The Jordan Harbinger Show

Neil Woods ( @wudzee0 ) spent 14 years as an undercover drugs operative, gaining the trust of some of the most violent, unpredictable criminals in Britain. Now he's an active member of the international drug policy reform movement, and author of Good Cop, Bad War and Drug Wars . What We Discuss with Neil Woods: The complex logistics of undercover law enforcement operations . The skills of persuasi...

Are the diet pills and supplements you take to offset that midnight chalupa habit doing you any favors? You wouldn't be alone in wondering. All over the world, people buy pills or supplements in hopes of preventing disease, improving their health, and losing weight. But do any of them really work? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-che...

Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. While you're smart enough to know the house always wins when wagering, you have a sneaking suspicion that the girlfriend doesn't. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it,...

Martin Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Positive Psychology Network. He is the author of 20+ books including Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child ; his latest (co-authored with Gabriella Rosen Kellerman) is Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection ? Now and in an Uncertain Future...

Michael Santos ( @MichaelGSantos ) survived 26 years as a federal prisoner, hosts the Prison Professors podcast, and is the author of Earning Freedom!: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term . What We Discuss with Michael Santos: How Michael Santos got sentenced to 45 years in federal prison when he was just 23 years old — not for committing a violent crime, but for establishing himself as a cocaine ent...

While mandated by some religious and cultural traditions for thousands of years, and not without certain benefits to health, is circumcising newborns before they're old enough to consent wrong ? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought abo...

Sexually abused by your own brother at a young age, and aware of your own proclivities to possibly abuse others younger than yourself, you wonder if seeking therapy to alleviate how you feel might get you in trouble if you ever sought security clearance for a government job. What should you do? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @JordanHarbinger...

Marina Nemat ( @marinanemat ) is a human rights activist who survived torture and imprisonment in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution. She chronicled her ordeals in Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison . What We Discuss with Marina Nemat: How life for women in Iran prior to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution mirrored their contemporaries in...

Forrest Galante ( @ForrestGalante ) is a wildlife biologist, conservationist, co-host of The Wild Times Podcast , and TV presenter for Extinct or Alive  and Mysterious Creatures . He is also the author of Still Alive: A Wild Life of Rediscovery . What We Discuss with Forrest Galante: What happened when an Amazonian shaman insisted Forrest snort an unknown powder from a monkey bone to keep him safe...

Every year around Halloween, millions of teenagers, drunk adults, and terrified believers gather around Ouija boards to contact "The Other Side." We've all been a part of it, and we know we weren't moving that little thing, but it was definitely moving. So what’s really going on here? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedia...

Your creepy brother-in-law has been using explicit pictures of you — which he obtained through a nanny cam he secretly installed in your bedroom eight years ago — to anonymously threaten you with blackmail. Your sister was in the process of divorcing him and turned his laptop over to the police as evidence, but you fear she may be getting back together with him and may no longer be willing to coop...

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics . [This is part two of a two-part episode. Find part one here !] What We Discuss with Alastair Smith: How do...

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics . [This is part one of a two-part episode. Please check back later in the week for part two!] What We Discus...

Are you dead wrong to trust the funeral industry in having your best interests at heart when it's time to shuffle off your mortal coil? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On Th...

A number of red flags have you rethinking the effectiveness of your shrink. Shouldn't they make you feel more capable of facing the world and understanding your place in it instead of less capable and more confused ? Is it time for you to shop for a newer, better therapist? We'll try to help you answer this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger...

Mark Manson  ( @IAmMarkManson ) is the New York Times  bestselling author of  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck , and the subject of a new feature film that goes by the same name. What We Discuss with Mark Manson: Mark and Jordan discuss how they evolved beyond their roots in the seedy pickup artist (PUA) scene to help people from all walks of life transcend insecurities and discover their true...

Florence Williams ( @flowill ) is a journalist and the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative , Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History , and Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey . What We Discuss with Florence Williams: How "real" is heartbreak? Real enough that our brains react to the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way they react t...

Is chocolate your guilty pleasure? Until you listen to this episode, we can almost guarantee you're not feeling guilty enough about it! But don't fret, because we'll also provide resources to help alleviate some of that guilt and allow you to become part of the problem's solution! Welcome to Skeptical Sunday , a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian,...

If the people back home choose to believe negative stereotypes about your true love from another land and the nature of your relationship, it's a damn shame — for them. On this Feedback Friday, we'll delve into why it's almost always okay to blow off the cockamamie opinions of people who should probably be minding their own business! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger ( @Jord...

Mitch Lowe ( @mitch__lowe ) is a co-founding executive of Netflix, the former CEO of MoviePass, the former president of Redbox, and the author of Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass ? Lessons in Disruption . [This is part two of a two-part episode. You can find part one here !] What We Discuss with Mitch Lowe: How Netflix tested, marketed, and ma...

Mitch Lowe ( @mitch__lowe ) is a co-founding executive of Netflix, the former CEO of MoviePass, the former president of Redbox, and the author of Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass ? Lessons in Disruption . [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!] What We Discuss with Mitch Lowe: How Mitch's first...

Your adoptive mom is a narcissistic homophobe whose big concern when you disclosed that you'd been sexually abused by family members was how this would make other people think about her . You've since gone on to become an accomplished writer with friends in high places, but your family has always taken your mother's twisted side over yours and made you feel terrible about yourself. How can you now...

Ramy Romany ( @ramyromany ) is an Emmy Award-winning DGA director and cinematographer, a world-renowned Egyptologist, and the co-author of Conspired: The Evil One Shall Not Live Again . Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/784 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and re...

Apolo Ohno ( @ApoloOhno ) is a retired American short-track speed skater, an eight-time Olympic medalist, the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time, and the author of Hard Pivot: Embrace Change. Find Purpose. Show Up Fully. What We Discuss with Apolo Ohno: How Apolo's single dad helped him constructively channel his genetic proclivities toward athleticism and abundance of energy — an...

Now that your mother-in-law is in hospice, you're worried that your unstable brother-in-law — whose uncomfortable attachment to her makes Norman Bates look like John Boy Walton — is set to go literally ballistic against you and your husband (who has been handling her financial affairs) when she finally passes. Should you skip the funeral, or rent a couple of bulletproof vests and hope for the best...