Simplify

Simplify is back on January 12, 2026! We’ve got a new look, we’re independent now, and we can’t wait to share new episodes with you every other Monday from January 12th onward. This episode features one of Caitlin's favorite-ever interviews, with Kathryn Mannix. To warm you up, we’re reissuing 5 of our favorite episodes. So, catch up on the great ideas you might’ve missed and get ready for Monday:...

Simplify is back on January 12, 2026! We’ve got a new look, we’re independent now, and we can’t wait to share new episodes with you every other Monday from January 12th onward. This episode features Liz Fosslien. To warm you up, we’re reissuing 5 of our favorite episodes. So, catch up on the great ideas you might’ve missed and get ready for Monday: you’ll hear from a cultural historian who will ch...

Simplify is back on January 12, 2026! We’ve got a new look, we’re independent now, and we can’t wait to share new episodes with you every other Monday from January 12th onward. This episode features Eli Finkel, and it's one of our personal favorites. To warm you up, we’re reissuing 5 of our favorite episodes. So, catch up on the great ideas you might’ve missed and get ready for Monday: you’ll hear...

Simplify is back on January 12, 2026! We’ve got a new look, we’re independent now, and we can’t wait to share new episodes with you every other Monday from January 12th onward.  To warm you up, we’re reissuing 5 of our favorite episodes. So, catch up on the great ideas you might’ve missed and get ready for Monday: you’ll hear from a cultural historian who will change the way you interact with the...

Simplify is back on January 12, 2026! We’ve got a new look, we’re independent now, and we can’t wait to share new episodes with you every other Monday from January 12th onward.  To warm you up, we’re reissuing 5 of our favorite episodes. So, catch up on the great ideas you might’ve missed and get ready for Monday: you’ll hear from a cultural historian who will change the way you interact with the...

You know a magical connection when you feel it—that undeniable magnetism that pulls you together for a fit that's as much like home as it is an adventure.  We see these sorts of connections in romcoms all the time, but they're not just relegated to the romcom realm. Magical connections happen in friendships, too, and Rhaina Cohen wants to dignify them.  This conversation with the  writer and NPR E...

Here's a chilling thought: experts are saying that we may soon be sustaining 100-year work lives. If that's true, then how many careers might we have? How will we know where to upskill? And how will we keep bagged lunches interesting for so many years?  Michelle R. Weise, researcher and author of Long Life Learning: Prepare for Jobs That Don't Even Exist Yet , offers ways to think through and prep...

Today, our guest is an award-winning beauty reporter and critic whom you might have stumbled upon while reading her super popular newsletter, The Unpublishable , which, as HuffPost says, "basically gives the middle finger to the entire beauty industry." Writing about what the beauty industry won’t tell you, Jessica DeFino has built an identity as a reporter on a mission to reform it. It all starte...

This week's episode of Simplify brings you a special collaboration: a conversation with Dhiraj Mukherjee, who is not only the entrepreneur behind Shazam (the app we all love and use so much!), but also a devoted impact investor focused on social good. Drawing from his experience at Shazam, Dhiraj learned firsthand that the best way to predict the future is to create it. That’s why today, his work...

Although we're at the tail end of 2024's symbolic new beginning, we're still confronted with the flood of discounted "detoxes," "cleanses," gym promotions touting a "New Year, new you," and the latest buzzword, "resets." Despite our desire to think that fad diets are relics of the past and that we have collectively moved away from diet culture, we may instead have fallen for a wolf in sheep's clot...

Today, we bring you Simplify's first ever crossover episode with the  #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: Acquired! For nearly 9 years David Rosenthal—today's guest—and his co-host Ben have been sharing the strategies and history of 200+ of the world's most successful businesses. From Sequoia to Sony, through to TSMC, Amazon, The New York Times, the NBA and Oprah, Acquired's hosts go...

In 1971, Joni Mitchell released Blue , an album teeming with stories of a life shaped by romance, desire, longing, and the default path of sharing life with another person. The ideal might persist to this day, but what happens if the romance we are  told will give life meaning... never shows up? How gorgeous and fulfilling can we make our lives, sans romantic partner?  Amy Key, the celebrated Brit...

What do people mean when they say, 'I'm a perfectionist'? The colloquial and widespread opinion would sound like this: A perfectionist is someone who desires everything to be perfect at all times and becomes upset when things aren't perfect. This definition is often followed by the (generic) advice that the best way for them to set themselves free is to get rid of their perfectionism. According to...

When we experience a traumatic event or decide to pursue healing, what often follows is the tendency to isolate and hide from the world. Shame, exclusion, and the feeling that no one understands remain intertwined with the term "healing." However, this can and should be different—and that 's the message licensed social worker and therapist Minaa B. is here to spread. "Owning Our Struggles," Minaa’...

We might say that “age is just a number,” but if we're really honest with ourselves, a lot of us still think of “old” people as stubborn hoarders who eat dinner (too) early and are forever talking about their aches and pains. Why is that? And could there be another way? These questions prompted Steven Petrow , an award-winning journalist and author to begin compiling a list of things he won’t do w...

In the post-pandemic era, the debate over whether or not to return to the office seems far from settled — and yet, the push to bring employees back to the office is growing more aggressive. Amazon issued a warning to staff not long ago. Google is factoring employees’ in-office attendance into their performance reviews. And ironically, working from home has been officially replaced by a return to t...

Our obsession with beauty and appearance may be deeply rooted, but at this moment, things seem to be reaching a whole new level. Facetune and features like skin smoothing, jaw reduction, and eye enhancement that are standard on social apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and even Zoom, as well as the ubiquitous advertisements for a flawless face and body, are turning our bodies into projects to work on for...

Hi! We're taking a publication break this week. But never fear—we'll be back next week with a new full episode! And while we're here, could you please review Simplify on Apple Podcasts ? New reviews help new listeners discover the show—which is good for everybody.  So, if Simplify means something to you, or has helped you over the years, or you’ve learned something and used it out in the world, co...

You were probably hired for your expertise in a certain domain: engineering, product management, paid marketing, or something else. But to be successful in an organization, there are other, secret skills outside your domain that nobody really teaches you—things like effectively communicating your ideas, assessing the business environment, collaborating with leadership, or deciding to leave your cu...

The systems we live in suggest that a successful human life depends on denying pain, endless hustle, stress, and sustaining trauma—and making it all look easy. The only problem is that human nature objects. Psychological and physical suffering seem to be increasing while illness and trauma continue to define how we live.  But, what's in it for our culture? Why and how do we breed disease—and why d...

It's a rarely questioned societal norm: feeling bad/mad/disappointed/scared/anxious? A substance (like alcohol) will give you the courage to face it. This is even more true for dating and sex, where we use alcohol as our first line of defense to find the liquid courage to open up to someone. But what happens when we step away, get sober curious, or simply start being more mindful with alcohol? Who...

So, what does it take to make the best working relationships? The same ingredients in any relationship, really: a big helping of bravery and the will to dig into deep conversations. There's more to it than that of course, and on this episode, Simplify favorite Michael Bungay Stanier takes Caitlin through it. This is a gentle-but-probing conversation in which you'll learn about the sweet spot betwe...

We are delighted to present a conversation with Stephanie Chandler, founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association and a successful author of several books, including The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan and The Nonfiction Book Marketing Plan .  In this episode, Stephanie shares her remarkable insights into all phases of the book-writing process and offers a sharp view of the publishing indu...

We're delighted to present a conversation with Natalie Lue, author of the wildly popular blog Baggage Reclaim (baggagereclaim.com) and five books, including the latest, "The Joy of Saying No," that will help you not only identify your people-pleasing style and habits, but also finally leave them behind. In this episode, Natalie shares her unmatched insights on the importance of boundaries and sayi...

Have you ever listened back to a recording of your voice and cringed at the amount of 'um's' 'uh's' and 'like's' you use?  In this episode, Valerie Fridland, linguist, researcher, and author of the book, 'Like, Literally, Dude' delves into the intricacies of speech habits and argues for the inherent value of these often-demonised words.  We explore why women are linguistic trend-setters, why some...