The Business Case for Good Manners with etiquette coach William Hanson
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Good manners aren’t just about being polite — they’re about making other people feel seen.Will...
Live Like You Have 2 Years Left with dancer and cancer survivor Angela Trimbur
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You have two years left to live. What would you do?That's a real question Angela Trimbur had to answ...
The Quiet Power of the Empathetic Leader with Navy SEAL turned rowing coach Gordon Schmidt
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When morale problems affect a team, some leaders choose to make a big, rousing speech. But quite oft...
Your Unhappy Brain Needs Some Assistance with happiness expert Mo Gawdat
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happiness is a choice. But it’s not always an easy choice to make.Mo Gawdat had to face an impossi...
We All Get Cancelled One Day with Somebody Feed Phil’s Phil Rosenthal
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🚨 Chomp Alert! 🚨We saw your comments — loud and crunchy. Turns out not everyone wants fron...
The Extraordinary Magic of Ordinary People with author Brad Meltzer
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Magic moments do happen in real life. If you ask Brad Meltzer, magic happens when ordinary people ch...
This Is... A Bit of Optimism
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’...
Ask Yourself "What If?" with Milk Bar Founder Christina Tosi
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if this podcast turned into a baking show?For Christina Tosi’s third visit to A Bit of Optimi...
Revisited: Love Is Not Enough with couples therapist Shawn McBride
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking some time off to bring you even more episodes of A Bit of Optimism that you're going to...
Revisited: The Secret to Happiness with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking some time off to bring you even more episodes of A Bit of Optimism that you're going to...
Where Is Simon Going? with journalist Cal Fussman
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes in life, we must stop and ask ourselves, “Where am I you going next?” Other times, it’...
The Cure for Nihilism with professor Suzy Welch
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes in life, we choose the wrong path. When we feel like we're living a lie, it's hard to know...
(PART 2) The Climb Out of Pain is Taller Than Everest with National Geographic photographer Cory Richards
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
*Please note: At 9:01, Simon and Cory have a discussion about suicide.What happens after we attain s...
(PART 1) The Climb Out of Pain is Taller Than Everest with National Geographic photographer Cory Richards
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when we reach the top? There’s only one place to go.Cory Richards has scaled the worl...
Find Your Allies Fast with philanthropist Melinda French Gates
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Change happens to all of us whether we choose it or not. What’s the best way to go through transit...
Who Are You, Really? with journalist Maria Shriver
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often define ourselves by what we do or who we are to other people. But at our core, who we are i...
The Search for Self-Love with podcaster Lewis Howes
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Self-love is never as easy as we think. Is it possible to fall in love with ourselves the way we fal...
Revisited: Why Awkward Is Awesome with psychologist Ty Tashiro
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Bit of Optimism is on hiatus this week, so we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations! I...
Does Gender Change How We Lead? with Retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is there such a thing as female leadership? Or is gender not a factor?DeDe Halfhill would say yes an...
The Myth of the Perfect Meditator with podcaster Jay Shetty
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We turn to ancient philosophies to help us cope with the stress of modern life. But what if ancient ...
When Your 'Flaw' Becomes Your Edge with Comedian Hasan Minhaj
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To recognize your own talent takes time and self-awareness. But to find the courage to pursue it? Th...
Humble Leaders Lead Better Teams with Retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most people believe the only way to lead is to become the best at something. But what if great leade...
A Sweet Conversation About Dying with Death Doula Alua Arthur
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Death is a word we like to avoid. We dance around the subject or use vague euphemisms to not hurt an...
The Secret Art of Micromanagement with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People aren’t born great leaders. They learn to become great leaders.For Brian Chesky, the learnin...
You Are More Like Grammy-Winner Jacob Collier Than You Think
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To create something truly original, do we build something new or break what came before? Perhaps the...
Kids (And Employees) Know More Than You Think with Dr. Becky Kennedy
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting is the hardest job in the world—and it turns out, it’s also one of the best training g...
Spite Is The Greatest Motivator with Watch Duty founder John Mills
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When the wildfires struck Los Angeles, turmoil quickly consumed the city. People were desperate for ...
The First Steps to Reducing Your Anxiety with author Mel Robbins
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life can feel overwhelming, especially when we're too drained to even get out of bed. So, how do we ...
The Cure for Loneliness with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions. Where do we go to feel like we belong?As the Surgeon Ge...
Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s our last episode of 2024, so I decided to invite comedian Trevor Noah on…to get as serious ...
Should You Work With Your Friends? with my friend Will Guidara
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They say business and pleasure don’t mix. But what about business and friends?My dear friend Wil...
The Secret to Happiness with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to live a happy life, but what does research say about how to actually achieve it? For ...
The First Steps to Find Love with Matthew Hussey
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding love is a journey. We might take some wrong turns along the way.Matthew Hussey helps people ...
Dr. Mark Hyman: To Live Longer You Need...
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Close friends are the best thing for your health. Friendship, it turns out, is one of life’s best ...
Alexis Ohanian: Why I Left Reddit and Why Greed Can Inspire Good
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from his own company in protest. After 15 years b...
What can we learn from a rural school in Kenya? with principal Carol Moraa
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kenya's Maasai Mara is rugged, beautiful, and tough. Values are everything for the people who live i...
Peace Is A Process with negotiation expert William Ury
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peace is a process, not an outcome. It's a process that must begin with understanding the other side...
Creating Astonishment with Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Astonishment. A feeling of amazement so powerful you have to stop in wonder. As President and CEO o...
A Lifetime of Leadership with President Joe Biden
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership is deeply personal. As people change, the way they lead has to change, too.Few leaders ha...
Revisited: How To Be A Friend with chef and entrepreneur Christina Tosi
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Friends can help us get through life’s toughest moments. But a true friend remembers to smile abou...
Revisited: Molly's Game with Molly Bloom
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some people’s life stories are too crazy not to tell. So today, we’re revisiting one of my favor...
Revisited: We Cannot Heal Alone In The Loneliness Epidemic with Rabbi Sharon Brous
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grief can paralyze us. Most of us aren't given a manual about how to comfort someone grieving or how...
Confident Ignorance with rapper, novelist, and filmmaker Logic
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vision, not skill, is the heart of creativity. But when a creative vision gets too big for one perso...
Wealth Is Togetherness with community organizer Kennedy Odede
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The slums of Kenya are a tough place to grow up. Stealing a mango could get you killed.Kennedy Odede...
Landing Moonshots with Google's Innovation Chief Dr. Astro Teller
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Before Elon Musk rebranded Twitter, X was already in use — at Google. Google X was Google's secret...
Creativity Is Connection with poet IN-Q
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Business and poetry usually don't mix. But vulnerability has the power to bring teams together.Poet ...
The Smell of Memory with scent designer Dawn Goldworm
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our sense of smell has the deepest tie to emotion and memory. But it's also the most overlooked. In ...
Mastery is an Infinite Game with performance psychologist Mike Gervais
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fierce competition can lead to burnout. How do we train ourselves to maintain excellence without giv...
Breaking Tradition with cellist Anastasia Kobekina
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Classical music could use a little disruption. For Anastasia Kobekina, that means playing outside of...
How to Breathe Out Fear with freediver Li Karlsen
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Courage isn't about bravado. It's about staying calm. Li Karlsen knows a lot about staying calm und...
More Thinking About Thinking with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part Two
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2 of our conversation, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and I continue our journey of out loud self...
Thinking About Thinking with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part One
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To become more self-aware, sometimes you need a friend. Two friends is even better.Brené Brown and ...
The War On The Young with Professor Scott Galloway
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Building wealth is an unequal pursuit. Scott Galloway believes no one is getting more screwed financ...
Moral Courage with Diane Foley, mother of executed journalist James Foley
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seven years after ISIS killed her son, Diane Foley met with one of his killers. Somehow, she was abl...
Humble Confidence with veteran and entrepreneur Blake Hall
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Humility stems from confidence. Confident leaders can admit when they're not the smartest person in ...
The Ultimate Infinite-Minded CEO with Trek Bicycle CEO John Burke
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The jump from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue doesn't happen overnight. Over 25 years, John Bu...
Be Necessary with war journalist Sebastian Junger
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
War reporters risk their lives to document conflict. And yet, after a career living on battlefields,...
Invention is Reinvention with entrepreneur Eric Ryan
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a company from scratch isn't easy. Doing it multiple times seems downright impossible.Eric ...
The Definition of Success with author Neil Strauss
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2005, Neil Strauss published The Game, a book about his years living in the pickup artist communi...
Happily Friended with author Rhaina Cohen
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Society treats marriage like the end goal of human intimacy. Platonic friends can never be as import...
How To Eat with Glucose Goddess Jessie Inchauspé
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's not just what we eat but how we eat it that counts. Eating the same meal in a different order c...
Love Is Not Enough with couples therapist Shawn McBride
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Relationships are hard. No matter how much we like, respect, or love someone, conflict seems inevita...
We Cannot Heal Alone with Rabbi Sharon Brous
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness is now an epidemic, with devastating impacts on our health. How can we rekindle the deep ...
Ideas That Stick with advertising legend Lee Clow
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Apple's "1984" commercial, the Energizer Bunny, and the launch of Air Jordans all have one thing in ...
The Anxious Generation with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety disorders affect Gen Z at astronomically higher rates than previous generations. There's ple...
How to Live to 100 with Blue Zones explorer Dan Buettner
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us would count ourselves lucky to live to age 80. And yet, there are places on Earth where p...
Going To Mars with NASA director Laurie Leshin
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the private space industry races to colonize space for profit, where does NASA fit in to the equa...
Four Years in Solitary Confinement with political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If great leaders are those willing to suffer for their beliefs, Leopoldo Lopez is certainly a great ...
Redemption with charity founder Scott Harrison
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Life as a nightclub promoter in New York City was an unending cycle of drinking, drugs, models, and ...
Supercommunicators with journalist Charles Duhigg
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Great communicators aren't born that way. They're self-made.Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winni...
Community Starts at Home with author Alexandra Hudson
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a divided society, idealists believe we can overcome our differences.Alexandra Hudson is one of t...
How To Be A Friend with chef Christina Tosi
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When life gets tough, true friends ask for help.Christina Tosi is that kind of friend. She's someone...
Why Awkward is Awesome with psychologist Ty Tashiro
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Awkwardness gets a bad rap, but the trait is often an indicator that someone is extraordinary. Ps...
A Theory of Everyone with behavioral researcher Dr. Michael Muthukrishna
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes humanity unique?Dr. Michael Muthukrishna is fascinated by why our species behaves the way...
Atomic Habits with author James Clear
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the New Year, we all aspire to become better versions of ourselves. But how do we change our beha...
Excellence with Silicon Valley Legend Jackie Reses
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lasting success requires innovation. But how do we build teams that keep innovation in their DNA?Jac...
Imperfections, Nuance, and Humanity with comedian Alex Edelman
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Great comedians have the ability to point out some of the madness, ridiculousness, and nuance that e...
Drive with professional racer Danica Patrick
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Drive can get you to peak performance. But what happens when you enter the next chapter of your lif...
The Value of Values with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All business leaders want to make a lasting impact, but very few have the scale and tools to change ...
A Curious Mind with movie producer Brian Grazer
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Authenticity is exceedingly rare.Yet Brian Grazer embodies it with an unparalleled zest and refreshi...
Talking to Animals with A.I. ethicist Aza Raskin
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When did we get so disconnected from the world around us? How can we find our way back?Aza Raskin th...
A New Paradigm for Trust with entrepreneur Yat Siu
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have lost trust in almost everything.Yat Siu has a clear vision for how we can solve our large-sc...
Humanize with designer Thomas Heatherwick
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We used to care about beautiful architecture. Luckily, Thomas Heatherwick still does. He is on a qu...
Teammateship with NBA champion Shane Battier
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
High-performing teams require more than just a leader. Great teams come from great teammates. Shan...
The Future of Leadership with educator Elizabeth English
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we want wisdom, we turn to people older than us. But there is a lot to be learned from younger ...
Remember Love with the poet Cleo Wade
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are told from a young age to pursue love—romantic love, self-love, divine love. But how do you ...
Purpose over Profit with Thrive Causemetics CEO Karissa Bodnar
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you run a thriving company that cares more about impact than about profit and margins?Karissa...
Beautiful Conflict with the poet Yung Pueblo
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How are you? It’s a question we get asked everyday, but we hardly ever answer it honestly. When ...
Power with author Robert Greene
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do people become powerful? Can understanding power protect us from those who wield it too strong...
Failing Well with professor of leadership Dr. Amy Edmondson
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Failure is the secret to success. Our failures are agents of inspiration, iteration, and innovation....
Happier-ness with author Arthur Brooks
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You’ll never achieve perfect happiness. This might sound like bad news, but it’s actually a good...
Intuition vs. Reason with poker champion Liv Boeree
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When should we trust our gut and when should we depend on logic? Liv Boeree can actually answer tha...
When to Quit with Steven Bartlett (Part 2)
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When should you quit a project and when should you persevere?As one of the world’s leading entrepr...
Sweating the Small Stuff with Steven Bartlett (Part 1)
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How you do anything is how you do everything.Steven Bartlett embodies this old adage. His high sta...
Community and Empowerment with Sharmadean Reid
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Great businesses often look a lot like social movements. Sharmadean Reid knows this from experienc...
The Book of Charlie with David Von Drehle
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to live a long and happy life? David Von Drehle has spent 40 years covering big ...
Leadership with General CQ Brown, Jr.
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For this 4th of July, I wanted to do something special to celebrate the birth of our nation. So I in...
Preparing for Change with Cassandra Worthy
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Change is inevitable. And yet fear, anger, and confusion are often our first reactions to changes....
Trust with Jimmy Wales
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Information is power. But how do we adapt now that most of the information we consume comes with a h...
Life Worth Living with Miroslav Volf
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean for a life to go well? What matters most in our time on Earth? These are the most...