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"I wish these photos I was sending this girl would just disappear" - Reggie Brown, ousted Snapchat co-founder
Everyone is losing their minds. Flat out - we're obsessed with Snapchat. But why? Why do we use it the way we use it? And why did our special guest used to receive 20 - 30 "below-the-belt" pics a day from random strangers? Well - ladies, gents - we've got answers. Special guest Virginia Salas Kastilio and the guys cover:
- The reality of becoming a Snapchat celebrity
- Why are we obsessed with Snapchat?
- The evolutionary and social underpinnings of why we use Snapchat
- How does Kevin use Snapchat?
- Also: how much ridiculous, dramatic music can Mohnish get away with?
And more, all on this episode. Want to go deeper than the podcast? More books, articles, and research here.
P.S. Sign up for our email list and get bonus materials you can't get anywhere else.
Who is Virginia Salas Kastilio?
- Virginia really blew me away with how fun it was to talk to her. She's got a t-shirt brand which is based in an interesting idea: you see someone wearing the shirt, you give them a hug. Here's the link.
- She's the founder and CEO of the very first (not kidding) Snapchat consulting agency. If you want to grow a product launch, your business, or any other pet project, and you think Snapchat can help you get there, she's actually the best in the biz.
- We also alluded to Virginia's fame. Here's her username: ginicanbreathe. Add her!
Production and Credits
Special Guest: Virginia Salas Kastilio
Host, Producer, Editor, Sound Design, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host, Editor: Kevin Sanji
Feedback: Jarrod Sport, Kevin Sanji, and Justine Brumm
Intro Music: Electric Mantis
"We're not designed to know how little we know" - Daniel Kahneman
Imagine you made a bet. You get a car, a jet plane, and a pet tiger if you win. And all you have to do is convince your mother that global warming is real. Could you do it?
If you want to change someone's mind about anything, we've got 5 guidelines on exactly how to do it. It's non-obvious, it's counter-intuitive, but it works. We cover:
- How to change someone's mind about anything (including getting them to marry you)
- The importance of intellectual honesty
- How dangerous is drunk walking?
- Why social media feels like a battleground
- How to have a hard conversation with anyone, and do it like a pro
And more, all on this episode. More research and fun stuff (if you want to go deeper) at realtalkstudio.com.
P.S. Sign up for the email list - it's free, you get bonus goodies, and you get an email when the podcast comes out.
Production and Credits
Host, Producer, Research, Editor, Sound Design: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Special Cameo: Vysali Soundararajan
Feedback: Jarrod Sport, Vysali Soundararjan, Kevin Sanji, Justine Brumm
Inspiration: Think Like A Freak, by Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Sound Effect Attribution: Boxing Bell by Benboncan
Intro and Outro Music: Electric Mantis
"Make sure you stay thin...because that's what the boys want" - Armi Legge
Sticking to your workouts, day in and day out, is almost as easy as entering an intergalactic wormhole that bends and transcends the physics of time and space. Most of absolutely suck at it so hard that it would make your ancestors, relatives, and next door neighbors cry and publically disown you. On this episode, Armi tells a secret, and we talk about:
- How to stick to a workout routine, forever
- How battling with an eating disorder changed the way Armi looked at science
- The counterintuitive flip that changed Armi's fitness approach
- Why everyone is wrong. Except Armi.
- The science of adherence, implementation intentions, the hot and cold effect, and more
- How to use the habit loop to your advantage
Plus, dig into additional research, books, and more fun stuff at realtalkstudio.com
P.S. Sign up for the email list here, you punk.
Production and Special Credits
Special Guest: Armi Legge
Host, Producer, Research, Editor, and Sound Design: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Feedback: Justine Brumm and Kevin Sanji
Clips: Complete Human Performance
Intro Music: Electric Mantis
"If I was more emotionally vulnerable, I would probably cry right now" - Joe Antenucci
When it comes to dating, most of us have no idea what the hell we're doing. But one guy decided to try something different. And in the process, he didn't just reinvent his dating life - he changed the romantic lives of thousands of guys across the country. The truth is - it's not what you think and it's not what you expect. Special guest Joe Antenucci sits down with the guys and cover:
- The specific process Joe used to exponentially improve his dating life (with the help of a few guys)
- How to recreate a derivative of that process for yourself (and be a normal human being)
- An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at "Helping Joe"
- How long should you wait to text back?
- What is deliberate practice? What's a mating market?
For more fun stuff, including additional research used in the show, go to realtalkstudio.com
P.S. Want to know when the show comes out before my parents? Sign up for the Insider list, plus, get bonus content you can't get anywhere else.
Production Team and Credits
Special Guest: Joe Antenucci
Host, Producer, Editor, Sound Design, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Feedback: Jarrod Sport, Nathan Lieberman, Justine Brumm, Vysali Soundararajan, Kevin Sanji
Intro Music: Electric Mantis
Clips: (Special thanks to Joe Antenucci for letting us use clips from 'Helping Joe'!) Episode 7 of 'Helping Joe', Episode 31 of 'Helping Joe'.
"Have you ever fallen in love with anybody you've lived with, Al?" - Mohnish Soundararajan, Host
In America, it goes: you live with your parents, you live with your roommates, you live with your spouse, and then you die. Al Jeffery is trying to change that. In this episode, the guys cover how to live with your friends, how to find them in the first place, plus:
- What specific steps do you need to take to find a social circle (a tribe, if you will) that fits who you are?
- What happened to the mysterious town of Roseto?
- How do you make the transition from living by yourself in LA and crying into your Chinese takeout, to coliving with a thriving community of 100+ people?
- What's an effective tactic to make sure your roommates don't want to punch you in the face or, how do you get 'Roommate Resentment Insurance'?
- Why should you rethink the way you're living?
For more material on this episode, including research, go to realtalkstudio.com
P.S. Sign up for the Insider List here. It's awesome. (Plus you get free stuff)
Who is Al Jeffery?
Now (next to starting a coliving space in Australia), he's an author. If you dug what he had to say, he has a book coming out called Modern Tribe (the cover is beautiful) but he needs your help: He needs to get a specific amount of preorders before he can publish his book. To check out the book, click here.
Production Team and Credits
Special Guest: Al Jeffery
Host, Producer, Editor, Sound Design, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host and Feedback: Kevin Sanji
Music: Electric Mantis
"There's a guy, a couple years ago....he actually got sued by United because the airlines really didn't like this..." - Tim van der Lee
Here's Tim. He's like the guy from Taken - he's got a very specific set of skills that make him a nightmare for airlines. If you're 20, you've got pennies to fly on. But, if you game the system, saving thousands on airline tickets is easier than you think. On this episode, special guest Tim van der Lee and Mohnish cover:
- How to save thousands on flights, for novices
- An easy, actionable framework Tim uses to travel for pennies on the dollar
- How does Mohnish know Tim and why is it ridiculous?
- The economics behind price discrimination and why the same person traveling next to you paid a thousand dollars more for the same seat
- Advanced ways to save on flights that can get you sued by the entire legal representation of United Airlines
- Why is finance so boring?
For more material on this episode, check out realtalkstudio.com
P.S. Sign up for the email list and get bonus content here!
Production Team and Credits
Special Guest: Tim van der Lee
Host, Producer, Sound Design, Editor, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Content Feedback: Justine Brumm
Music: Electric Mantis
"Not all those who wander are lost" - J.R.R. Tolkien
Airline tickets. Sights. Sounds. Instagram posts with way too many likes. This can be your life - special guest Andrea Wien (host, author, business-lady, and wine drinker) shows us how, plus covers:
- How do you travel effectively?
- How do you travel when you're shit-house broke? Where do you stay? When do you buy airline tickets?
- If you're a guy, and all your guy friends rent a cabin in the woods, should you make out with them?
- Why are some world travelers unhappy?
- How do you calibrate between a safe trip and a dangerous trip?
For more material on this episode, including research, go to realtalkstudio.com
If you haven't joined the email list, what the hell are you waiting for?
Who is Andrea Wien?
- She's awesome. She's a host, author, business lady and wine drinker. She's the author of the book "Gap to Great: A Parent's Guide to Gap Year", she's got a podcast (oh yeah!) Gap to Great, and you can find her work here. Highly recommended.
Production Team and Credits
Special Guest: Andrea Wien
Host, Producer, Editor, Sound Design, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Feedback: Vysali Soundararajan
Music: Electric Mantis
"I thought you were going to tell me to go with Mohnish in my closet and shine a flashlight at him"
- Kevin Sanji, co-host
Stress comes in all shapes and sizes. Thousands of years ago, people stressed out about wild animals attacking them. Today, you're not being attacked by wild animals unless you work for Discovery channel. On this very, very, very special episode (you'll see what I mean), special guest Caroline Beaton (award-winning researcher and writer at Forbes), Mohnish, and Kevin cover:
- How can you outthink stress and make it your friend?
- Why is stress evolutionarily programmed into us?
- How do you stress less?
- What's the one pill with only good side effects you should take everyday?
For more material on this episode, go to realtalkstudio.com
Sign up for the Insider list here - get bonus content you can't get anywhere else.
Who's Caroline Beaton?
- She's awesome and you should absolutely check out her stuff - well informed, researched backed, and she knows what she's talking about. She writes on millennials, psychology, purpose, and modern work. For more, check out her site here.
The Facts
- Thanks for Kelly McGonigal for her book The Upside of Stress (with all the great research) and her wonderful TED talk which informed the big ideas in this piece.
- Special thanks to Caroline Beaton for the extra research, which was unexpected and wonderful.
- Thanks to Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D for the pill metaphor in The Happiness Hypothesis.
Production Team and Credits
Special Guest: Caroline Beaton
Host, Producer, Sound Design, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Feedback: Vysali Soundararajan, Kevin Sanji
Music: Electric Mantis
"Our spouses and children arrive comparatively late in our lives; our parents leave us too early. "Our brothers and sisters," says family sociologist Katherine Conger of the University of California, Davis, "are with us for the whole journey." - Jeffrey Kluger
Contrary to popular belief, you can have a sibling and not want to punch them in the face, at the same time. On this very special episode, Mohnish and his sister Vysali deconstruct how to have good sibling relationship and cover:
- The basics: how do you have a good relationship with your brother or sister?
- What percentage of sibling relationships are unfixable?
- Why did Mohnish's sister smoke him like a salmon?
- Why are sibling relationships so valuable (and how do they affect you)?
For more material on this episode including additional research, books, cover artwork and more fun stuff, check out www.realtalkstudio.com
P.S. Sign up for the email list punk! It's awesome, you'll get updates, and you'll get all the lessons from Season One in one beautiful ebook, that you can read in 20 minutes.
Production - Special Thanks and Credits
Special Guest and Content Ideation: Vysali Soundararjan
Host, Producer, Editor, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Music: Electric Mantis
"Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you." - Larry Kersten
Everyone - from your grandmother that you never call because she lit the house on fire, to your next door neighbor - wants to be confident. But what does the research say? Mohnish and Kevin dive into how exactly to build real, long-term confidence and cover:
- Is "Fake It Till You Make It" a good strategy?
- Why is low confidence a good thing?
- Why is "not thinking about building confidence" actually the way in which you build confidence? (hint: it's not what you think)
- What's the one thing about building confidence that no one seems to talk about?
For more material on this episode, including links to relevant research and more fun stuff, check out realtalkstudio.com.
P.S. You should sign up for our email list (Insider). It's awesome.
Production Credits and Special Thanks
Host, Producer, Editor, Research: Mohnish Soundararajan
Co-Host: Kevin Sanji
Special Effects: Angels Singing Anthem Sound Effect
Music: Electric Mantis
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