What if everything we think we know about raising children is not just wrong, but actively harmful? Aaron Stupple and Logan Chipkin, authors of "The Sovereign Child," join Infinite Loops to make a case so compelling and radical that it challenges the very foundation of modern parenting and education.

From birth, we're told that children need rules, structure, and authority to thrive. But what if this approach is crushing their natural creativity, problem-solving abilities, and authentic self-development? Stupple and Chipkin argue that children are people—full stop. They have reasons, preferences, and the capacity to make decisions about their own lives, yet we systematically ignore this reality in favor of compliance and control.

We dive deep into their concept of the "foul four"—the four devastating ways that imposing non-consensual rules damages children's relationships with themselves, their parents, problem-solving itself, and their understanding of how to navigate the world. From the arbitrary nature of bedtimes to the deeper psychological damage of forcing gratitude and politeness, this conversation will make you question every "because I said so" moment in your childhood and parenting. Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone interested in human flourishing, this episode offers a radically different lens through which to view childhood, autonomy, and what it means to raise great adults.

Important Links:

• Conjecture Institute
• The Sovereign Child Book
• Aaron Stupple X
• Logan Chipkin X
• Logan Chipkin Substack

Show Notes:

• Opening & The Radical Quote
• The Childhood Inversion Problem
• False Dichotomy: Control vs. Neglect
• AI Steel-manning the Opposition
• Edge Cases and Prohibition Parallels
• Podcast Host Reactions & Food Wars
• Evolutionary Food Arguments
• Raising Great Adults
• Scaling Challenges & Sleep Dilemmas
• Market Opportunities & Historical Context
• Why Alternative Schools Didn’t Scale
• The Foul Four Explained
• Game Rules vs. Imposed Rules
• Etiquette, Manners & Sibling Conflicts
• The Bully Problem & Popper’s Paradox
• Class and Economics Arguments
• Rules Built on Sand
• Falsification & Moral Philosophy
• Conformity, Culture & Progress
• Emotional Intelligence & Propaganda
• Self-Silencing & Social Dynamics
• The School Persona Revelation
• Emperor of the World
• Matilda & Closing Thoughts

Books Mentioned:

• The Sovereign Child: How a Forgotten Philosophy Can Liberate Kids and Their Parents (Aaron Stupple with Logan Chipkin)
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Dr. Robert Cialdini)
• The Open Society and Its Enemies (Karl Popper)
• What the Tortoise Said to Achilles (Lewis Carroll)
• No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
• One Summer: America 1927 (Bill Bryson)
• Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)
• Matilda (Roald Dahl)

Authors Mentioned:

• Jed McKenna
• Jonathan Haidt
• Edward Bernays
• Robert Solomon
• David Deutsch

Nadia Asparouhova, author of "Antimemetics: Why Some Ideas Resist Spreading," joins me for a fascinating exploration of why some ideas go viral while others—often the most important ones—resist transmission entirely.

We dive into antimemes, Curtis Yarvin's journey from being canceled to becoming mainstream, St. Paul as history's ultimate memetic engineer, and why "Don't Mess with Texas" became a masterpiece of viral messaging. Plus her current research on advanced meditation techniques, internet dynamics, and MUCH MORE!

Important Links:

• Nadia's Twitter
• Nadia's LinkedIn
• Personal Website
• Nadia’s Substack: Monomythical

Show Notes:

• Nadia’s fall into the Antimemetics Rabbithole
• Girardian Theory vs. Antimemetics
• The Story of Curtis Yarvin
• How Subcultures Form and Coalesce
• Engineering Supermemes
• Why Maxims are Compressed Memes
• The History of Antimemes
• Truth Tellers and Meme Spreading
• Gaining Immunity from Memetic Viruses
• Nadia’s Jhana Journey
• Nadia as Empress of the World

Books Mentioned:

• Antimemetics: Why Some Ideas Resist Spreading; by Nadia Asparouhova
• Virus of the Mind; by Richard Brodie
• There Is No Antimemetics Division; by qntm
• Steal This Book; by Abbie Hoffman
• Collective Illusions; by Todd Rose
• How to Change Your Mind; by Michael Pollan
• Thank You for Smoking; by Christopher Buckley
• Last Chance to See; by Douglas Adams

I’m joined today by two remarkable men I met through the O’Shaughnessy Fellowships and Grants program.

Israel Balogun was homeless and illiterate until the age of 22. Now, he leads a Nigerian youth rehabilitation nonprofit for street kids and is building a self-sustaining village for 200 out-of-school children with the support of an OSV Fellowship.

Miyoba Hamuhuma lost both parents by 12 and battled polio as a child. Now he runs Enlight Abilities, a Zambian organization advocating for inclusive education and economic dignity for children with disabilities and their families, backed by an OSV Grant.

“Inspiring” is overused nowadays, but here, it barely does them justice. As well as digging into their stories, we explore how personal pain became public mission, how grassroots enablement beats top-down intervention, and why they believe rewriting destiny begins with changing who gets seen, who gets supported, and who gets to dream.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Israel Balogun's Akhin Foundation
• Israel Balogun's LinkedIn
• Miyoba Hamuhuma's Enlight Abilities
• Miyoba Hamuhuma's LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• First Goodnight in 12 Years
• How OSV Helped to Build a Home for Street Kids
• The Street King – Reclaiming Agency
• The Dignity of Choice
• Microenterprise for the Mothers
• Rethinking the Street Kid Stigma
• Inclusion is Not a Luxury, It is a Necessity
• Trust over Control: We help the kids Lead
• We seek to enable and empower
• Emperors of the World
• $10 = 30 bricks = Home for a Street Child

Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, neuropsychiatrist and author of "The ESP Enigma," joins me for a mind-bending exploration of consciousness, savant abilities, and the limitations of materialist science. Trained at Johns Hopkins under a neurologist-turned-psychiatrist, Diane has spent decades investigating phenomena that challenge our fundamental assumptions about how the brain works.

We dive deep into why the scientific establishment reacts so emotionally to consciousness research, her fascinating work with autistic savants, and why she believes the brain functions as a navigation tool for consciousness rather than its creator.

This is one of those conversations that might just upgrade your entire worldview. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!,” check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Personal Website
• The Telepathy Tapes
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• Dr. Powell’s Journey through Science
• Early Interest in Savants
• Filter Failure and Consciousness
• Why People Reject Obvious Data
• Why are Savants different from Neurotypical People?
• The Sheep Goat Effect in Parapsychology
• The Brain as a Navigational Tool
• Improving our own Intuition and Focus
• Dr. Diane’s work on Twins
• Speculations in Post-Materialism
• Dr. Diane as Empress of the World

Books Mentioned:

• The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; by Oliver Sacks
• The ESP Enigma; by Diane Hennacy Powell
• What Is Life? The Physical Aspect of the Living Cell; by Erwin Schrödinger
• Mind Over Back Pain; by Dr. John Sarno

Todd Rose, co-founder and CEO of Populace and author of books including "Collective Illusions" and "The End of Average," joins the show to discuss the science behind collective illusions and their impact on society.

We explore why so many Americans self-silence, the dangers of conformity, and how one person can spark change.

Todd and I are simpatico on… pretty much everything! So this was a fun one. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!,” check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Website
• Twitter
• Collective Illusions
• The End of Average

Show Notes:

• Are We Living in the Truman Show?
• The Danger of Self-Silencing
• How to Know What People REALLY Think
• Why We Are Suckers For Groupthink
• Social Media: Why Bots Are Everywhere
• Why Persuasion is the Wrong Strategy for Fighting Collective Illusions
• There is More Social Trust in America Than You Think
• How We Can Fight Collective Illusions
• The Human Need to Be Understood
• Steelmanning & the Popperian Solution
• The Role of Fiction
• The Dawn of a New Era?
• Todd as World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• Collective Illusions; by Todd Rose
• The End of Average; by Todd Rose
• The Power of the Powerless (essay); by Václav Havel
• Troubled; by Rob Henderson
• The Idea Factory; by Jon Gertner
• Theory of Moral Sentiments; by Adam Smith
• The Wealth of Nations; by Adam Smith
• White Mirror; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Guns of August; by Barbara Tuchman

Aerospace investor and York Space Systems chairman Chuck Beames joins me for a fascinating discussion on the commercial space revolution and the future of satellite security. A retired Air Force colonel with over 20 years experience as a space and intelligence officer, Chuck brings unparalleled expertise to our conversation about what many are calling "the second space race”.

We explore how America can leverage her free-market strengths, why ‘zero trust’ protocols could revolutionize cybersecurity, the military origins of GPS, and why Space Force needs a streamlined procurement approach.

I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Chuck's Twitter
• Chuck's Forbes Contributor Page
• The SmallSat Alliance

Show Notes:

• The Second Space Race
• The Zero Trust Approach and ‘Secure By Design’
• GPS as a Military Technology
• The Space Force is dealing with Multiple Complex Adaptive Systems
• New Paradigms in Satellite Design
• What VCs and Bankers Need to know about the Space Community
• Wargaming with AIs and Humans
• Laser Spoofing and Adversarial AIs
• Establishing Supply Chain Sovereignty
• Open Organizational Cultures
• Chuck’s Lessons from Woodworking
• The Job of an Executive Chairman
• Chuck as World Emperor

Strategy consultant turned writer Natasha Joukovsky joins me to discuss why bourgeois comfort is more conducive to writing than you think, why choice-plots make for better fiction, the eyerolling prevalence of manufactured nonchalance, our shared distaste for Atlantis Bahamas, and MUCH more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Natasha’s Website
• Natasha’s Substack
• The Portrait of a Mirror

Show Notes:

• “You can do everything, just not at the same time”
• It’s Recursion All the Way Down
• Pretending to Read vs Actually Reading
• Manufactured Nonchalance as a Status Signal
• Counter-Signalling, Fake-Famous & Jim’s Cursed Trip to Atlantis Bahamas
• On No-Choice Plots & Writing in Service of Beauty
• The Self-Deception of Status Hunting
• Why Bourgeois Comfort is More Conducive to Art Than You Think
• Natasha’s Next Book
• “We don’t do auctions”
• Natasha as World Empress

Books Mentioned:

• The Portrait of a Mirror; by Natasha Joukovsky
• The novels of Jane Austen
• Status Anxiety; by Alain de Botton
• The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (poem); by T.S. Eliot
• Class: A Guide Through the American Status System; by Paul Fussell
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas R. Hofstadter
• Ulysses; by James Joyce
• Metamorphosis; by Franz Kafka
• Beloved; by Toni Morrison
• In Search of Lost Time (Remembrance of Things Past); by Marcel Proust
• Collective Illusions; by Todd Rose
• The Status Game; by Will Storr
• Anna Karenina; by Leo Tolstoy
• The Theory of the Leisure Class; by Thorstein Veblen
• A Little Life; by Hanya Yanagihara

I’ve said before that one of the best parts of hosting Infinite Loops is the chance to connect with people who consistently make me think differently — and few do that quite like Tiago Forte.

Tiago Forte joins Infinite Loops for the first time, and within minutes we closed the door on his best-selling “Building A Second Brain” and were off to the races: from digitizing 50,000+ words of personal data to build an AI-powered life coach, to the emotional intelligence hiding inside envy, to the surprising lessons he learned walking through a tiny historical museum in Coconut Grove.

We also dig into the messy magic of identity shifts, how fit dads triggered a personal transformation, and why letting go of productivity-as-performance might be the most productive thing you can do. Plus: the power of NotebookLM, building AI-native systems of self-awareness, and why the future will belong to those who embrace the one-way door.

Unsurprisingly, this was a fun one. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Tiago Forte’s Website
• Tiago Forte on X
• Tiago Forte on LinkedIn
• Tiago Forte’s Annual Reviews
• Building A Second Brain Book
• The PARA Method Book
• I Replaced my $700/hour Coach with NotebookLM — Here’s What Happened (YouTube)
• What I Learned About the Future By Reading 100 Science Fiction Books

Show Notes:

• Closing the Door on Second Brain
• The Power of the Annual Review
• Tiago's Family: Incredibly Vibrant, Visual, Auditory
• Incorporating AI Into Work & Life
• Joe Hudson: Mentorship and Emotional Intelligence
• Miami: The Most Introspective Place on Earth
• Irreversible Decisions
• Archival Material: Underrated Forcing Function
• The Future of Book Publishing
• The Hard Truth on Performance Reviews
• AI Skepticism & Building Moats
• AI-First Mentality for Early Adopters
• Learning From Sci-Fi Books
• Cumulative Cultural Evolution
• Tiago as Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

• Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential; by Tiago Forte
• The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life; by Tiago Forte
• How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain; by Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World; by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned; by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman
• Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine; by Candace B. Pert
• What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O’Shaughnessy
• The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch
• One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson
• White Mirror; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Forever War; by Joe Halderman

Author, speaker, founder, investor and behavioral design maestro Nir Eyal joins me for his second appearance on the show.

Today, we dig into Nir’s first book, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.” We also discuss the difference between coercion and persuasion, AI’s use case as our personal Jiminy Cricket and MUCH more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Nir’s personal blog
• Nir’s LinkedIn
• Nir’s Twitter
• Nir’s YouTube channel
• Nir’s Habit Tracking Tool
• Nir’s Schedule Maker Tool

Show Notes:

• What Makes Silicon Valley’s Tech Products So Sticky?
• The Morality of Manipulation
• The Perils of Legalized Gambling
• Twitter is for Journalists and Nerds
• AI for Behavioural Design
• Believing in our own Agency
• On Labels and Limiting Identities
• Pills Don’t Teach Skills
• The Power of an Internal Locus of Control
• Escaping Discomfort & Getting Hooked
• AI as a Self-Directed Personal Tutor
• Nir As Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products; by Nir Eyal
• Influence; by Robert Cialdini
• Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life; by John Kaag

Nathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt.

Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet.

He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it’s time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Lex
• Twitter
• Substack
• LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym
• Letting People Into Your Creative Process
• Collaboration-as-a-Service
• Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices
• What Will Become of the AI Holdouts?
• AI Is Like the Internet In 1995
• Can AI Unfuck the Government?
• Blindspots While Working In Organizations
• Rethinking The ‘Article’ As A Medium
• Memes Are Dense Information Packets
• It’s Time for Solo Founders
• Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital
• What’s Next for Lex?
• Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts
• Nathan As World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders
• The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich
• The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich