What's really happening to sex, intimacy, and relationships in the age of smartphones, porn, and AI companions?

Dr. Nicole McNichols is a sex educator, researcher, and professor whose work focuses on helping people have more satisfying, fulfilling sex lives. In this episode, she breaks down what science actually says about desire, pleasure, and intimacy; and why so many people are struggling in silence.

We Discuss:

• Why porn is giving young people (and adults) deeply unrealistic expectations about sex
• How loneliness and lack of intimacy is becoming a modern mental health crisis
• Why faking orgasms is quietly destroying communication in relationships
• The truth about female anatomy and pleasure that most people were never taught
• How AI companions and digital relationships are changing human intimacy
• Whether penis size actually matters (she settles it once and for all)

📚 Dr. Nicole's Book — You Could Be Having Better Sex:

🌐 Website

🔗 Instagram

🐦 Twitter/X

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

Most relationships don't end because of one big betrayal. They die slowly through small moments of disconnection.

Drs. John and Julie Gottman are the world's leading relationship researchers, having studied couples for over 40 years, publishing more than 200 academic journal articles and 46 books. They are the co-founders of The Gottman Institute and the renowned Love Lab.

In this episode, they break down what decades of research on thousands of couples reveals about communication, trust, and what actually destroys love.

We Discuss:

• Why small daily interactions matter more than grand romantic gestures
• The Four Horsemen of relationship destruction: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling
• How to build and update Love Maps for deeper emotional connection
• Why emotional neglect is more damaging than conflict
• How smartphones are quietly eroding intimacy
• Whether relationships can truly recover after betrayal and infidelity

📱 Gottman Card Decks App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gottman-card-decks/id1071747474

📚 The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553447718

📚 The Relationship Cure: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553384393

🔗 The Four Horsemen Explained: https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen/

🌐 Visit the Gottman Institute: https://www.gottman.com/

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

Most people believe they’re clear on what they want in a partner. Science says they’re not even close.Paul Eastwick, one of the world’s leading relationship scientists, breaks down what decades of research actually reveal about attraction, dating, and long-term compatibility.We Discuss:

• Why your “type” is a poor predictor of real attraction
• The disconnect between preference and behaviour in dating
• How dating apps may be distorting who we choose
• Why love languages aren’t predictive of relationship success

-Follow Dr Paul Eastwicks new Podcast here:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6D0q5uD...Everywhere: https://episodes.fm/1766543146Order his book Bonded by Evolution here

AI isn’t coming it’s already here. And most people are completely unprepared.Conor Grennan Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern School of Business and founder of AI Mindset, breaks down what we are getting wrong about AI and why the biggest risk right now isn’t AI itself… it’s how slowly people are adapting to it. Conor works with Fortune 500 companies, training leaders to actually integrate AI into how they think and operate. His core message is blunt: people aren’t falling behind because they lack tools ,they’re behind because of behavior.We Discuss:

• The mindset shift required to stay relevant in the next 3–5 years
• How AI is changing the way we work, learn, and create
• The biggest mistakes people make when using AI
• Why we are prompting our AI chatbots all wrong

Connect with Conor:🌍 https://www.ai-mindset.ai/https://www.youtube.com/c/ConorGrennan

He predicted the 2008 crash, now Australia could be next.

Prof Steve Keen breaks down why Australia’s housing market, global energy systems, and food supply chains are far more fragile than they appear and how rising debt is quietly driving it all.From the truth about mortgage debt and skyrocketing house prices, to the real impact of climate change, energy shortages, and fertiliser dependence, this episode challenges the economic narratives we’ve all been taught.

We Discuss:

• Why rising house prices are driven by debt, not demand
• The hidden fragility of Australia’s economy
• Energy shortages, food security & global supply risks
• The future of work in an AI-driven world
• Climate change and the economic shocks ahead

Connect with Prof Steve Keen:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ProfSteveKeen

X: https://x.com/ProfSteveKeen

You can purchase Steve's book, 'The New Economics: A Manifesto', Here

What if kids only needed 2 hours a day to learn everything they need?

MacKenzie Price co-founder of Alpha Schools breaks down the “2 Hour Learning” model, an AI-powered approach that’s challenging everything we thought we knew about education. If you’re a parent, educator, or just curious about where the future is heading this conversation will change how you think about school.

We Discuss:

• How personalised learning is accelerating academic outcomes
• Why traditional classrooms may be holding students back
• What happens when kids spend less time memorising… and more time building real-world skills
• How AI is being used to revolutionise the classroom

What if the strategies the ultra-wealthy use to grow their money are more accessible than you think?

Jake Claver started out as an industrial sales rep. No inheritance. No head start. Today he manages nearly $1 billion in digital assets, advises high-net-worth families through his firm Digital Ascension Group, and is one of the most sought-after voices in crypto wealth management. Jake has made it his mission to bring the strategies of the elite to everyday investors.

We Discuss:

• Why Bitcoin is still just getting started
• How XRP is quietly positioning itself to reshape global finance
• The exact mistakes destroying beginners' portfolios
• What a family office actually does and how to think like one
• How AI is changing the way smart money trades
• How to take your first step into crypto

Connect with Jake Claver:

🌐 jakeclaver.com

📚 Wealth in Numbers — available now

What if building wealth didn't require a high salary, a finance degree, or perfect discipline?

David Bach — 10x New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most trusted personal finance experts. With over 7 million books sold, David has spent 30 years teaching everyday people how to go from financial stress to genuine financial freedom using simple, automatic habits anyone can start today.

We Discuss:

• Why "paying yourself first" is the single most powerful wealth habit
• How to automate your savings so you never have to rely on willpower
• How to start building wealth TODAY, no matter your income level
• David's personal story: from financial advisor to global bestselling author

Connect with David Bach:

🌐davidbach.com📚

The Automatic Millionaire: 20th Anniversary Edition — available now

What if the future of aerospace engineering isn't more engineers… but smarter algorithms?

Josefine Lissner, Co-Founder of Leap71 the company using AI-driven algorithms and 3D printing to automate the way we design and build rocket engines.

From Formula One to the frontiers of aerospace, Josefine is rewriting what's possible when you remove the limits of traditional engineering and let computation take the wheel.

We Discuss:

• Why the next generation of rockets won't be designed by humans — but by algorithms
• How 3D printing is unlocking complex engineering that was previously impossible
• Why Josefine left Formula One to build one of the world's most ambitious deep-tech startups
• The truth about being a woman at the forefront of engineering and aerospace
• Why Dubai — not Silicon Valley — is becoming the world's most exciting hub for innovation

For more details on Josefine's work head to https://leap71.com/

A compilation of some special moments from some of our biggest guests this year. In this episode:

- Ed Elson

- Shan Boodram

- Professor Jeffery Pfeffer

- Debbie Millman-Anna Machin