Something You Should Know

Something You Should Know

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Something You Should Know episodes

  • The Amazing Benefits of Creating Order in Your Life & the Math that Changed Your World

    If you want to feel good, grab some money! I begin this episode by explaining how the simple act of handling money can make you feel a lot better if you are feeling a bit down. And the money doesn’t even have to be your money. http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912574,00.html

    When you walk into a neat, clean and organized room, do you feel better? Calmer? A lot of people do. More order and less clutter can help you feel happier says Gretchen Rubin, host of the podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” and author of the book Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make Room for Happiness (https://amzn.to/2IB6HaC). Listen as Gretchen explains the psychology of order and how it relates to happiness. Plus she offers some great techniques to organize and create a calmer space.

    People hug their dogs. It is a sign of affection. However, dogs hate it and it can cause a lot of stress in your pet. Listen as I explain why it is not a good idea to hug your dog – in fact it can be dangerous. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201604/the-data-says-donthug-the-dog

    Mention the word “calculus” and people probably think of it as a high school math class that was very difficult. However, calculus is so much more. Without it there might not be cell phones or GPS or television. Calculus helped find a treatment for AIDS and helped us discover Neptune. Steven Strogatz is a professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell and author of the book Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe (https://amzn.to/2Vvl3zv) and he joins me to explain exactly what calculus is and how critical it is to our modern world. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

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    51 min
  • How to Use Failure To Make Your Good Ideas Better & Why You Check Your Phone 86 x a Day

    Imagine that while you are sleeping, a cleaning crew gets into your brain to clean out all the toxins so that your brain works better the next day. I know it sounds weird but it is exactly what happens. Listen as I begin this episode with that explanation. http://ens-newswire.com/2013/10/18/brain-cleans-itself-of-toxins-during-sleep/

    Most great breakthrough ideas fail first and then get modified before they became a success. It often happens multiple times. Being open to learning from those early failures and being able to adapt your ideas is what helps make ideas prosper according to Safi Bahcall. Safi is a physicist and biotech entrepreneur and author of the book, Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases and Transform Industries (https://amzn.to/2GsXA8u). Listen as Safi offers insight and great examples of how important inventions and breakthroughs have happened by learning from failure and how we all can do it. 

    Often the reason you get upset or stressed out is because things aren’t the way you think they SHOULD be… Traffic should not be so heavy, your doctor should not keep you waiting – that type of thing. Listen as I explore how to change that thinking to relieve yourself of unnecessary frustration. http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/04/frustrated/

    When I think of compulsive behavior, I think of people who wash their hands a lot or check to see if they locked the door or turned off the coffee pot 50 times a day. While that seems to be extreme compulsive behavior, how is it any different than checking your smart phone 86 times a day? (That's the average). Science writer Sharon Begley has explored this in her book Just Can’t Stop: An Investigation of Compulsion (https://amzn.to/2IAUnHj). She joins me to reveal why compulsive behavior isn’t necessarily bad and explains at what point it does become a problem and what to do about it. 

    This Week’s Sponsors

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something

    -Hers. For $10 off your first order (while supplies last) go to www.ForHers.com/something

    -Capterra To find the best software for your business visit www.Capterra.com/something

    -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  • How to Get People to Really Like You & Why Humans Can Be So Kind & So Cruel

    You probably don’t write much with a pen and paper anymore. Most of us type. However, there are a lot of benefits to writing the old-fashion way. I begin this episode with some great reasons why you should write more and type less. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/78182/4-reasons-write-hand-rather-type)

    Want to be more likeable and attract people to you? Some people are really good at it. They have the ability to draw people to them – almost as if it were magic. How do they do it? Jack Schafer knows. Jack is a former FBI Special Agent who mastered the techniques of making building rapport and getting people to like him in order to get them to confess to crimes and reveal personal information. He is the author of the book, The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over (https://amzn.to/2DloBK1) and he joins me to share the techniques and the science behind them.

    Do you like to dance? I hope so because it is apparently really good for your brain. Listen as I explain how dancing and brain health are connected. (http://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-dancing-neurodegenerative-disease-humanbrain-380835?rel=most_read4)

    It is called the Goodness Paradox. Simply put, it is the fact that human beings can be so kind and thoughtful on one hand and so evil and aggressive on the other. Harvard anthropology professor Richard Wrangham, comes on the podcast to discuss this fascinating quirk of human behavior that allowed Adolf Hitler to be such a monster and at the same time an animal lover and delightful party host. He reveals that as species we are actually less aggressive than other animals – and we seem to be getting even less aggressive than we used to be. Richard is author of the book The Goodness Paradox (https://amzn.to/2DlF0y5). 

    This Week’s Sponsors

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something

    -Hers. For $10 off your first order (while supplies last) go to www.ForHers.com/something

    -Capterra To find the best software for your business visit www.Capterra.com/something

    -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  • How to Stop Postponing the Important Things in Your Life & How Food Fights Disease

    The scent of lavender is supposed to be calming. It may also be the scent of trust. I begin this episode by explaining how lavender can make you appear to be more trustworthy – and why. http://rd.com/advice/relationships/habits-make-people-trust/

    I bet you have things you really want to do but somehow never get to doing them - right? There are trips you probably want to take or goals you want to accomplish but you don't. So what’s stop you? Sam Horn author of the book Someday is Not a Day in the Week (https://amzn.to/2X94qqn) joins me to explain why people keep procrastinating on those important goals and she offers a simple and effective way to stop putting them off and start doing them. 

    What is it about some people who just walk into a room and take control? How do they send off those signals of, “I’m in charge here”? A lot of it turns out to be body language and I’ll explain how you can do it too. http://www.businessinsider.com/tricks-for-reading-peoples-body-language-2016-3

    What if the foods you eat can actually target certain diseases? There is some fascinating new evidence that 200 specific foods can actually do just that according to renowned physician Dr. William Li. Dr. Li has served has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Dartmouth Medical School and he is author of the book Eat to Beat Disease (https://amzn.to/2IjehXk). Listen as he explains the fascinating research that shows exactly which foods fight which diseases. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Ancestry. To get 20% off your Ancestry DNA test go to www.Ancestry.com/something

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Quip. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something

    -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  • How to Embrace Conflict and Fight Well & Why We Love to Live in Cities

    Grocery stores have a lot of germs. For one thing there is a lot of raw meat and fish moving around in the store. Some of those germs can cause you and your family to get really sick. I begin this episode with some very important advice on how to protect yourself from this very real threat. http://www.menshealth.com/health/supermarket-safety

    Conflict can be ugly and messy. It can also be positive and productive, according the Liane Davey author of the book, The Good Fight (https://amzn.to/2YXKnwG). Liane joins me to explain how to have “productive conflict” that actually gets to a solution. Plus she reveals how to avoid unproductive conflict that does little more than to cause trouble and make things worse. Conflict is part of life. How we handle it is what matters. 

    Do you sleep in the fetal position? A lot of people do and it may be messing with your self-confidence. Listen as I explain how and why and how you can counteract the effects. https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-cuddy-advice-waking-up-right-2016-1

    More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Yet cities are full of problems: crime, high taxes, traffic, ridiculously high cost of housing and many more. Monica L. Smith, a professor of anthropology at UCLA and author of the book Cities: The First 6,000 Years https://amzn.to/2InT5yt) joins me to reveal why people love living in cities, why cities are a relatively new invention (6,000 years ago) and what the future holds for urban environments and the people who live there. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Ancestry. To get 20% off your Ancestry DNA test go to www.Ancestry.com/something

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Quip. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something

    -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min
  • How to Use a Secret Identity to Get What You Want & Why We Have a Moon

    Sibling relationships change as we move from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes they change for the better – sometimes not. We begin this episode by unraveling the complications of adult sibling relationships. http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/adult-sibling-estrangement/

    When you were a kid you had a secret identity. You pretended to be Superman or a princess or someone you admired. What’s interesting is you can do the same thing as an adult to help achieve your personal and professional goals. Todd Herman, a performance coach and author of the book The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/2YVO46c) joins me to explain how adopting a secret identity can help you succeed in anything. 

    How much water should you drink today? There is a simple formula I’ll explain that will make sure you are sufficiently hydrated every day. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/milk-and-other-surprising-ways-to-stay-hydrated/

    It is the 50th anniversary of the first man walking on the moon. To celebrate you are going to discover some fascinating things about the moon that will forever change the way you think when you look up in the sky. Dr.Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator. She is an Honorary Research Associate in University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy and author of the The Book of the Moon: A Guide to Our Closest Neighbor (https://amzn.to/2D11Afx). Her view of the moon will fascinate you. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -LinkedIn. For $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first order go to www.TakecareOf.com and use the promo code: something50

    -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something

    -Calming Comfort. For $15 off the displayed price go to www.calmingcomfortblanket.com and use the promo code: something

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  • The Science of Sin: Why We Do Bad Things & How to Lead When You Are Not in Charge

    Why does traffic just seem to stop for no reason then magically clear up? You are sure there must be an accident or construction but there isn’t. So what causes it? We begin this episode with an explanation of that. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608151550.htm)

    There are 7 deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed and sloth. Why are they so tempting? We humans spend our lives trying to resist the lure of sin. So what’s it all for? Jack Lewis author of the book The Science of Sin: Why We Do the Things We Know We Shouldn’t (https://amzn.to/2HVhXhL) joins me for a fascinating discussion on why we are attracted to things that can do us no good and what determines if we resist or give in to temptation. 

    Ever have a chain necklace get all tangled in a knot that is hard to get undone? That is just one of several household emergencies that you’ll hear the solution for in this episode. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g3397/quick-cleaning-fixesfor-everyday-issues/

    You probably assume that in order to be a leader, you have to have authority – otherwise why should anyone listen to you? Well you don’t, according to my guest Clay Scroggins, author of the book How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority (https://amzn.to/2UxS7Gc). Listen to understand why it is not about authority so much as it is about influence. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -LinkedIn. For $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast

    -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK

    -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first order go to www.TakecareOf.com and use the promo code: something50

    -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something

    -Calming Comfort. For $15 off the displayed price go to www.calmingcomfortblanket.com and use the promo code: something

    -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com

    -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com





    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min
  • Time Cleansing: How to Make Time Work For You & The Ultimate RX For Your Pet's Health and Happiness

    Sometimes you have to ask a stranger for a favor. Perhaps you need to borrow their phone or help you carry something. And there is one proven way that will greatly increase the chances they will grant you that favor. I begin this episode by telling you what it is. http://www.medicaldaily.com/likeability-trustworthy-how-be-popular-377296

    Time is precious. So how you mange, control and perceive the time you have is critical. Time, performance and productivity expert Steven Griffith, author of the book The Time Cleanse (https://amzn.to/2HMoHhU) has a really interesting take on controlling your time so it works for you rather than feel that you don’t have enough time to do what is really important to you.  

    It would seem that online dating sites would be good at matching people based on the data profile. But there is one big flaw in that data. Listen as I tell you what it is and why dating sites can actually make it more difficult to find love. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/grading-the-online dating-industry.html

    People often treat their pets as a member of the family. That can be trouble. Dogs and cats are not people and really shouldn’t be treated – or fed – like a person. Veterinarian Dr. Karen Halligan author of the book, Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs (https://amzn.to/2WtrAaI) joins me to offer sound advice that will help your pet live a long and healthy life. She also has some warnings on things not to do that could put your pet in danger.  

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something

    -ADT. For more information on smart home security go to www.ADT.com

    -Capital One. Visit www.CapitalOne.com What's in your wallet?

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
  • The Surprising Ways Algorithms Steer Your Life & How to Make Your Ideas Stick

    Do you ever long for the good old days? Nostalgia can be such a wonderful thing. We begin this episode with a look at why the past can seem so idyllic and wonderful and what the positive effects of looking back are. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/nostalgia4.htm

    Do you really understand what algorithms are and how they work? You probably should because algorithms are used so often to influence us in making decisions on what to buy, what movies to watch or who to date. Kartik Hosanagar is a professor of technology, digital business and marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in control (https://amzn.to/2JuStcy). Listen and hear the good and the bad about how algorithms have become part of everyday life.

    “Sit up straight and don’t slouch!” How many times have you heard that or said that to someone else? It turns out that posture is really important and I’ll explain why. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2295420/Stand-straight-stay-fightingfit-From-raised-blood-pressure-bloated-stomach-surprising-effectsbad-posture.html#ixzz2OBJ72FZQ

    Some ideas really stick and others quickly fade away. Why? What makes an idea sticky? Chip Heath, author of the book Made to Stick : Why Some Ideas Thrive and Others Die (https://amzn.to/2Y9YaQu) joins me to talk about his research into what makes a really good idea resonate with people. The advice he gives is very practical and will help you create ideas that people will fall in love with. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something

    -ADT. For more information on smart home security go to www.ADT.com

    -Capital One. Visit www.CapitalOne.com What's in your wallet?

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min
  • Are We Killing English or is It Just Evolving? & How to Make Big Changes Easier

    Springtime means the return of annoying allergy symptoms for a lot of us. I begin this episode with some simple but very effective techniques that can help minimize the suffering from allergies and they come from a top allergist. http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/03/20/allergy-alert-worst-allergyseason-ever/

    If the English language is constantly evolving then what is “proper English”? Should you judge people if they use the language differently from you? Is it okay if someone says, “Let me axe you a question?” These are some of the things I discuss with Anne Curzan, professor of English, linguistics and education at the University of Michigan and host of a series of online courses at The Great Courses (https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/anne-curzan/) After listening to her, you may look at the language in a very different light.

    Should kids question authority or follow the rules? As a parent, you would like them to behave but if you look at the effect it has on their future income as adults, you may change your mind. Listen as I explain some fascinating research into this. http://www.businessinsider.com/kids-personality-salary-money-science-study-2016-3

    We all know that making changes is hard even when those changes are exactly what we need. So is there a way to approach change to make it easier? Yes, according to Gregg Clunis, host of the podcast, Tiny Leaps, Big Changes and author of the book Tiny Leaps Big Changes (https://amzn.to/2OfDDFr). Gregg offers some important insight to making personal changes whether it is reaching for a big goal or eliminating something negative in your life. 

    This Week's Sponsors

    -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box, go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something

    -Trip Actions. Go towww.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card.

    -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you.

    -Select Quote. Get your free insurance quote at www.SelectQuote.com/something

    -Indeed. Post a sponsored job for free at www.Indeed.com/podcast

    -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance

    -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min

About Something You Should Know

From the publisher's feed

Sometimes all it takes is one little fact or one little piece of wisdom to change your life forever. That's the purpose and the hope of "Something You Should Know." In each episode, host Mike…

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