"The minister of loneliness" | Sarah Kay
Host Elise Hugh introduces poet Sarah Kay, who performs a spoken word piece about loneliness, connection, and curiosity. Kay begins with a real statistic about suicide and COVID-19 in Japan and the creation of a government role called the "minister of loneliness." She then imagines, in poetic detail, what such a minister might do to reweave social bonds, from buddy systems and intergenerational contact to shared art, hotlines, and his own shy crush that keeps listeners engaged with life.
I Reached a Major Milestone! 8 Life-Changing Lessons I've Learned From Incredible Guests Along the Way
Jay Shetty celebrates reaching 5 million YouTube subscribers for On Purpose by revisiting powerful moments from past conversations with guests including Tom Holland, Kobe Bryant, Emma Watson, Madonna, Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez, and President Biden. The episode highlights lessons on sobriety and addiction, mastering fear, building relationships from wholeness, integrating spirituality with success, cultivating mature love, and coping with loneliness and grief through presence and family support.
I Did Nothing For 2 Weeks. It Made Me Better At Everything.
Two co-hosts catch up after one has a new baby and the other returns from his grandfather's funeral, leading into honest reflections on paternity leave, men's emotional experience with newborns, and how much time off is actually useful. They explore Aristotle's concept of flourishing, the value of leisure and dedicated thinking time, and how engineered rest and movement can produce creative breakthroughs, tying into one host's project to write concise "one-hour" books and the discipline required for deep work. The conversation then shifts to Paul Graham's framework for procrastination, the transformative power of a parent or grandparent instilling belief in a child, immigrant family stories, the modern scarcity of belonging versus information abundance, and a fast-growing group travel company that builds community and reduces loneliness.
Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa
In this live Pivot show from Brooklyn, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway interview Curtis Sliwa about his New York City mayoral campaign, alleged attempts by billionaires to bribe him out of the race, his animal rescue advocacy, the Guardian Angels, crime and policing, and his views on New York politics and Andrew Cuomo. Swisher and Galloway then discuss the congressional shutdown deal, Democratic strategy, and Trump's pardons, followed by a wide-ranging conversation on feminism and the workplace, universal childcare, masculinity, parenting, AI risks and regulation, and audience Q&A on marriage, kids, and technology. The episode closes with reflections on mentorship, male role models, and the importance of lifting up young men without demonizing masculinity.
Jay & Radhi Talk About Why Men Feel So Lonely
Jay Shetty and Radhi Devlikhia discuss why so many men feel lonely, drawing on recent research about a "friendship recession" and their own personal experiences. They explore how male friendships are often structured around activities rather than emotional sharing, the stigma men face when being vulnerable, and how online narratives about masculinity can discourage openness. They offer practical ideas for building deeper connections, reframing vulnerability as a strength, and intentionally cultivating a small circle of trusted friends.
Jays Must Listens: You're Approaching Dating Wrong! (Use THIS Blueprint to Attract the RIGHT Person) Ft. Vanessa Van Edwards & Jillian Turecki
Jay Shetty curates a masterclass-style episode on modern dating featuring insights from Vanessa Van Edwards, Jillian Turecki, Sadia Khan, and Laurie Gottlieb. The guests explain how subtle body language and vocal cues signal availability, why impatience and fear of rejection sabotage dating, and how self-esteem shapes who we entertain rather than who we attract. They emphasize honesty about needs, resisting future-tripping, and focusing on present behavior and conflict repair to build relationships that are healthy and sustainable.
What Loneliness Does To Your Brain with Ben Rein
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O'Reilly, and Chuck interview neuroscientist Ben Rein about what loneliness and social isolation do to the brain and body. They distinguish between objective isolation and the subjective feeling of loneliness, explain the stress and inflammatory pathways involved, and discuss how personality, aging, technology, and drugs like alcohol, painkillers, and MDMA affect social behavior and health. Rein also shares research on empathy, dogs and oxytocin, and practical ideas for rebuilding social connection in an increasingly automated world.
TED Talks Daily Book Club: You are not alone in your loneliness | Jonny Sun (re-release)
Host Elise introduces a re-release of Johnny Sun's 2019 TED talk, framing it within a current TED Talks Daily virtual read-along of Oliver Berkman's book about embracing limitations and the feelings of loneliness that can surface when we sit with ourselves. In his illustrated talk, writer and artist Johnny Sun uses the story of an alien named Jomny and his own experiences of feeling alienated to explore how vulnerability, online sharing, and small moments of connection can make us feel less alone in our loneliness. He reflects on both the harms and the redemptive potential of social media, emphasizing the power of micro-communities and brief human connections as tiny slivers of light in a chaotic world.
Most Replayed Moment: Why Does Commitment Feel So Scary? How to Build a Strong, Lasting Relationship
The host and an unnamed relationship expert discuss whether traditional institutions like marriage and the nuclear family still make sense in modern society, examining both their social functions and personal trade-offs. They explore what actually predicts satisfaction in long-term partnerships, emphasizing individual well-being, resilience, and open-mindedness over rigid value alignment. The conversation also covers gendered dating preferences, evolutionary versus socialized drivers of attraction, and how self-esteem and societal narratives shape who we choose and how we evaluate potential partners.
Quinlan Walther: Stop Chasing Love Just Because You're Lonely! (Do THIS to Attract the RIGHT Relationship)
Jay Shetty interviews relationship coach and writer Quinlan Walther about how to stop chasing love from a place of loneliness and instead build the self-trust and clarity needed to choose healthy relationships. They discuss the difference between wanting and being ready for a relationship, the four C's of self-trust, emotional safety and growth in partnership, compatibility versus chemistry, patterns rooted in childhood wounds, boundaries, and how to navigate heartbreak. The conversation emphasizes accountability, values-based decisions, and seeing love as an ongoing action rather than just a feeling.
The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O'Reilly, and Chuck Nice interview social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about his book "The Anxious Generation" and the mental health crisis among Gen Z. Haidt argues that a combination of overprotected, low-risk real-world childhoods and underprotected exposure to smartphones and social media has driven sharp rises in anxiety, depression, self-harm, and loneliness, especially among girls. He outlines evidence for the crisis, explains developmental brain mechanisms, details platform-specific harms, and proposes four social norms and policy changes to roll back the "phone-based childhood," while warning about emerging AI chatbot toys aimed at children.
No. 1 Sugar Expert: 17 Seconds Of Pleasure Can Rewire Your Brain!
Dr. Robert Lustig explains how dopamine-driven behaviors and ultra-processed food, especially sugar, can create a "hostage brain" by rewiring reward pathways and degrading metabolic and brain health. He details mechanisms linking sugar, artificial sweeteners, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reactive oxygen species to Alzheimer's, cancer, depression, and other chronic diseases, while contrasting environmental versus genetic risk. The conversation also covers GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, vaccines and public health communication, loneliness, serotonin and oxytocin, practical strategies to reduce sugar and ultra-processed food, and emerging research on psychedelics and brain rewiring.
Your Brain on ChatGPT with Nataliya Kosmyna
The hosts speak with MIT Media Lab research scientist Natalia Kozmina about her study "Your brain on ChatGPT," which investigated how using large language models (LLMs) for essay writing affects brain activity, memory, and sense of ownership compared with using a search engine or no tools. They discuss her findings on reduced functional connectivity when using ChatGPT, more homogeneous writing, weaker recall, and diminished ownership, and explore broader implications for cognitive load, education, professional skills (such as medicine), mental health, AI companions, and the need for ethical guardrails and human‑focused research around AI and future brain‑computer interfaces.