Selects: How Black Friday Works
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant examine the origins, evolution, and current state of Black Friday in the United States. They trace how the day after Thanksgiving became associated with holiday shopping through department store parades, how the term "Black Friday" arose from Philadelphia police and transportation workers, and how retailers later reshaped its meaning into a profit narrative. The hosts discuss the economics of holiday retail, doorbuster tactics and their risks, violent and deadly crowd incidents, worker and scheduling issues around Thanksgiving openings, and counter-movements like Buy Nothing Day and China's Singles Day.
Will AI make humans useless? | Akram Awad
Host Elise Hu introduces AI futurist Akram Awad, who explores how artificial intelligence may not only displace jobs but also trigger a deeper crisis of identity and purpose. Awad argues that as AI automates more work, societies must decouple human worth from economic productivity and build new systems that value contribution, connection, and meaning. He proposes a framework of future human roles-guardians, adapters, and pioneers-and outlines changes needed in compensation, education, emotional infrastructure, and cultural norms to support purpose in the age of AI.
Selects: Rockettes: Still Kicking After All These Years
Hosts Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant explore the history and inner workings of the Rockettes, from their origins as the Missouri Rockets inspired by the British Tiller Girls to their long residence at Radio City Music Hall. They cover how precision dance works, the troupe's role in saving Radio City, the grueling but coveted life of a modern Rockette, and controversies around representation and political performances. The episode also touches on updates to the show under director Linda Haberman and ends with a listener story about participating as a mock victim in a search-and-rescue dog exercise.
Emma Grede: #1 Trick Successful People Use Every Day (THIS Will Open Doors You Didn't Know Existed!)
In this live conversation, Jay Shetty interviews entrepreneur Emma Grede about overcoming self-doubt, navigating the structural barriers women face in business, and building confidence through action and excellence. Emma shares how focusing on what she does best, asking for help, and embracing trade-offs has allowed her to grow multiple companies while raising four children. Together they explore redefining success on your own terms, the power of focus and self-talk, and end with a live coaching session where Emma advises an audience member on how to start testing her TV show concept immediately at a small scale.
How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking | Advait Sarkar
Researcher Advett Sarkar argues that current AI tools risk turning knowledge workers into passive validators, weakening creativity, critical thinking, memory, and metacognition. He proposes a different paradigm where AI is designed as a "tool for thought" that preserves material engagement, offers productive resistance, and scaffolds thinking. Using a prototype scenario, he shows how AI provocations, lenses, and structured outlining can help people work faster while actually thinking more deeply, and he closes with a call to prioritize human agency and cognitive flourishing in AI design.
Selects: How Personality Tests Work
Josh and Chuck explore the history and mechanics of personality tests, focusing on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Big Five traits, the Rorschach test, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). They discuss how these instruments were developed, how they are used in workplaces and legal settings, and the major scientific criticisms around their validity, reliability, and potential for misuse. The episode also touches on how people relate to labels, why these tests feel accurate, and ends with an email about anxiety, productivity guilt, and stepping away from television.
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.
A new experiment in remote work ... from the inside
Planet Money examines Maine's experiment with allowing incarcerated people to hold remote jobs for market-rate wages, focusing on the stories of grants coordinator Darlene George and software engineer Preston Thorpe. Reporter Susan Sharon and Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty explain how prison education led to remote work opportunities, how earnings are handled and prioritized for restitution and fees, and the ethical debates and incentive problems that arise when prisons collect a share of those wages. The episode contrasts Maine's guarded approach with Alabama's far more extractive system, and explores what this could mean for recidivism, victims, and the future of prison labor.
Stop Chasing Payments and Choose Freedom
Rachel Cruze and Dr. John Deloney take live calls about personal finance decisions, focusing on getting out of debt, avoiding family entanglements with money, and choosing long‑term peace over short‑term comfort. Callers grapple with unaffordable car loans, oversized mortgages, backsliding after becoming debt‑free, how to ask for a raise, whether to file bankruptcy, and how to support kids through college without loans. The hosts emphasize personal responsibility, selling assets when necessary, clear boundaries with friends and partners, and following a step‑by‑step plan toward financial stability and freedom.
How to Communicate With Confidence & Ease (From Harvard Business School's #1 Professor)
Mel Robbins interviews Harvard Business School professor and behavioral scientist Allison Wood Brooks about the science of communication. Brooks explains her TALK framework (Topics, Asking, Levity, Kindness) for improving conversations in every area of life, along with the critical role of listening and perspective-taking. They discuss practical strategies for topic preparation, asking better questions, managing status and group dynamics, handling interruptions and belittling comments, and shifting unhelpful communication patterns in relationships.
#621 - Andrew Santino
Theo Von and comedian Andrew Santino catch up about touring, filming stand-up specials, and the intense pressure that comes with trying to "capture lightning in a bottle" on camera. They discuss Theo's turbulent Netflix taping, mental health struggles, paranoia after a government video used his clip, and the way online media distorted what happened. The conversation widens into technology and AI, Saudi and Qatari comedy festivals, hypocrisy in public outrage, aging, family, community, and what to do when having children may not be in the cards.
Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One? (Update)
Stephen Dubner revisits the question of whether companies run by co-CEOs perform better than those with a single chief, exploring both supportive evidence and strong skepticism. CEO advisor Mark Feigen and several current and former co-CEOs describe the benefits and pitfalls of shared leadership, while Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld critiques the model as creating role confusion and undermining decisive authority. Computer scientist Lori Williams adds evidence from pair programming, showing how working in pairs can improve quality and satisfaction, raising the broader question of when two leaders might truly be better than one.
Masterclass: How to go from founder to CEO (without imploding)
Sam and Sean discuss how a startup's growth is constrained by the founder's psychology and development as a leader, especially after the brute-force phase ends around a few million in revenue. They contrast abdicating versus properly delegating, share concrete management frameworks (like RACI and feedback methods), and talk about building culture through real, lived values rather than slogans. In the second half, they examine how repeat founders exploit their edge talents by running the same proven playbook in similar industries, highlighting multiple examples of entrepreneurs who "speedrun" the same business model to build multiple large companies.
Reframing the Battle of Wills
Host Shankar Vedantam talks with psychologist Stuart Ablon about why attempts to change others' behavior often fail when we assume the problem is a lack of motivation or willpower. Ablon explains how many challenging behaviors arise from lagging cognitive, emotional, and social skills, and describes his collaborative problem solving approach that emphasizes empathy, identifying unmet concerns, and jointly generating solutions. He illustrates the method with cases from psychiatric hospitals, juvenile detention, families, and workplaces, and discusses research showing it reduces challenging behavior and builds skills in both the people being helped and the helpers themselves.
Jürgen Klopp: Would You Go Back To Manage LFC...? The Real Reason I Fell In Love With Liverpool!
Jürgen Klopp discusses his upbringing in Germany, the contrasting influences of his caring mother and demanding father, and how those experiences shaped his competitive mindset, work ethic, and confidence. He explains his evolution from an average player and early father working multiple jobs to a successful manager at Mainz, Dortmund, and Liverpool, focusing heavily on individualized leadership, team culture, pressing football, and learning from failure. Klopp also talks about turning down Manchester United, choosing Liverpool, coping with grief and burnout, leaving Liverpool, his current non-coaching role, his faith, and how he thinks about the possibility of one day returning to management.
Can AI make us more human? A social psychologist and a business leader answer | Heidi Grant and Barry Cooper
Host Elise Hu introduces a conversation from the TED Intersections series in which social psychologist Heidi Grant and business leader Barry Cooper discuss how AI can support human learning, decision-making, and connection. They explore the importance of a growth mindset in a rapidly changing AI-driven workplace, how AI can transform feedback and training, and the emerging skill of prompt engineering. They also reflect on AI's role in personal habits, social media, and creative content, and where human empathy and shared experience will remain essential.
Exhausted From Being a People Pleaser? Use THIS 0-10 Rule to Say "No" Without Guilt
In this live conversation, Jay Shetty shares his journey from speaking to empty college rooms to building a leading wellness platform, emphasizing his mission of making wisdom go viral. He explains frameworks for reframing adversity, protecting energy while being of service, and setting boundaries using a personal 0-10 scale for what truly matters. The discussion also explores why audio feels uniquely intimate, how to use AI without losing human soul, what he learned from three years as a monk, and how marketers and creators can rekindle childlike creativity.
3 simple ways to build stronger relationships at work | Alyssa Birnbaum
Organizational psychologist Alyssa Birnbaum explains how high-quality connections at work significantly influence engagement, burnout, and well-being, especially in remote and hybrid environments. Drawing on her research and personal experiences, she shows that even a single high-quality interaction can boost engagement and that video conversations can foster connection similarly to in-person meetings. She then offers three concrete practices-expanding dialogue, finding overlap, and showing genuine care-and emphasizes the responsibility of leaders to intentionally create space for meaningful connection at work.
Secret Agent (Evy Poumpouras): Never Be Yourself At Work! Authenticity Is Quietly Sabotaging You! - Evy Poumpouras
Former U.S. Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras discusses why over-identifying with past trauma and 'authenticity' can disempower people, arguing instead for radical acceptance of reality, emotional self-regulation, and personal responsibility. She explains concepts like cognitive load, decision fatigue, and the 'iceberg' model of personality, and shares lessons from presidents and law enforcement on confidence, communication, and decision-making under pressure. The conversation also explores victim mindsets, boundaries in relationships and work, the dangers of low-vibration environments, and how online culture and algorithms are amplifying polarization and political violence.
Inside WWE's storytelling machine | Paul "Triple H" Levesque
Paul "Triple H" Levesque discusses how WWE blends athleticism, storytelling, and character to create a unique form of entertainment that emotionally engages a massive global audience. In conversation with Patrick Talty, he explains WWE's creative process, media partnerships, and the importance of family, presence, and health, including his work on the President's Fitness Council. He also reflects on his own journey from childhood fan to performer to chief content officer, and how WWE's stories can inspire resilience and connection for fans around the world.