Social psychologist and Stanford professor Brian Lowery presents a provocative, powerful theory of identity, arguing that there is no essential "self"—our selves are social creations of those with whom we interact —exploring what that means for who we can be and who we allow others to be. There’s nothing we spend more time with, but understand less, than ourselves. You’ve been with yourself every waking moment of your life. But who—or, rather, what—are you? In this podcast, Brian Lowery...

Matt Higgins was a Guest Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank, is an Executive Fellow and teacher at Harvard Business School, and, through RSE Ventures, the private investment firm he co-founded, an investor in some of America’s most beloved brands. Matt began his career as the youngest press secretary in New York City history, where he helped manage the global press response during 9/11. He has been an executive for two NFL teams – currently serving as vice chairman of the Miami Dolphins. Matt's newest...

Have you ever been criticized for the way you speak? If you have, you're not alone. As human beings, our need to communicate is inherent, but linguistic standards are often indoctrinated in us early on, leading to a perception of slang and informal language as being incorrect. In our latest episode, we explore the true nature of language and its function beyond correctness. We discuss how language is an accident of socio-historical-political factors and how there is nothing intrinsically...

Coleman Hughes is an American writer, podcast host, and opinion columnist who specializes in issues related to race, public policy and applied ethics. He was a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and a fellow and contributing editor at their City Journal, and is the host of the podcast Conversations with Coleman. Find out more about Coleman at colemanhughes.org and check out his Youtube channel. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today:...

It all started with the Big Bang. We all know that. But what does that even mean? And how did the big bang lead to us?! Our body is made up of “starstuff”, and by by understanding how everything started, we can make better choices on living. Dan Levitt spent over twenty-five years writing, producing, and directing award-winning documentaries for National Geographic, Discovery, Science, History, PBS, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in...

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance and is the author of 11 bestselling books (out of 14!!!). His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes. Steven's newest book, Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad, is available now. Find out more about Steven at stevenkotler.com and gnarcountry.com. Support the Show - Become a...

Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown are adjunct professors of entrepreneurship at USC’s Marshall School of Business where they teach the popular class they created, “Sales Mindset for Entrepreneurs.” They are also authors, speakers, longtime sales professionals, and best friends who met while working at enterprise software startup Bitium, which they helped lead to an acquisition by Google. Garret and Colin's book, The Unsold Mindset: Redefining What It Means to Sell, is available now! Find more...

Stefan Falk is an internationally-recognized executive coach and human performance expert. A McKinsey & Company alumnus specializing in leadership and corporate transformation, he has trained over 4,000 leaders across more than 60 different client organizations in North America and Europe. Stefan's book, Intrinsic Motivation: Learn to Love Your Work and Succeed as Never Before, is available now! Find more about Stefan at learntoloveyourwork.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help...

Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. She takes a deep dive in examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood with the use of digital devices. She has published over 200 articles, and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy which recognizes leaders in the field of human-computer interaction. Gloria's book,...

Marc Schulz is the associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and the Sue Kardas PhD 1971 Chair in Psychology at Bryn Mawr College. He also directs the Data Science Program and previously chaired the psychology department and Clinical Developmental Psychology PhD program at Bryn Mawr. Dr. Schulz received his BA from Amherst College and his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Schulz' book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World's...

2022. It was quite the year. Jon's wife is having a baby! Chris is excited to rebrand! Join us as we discuss some of our favorite clips from 2022 and what we are looking forward to in 2023. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: RocketMoney - Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions right now at rocketmoney.com/SMART. Blinkist - Go to Blinkist.com/SMART to start your 7-day free trial and get 25% off of a...

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning writer, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist and freelance journalist. She writes for Harvard Business Review and her work has appeared in CNN, TIME, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Jennifer's book, The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It, is available now! Learn...

Leigh Marz is an author, leadership coach, and collaboration consultant. She has led diverse initiatives, including a training program to promote an experimental mindset among multi-generational teams at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Justin Zorn has served as both a policymaker and a meditation teacher in the US Congress. On Capitol Hill, he served as Legislative Director to three Members of Congress. As a writer, he has been a contributor to publications including Harvard Business...

Bethany Brookshire is a science writer and author. She is also a podcast host on the podcast Science for the People, where she interviews scientists and science writers about the science that will impact people’s lives. Bethany Brookshire's book, Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains, will be available on December 6, 2022. Learn more about Bethany Brookshire at bethanybrookshire.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today:...

Ben Valenta is the SVP of Strategy & Analytics for FOX Sports. In his previous life as a consultant, he advised an incredible array of clients, including: Nike, the NFL, Anheuser-Busch InBev, YouTube, ESPN, National Geographic, MSNBC, NBC News, Livestrong, the New York Knicks, and the New York Rangers. David Sikorjak is the founder of Dexterity Consulting, a strategy and analytics consultancy that artfully blends research, analysis, and empathy to transform how brands think. Prior to...

Kristin Keffeler is the founder and principal for Illumination360 and the Chief Learning Officer for the Johnson Financial Group. Kristin graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Chemistry from the University of Denver. Kristin's book, The Myth of the Silver Spoon: Navigating Family Wealth and Creating an Impactful Life, will be available on November 22, 2022. Learn more about Kristin at illumination360.com/about. Support the Show - Become a...

Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn are the authors of, Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters, which is available on October 25th. Jeremy is the Director of Executive Education at Stanford d.school and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford's School of Engineering. He is the co-host of the d.school’s widely popular program “Stanford’s Masters of Creativity.” Perry is a co-founding member of Stanford's d.school faculty. He is an Adjunct Professor and Director of Executive Education at Stanford...

Christie Hunter Arscott is an award-winning advisor, speaker, and author. A Rhodes Scholar, Christie has been named by Thinkers50 as one of the top management thinkers likely to shape the future of business. Christie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brown University and two Master’s degrees with a focus on gender research from the University of Oxford. She currently serves on the Women’s Leadership Board of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy...

Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo’s first ever Chief Design Officer. He joined the food & beverage corporation in 2012 and in said role he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands. These brands include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sodastream, Doritos, Lifewtr, bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Quaker, 7Up, Mirinda... just to name a few! Mauro's book, The Human Side of...

Will Storr is an award-winning writer and author of six books, including his newest, The Status Game. His journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Yorker and The New York Times. He has also been presented with the AIB Award for Best Investigative Documentary for his BBC radio series. Will's book, The Status Game, is available now! Learn more about Will at willstorr.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today:...

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance and has served as an executive coach to individuals in a variety of sectors. Steve received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and a graduate degree from George Mason University. He is the coauthor of Peak Performance, The Passion Paradox, and the author of The Science of Running. Collectively, his books have sold more than a quarter-million copies in print, ebook, and audio formats. Steve's book, Do Hard Things: Why...

Kathryn Judge is a law professor, author, financial regulation expert, and mother of two. Kathryn joined the faculty at Columbia Law School in 2010 and currently serves as the Harvey J. Goldschmid Professor of Law. Her research shows how we can promote a more resilient and accountable financial system, and how regulatory design can enhance the legitimacy and efficacy of financial regulation. Kathryn's book, Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source, is...

Eric Barker is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong, which has sold over half a million copies. Eric is also a sought-after speaker, having given talks at MIT, Yale, Google, the United States Military Central Command (CENTCOM), and the Olympic Training Center. Eric's newest book, Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About...

For ideas to evolve and societies to progress, we must cultivate rebels who are committed to challenging conventional wisdom and improving on it.

How to grow in your career and become a truly effective leader that others want to work for.