Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks

"Often circumstances think for us, we don't really have a choice. And anybody who puts themselves in a bad position has no good options available. So a lot of the work involved in a decision comes before the actual decision is made."

In decision-making, clarity is a critical element, if not the fundamental purpose; it reduces errors and facilitates confident, effective choice-making.

In this episode, my guest sheds light on how to get clarity in decision-making, and I'll add, how to transform knowledge into wisdom.

Shane Parrish is a former cybersecurity expert at Canada's top intelligence agency turned thought leader. He is the mind behind Farnam Street, a site that's very popular among the innovator and investor class that draws on a variety of thinkers from Lao Tsu and Emerson to Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

Shane is also acclaimed for his bestselling series on mental models titled "The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts", Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology", and "Volume 3: Systems and Mathematics." And his latest book, "Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results," is the topic of this podcast.

Listen in as we dive into how to think more clearly and, in doing so, make better decisions.

Discussion highlights include:

• The origin of Farnham Street and the influence of Berkshire Hathaway
• The problem with living life on 'autopilot'
• The importance of deep understanding.
• Recognizing 'ego default' and its role in clouded decision-making.
• Writing as a tool for clear thinking
• Decision lessons from everyday moments
• The importance of pre-decision positioning
• Explanation of the Learning Loop
• How to incorporate intuition in decision-making.
• How to get quality feedback input from experienced individuals.
• Safety nets: using rules and processes to enhance decision-making
• On mental models.
• How to think in reverse
• Separating problem identification from problem-solving
• The morning review: a method for decision validation

I believe you're going to find this episode very insightful and incredibly useful.

Listen carefully, as it's not just about gathering knowledge; it's about applying it in a way that brings clarity to our complex world.

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

The world of hospice nursing has always been a profound intersection of life and death, revealing lessons not only about the journey of mortality but also about the true essence of living in the shadow of it. On this Podcast, my guest is Hadley Vlahos or simply Nurse Hadley. Hadley is not just a seasoned hospice nurse but also an end-of-life educator and now a New York Times bestselling author. Her journey and her experiences became the foundation for her bestselling work, The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments. The book captures deep, poignant stories from her time with patients, giving insights into what life's final moments can teach us about existence itself. Beyond her written work, Hadley has taken a step further with her nonprofit respite hospice house. This sanctuary is conceptualized to offer families a peaceful environment to remember and celebrate their loved ones. In today's episode, we cover these topic points :

• Her journey from young mother to nurse and from hospice nurse to author.
• Hadley's experiences where patients stated and acted out as if they were seeing their deceased loved ones - and what they reveal about end-of-life encounters.
• The enigma of the "in-between moments" and their interpretations.
• Our shared narratives on the afterlife and my skepticism.
• Some common and not-so-common regrets of the dying
• How Hadley thinks about death and how she tries to live her life in its shadow
• And lastly, the practicalities of hospice, from deciding when it's time to seek hospice care to understanding the intricacies of coverage.

Despite the heavy nature of the topic, this episode is remarkably life-affirming. Many thinkers, from philosophers to psychologists, have advocated that understanding our own mortality paves the way to a richer, fuller life. Today's discussion provides not just a touch of emotional depth but also very practical advice that is invaluable to hear in advance of ever needing it. For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

My guest is the renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. He is the fifth head since 1935 of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. He is also the author of fifteen books—many of them international bestsellers—including the #1 best seller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and His most recent is Starry Messenger Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.

Niel is also the host of the Emmy-nominated podcast StarTalk, as well as two seasons of Cosmos, televised by Fox and National Geographic. He has received 21 honorary doctorates as well as NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal. The man has an asteroid named after him, for heck's sake.

On the show, we discuss the book Starry Messenger and his scientific perspectives on a variety of topics, including:

• Ballroom dancing (you read that right)
• The book's purpose and defining a cosmic perspective
• The overview effect
• The history and Impact of space exploration
• Revisiting the moon landing
• The Allegory of the Cave
• His view of Mars missions and the commercialization of space
• Space as supply chain, the solar system as backyard
• His personal vision for the future
• How to think scientifically
• His one conspiracy theory
• On scientific consensus and what to do in its absence
• The social importance of probability
• On God and faith
• UFOs, aliens, and the Fermi Paradox
• Artificial Intelligence and the new generative AI's
• What's it like to go to the movie theater with Neil
• His favorite time-travel movie

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

"You can delegate the activity but not the responsibility; you can share the praise but not the blame. the most finite, limited resource in our lives is time." - Dr. Tim Pychl

Larry speaks with Professor Tim Pychyl about the impact procrastination has on our well-being. This isn't about managing or optimizing a to-do list; procrastination affects the whole of your life.

Tim is a retired psychology professor whose research focused on understanding why we can become our own worst enemy through procrastination. In addition to journal publications and co-edited scholarly books, including Procrastination, Health & Well-Being, and Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic Settings, Tim wrote the brief and accessible Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change. An award-winning teacher, Tim has shared his passion for learning through his iProcrastinate podcast and blog on Psychology Today.

In this episode, we delve into a variety of topics, including:

• On teaching and the importance of presence
• Defining and qualifying procrastination
• How procrastination differs from normal delay
• Rational and irrational delay
• On self-regulation failure
• Future self-theory
• Getting started
• Strategies/tactics
• Priming the pump and the five-minute rule
• Recognizing avoidance when it appears
• Procrastination and depression
• Acceptance and self-compassion
• On ego depletion theory and replication
• On extended will

Enjoy!

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

Getting stuck is inevitable. I hope you find yourself getting stuck only rarely, but when you do, know that breakthroughs aren't too far behind - Adam Alter

Today we are going to look at the challenges of creative blocks, inertia, and the accompanying feeling of being stuck, whether it be a project, product, or personal life, and, more importantly, when we find ourselves in these states - how to get unstuck, what is the step by step structure of a breakthrough.

My guest is Professor Adam Alter.

Adam Alter is a Professor of Marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow, with an affiliated appointment in the New York University Psychology Department.

Adam is the New York Times bestselling author of two books: Irresistible (March 2017) and Drunk Tank Pink (2013), and his latest which is also the topic of the podcast - Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most

Adam has also written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, Huffington Post, and Popular Science, among other publications. Adam's academic research focuses on judgment, decision-making, and social psychology, with a particular interest in the surprising effects of subtle environmental cues on human cognition and behavior. His research has been published widely in academic journals and featured in dozens of TV, radio, and print outlets worldwide.

In this episode, we delve into these subjects:

• The commonality of creative blocks why progress isn't always a straight line.
• How Our reactions to being stuck might be the real problem.
• The process of getting unstuck can lead to valuable advancements.
• Why the creative process is often lengthy and messy, contrary to many people's expectations.
• Why breakthroughs often seem accidental and come after hitting a wall.
• Do breakthroughs happen more commonly in a group (remote work)
• Does creativity decline over time?
• Breakthrough tactics, including the "friction audit."
• The role of environment in creativity and progress is significant.
• The use of AI as it relates to creative blocks.
• When should someone quit vs. persist - and much more

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

"Learn to use AI. That's, that's my message. You wanna learn to use AI as a professional and as a citizen in your personal life. The more you know how to use it, the better you'll make of it, the better your life will be. AI gives power; like any technology, it gives power to those who understand it and use it" - Pedro Domingos

Recent developments in AI, specifically consumer-facing generative AIs, are helping people create a lot of cool content while also generating a ton of concern. A big bucket of that concern is AI alignment - what are the possible unintended consequences to humans? The internet transformed our relationship to information, but it took a few years; now, AI is doing it in real time.

My guest on this episode is Professor Pedro Domingos.

Pedro is a leading AI researcher and the author of the worldwide bestseller "The Master Algorithm." He is a professor of computer science at the University of Washington in Seattle. He won the Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Innovation Award and the international joint Conference on AI John McCarthy Award, two of the highest honors in data science and AI.

Pedro helped start the fields of statistical relational AI, data stream mining, adversarial learning, machine learning for information integration, and influence maximization in social networks.

On this episode, we run the gamut to include...

• Where are we with generative AIs
• Pedro demystifies LLMs (Large Language Models)
• Progress and problems with generative AIs
• Hallucination in AI - and Illusion in humans
• The homunculus fallacy
• Risks, regulations, known-unknowns
• Comments on existential threats
• The S curve in emerging technologies like AI
• AI's possible impact on employment and the economy
• Artificial General Intellience or AGI
• Goals and end games, is AGI the goal?
• Does he think LLMs AI's like ChatGPT are conscious?

No matter your technical level, you'll enjoy this discussion with Pedro. He is passionate about the subject matter, no surprise - much of what he's predicted has come to pass in the field, And if you feel a tinge of AI anxiety, consider this a bit of exposure therapy.

Listen and learn more about how these systems work and how they might impact your life.

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

"The root of my optimism comes in kind of a basic observation, that if we can create 1% more than we destroy every year, that 1% compounded over time is civilization. So the delta, the difference between a gain and very tiny gain, is hard to see in the present." - Kevin Kelly

My guest is well-known technologist and futurist Kevin Kelly. Kevin is a renowned American writer, editor, and futurist, best known as the co-founder of Wired magazine. He has made significant contributions to the fields of technology, science, and culture. He has written several books, including "Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World," "New Rules for the New Economy," "What Technology Wants," and "The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future."

He explores recent developments in technology as well as shares some great life advice from his upcoming book aptly named, "Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I'd Known Earlier. In this conversation, we talk about these topics and more.

• Living in a "protopia" and the net 1% compounding principle
• Embracing problems as capacity improvers
• Why Kevin's optimistic
• Societal implications of AI
• Current state of AI and its role in job market
• AI's resemblance to the early internet
• What's different this time
• A "universal personal intern"
• Extended Mind and its relation to AI and tools
• Opinions on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology
• What Kevin worries about
• Discussing new book and advice for living
• Practical tips on embracing change, prototyping life, and active listening.

Enjoy!

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

"When we surface subroutines when we surface belief systems, we unleash a certain kind of potential, a certain kind of energy that enables us to do the one thing that a leader must do every day. Be creative" - Jerry Colonna

Jerry Colonna, often referred to as the 'CEO whisperer,' is the co-founder of Reboot.io, an executive coaching and leadership development firm dedicated to the notion that better humans make better leaders. For nearly 20 years, he has used the knowledge gained as an investor, an executive, and a board member for more than 100 organizations to help entrepreneurs and others lead with humanity, resilience, and equanimity.

Prior to his career as a coach, Jerry was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase. Previously, he led New York City-based Flatiron Partners, which he founded in 1996 with partner Fred Wilson, which became one of the nation's most successful early-stage investment programs. He is also the author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, which is also the touchstone for our conversation.

There is something about Jerry.

In 2017, WIRED published a piece on Jerry wherein this was written titled "This Man Makes Founders Cry." I don't know if it's how he talks or looks at you, but when talking with him, I felt some sort of sympathetic energy field; it was like a psychic hand on the shoulder. When we spoke, I was dealing with a monster of a cold, coupled with Jerry's superpower, turned this conversation into a coaching session of sorts.

Jerry talks about leadership and crucible moments, moments that can be transformative, leading to a new or altered sense of identity. These moments often put our character to the test.

If you are in any state of upheaval or change or know someone who is, please listen. Not just for the excellent advice, but there is something beneficial about hearing this level of empathy in someone's voice.

On the show, we discuss these topics and more …

• State of leadership currently
• Why Jerry has a reputation for making people cry
• Jerry's story, leaving JP Morgan
• How to leaders can deal with uncertainty in business
• The importance of soft skills coupled with hard skills
• Separating genius from personality
• Breaking open vs. shutting down
• What "rebooting" means
• What do first when you're laid off
• Mountain equanimity
• Work as an opportunity to become better humans

If you are in any state of upheaval or change or know someone who is, please listen. Not just for the excellent advice, but there is something beneficial about hearing this level of empathy in someone's voice.

Enjoy!

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

This podcast is about the problem of overthinking - and how modifying one's metacognitive beliefs can reduce stress, worry, and problem fixation.

Thinking is an amazing capacity we all have. Humans possess the cognitive abilities to form concepts, imagine possible futures, and solve problems, but this same capacity, when it runs amuck, can keep you up at night, paralyze effect decision making and keep you in a loop of worst-case scenarios.

Yeah, not helpful.

My guest is Dr. Pia Callesen, who explains how to use meta-cognitive strategies to break free from this overthinking.

Dr. Callesen is a therapist and metacognitive specialist managing several clinics in Denmark. She has a Ph.D. from Manchester University, and She is the author of Live More Think Less (2020). Her study into the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy for depression, published in Scientific Reports in 2020, suggests that MCT has considerable benefits which might exceed those of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

On this show, we discuss…

• Metacognition and metacognitive therapy
• Metacognitive beliefs
• The self-regulating mechanism in the brain
• When less is more when dealing with thoughts
• Trigger thoughts
• How MCT differs from traditional cognitive therapies
• Targeting specific psychological processes
• How to postpone worry/rumination
• Attention training
• The benefits and risks of mindfulness
• Detached mindfulness
• How attentional awareness helps with depression

As a person who overthinks, I'm already benefiting from much of Dr. Callesen's advice here. I think you will find this interesting and very helpful.

Enjoy!

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com

"Feelings, nothing more than feelings" - Morris Albert

In this episode, we discuss how emotions are made - and how insights into how our brains make us feel can help us cope with challenging situations.

My guest is Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychology professor and neuroscientist at Northeastern University, who is the author of seven books on emotion and the brain, including the best-selling book How Emotions Are Made and, most recently, Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain. In addition to the books, Dr. Barrett has published over 260 peer-reviewed scientific papers. She received a National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award for her revolutionary research on emotion in the brain.

Her groundbreaking research overturns many prior assumptions about how the human brain forms emotions. On this show, we cover these topics …

• A discussion about theory in scientific contexts The classical view of emotions
• An overview of her research in constructed emotion
• The problem with the "amygdala hijack" and the reptilian brain
• The brain as a prediction machine
• Rationality
• Mood and metabolic efficiency
• The body-budget
• How emotions can be recategorized
• A new take on depression
• The story of her daughter and the "emotional flu"
• Decision-making, rationality, and the use of emotion

For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com/podcasts