Simplify

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...

We're thrilled to present a dynamic conversation with Robert Glazer, bestselling author and transformative leadership expert. With deep insights drawn from his revolutionary book, 'Elevate Your Team', Glazer demystifies the four capacities essential to extraordinary team performance. In this episode Glazer shares his unique take on the 'work smarter, not harder' philosophy, offering fresh perspect...

We're kicking off Simplify's relaunch with our first-ever two person interview! This lively, probing conversation with Being Well 's Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson—a bestselling author and psychologist and also Forrest's dad—digs into common misconceptions in the mental health and self-growth space.  They address the maybe-bogus notion that "until you love yourself, you can't love anyone else,...

Being a parent is a big, beautiful, very tough job—which actually might benefit from some of the skills you usually practice when you’re at work!  Economist and parenting guru extraordinaire Emily Oster joins Ben to talk about family decision-making: how much infrastructure you really need in your family, your family unit’s mission statement, and why sometimes, you’ve just gotta let your kid eat a...

We've been listening. You told us through our survey that you wanted more tools, more ways to make what you learn with Simplify concrete. And so: here's exactly that! In this short bonus exercise—a companion to the Ev'Yan Whitney episode, Listen to Your Body, which was released on the same day as this bonus and will be in your feed—Ev'Yan, somatic practitioner and sensuality doula, walks you throu...

It’s true of almost all of us: we take our bodies for granted. We force them into uncomfortable positions, we push them long after they’re tired, we starve them for aesthetics—and a million more awful things we wouldn’t do to a friend.  One thing we don’t often do to our bodies? Listen to them. And if we did, wow, what we’d learn! This episode is with Ev’Yan Whitney, somatic practitioner, sensuali...

Being an adult: what does that actually mean? Is it paying taxes? Making your own doctor’s appointments? Owning a home? It's probably all of that stuff, but: what's the more important personal evolution stuff that makes us grownups—no matter if we're 21 or 65?  In this episode, Julie Lythcott-Haims, former Dean of freshmen and undergrad advising at Stanford and a best-selling author, walks Caitlin...

We’ve been making Simplify pretty much the same way since 2017: we focus on a great book and its author, and try to dig out the most helpful ideas. Nearly six years in, we’re wondering: how might we make Simplify even better for all of you? So, we thought we'd ask! Click this link to take the survey: https://try.blinkist.com/simplify-learner-survey/   [1]  Tell us what  you're curious about lately...

Want to skip this year’s tsunami of New Year’s hacks, tips, and tricks that don’t even work? We’ve got you covered with just what you need for the new year—and nothing you don't.  In this episode, we’ve distilled powerful ideas and approaches from our 3 most popular, impactful episodes. And since we spend all our time divided between focusing on ourselves, our relationships, and our work, we’ll ho...

Imagine having a mentor that’s available 24/7 to advise you on whatever challenge life puts in front of you—wouldn’t that be nice? In this bonus episode, Ken Page guides you through The Inner Mentor Process™ , a guided meditation practice. In this practice, you'll find you're able to bypass your inner critic and get a message from your own personal mentor, a mentor who is always there, ready to sh...

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the things you need to juggle in order to be a good... anything? A good partner, a good parent, a good worker, a good friend? And in the end, it feels like you never have enough time and energy to focus on what really matters to YOU? In this final episode of Season 7, Tiffany Dufu invites you to stop being "good" and drop the ball . Tiffany is the author...

Are you single—or in a relationship—and keep falling for people who almost love you right, but not quite? There's a reason why that happens, and Ken Page has figured out the formula behind these deeper physics of dating. Ken is a psychotherapist specialized in the search for intimacy, and author of the book Deeper Dating: How to Drop the Games of Seduction and Discover the Power of Intimacy ( http...

Did you know that 50% of the time the tone over email, Slack, and text is misunderstood? This is because in the digital world, the cues we would usually send with our bodies are missing—facial expressions, gestures, vocal tone—and that can cause a lot of misunderstandings. And this is why Erica Dhawan, the author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance h...