A Bit of Optimism

When did we get so disconnected from the world around us? How can we find our way back? Aza Raskin thinks the answer might lie in humanity's greatest adversary - listening. As co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and of the Earth Species Project, Aza and his team are using Artificial Intelligence to decode the language of animals, from whales to crows, while remaining dedicated to ensuri...

We have lost trust in almost everything. Yat Siu has a clear vision for how we can solve our large-scale trust issues and enhance human coordination.  For every problem technology creates, technology also has a solution. This is…A Bit of Optimism.  For more on Yat Siu and his work check out:  https://www.animocabrands.com/

We used to care about beautiful architecture.  Luckily, Thomas Heatherwick still does. He is on a quest to make the world less boring. You may not know Thomas yet, but you know his work.  He's designed iconic buildings and experiences and he says our cities have become dreadfully unhuman and our lack of beauty is negatively impacting our physical and mental health.  He's a truly original thinker w...

High-performing teams require more than just a leader. Great teams come from great teammates.   Shane Battier won't be in the NBA Hall of Fame, but he was one of the greatest teammates to ever play professional basketball. He won back-to-back NBA Championships with the Miami Heat and was named the league's Teammate of the Year during their second championship run.   His insights into trust, discom...

When we want wisdom, we turn to people older than us. But there is a lot to be learned from younger generations too. Elizabeth English knows this. She’s the head of one of the most innovative schools in the country, The Archer School for Girls and has spent her career working with -- and learning from -- younger generations. We sat down to talk about: the problems facing parents today, why kids ne...

We are told from a young age to pursue love—romantic love, self-love, divine love. But how do you actually define love? And once you do, how do you find it? Cleo Wade is the right person to ask. She's a poet whose latest book is called “Remember Love: Words for Tender Times.” Our conversation about love led down many paths: we talked about appreciating pain, staying present, and the resurgence of...

How do you run a thriving company that cares more about impact than about profit and margins? Karissa Bodnar is a genius CEO who dedicated herself to building a cause-based company. Thrive Causemetics started out of her one-bedroom apartment and now it’s a massively successful brand that has donated over $139 million of value to those in need. We sat down to talk about finding your purpose, leadin...

How are you? It’s a question we get asked everyday, but we hardly ever answer it honestly.   When Diego Perez — also known under his penname, Yung Pueblo — started asking himself that question and answering honestly, his entire life changed. In this conversation, Diego opens up about his own struggles with addiction and shares hard-earned wisdom about conflict, spirituality, and so much more. This...

How do people become powerful? Can understanding power protect us from those who wield it too strongly? When Robert Greene first set out to write about power, he didn’t have much of it. He worked odd jobs and was largely at the mercy of other people’s power. Now, his book “The 48 Laws of Power” has given him the power he wrote about. He sat down with me to share what he’s learned on both sides of...

Failure is the secret to success. Our failures are agents of inspiration, iteration, and innovation.   Dr. Amy Edmondson is the Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and her newest book "Right Kind of Wrong" is all about how we can change our relationship with failures and start “failing well.”   This is…A Bit of Optimism. For more on Dr. Amy Edmondson and her work chec...

You’ll never achieve perfect happiness. This might sound like bad news, but it’s actually a good thing. Because being happy is not a final destination, it’s an ongoing practice. In short, it’s happier-ness. That’s a term Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey coined in their new book “Build the Life You Want” where together they lay out a blueprint for a better life. And they would know: Arthur has studi...

When should we trust our gut and when should we depend on logic?  Liv Boeree can actually answer that question.  She won the World Series of Poker before retiring from the game to explore big questions about game theory, competition, and how we can all find more win-wins. This is…a Bit of Optimism. For more on Liv and her work check out:  https://livboeree.com/

When should you quit a project and when should you persevere? As one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, Steven Bartlett has thought deeply about this problem. Steven is used to getting people to open up on his podcast, but it turns out he’s just as insightful when the focus is on him.  This is…a Bit of Optimism. For more on Steven and his work check out:  His new book: https://smarturl.it/DOACb...

How you do anything is how you do everything. Steven Bartlett embodies this old adage.  His high standards and focus on the finest details launched him from a broke university dropout to one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs. At 30-years-old he has already founded multiple companies, starred on Britain’s hit tv show Dragon’s Den, and he is now the host of one of the planet’s most popul...

Great businesses often look a lot like social movements.   Sharmadean Reid knows this from experience—she has combined technology and culture to create multiple businesses around strong communities. She started her first business at 24, creating a nail salon that changed the beauty industry. Now she runs a media network for the next generation of women in power.   This is…A Bit of Optimism. For mo...

What does it mean to live a long and happy life?   David Von Drehle has spent 40 years covering big stories and important figures as an award-winning journalist. But the best lessons turned out to be right next door. David’s latest book, “The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109 Year-Old Man,” is a best-seller about resilience, American history, and what it means to l...

For this 4th of July, I wanted to do something special to celebrate the birth of our nation. So I invited Air Force Chief of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr. to join me on the podcast.  General Brown is the head of the Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is also the current nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. If he is confirmed as Chairman later this year, it would...

Change is inevitable.  And yet fear, anger, and confusion are often our first reactions to changes.  Cassandra Worthy experienced the negative emotions that stem from change so many times that she now sees them for what they really are: signals for opportunity. Now, she helps companies and individuals thrive during times of major change.  This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on Cassandra and her w...

Information is power. But how do we adapt now that most of the information we consume comes with a heavy bias?  In an ironic twist of fate, it’s Wikipedia — the encyclopedia that anyone can edit — that has done one of the best jobs maintaining public trust in our polarized era.  I sat down with the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, in front of a live studio audience to explore how we got here and...

What does it mean for a life to go well? What matters most in our time on Earth?  These are the most important questions of our lives and yet most of us have no clue how to answer them.  Miroslav Volf is a theologian and professor who has been grappling with these ideas for decades. He is the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture where he teaches a class called “Life Worth Liv...

Creative success is notoriously elusive, but those who have made the journey insist it comes down to three factors: hard work, luck, and talent.  Steven Pressfield wants to add one more thing to that list: a muse. And he should know. His muse guided him to incredible success as an author of fiction, nonfiction, and movies including hit books like: The Legend of Bagger Vance, The War of Art, and Ga...

On the path to fame, most rising stars abandon their morals. Not Jimmy Darts. He’s done just the opposite.   Jimmy started his career as a YouTuber pulling ill-advised pranks. Two decades later, he and his 20 million fans now make the world a kinder place by donating life-changing money to unsuspecting strangers who are spontaneously kind, compassionate, or generous. This is… A Bit of Optimism. Fo...

Dating doesn’t have to be about finding “The One.”  At its most rewarding, modern love can be about growth, curiosity, and authenticity.   Ana Kirova is the CEO of the dating platform 'Feeld’, a revolutionary app that helps people break free from traditional norms, explore alternative relationships, and discover the boundless potential for love that comes with accepting yourself and others without...

“Soul” is a word that I've never really used, but it perfectly encapsulates what has made David Copperfield the most successful magician of all time.   He has filled global audiences with awe for over 40 years.  He made the Statue of Liberty disappear, escaped from Alcatraz, and walked through the Great Wall of China.   And it turns out, the key to great magic is also the key to any great work: a...

Molly Bloom’s life story is one-of-a-kind.   Her Olympic dreams were dashed, so she planned on going to law school. Instead, she wound up running a high-stakes poker game where hundreds of millions of dollars would change hands in a night.   Molly made a lot of money. Celebrities, mafias, and federal informants soon took an interest in her and her game.  Eventually, she lost everything and had no...