Clinical psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Rick Hanson joins us to discuss how remarkably plastic our brains are, despite how fixed they often feel. We discuss what's doing on mechanistically when people change their minds, and what we can learn from this about how to be more open to change as individuals.

Want more Rick?

• Listen to Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson on Apple and Spotify
• Check out his books like Hardwiring Happiness and Neurodharma

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at [email protected]

Historian and bestselling author Rutger Bregman joins us to discuss his dramatic shift from believing humans are fundamentally selfish to championing a radically optimistic view of human nature. We chart his evolution across three books: "Humankind," which establishes his optimistic perspective; "Utopia for Realists," advocating bold policies based on our potential for good; and his latest, "Moral Ambition," which calls on people to stop wasting their careers and start transforming the world for the better.

We strongly recommend you read Rutger's new book, Moral Ambition. It's a certified banger.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at [email protected] or fill out ⁠this form⁠.

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠FarmKind⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

What would it be like to believe something strongly enough to get arrested for it 11 times, but then change your mind? This episode features James Ozden, a former leading member of Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rising - groups known for disruptive protests and non-violent civil disobedience advocating for climate justice and animal rights. We discuss James's journey from deep involvement in disruptive protest, to questioning its efficacy, and deciding to found a research organization to get to the bottom of what makes some social movements succeed and others fail.

Want more from James?

• Check out his blog, Understanding Social Change, on Substack
• Learn about the movement to fix factory farming on the podcast he hosts, called How I Learned to Love Shrimp

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠⁠⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at [email protected]

Peter Singer, one of the most influential philosophers alive today, joins us to discuss how his views have evolved during the past 50 years of his career. We explore his changing perspectives on the value of sharing controversial views, the effectiveness of rational versus emotional appeals, whether its possible to transform our relationship with charity for the better, and his recent engagement with Buddhist philosophy. Singer offers rare insights into the mind of someone who has spent decades refining his thinking on how we can live more ethical lives.

Want more Peter Singer?

• Check out the Lives Well Lived podcast, which Peter co-hosts
• His latest book, Consider the Turkey, is a short but powerful read
• But it's hard to beat his 'greatest hits': Animal Liberation (first published in 1975 but updated in 2023), and his 1972 article Famine, Affluence and Morality

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at [email protected] or fill out ⁠this form⁠.

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found FarmKind, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Changed My Mind will be launching at the beginning of May, with guests such as the historian and author Rutger Bregman, the philosopher Peter Singer and the psychologist Melanie Joy