A Bit of Optimism

By Simon Sinek

What's A Bit of Optimism about?

During these times, we are all having to find new ways to connect. Join me every week as I talk with people that inspire me, about love, life, leadership, and silver linings. The hope is that we all leave with something I think we need these days… A Bit of Optimism.

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Insane Vacations with Mike ...

03.21.2023

When you get one of the most successful comedy writers in television history to come on your podcast, naturally the first thing to talk about is...his trip in a homemade submarine to visit the ruins of the Titanic. You see, ...

A Bit of Optimism episodes:

03.21.2023 Insane Vacations with Mike Reiss When you get one of the most successful comedy writers in television history to come on your podcast, naturally the first thing to talk about is...his trip in a homemade submarine to visit the ruins of the Titanic. You see, ...
03.14.2023 Down A Rabbit Hole with Seth Godin Our time, energy, and emotions are valuable because they are finite. And yet conversations with Seth Godin always leave me feeling more patient, energized, and full of love. Seth is a prolific author and a marketing genius who knows first-hand ...
03.07.2023 How To Be An Entrepreneur with Jeff Rosenthal Want to go fast? Go alone. Want to go far? Go together. Most entrepreneurs aren’t lone wolves. Founders like Jeff Rosenthal know that the greatest ventures come with partners, mentors, and communities. Being enthusiastic, generous, and kind attracts people who ...
02.28.2023 The Wisdom of Anxiety with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary Anxiety is the crown jewel of human evolution. That’s the professional opinion of neuroscience professor and clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, who is driving a paradigm shift in how we understand anxiety. The emotion isn’t a sickness or a flaw ...
02.21.2023 Guaranteed Joy with Richard Curtis There are precious few moments in life that guarantee joy. That’s what makes time spent with Richard Curtis or watching his films so special – you just know you’re in for a great time. Richard is the patron saint of ...
02.14.2023 Exploration with Leland Melvin Explorers discover new worlds and perspectives that change humanity forever. Leland Melvin has spent his life exploring. He’s been a rocket scientist, an astronaut, and an NFL player. Now, he’s an educator who uses the dramatic ups-and-downs of his own ...
02.07.2023 Taking Comfortable Risks with Scott Galloway When is a risk worth taking? We have to learn to embrace the comfortable risks - the ones where the pain of failure is worthwhile or even valuable. Podcaster, author and NYU professor, Scott Galloway and I talk about a ...
01.31.2023 Digging Up the Past with Sarah Parcak Sarah has the coolest job: Space Archaeologist. She uses satellites to find undiscovered sites buried deep beneath the ground. But the real interesting stuff is what we can learn about ourselves from studying our past. This is… A Bit of ...
01.24.2023 High Performance with Divesh Makan Divesh is one of the most connected people I know. Charming and opinionated, he advises and invests the fortunes of the most successful and wealthiest people on the planet. So I wanted to ask him what he's learned along the ...
01.17.2023 Embracing The Fall with Carla Hall When you show up with love and aim only to give of yourself, everyone you interact with can feel it. Carla Hall has led a life and a career filled with zigs and zags. The two-time Top Chef contestant and ...
01.10.2023 Gen Z in the Workplace with Jonah and David Stillman Every generation is different, but one thing currently unites Boomers, Gen X-ers, and Millennials: they are all struggling to understand Gen Z. David and Jonah Stillman are a father-and-son research team who specialize in generational differences and their impact on ...
01.03.2023 Ask Simon Anything: Part Two New year, new opportunities, new questions! We’re ringing in 2023 with more answers to the hundreds of questions our listeners sent in from all over the world. This is… A Bit of Optimism.
12.27.2022 Ask Simon Anything: Part One A few weeks ago, I put out an open call on social media to see what questions my listeners have for me. And there were a LOT of responses. So, as an end-of-the-year special, our next two episodes will be ...
12.20.2022 Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part Two Remember how it was an incredible idea to get Brené Brown and Adam Grant on a call, have absolutely NO plan, and hit record? Well, this is the second part of that lovely, free-flowing conversation where we talk about creativity, ...
12.13.2022 Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part One What separates exceptional ideas from good ideas? Here’s a good idea: Book two podcast guests and meticulously plan a conversation about creativity. Now, here’s an exceptional idea: Get Brené Brown and Adam Grant to join you on a call, have ...
12.06.2022 Being Yourself with Kathryn Finney Daring to be different feels risky. There’s constant pressure to “read the room” or “tone it down.” Kathryn Finney discovered at a young age that – when it comes to being authentic – the rewards are actually far greater than ...
11.29.2022 Live A Long, Happy Life with Mark Hyman Turns out laughter is not the best medicine. Medicine might not even be the best medicine. If you were to ask Dr Mark Hyman, he would tell you that food is the best medicine. Some would say Mark is a ...
11.22.2022 The Value of Interruptions with Janis Burl Most of us think that social media is the bastion of our younger generations. Until a middle-aged woman named Janis Burl proved that assumption completely wrong. She oversaw the team that built the TSA’s Instagram account (yes, the TSA has ...
11.15.2022 The Sweet Bitter with Susan Cain There’s something profound in life’s bitter moments. The transformative beauty of a sad song, the anguished past of a story’s hero, the unexpected turnout of a crowded funeral. Turns out we often need darkness in order to appreciate the light. ...
11.08.2022 Kindness with James Rhee You went to Harvard undergrad, you went to Harvard Law, you became a hot-shot Private Equity guy. So your next move is obviously…? If you’re James Rhee, you walk away from all of it and discover what really makes a ...
11.01.2022 How To Be An Optimist with Pat Berges Don’t you hate it when you’re coasting along -- not a care in the world -- and then it feels like life comes out of nowhere and hits you like a car, almost paralyzing you? Well, for Pat Berges, that ...
10.25.2022 The Labor of Love with Francesca Hogi It’s what all the poets write about, all the musicians sing about, and all the brokenhearted cry about. That’s right… It's time to talk about love. I was lucky enough to talk to Francesca Hogi, a love coach and all ...
10.18.2022 Unreasonable Hospitality with Will Guidara If you walk up to someone and say “you’re being unreasonable!” most people would be offended. Will Guidara, however, would take it as a compliment. A renowned New York restaurateur, Will transformed Eleven Madison Park into the best restaurant in ...
03.08.2022 Partnering with Jean Oelwang Some of the most successful people in the world all have a secret power. It’s not their experience or technical expertise that matter most – it’s their partnerships. As the President and founding CEO of Virgin Unite, Jean Oelwang has ...
03.01.2022 Vulnerability and Redemption with Adrian Grenier We've all been told in our darkest times: "Don't worry this will get better"...but what happens if everything's going right? Should we be afraid that the other shoe will drop? Well, for Adrian Grenier, the other shoe dropped. He was ...
02.22.2022 Obscure Presidential History with Jeremy Deutsch We all know a bit about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but which President was drunk at his inauguration? Who was the first gay president? And what kind of parent would name their kid “Millard Fillmore”? For this Presidents' Day, ...
02.15.2022 Happiness with Arthur Brooks Can we ensure that we will stay happy through every phase of our lives? Arthur Brooks discovered that there is a clear fork in the road that we will all face at some point. Some of us will struggle to ...
02.08.2022 Giving What You Have with Mark Bustos When people want to do good they often get stuck because they don’t know what they can do. Mark Bustos figured out that to do good, all we need to do is what we are already good at, but to ...
02.01.2022 Giving A Sh*t with Phoebe Robinson Short packets of content. That’s the world we live in. We've condensed and compressed so much of what we consume that our entertainment and our news seem to have lost any nuance or complexity. And that’s a problem, because our ...
01.25.2022 My True Crime Episode with David Mittelman Less than 5% of major crimes end in a conviction. For cold cases, that number drops to 1%. Those numbers won’t stay low forever. David Mittelman’s company, Othram Inc., is revolutionizing DNA sequencing and, in the process, greatly reducing the ...
01.18.2022 Rebuilding Community with Luma Mufleh Engraved on the Statue of Liberty it reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” A beautiful sentiment, indeed. The reality is a little less poetic. When refugees reach America’s shores today, they face ...
01.11.2022 No More Lonely Friends with Marissa Meizz How would you react if you found out that your friends purposely planned a birthday party when you were out of town so you wouldn’t attend? And what if you found out from a video that went viral on TikTok? ...
01.04.2022 Resolving Conflict with William Ury Fear and anger seem to dominate the headlines. So, to start the New Year, I thought it would be a good idea to find out if there is anything we can do to get to a resolution. And William Ury ...
12.28.2021 Gratitude with Omar Brownson Stressed from work? Stressed from life? For all the talk of mindfulness and meditation, a lot of us still struggle to find that calm we want. Omar Brownson tapped into an entirely new way to find peace that may surprise ...
12.21.2021 Setting Boundaries with Sara Kuburic Despite all our “social” media, more and more people report feeling lonelier, more stressed and more adrift than ever before. How can we protect our mental health and still engage with friends on Instagram, etc? To find out, I called ...
12.14.2021 Being Rich with Ron Finley We live in an era in which possessions are, too often, more important than personal health and the health of our planet. That never felt right to activist, gardener, and education reformer Ron Finley. He’s been called an Eco-lutionary, a ...
12.07.2021 Hope with Shamma Al Mazrui So many politicians say our children are our future, so why do so few nations have a cabinet level position to represent their youth? As the Minister of State for Youth Affairs for the United Arab Emirates, Shamma Al Mazrui ...
11.30.2021 The Asymmetry of Power with Tristan Harris A small number of tech companies have amassed enormous power in our modern world. Do they wield that power responsibly, or do they abuse it to benefit themselves? I talked to Tristan Harris, “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to ...
11.23.2021 Family with Ari Emanuel In show business, Ari Emmanuel is the consummate insider. The founder and CEO of the Endeavor agency, he represents some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He’s a mover and a shaker and a philanthropist. So obviously, I called to talk to ...
06.29.2021 Enchantment with Chloe Valdary What is the best way to navigate the world of diversity, equity and inclusion? Chloe Valdary’s point of view is different from the norm. The founder of the Theory of Enchantment believes the best way for us to come together ...
06.22.2021 The Value of Failing with Suneel Gupta There are only a few people in the world who have made a success out of failing. Serial entrepreneur and author of Backable, Suneel Gupta is one of them. We talked about the importance of failing and the lessons we ...
06.15.2021 Awesome Responsibility with Kyle Carpenter We’ve seen it in the movies, someone throws themselves onto a grenade to save their buddy, but how many of us could actually do it? Kyle Carpenter, the youngest living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, can answer that ...
06.08.2021 Raising Resilient Kids with Angela Duckworth With unprecedented levels of stress and depression amongst young people, I wanted to know what we, as an older generation can do to help. So I talked to psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania author of Grit , Angela ...
06.01.2021 Learning to Love with Tim Shriver Most people know him as a disability rights activist, chairman of the Special Olympics or for his book The Call to Unite. But when we talked, our conversation took a turn. We ended up talking about what it means to ...
05.25.2021 Thinking Differently with Matthew Barzun Every now and then, I get to meet someone who sees the world differently. Matthew Barzun is one of those people. He was early to see opportunities that others didn’t - in the internet, in political fundraising and even as ...
05.18.2021 Having a Laugh with Michael McIntyre In high stress times it helps to laugh, which is why I called Michael McIntyre, one of the most successful comedians in the world. And that’s what we did…we laughed. This is… A Bit of Optimism.
05.11.2021 Respect with Nicole Avant In a world that’s increasingly polarized, it’s harder and harder to bridge the divide between ourselves and those we disagree with. Filmmaker and former US Ambassador, Nicole Avant and I chatted about the importance of reaching out beyond the divide ...
05.04.2021 Designing the Future with Brian Collins Spotify, Target and Twitch are just three of the brands whose identity has been significantly influenced by Brian Collins. He’s a legend in the design world and thinks about the future in ways completely different from everyone else. This is… ...
04.27.2021 Confidence with Sara Blakely Confidence is this thing we all need… this thing we all want. Some seem to find it easier than others. Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, found it and it worked. This is… A Bit of Optimism.
04.20.2021 Vulnerability with Brigadier General Michael “Johnny Bravo” Drowley If you ask people in the military what makes them willing to sacrifice themselves for each other, the answer may surprise you. It’s not God or country… it's LOVE. In business we have colleagues and co-workers, in the military, they ...

Older episodes

A Bit of Optimism

What's A Bit of Optimism about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

A Bit of Optimism episodes:

Insane Vacations with Mike Reiss

Down A Rabbit Hole with Seth Godin

How To Be An Entrepreneur with Jeff Rosenthal

The Wisdom of Anxiety with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary

Guaranteed Joy with Richard Curtis

Exploration with Leland Melvin

Taking Comfortable Risks with Scott Galloway

Digging Up the Past with Sarah Parcak

High Performance with Divesh Makan

Embracing The Fall with Carla Hall

Gen Z in the Workplace with Jonah and David Stillman

Ask Simon Anything: Part Two

Ask Simon Anything: Part One

Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part Two

Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part One

Being Yourself with Kathryn Finney

Live A Long, Happy Life with Mark Hyman

The Value of Interruptions with Janis Burl

The Sweet Bitter with Susan Cain

Kindness with James Rhee

How To Be An Optimist with Pat Berges

The Labor of Love with Francesca Hogi

Unreasonable Hospitality with Will Guidara

Partnering with Jean Oelwang

Vulnerability and Redemption with Adrian Grenier

Obscure Presidential History with Jeremy Deutsch

Happiness with Arthur Brooks

Giving What You Have with Mark Bustos

Giving A Sh*t with Phoebe Robinson

My True Crime Episode with David Mittelman

Rebuilding Community with Luma Mufleh

No More Lonely Friends with Marissa Meizz

Resolving Conflict with William Ury

Gratitude with Omar Brownson

Setting Boundaries with Sara Kuburic

Being Rich with Ron Finley

Hope with Shamma Al Mazrui

The Asymmetry of Power with Tristan Harris

Family with Ari Emanuel

Enchantment with Chloe Valdary

The Value of Failing with Suneel Gupta

Awesome Responsibility with Kyle Carpenter

Raising Resilient Kids with Angela Duckworth

Learning to Love with Tim Shriver

Thinking Differently with Matthew Barzun

Having a Laugh with Michael McIntyre

Respect with Nicole Avant

Designing the Future with Brian Collins

Confidence with Sara Blakely

Vulnerability with Brigadier General Michael “Johnny Bravo” Drowley

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