3 Takeaways™

Mellody Hobson’s life—from her tough Chicago childhood to becoming Starbucks board chair to her marriage to George Lucas — has shattered stereotypes. Here, the president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments talks about pursuing excellence, how to become indispensable, tricks for managing time, the need to take risks, and much more.

Chew on this: The way food looks, smells, and even sounds affects how much we like it. We have taste buds in our stomach. Adding salt to grapefruit makes it sweeter. There’s an amazing story behind why we love some foods and not others. Everyone who eats should listen to this conversation with food expert extraordinaire, Barbara Stuckey.

Surgeon, professor, public health leader, bestselling author, global healthcare legend. Listen as Dr. Atul Gawande talks about the astonishing success of modern medicine, how countries that spend far less on healthcare than the U.S. achieve similar outcomes, the global effort to increase lifespan, the future of healthcare, and much more.

3 Takeaways brings you conversations with people who are changing the world.  The world’s foremost thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, scientists and other newsmakers share three key insights to help you understand the world in new ways that can benefit your life and career. In this special year-end episode, we present the most powerful and compelling takeaways of 2023.  Can you gues...

Four index funds are now so large they have unprecedented, concentrated power in public companies, enabling them to exert enormous influence over our politics and economy. While the cause for concern is clear, the solution is not. Join us, as Harvard law professor John Coates shines a bright light on this serious and growing problem. “Two companies control 10 to 15 to maybe 20% of all of the stock...

Credible journalism is crucial for democracy, and trust in our news media is alarmingly low. The CEO of U.S. News & World Report, Eric Gertler, explains why and talks bluntly about the dramatic rise of opinionated and fake news, the impact of a generation getting its news from social media, transitioning from analog dollars to digital dimes, and more.

Many people have important personal goals they want to achieve, but come up short. Here, behavioral change expert and Wharton professor Katy Milkman shares scientifically proven strategies for affecting deep personal change. Two key insights: Willpower alone usually isn’t enough. It helps to make difficult tasks enjoyable. Katy Milkman is the author of the bestselling book How To Change.

Ashley Merryman is an expert on the science of winning and has helped Olympic and professional athletes, Fortune 100 execs, and military leaders compete more successfully. Here, she reveals strategies that have transformed the world of elite performance — including how to thrive under pressure, benefit from a loss, and more. She is the co-author of Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing.

It’s no secret the U.S. criminal justice system is failing people of color. But the issue is bigger and more horrific than people think. Here, Christina Swarns, a top criminal legal reform expert, discusses wrongful convictions, false confessions, plea deals, the critical role of DNA — and most important, what can be done to improve the system. Christina Swarns has argued and won before the U.S. S...

The birth rate in many countries is plummeting below what’s needed to maintain the population. In China, it’s estimated the population will shrink by 50%. In the U.S., by about 20%. Should we hit the panic button? According to American Enterprise Institute scholar, Nick Eberstadt, the answer is a thoughtful “no.” Listen and find out why.

Operation Warp Speed achieved in 7 months what normally takes 8–12 years. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, reveals in fascinating detail how it was done — the key people involved, how it was influenced by the Manhattan Project, the government’s critical, groundbreaking partnership with the drug industry, and more.

News flash: By every measure that matters, the U.S. economy is dramatically outperforming the industrialized world. The Provost of King's College at Cambridge University, Gillian Tett, explains why. She also shares brilliant insights on the enormous volatility in the world, the future of globalization, why Brexit is a disaster, and more.

There’s great debate these days about the merits of a college education. Here, an expert on the topic, Harvard’s David Deming, weighs in with facts and insights on how colleges fail and succeed, the essential skills universities need to teach, how a college education fights inequality, the true usefulness of college, and more.

As war rages between Israel and Hamas, former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami shares some remarkable insights about the encirclement of Israel by well-armed Iranian proxies; the possibility the war will spread; the rise of antisemitism in America and Europe; and a possible path to peace. Don’t miss this important conversation.

Can the world make an orderly transition from fossil fuels to lower carbon solutions? Chevron CEO, Mike Wirth, believes we can, but there are major challenges ahead. Join us as he shares his thoughts on EVs, fusion, carbon capture, geothermal, and other technologies. The future is coming. Will the world be ready? Listen to find out.

Attention Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos: What on earth are you thinking?! Settling in space is fraught with monumental challenges. Here, serious and funny spaceheads Kelly and Zach Weinersmith discuss some of them — the effects of partial gravity on sex and having babies, food and energy production, laws that govern space society, and more.

Karl Rove, former political consultant and presidential advisor, shares his take on the current ugliness in American politics … the critical challenges of the Republican and Democratic parties … the immorality of Donald Trump … the corruption of Joe Biden … and how America can be healed. Don’t miss this riveting talk with a remarkable man.

According to U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales, whose district runs along the majority of Texas’ border with Mexico, the border is “essentially open and anyone can cross.” Here, with blunt honesty, he talks about the scope of the problem, its horrifying impact, how little is being done to address it, and our desperate need for genuine solutions.

The U.S. and China are locked in an economic battle that threatens world stability. According to former Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman Stephen Roach, both nations are equally at fault for relying on false narratives to accuse the other. Listen, as he shares both countries’ perspectives and answers the critical question: Is there a way out?

Imagine a world in which no child starves to death and electricity is available to just about all. Raj Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, has a plan for making it happen: making big bets — the kind that have worked to vaccinate 900 million children and stop the spread of Ebola. Learn why thinking big is key to solving big challenges. Raj's new book is Big Bets.

The attempt across much of America to achieve social justice by advantaging people based on their identity is noble and well-intended. It’s also misguided and destined to fail. So says Yascha Mounk, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Listen as he explains the need for a shared humanity.

Why does the feeling of inequality lead some people to make self-defeating decisions? Why does feeling poor sometimes have a more powerful effect on people than actually being poor? How can people avoid the damage caused by feeling “less than?” Keith Payne, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, has answers.

The world is filled with speculation about the impact of AI, automation and other technologies. Here, a world-leading tech analyst, Benedict Evans, shares his unique insights into what the near- and long-term future will hold, especially for jobs. Other topics include ChatGPT, crypto, Chinese EVs, virtual reality, blockchain, and more.

Failure will happen. Count on it. Especially in today’s complex, uncertain world. Here, Harvard professor Amy Edmonson explains how we can transform our relationship with failure, how people and organizations can fail wisely, and how we can use failure as powerful fuel for success. You may never look at failure the same way again.

“Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that hard. In the end, what’s most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes.”  Danny Meyer, founder and Chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, whose restaurants have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, several three Michelin stars, and a Julia Child Award, says he once thought he was pri...