We are so excited to welcome you back to yet another season of the Yes Theory Podcast presented by Headspace Studios. This season, we will take deep dives into topics that are near and dear to our heart, exploring the internal discomforts that allow us to learn as we grow on this crazy journey. We can't wait for you to join us.

Things are changing in our little Yes Theory world, as well as the broader world, and we aren’t sure what the future holds. Thomas is headed back to Europe for the foreseeable future, and Matt’s stepped back from hosting. It really feels like the end of a chapter (with a new one coming close behind).  To celebrate and close the last chapter properly, and to end the season on a high note, we took a new spin in this episode. Just like in Episode 8, there are no guests (besides the people that...

Have you ever seen someone staring back in the mirror that you didn’t like?  We all experience “mirror moments” -- where we see ourselves and the paths we’re headed down clearly. In these moments, we can decide to continue the course or make a change. Sometimes we are seeking big changes -- like choosing to pursue a completely new career or end a relationship. Sometimes we’re vying for simpler -- like just choosing to meditate for five minutes a day or get dressed in the mornings. No matter...

Matt, Thomas, and Ammar have a picturesque kind of friendship. They’ve made memories on nearly every continent, built a business, and chased down their wildest dreams… together.  But what you don’t see on screen is that their friendship isn’t always easy. In fact, it rarely ever is. As is the case with many things in life, it’s leaning into the hard, uncomfortable parts that makes all of the beautiful parts possible.  For Matt, Thomas, and Ammar that looks like a mix of going off and doing...

From climbing up snow-capped mountains in our boxers to running marathons with no training, one of the core pillars of Yes Theory is seeking out the big heart-pumping, mind-bending physical experiences that force us beyond our limits. But what’s the point of doing all this? Are big challenges effective at helping us build daily exercise and wellness habits? Or is it more for show?  The science -- of extending past our physical limits -- is layered and complex. But at the most basic level --...

Ever struggled to do your laundry, re-register your car, or make time to go to the dentist? It might make you feel like you’re terrible at “adulting,” but it turns out that’s actually more normal than you think and there might be a pretty solid explanation: burnout. Anne Helen Peterson, author of Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, joins Matt in this episode to talk about the costs of living in an achievement-obsessed culture, how monetizing what you love can get in...

“Hope makes you follow your dreams,” says actress Dina Shihabi, from the Amazon Original Jack Ryan. “I would have nothing in my life if I didn't have hope.” We’re living through a pretty dark time right now. There’s this constant stream of negative news coverage and criticism. It’s hard to feel certain or confident about anything. Which is why it’s more important than ever to tap into our collective reserve of hope - the belief that life can be better tomorrow than it is today.  In today’s...

Pandemics and vast uncertainty aside, life is hard. And for whatever reason, it seems to be getting harder. Studies have shown that the average kid today experiences more anxiety than the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.  It feels like there’s this undercurrent of anxiety to everything we do. But instead of dealing with it, we fill our calendars with back-to-back appointments and our lives with endless distractions. We do everything we can to avoid having that anxiety bubble up. But...

If 2020 was a question, it would be… how the heck do you make the best of a situation when you can’t even understand the situation?  When we asked Harvard Professor and Atlantic columnist, Arthur Brooks, he said so matter of factly, “You have to be an entrepreneur about your life.”  And when we asked Ozan Varol, the self-described perpetual dropout (but more importantly the rocket scientist, lawyer, professor, and author behind the book Think Like a Rocket Scientist), he told us the story of...

Welcome to Yes Theory — the audio experience. We’re your hosts Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, and Matt Dajer. You may know us from our YouTube channel with the same name, or maybe not.  We believe the best things in life are outside your comfort zone. We’re talking about meaning, connection, you know all the good stuff. Over the last 5 years, we’ve made a habit of seeking discomfort and creating videos about it. We’ve had the unthinkable honor of traveling around the world, conquering everyday...