A Bit of Optimism

Explorers discover new worlds and perspectives that change humanity forever. Leland Melvin has spent his life exploring.  He’s been a rocket scientist, an astronaut, and an NFL player. Now, he’s an educator who uses the dramatic ups-and-downs of his own life to inspire the next generation of explorers.   This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on Leland and his work, check out:  lelandmelvin.com

When is a risk worth taking? We have to learn to embrace the comfortable risks - the ones where the pain of failure is worthwhile or even valuable.   Podcaster, author and NYU professor, Scott Galloway and I talk about a lot of things, including our concern that the youngest generation is too afraid of the risks worth taking and how that may be adversely affecting them.  This is… A Bit of Optimism...

Sarah has the coolest job: Space Archaeologist. She uses satellites to find undiscovered sites buried deep beneath the ground. But the real interesting stuff is what we can learn about ourselves from studying our past. This is… A Bit of Optimism. Watch Sarah's first TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFC5CwZVCEw&themeRefresh=1 Watch Egypt's Lost Cities on the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/prog...

Divesh is one of the most connected people I know. Charming and opinionated, he advises and invests the fortunes of the most successful and wealthiest people on the planet.   So I wanted to ask him what he's learned along the way and what we can learn from him. This is... A Bit of Optimism. For more on Divesh and his work check out:  https://www.iconiqcapital.com/

When you show up with love and aim only to give of yourself, everyone you interact with can feel it. Carla Hall has led a life and a career filled with zigs and zags. The two-time Top Chef contestant and current cooking contributor for Good Morning America went from accountant, to model, to author, to chef. She has done it all and shown up with love at every opportunity. She’s living proof that wh...

Every generation is different, but one thing currently unites Boomers, Gen X-ers, and Millennials: they are all struggling to understand Gen Z.   David and Jonah Stillman are a father-and-son research team who specialize in generational differences and their impact on the workplace. David is Gen X, Jonah is Gen Z, and together they are helping today’s leaders understand the new generation.   This...

New year, new opportunities, new questions! We’re ringing in 2023 with more answers to the hundreds of questions our listeners sent in from all over the world.   This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on my work, check out:  simonsinek.com

A few weeks ago, I put out an open call on social media to see what questions my listeners have for me.  And there were a LOT of responses. So, as an end-of-the-year special, our next two episodes will be dedicated to answering your burning questions.   This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on my work, check out:  simonsinek.com

Remember how it was an incredible idea to get Brené Brown and Adam Grant on a call, have absolutely NO plan, and hit record? Well, this is the second part of that lovely, free-flowing conversation where we talk about creativity, leadership, and if the three of us love each other.   This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on  Brené and Adam's work, check out:  https://brenebrown.com/ https://adamgrant...

What separates exceptional ideas from good ideas?   Here’s an example of a good idea: Book two podcast guests and meticulously plan a conversation about creativity. Now, here’s an exceptional idea: Get Brené Brown and Adam Grant to join you on a call, have absolutely NO plan, and hit record.   This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on Brené and Adam's work check out:  https://brenebrown.com/ https:/...

Daring to be different feels risky. There’s constant pressure to “read the room” or “tone it down.” Kathryn Finney discovered at a young age that – when it comes to being authentic – the rewards are actually far greater than the risks. Kathryn is a model for how being yourself can get you ahead in both business and relationships. She is: an author, an entrepreneur, a fund manager, and a celebrated...

Turns out laughter isn't the best medicine. Medicine might not even be the best medicine. If you were to ask Dr Mark Hyman, he would tell you that food is the best medicine. Some would say Mark is a modern age miracle worker. In reality, he has figured out ways to help the body perform its own miracles. From curing diseases to extending our lifespans, his approach to wellness is unlike what most o...

Most of us think that social media is the bastion of our younger generations. Until a middle-aged woman named Janis Burl proved that assumption completely wrong. She oversaw the team that built the TSA’s Instagram account (yes, the TSA has an Instagram account and it’s brilliant) into one of the most popular accounts on Instagram. And the best part of her story is how she got the job. The non-line...

There’s something profound in life’s bitter moments. The transformative beauty of a sad song, the anguished past of a story’s hero, the unexpected turnout of a crowded funeral. Turns out we often need darkness in order to appreciate the light.   In our modern world, we focus so much on the pursuit of happiness that we often forego an appreciation of bitterness. Susan Cain has found a way to celebr...

You went to Harvard undergrad, you went to Harvard Law, you became a hot-shot Private Equity guy.  So your next move is obviously…? If you’re James Rhee, you walk away from all of it and discover what really makes a business grow: the intangibles. What started out as a six month project to help a company avoid liquidation turned into a seven year passion filled with new friends, compassion, and lo...

Don’t you hate it when you’re coasting along -- not a care in the world -- and then it feels like life comes out of nowhere and hits you like a car, almost paralyzing you? Well, for Pat Berges, that wasn’t just a feeling…that actually happened.   Like many of us, Pat is not a natural optimist. He had to learn how to find optimism during this dark period. Not only did it help him recover, but what...

It’s what all the poets write about, all the musicians sing about, and all the brokenhearted cry about. That’s right… It's time to talk about love.   I was lucky enough to talk to Francesca Hogi, a love coach and all around incredible person, about how we can traverse through the world of digital dating, rejection, and modern day love. So… care to join us? Great. It’s a date. This is… A Bit of Opt...

If you walk up to someone and say “you’re being unreasonable!” most people would be offended. Will Guidara, however, would take it as a compliment.   A renowned New York restaurateur, Will transformed Eleven Madison Park into the best restaurant in the world by reinventing how they offered hospitality....they made it unreasonable.   I had a chance to sit down and talk to him about how he learned t...

Some of the most successful people in the world all have a secret power. It’s not their experience or technical expertise that matter most – it’s their partnerships.    As the President and founding CEO of Virgin Unite, Jean Oelwang has had a ringside seat to remarkable people and how they build deep business and personal relationships.   She has spent over 15 years working with some of the world'...

We've all been told in our darkest times: "Don't worry this will get better"...but what happens if everything's going right? Should we be afraid that the other shoe will drop?     Well, for Adrian Grenier, the other shoe dropped. He was the star of Entourage, the biggest show on television for a decade. He had fame, money, and everything else.    Until one day when his girlfriend abruptly dumped h...

We all know a bit about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but which President was drunk at his inauguration?  Who was the first gay president?  And what kind of parent would name their kid “Millard Fillmore”? For this Presidents' Day, I called the brilliant Jeremy Deutsch, the king of presidential history, to drop some obscure presidential knowledge and give a couple hints about our president...

Can we ensure that we will stay happy through every phase of our lives? Arthur Brooks discovered that there is a clear fork in the road that we will all face at some point. Some of us will struggle to find lasting happiness and the other will only get happier as time passes. The trick is knowing what to do to get on the happy path.  The best part - Arthur tested his theory on himself…and it worked...

When people want to do good they often get stuck because they don’t know what they can do.  Mark Bustos figured out that to do good, all we need to do is what we are already good at, but to do it for someone else.  Mark is a hairstylist turned humanitarian who will inspire anyone who hears his story to give more.  This is…A Bit Of Optimism. For more information on Mark and his work check out:  htt...

Short packets of content. That’s the world we live in. We've condensed and compressed so much of what we consume that our entertainment and our news seem to have lost any nuance or complexity. And that’s a problem, because our world and our lives are nuanced and complex. Phoebe Robinson is a comedian, bestselling author, actress and producer who tries to capture the nuance and complexity of life i...

Less than 5% of major crimes end in a conviction. For cold cases, that number drops to 1%.       Those numbers won’t stay low forever.   David Mittelman’s company, Othram Inc., is revolutionizing DNA sequencing and, in the process, greatly reducing the number of “unsolvable” cases.    I called David to learn more about how the new technology works, what it means for the future of crime-fighting, a...