Sonia and Simon

Why are so many people earning good money but still struggling to build wealth?

Half of Australian workers say they’re living paycheque to paycheque even as wages continue to rise.

Investment expert and author Ben Carlson unpack where our money is going and what it actually takes to build wealth over the long term. He reveals the biggest mistakes people make with money, why humans are so bad at investing, what market crashes can teach us, whether buying a home is still the best path to wealth, and what investors should make of the AI boom.

We Discuss:

• Why earning more doesn’t always lead to building wealth

• The biggest mistakes investors make
• How to survive a market crash
• Whether you should be buying a home or investing instead
• The truth about renting vs owning
• Is AI creating an investment bubble?

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What if aliens almost certainly exist and humans could one day live forever?

Theoretical physicist Dr Michio Kaku has spent seven decades searching for the single equation that could explain everything in existence. He takes us to the edge of what we know about the universe and what could be possible next.

We Discuss:

• Why Michio believes there is almost certainly life beyond Earth
• What UFOs can and can’t tell us about extraterrestrial life
• Whether humans could ever become immortal
• How quantum computers could threaten today’s digital security and banking systems
• The possibility of multiple universes
• And the biggest unanswered questions about our universe

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What happens when we become obsessed with understanding ourselves?

Jemma Sbeg is the creator of The Psychology of Your 20s, one of the world’s biggest psychology podcasts, and author of Person in Progress. Her work has helped millions of people navigate relationships, career, identity, money, loneliness and the uncertainty of being in your 20s.

But in 2026, something has changed.

We have more psychological language than ever. We know about attachment styles, trauma, nervous-system regulation, red flags and boundaries.

We can ask AI what our feelings mean, analyse our relationships and compare our lives to millions of people online.So are we actually becoming better at understanding ourselves or are we becoming better at overthinking everything?

We Discuss:

• Why AI could be dangerous for Gen Z and how outsourcing our thinking could weaken creativity
• Why friendship breakups can hurt just as much as romantic ones
• Why everyone feels behind in life
• How social media fuels comparison and insecurity
• Tall Poppy Syndrome and the pressure to stay humble as an ambitious Australian
• What your 20s are really supposed to be about

Connect with Jemma:

Website

Book

Instagram

What if the life you’ve built isn’t actually the life that’s right for you?

Dr James Hollis is a Jungian analyst, author and teacher who has spent decades exploring the unconscious forces that shape how we live, love, work and understand ourselves.

He has written more than 20 books, including the bestselling Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, The Middle Passage and Under Saturn’s Shadow.

We Discuss:

• Why do we keep repeating patterns that hurt us?
• How much of our identity was shaped by our childhood?
• Why do successful people still feel lost?
• What happens when your career, relationship or identity no longer feels like you?
• Why do we project the parts of ourselves we don't want to see onto other people?

And perhaps the biggest question of all:

How do you know whether you're living your own life, or the life you were taught to want?

Connect with James

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Could this be the first generation with a lower IQ than their parents?

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in how we work, learn and think, are we becoming more capable or are we slowly outsourcing the very skills that make us intelligent?

Professor Joel Pearson is a neuroscientist, psychologist, author and the world’s first Neuro Futurist. He is Director of the Future Minds Lab and Deputy Director of Human Readiness at the UNSW AI Institute, where he studies the human mind and how technology is reshaping the way we think, work and live.

We Discuss:

• Could this be the first generation less intelligent than the last?
• What AI is doing to your brain
• Are we outsourcing our ability to think?
• Why humans struggle with uncertainty
• The future of creativity and intelligence
• What the next generation needs to prepare for

Connect with Joel 

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Instagram

Linked In

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What actually makes us happy, and why do some things we think will make us happier fail to deliver?

Sonja Lyubomirsky is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of happiness. A professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, her research has transformed how we understand what makes people happier. Her latest book, How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most, turns her research toward one of the most important parts of a happy life: feeling loved and connected.

We Discuss:

• What really makes people happy
• How to feel more loved and connected
• The five mindsets that shape how we experience love
• Why we adapt to money, success and positive life changes
• How much control we have over our own happiness
• The role relationships play in long-term wellbeing
• What the science says about money and happiness

Connect with Sonja:

Website

How To Feel Loved Book

Instagram

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Why do smart, loving people keep having the same fights?

Why does intimacy disappear? And why do so many men struggle to stay emotionally connected?

Terry Real is one of the world’s leading relationship therapists and the founder of Relational Life Therapy. His work challenges the traditional rules of relationships, masculinity and couples therapy. We get into why the messages boys and men receive about masculinity keep shifting and why that confusion is quietly costing men their mental and physical health.

We discuss:

• Why men need to learn vulnerability and relational skills
• What “fierce intimacy” really means
• How to stop fighting to be right and start fighting for the relationship
• AI, loneliness, and a generation craving connection
• The five losing strategies destroying relationships
• Get in touch with Terry

Instagram

YouTube

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Website

Join our waitlist to stay up to date on our events and connect with our community : ⁠https://boomstudio.ai/soniaandsimon⁠

What if the biggest warning signs of a recession are already here and we’re not paying attention?

Mark Zandi is one of America’s most respected economists and the Chief Economist of Moody’s Analytics. He’s spent decades analysing the economy, financial markets, housing, jobs and the forces that drive the next economic cycle.

We discuss:

- Whether a recession is actually coming

- What happens to interest rates next

- The state of the housing market

- Jobs, unemployment and the future of work

- How AI could reshape the economy

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What if the biggest thing holding back your career or business isn't your product… it's that nobody knows who you are?

Caleb Ralston is a personal branding strategist, content creator, and entrepreneur who has helped some of the world's most influential founders build their online presence. Having worked alongside industry leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk and Alex Hormozi, Caleb has seen firsthand how a strong personal brand can open doors, create opportunities, and accelerate business growth.

We Discuss:

- Why everyone needs a personal brand

- The difference between attention and trust

- How to stand out in a crowded online world

- Building a personal brand without millions of followers

- The content strategy that actually drives business growth

Subscribe for new episodes every Monday as we sit down with the world's leading thinkers to help you expand your worldview.

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Why are some people able to overcome adversity while others struggle to bounce back?Hugh van Cuylenburg is the founder of The Resilience Project, bestselling author, and one of Australia’s leading voices on mental wellbeing and resilience.Hugh shares the science behind building resilience and the practical tools we can use to handle life’s challenges, improve our relationships, and create a more meaningful life.We Discuss:• Why resilience is a skill — not something you’re born with• Why modern life may be making us less resilient• The habits that build mental strength and emotional wellbeing• How gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness can transform your life• Why success and achievement don’t always lead to happiness• How to navigate stress, setbacks, and uncertaintyA conversation about becoming stronger, more self-aware, and better equipped for the challenges of the modern world.

Connect with Hugh

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Join our waitlist to stay up to date on our events and connect with our community : https://boomstudio.ai/soniaandsimon