Smart People Podcast

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance and is the author of 11 bestselling books (out of 14!!!). His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes. Steven's newest book, Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad, is available now. Find...

Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown are adjunct professors of entrepreneurship at USC’s Marshall School of Business where they teach the popular class they created, “Sales Mindset for Entrepreneurs.” They are also authors, speakers, longtime sales professionals, and best friends who met while working at enterprise software startup Bitium, which they helped lead to an acquisition by Google. Garret and...

Stefan Falk is an internationally-recognized executive coach and human performance expert. A McKinsey & Company alumnus specializing in leadership and corporate transformation, he has trained over 4,000 leaders across more than 60 different client organizations in North America and Europe. Stefan's book, Intrinsic Motivation: Learn to Love Your Work and Succeed as Never Before, is available now! F...

Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. She takes a deep dive in examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood with the use of digital devices. She has published over 200 articles, and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI...

Marc Schulz is the associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and the Sue Kardas PhD 1971 Chair in Psychology at Bryn Mawr College. He also directs the Data Science Program and previously chaired the psychology department and Clinical Developmental Psychology PhD program at Bryn Mawr. Dr. Schulz received his BA from Amherst College and his PhD in clinical psychology from the Univ...

2022. It was quite the year. Jon's wife is having a baby! Chris is excited to rebrand! Join us as we discuss some of our favorite clips from 2022 and what we are looking forward to in 2023. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: RocketMoney - Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions right now at rocketmoney.com/...

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning writer, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist and freelance journalist. She writes for Harvard Business Review and her work has appeared in CNN, TIME, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Jennifer's book, Th...

Leigh Marz is an author, leadership coach, and collaboration consultant. She has led diverse initiatives, including a training program to promote an experimental mindset among multi-generational teams at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Justin Zorn has served as both a policymaker and a meditation teacher in the US Congress. On Capitol Hill, he served as Legislative Director to three Members...

Bethany Brookshire is a science writer and author. She is also a podcast host on the podcast Science for the People, where she interviews scientists and science writers about the science that will impact people’s lives. Bethany Brookshire's book, Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains, will be available on December 6, 2022. Learn more about Bethany Brookshire at bethanybrookshire.com. Support th...

Ben Valenta is the SVP of Strategy & Analytics for FOX Sports. In his previous life as a consultant, he advised an incredible array of clients, including: Nike, the NFL, Anheuser-Busch InBev, YouTube, ESPN, National Geographic, MSNBC, NBC News, Livestrong, the New York Knicks, and the New York Rangers. David Sikorjak is the founder of Dexterity Consulting, a strategy and analytics consultancy that...

Kristin Keffeler is the founder and principal for Illumination360 and the Chief Learning Officer for the Johnson Financial Group. Kristin graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Chemistry from the University of Denver. Kristin's book, The Myth of the Silver Spoon: Navigating Family Wealth and Creating an Impactful Life, will be available on Novembe...

Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn are the authors of, Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters, which is available on October 25th. Jeremy is the Director of Executive Education at Stanford d.school and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford's School of Engineering. He is the co-host of the d.school’s widely popular program “Stanford’s Masters of Creativity.” Perry is a co-founding member of Stanfor...

Christie Hunter Arscott is an award-winning advisor, speaker, and author. A Rhodes Scholar, Christie has been named by Thinkers50 as one of the top management thinkers likely to shape the future of business. Christie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brown University and two Master’s degrees with a focus on gender research from the University of Oxford. She currently serves on th...

Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo’s first ever Chief Design Officer. He joined the food & beverage corporation in 2012 and in said role he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands. These brands include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sodastream, Doritos, Lifewtr, bubly, Aquafina, Ch...

Will Storr is an award-winning writer and author of six books, including his newest, The Status Game. His journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Yorker and The New York Times. He has also been presented with the AIB Award for Best Investigative Documentary for his BBC radio series. Will's book, The Status Game, is available now! Learn more about Will at willstorr.com. S...

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance and has served as an executive coach to individuals in a variety of sectors. Steve received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and a graduate degree from George Mason University. He is the coauthor of Peak Performance, The Passion Paradox, and the author of The Science of Running. Collectively, his books have sold more th...

Kathryn Judge is a law professor, author, financial regulation expert, and mother of two. Kathryn joined the faculty at Columbia Law School in 2010 and currently serves as the Harvey J. Goldschmid Professor of Law. Her research shows how we can promote a more resilient and accountable financial system, and how regulatory design can enhance the legitimacy and efficacy of financial regulation. Kathr...

Eric Barker is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong, which has sold over half a million copies. Eric is also a sought-after speaker, having given talks at MIT, Yale, Google, the United States Military Central Command (CENTCOM), and the Olympic Training Center. Eric's newest...

Todd Kashdan is a two-time Smart People Podcast guest. As a Professor of Psychology and a leading educator to the public, Todd translates state-of-the-art science for practical application to improve our everyday lives. He is well-known for his energetic and disarming communication style. Awarded the 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association, Todd K...

Julie Winkle Giulioni is a champion for workplace growth and development. She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their potential. Julie is the co-author of the international bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want. Julie's newest book, Promotions Are So Yesterday: Redefine Career Development. Help Employees Thriv...

Avery Carl was named one of Wall Street Journal’s Top 100 and Newsweek’s Top 500 agents in 2020. She and her team at The Term Shop focus exclusively on Vacation Rental and Short Term Rental Clients, having closed well over 1 billion dollars in real estate sales. Avery has sold over $300 million in Short Term/Vacation Rentals since 2017. Avery's book, Short-Term Rental, Long-Term Wealth: Your Guide...

Dr. Chuck Ruby earned his Ph. D. in 1995 at Florida State University. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of military service as a criminal, counterintelligence, counterespionage special agent, and investigative psychologist in many capacities across the globe. Following his military career, Dr. Ruby has been a psychologist and coach in private practice.  Chuck's newest...

Kute Blackson is an inspirational speaker and transformational teacher. He is also the best-selling author of You. Are. The. One. Kute's newest book, The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go is available now! Learn more about Kute at: kuteblackson.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Sandl...

Dan Pink is the author of five New York Times bestsellers. Dan was host and co-executive producer of “Crowd Control,” a television series about human behavior on the National Geographic Channel. He also hosts a popular MasterClass on sales and persuasion. Dan's newest book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward is available now! Learn more about Dan at: danpink.com. Support th...

Dr. Becca Levy's research explores psychosocial factors that influence older individuals’ cognitive and physical functioning, as well as their longevity. She is credited with creating a field of study that focuses on how positive and negative age stereotypes, which are assimilated from the culture, can have beneficial and adverse effects, respectively, on the health of older individuals. Dr. Levy'...