary of BJ Fogg's best-selling book, Tiny Habits. In the podcast I discuss; the proven methods of behaviour change that BJ covers in his book, how to approach behaviour change, when to quit, how to make habit formation easy, and how to stick at it.    Find the B MAP method here: https://behaviormodel.org/   Support   The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.   If you want to learn to understand...

I went to Copenhagen for the weekend and found out about Hygge. Hygge is the Danish art of happiness and coziness, it's a philosophy that encourages connection, simplicity and mindfulness.   I read a book on the topic and spoke to some Danish people, this podcast is a collection of my thoughts on Hygge.    Books mentioned Hygge by Barbara Hayden The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking   Support   The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new...

I’m joined by Daisy Harris-Burland and Harriet Bradley for a casual conversation about everything from books we've loved to the Kardashians.    Get your bookmarks from: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheBookmarkBoys?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=795580183   Some of the books discussed were;  How to think more about sex, Essays in Love, How Proust Can Change Your Life, and The School of life, all by Alain de Botton A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  Lolita by Vladimir...

In this episode, I review The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton and The Socrates Express by Eric Weiner. Both books are excellent introductions to some philosophers you may not have come across just yet. In the podcast, I go into what we can learn from; Socrates (How to deal with unpopularity), Michel de Montaigne (How to deal with inadequacy), Arthur Schopenhauer, Gandhi (How to fight), and Epicurus (How to enjoy life).    Support   The best thing you can do is share the...

This episode is a review of novels I’ve read recently that you might enjoy over the summer. I also discuss; why you should read classics, the trouble with falling asleep when you’re reading, remembering what you’ve read, thinking you’re insane, reading nihilist novels, and finding comfort in characters.   Books discussed A Little Life - Hanya Yangaihara  Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse Siddartha by Herman Hesse Damned by Chuck Palahniuk  Confederacy of Dunces by John O’Toole A Brave New...

Whitney Goodman is the radically honest psychotherapist behind the hugely popular Instagram account @sitwithwhit, the author of Toxic Positivity, and Runs her own private therapy practice in Miami. Her mission is to help people understand their emotions so they can take control of, and enjoy their life.   Whitney has her own column in Psychology Today and has been featured in dozens of domestic and international publications, including The New York Times, Teen Vogue,  and Good Morning...

This episode is a review of Jia Tolentino's collection of essays in her book Trick Mirror. Her essays cover; Internet usage, Fraternities in the US, reality TV, Marriage, the cult of optimization, and a look at the seven major scams of her generation.   These are new topics for me so if I need to balance my perspective please let me know.    Support   Please help me by sharing this podcast with a friend, or by signing up for my new weekly newsletter.   To get 10% off your first month...

Patrick Alley is an author and one of the founders of Global Witness, an organization whose investigations and reports into human rights and environmental abuse have uncovered some of the most shocking corruption cases of our time.    Patrick joins me to chat about; how he and his colleagues took down the Khmer Rouge rebels in Cambodia, the Blood Diamond report, how London is a safe haven for the corrupt, Facebook and their role in hate crimes, and just how corrupt wars are.    Find more...

In this episode, I discuss my thoughts on happiness and why we should drop our obsession with it. I cover: why you should be careful who you admire and listen to, how well we are placed to make rational judgments in our life, the different types of happiness, hedonic adaption, Natural vs Synthetic Happiness, whether we want to be happy all the time, the illusion of control of our minds and life, perfectionism, self-esteem, Stoic and Buddhist views on happiness and what to do when sadness...

Wendy Syfret is a Melbourne-based writer and editor, and author of The Sunny Nihilist. She has spent time working for VICE and has contributed to The Guardian, British Vogue, and ABC. She is the current editor at RIISE and her work can be found at www.Wendysyfret.com    Support   Please help me by sharing this podcast with a friend, or by signing up for my new weekly newsletter.   To get 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just...

This is a review of Sarah Bakewell's 'At The Existentialist Cafe', a book that looks at the main minds behind existentialism.    Other books mentioned Heidegger a beginners guide by Michael Watts   The Socrates Express by Eric Weiner    Support   The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can share it with a not-a-friend, I’m not fussy.   To get weekly insightful emails from me head to this link:...

We're all changing, all of the time and I've found this quite difficult to navigate at times. So, I thought I would have a deeper look at what change is, how it can be looked at in philosophical and psychological terms, and what that means for me personally and the podcast.    Support   The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can share it with a not-a-friend, I’m not fussy.   To get weekly insightful emails from me head to this link:...

Symeon Brown is a journalist and reporter for Channel 4, his long-read 'The Wolves Of Instagram' was nominated for an Orwell prize. His new book Get Rich Or Lie Tryin' is an in-depth look at some of the perils of the influencer economy. We discuss who it's hurting, an influencer's nipple falling off, how we're being lied to, some of the pyramid schemes disguised as get-rich-quick schemes, and much more.    The book is out now if you want to get a copy from your local book...

This is a review, and summary of some key ideas, of Rutger Bregman's Human Kind. The bold idea this book tries to convert you to is: Humans are actually pretty decent. I sat on the other side of this debate for a long time and have been convinced to change my mind. This outlook on life seems to have made a really positive change. Hopefully, it'll do the same for some others!   Support   The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can share it with a...

I spoke with award-winning journalist and best-selling author, James Nestor about his extremely popular book: Breath, The New Science Of A Lost Art. We discuss; freediving, common breathing mistakes, how bad breathing is impacting society as a whole, who breathwork is NOT for, Wim Hoff, breathwork, and various other themes presented in his book.   Find more from James at www.mrjamesnestor.com  Support   The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can...

The psychology of personality is a complicated topic. This book argues that the idea of the authentic self is a lie. There are far more contributing factors to personality than we're led to believe, and in this episode, I chat about; the 3 factors that determine who you are, how you can make changes to the fundamental 'you', and how we can finally cut ourselves some slack when we change as people.   You can watch the Ted Talk that inspired the book:...

I'm joined by one of my favourite authors, Oliver Burkeman. He's the author of the sensational new book: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals. We discuss; what we get wrong about time, a meaningful approach to goals, why we need problems, accepting your limitations, Olivers top 3 Philosophers, not letting Nazi’s get in the way of your intellectual growth, the efficiency trap, the key to effective decision making, and one of my favorite new ideas, cosmic insignificance...

We live in a very me-centric society. In the West, our philosophical influences have been focused on the 'I' for the last few thousand years and now, with the age of social media, we are paying the price. This is a review/summary of Will Storr's Selfie- a book that explores the concept of the 'self' and how we can navigate life without becoming totally self-obsessed.    This is one of my favorite books of all time and has completely changed the way I look at my...

Adam Ashton is one half of the What You Will Learn podcast, Australia's best book podcast. He joined me to chat about their new book 'The Shit They Never Taught You', which covers the best lessons from hundreds of non-fiction books. We discuss; note-taking methods, career mastery, podcasting mistakes, picking your next book, whether or not you need to finish your books, the best books for investing and much more.    For the first 8 minutes, one of us (The one whose name rhymes with...

Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years of experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full-time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis. I spoke to Tim about; his latest best-selling title The Power Of Geography, the geographical reasons behind the rising tension between Russia and Ukraine, Putin’s message to the west, the geography of Palestine, the importance of context, the future of Egypt, China’s interest in...

In this episode, I review Johann Hari's new book: Stolen Focus. A book that looks at the ways modern life steals our focus and attention. Modern life seems to cater only to speed and efficiency, and this does not bode well for our ability to pay attention to what matters. From that increase in speed and tech that is designed to manipulate us, to cruel optimism and the death of sustained reading Johann Hari takes us on an explorative journey of what's really messing with our ability to...

This is my review of Letters From A Stoic by Seneca. Seneca was a devoted Stoic philosopher, and he is one of the most widely referenced names in good non-fiction books. I have fallen in love with philosophy again recently and I have this book to thank.   Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff...

A review of Paul Bloom's brilliant book The Sweet Spot, an in-depth look at our pleasure-seeking tendencies and how we may be getting it wrong in our pursuit of the good life.   Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and...

Dr. Rachael Kent is a lecturer and researcher at Kings College London. Specifically, Dr. Kent’s research focuses on how digital technology influences everyday mental and physical health. Below are some timestamps for this conversation that may prove to be one of the most important I have had so far. I am growing more and more concerned with how technology influences our lives and it was a pleasure to chat about this with an expert.   All you need for Rachael is on her website:...

This week I review the book ‘Rethinking Positive Thinking’ by Professor of Psychology at NY & Hamburg, Gabrielle Oettingen.    I discuss; the cult of positivity, my opinion on positive thinking as a default, the benefits of positive thinking and positive fantasies, the drawbacks of positive fantasies, and using positive and negative thinking to set and achieve your goals.   While I wouldn’t rush to recommend reading the book unless you’re interested in reading all the supporting...