We've just faced a weekend of big decision making....and now that's leading to even more decisions!

Times like this can cause us to step back and reevaluate our options:

Should we step out and take a risk?

Do we consolidate what we have?

Whose opinions should I listen to?

My very special guest this week is Annie Duke. She shares my passion for decision-making, but her unconventional journey from academia to professional poker player gives her a remarkable perspective.

Annie's new book, "How To Decide" is equal parts psychological insight and practical workbook. That makes it fascinating and accessible, but perhaps more importantly, it's very helpful!

If you're on the fence about an important life choice, start by listening to our conversation here, then I recommend you follow the link below and pick up a copy for yourself!

https://www.bookdepository.com/How-Decide-Annie-Duke/9780593084601

Welcome back to this series, based on the incredibly popular course from Coursera called Learning How To Learn.

This week we're taking a look at the principles behind Procrastination and Memory.

There are some principles I can already attest to having made a difference in learning difficult topics so I can't wait to share this with you.

.....now for those of you who have wondered what has happened with the show, I've been a little tied up with my new talk show! It broadcasts every Sunday night between 7-9pm on the LifeFM network. It's where I can tackle the big topics so I hope you check it out.

Rest assured though I haven't abandoned the podcast, you can look forward to more content in the very near future :)

Ps. If you want to check out Learning How To Learn on Coursera for yourself, you can follow the link below.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

My guest this week is in the very rare category of "People I would get up at 3am to have a conversation with"

Viva Frei is a former litigator turned Youtuber whose subscriber count has skyrocketed in recent months. This is mostly thanks to his VLAWG series where he takes a legal matter in the public eye and breaks it down so that normal people can understand it.

This has included topics like Alex Jones (RIP monetisation....), The Meuller Report, Julian Assange and Jussie Smollett.

There is something else though.... as I binge watched Viva's videos I also saw someone committed to living an authentic life coupled with a genuine 'good faith' outlook on the world.

You'll love this episode as we talk about what inspired his journey, including how someone like him ever became a lawyer in the first place!

Once you've finished this episode, you can start your binge watch marathon here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGiDDKdphJ0GFvEd82WfYQ/videos

Welcome to episode two in this four part series of Learning How To Learn.

In the previous episode we talked about some basic principles such as focused and diffuse learning, so I'd encourage you to check out that episode once you're finished with this one

This time around we're looking at the concept of "chunking", it's a process that makes learning anything much more accessible, providing a strategy that you can follow from academics to bomb disposal (i'm assuming...haven't actualy tested that last scenario)

We also look at Illusions of Competence - the reason it's so easy to think we understand something that we just read.

Then we wrap up with a little talk around neural chemistry and some thoughts about study methods.

Remember that all the material you're about to hear me reference is taken from a free online course that has become one of the most popular in the world.

www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

Thanks for joining me on episode 2 of learning how to learn!

If you don't dream of owning your own home some day, are you even a New Zealander? That's how deeply this rite of passage seems to be ingrained in our way of life.

That dream seems increasingly out of reach for the average Kiwi, but how did we get here? Was it overseas buyers? The lack of a capital gains tax?

To help make sense of it all, my guest this week is the Chief Economist of The New Zealand Initiative, Dr Eric Crampton.

We start with a discussion on the impact of debt in society, which leads to a fascinating discussion on the economic principles behind our current housing crisis.

The discussion around Kiwibuild in particular gives me a sense of optimism for where the program could be directed in future!

Few things have impacted my life as much as discovering my passion for learning.

There is nothing more natural to the human condition. To be around a newborn baby is to experience wide-eyed wonder at every turn, complimented by the resilience to master challenges that will take years to achieve like walking and talking.

Yet by the time we leave school, many have decided learning is not for them. Books are boring. School sucks. They're just not that into it. I think that conclusion is a tragedy.

A life full of learning has infinite potential, but most of us were not taught these fundamentals before being thrown into the world of grammar and algebra. This series is my attempt to make you curious again about your potential.

This is also just the beginning, all the material you're about to hear me reference is taken from a free online course that has become one of the most popular in the world.

Please take the next 30 minutes lets start the journey of learning how to learn.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

I'm starting this episode on a personal note. About a year ago I started to form a compelling new vision of what my life could be, but it was going to take some pretty wild changes.

Fast forward till now and I'm excited to see these things start to come together, so I wanted to share this journey with you and a few of the things that have made it possible

I'm not going to tell you my method is the one you should definitely follow, I just felt like there was a lack of stories from the middle of a journey and I could make a contribution.

With that in mind, the guest today is the interviewer! Tim Wackrow and I have been friends for probably more than 10 years and I've always appreciated his insight and curiosity. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to have him interview me (instead of just talking to the mic by myself for an hour)

What you're about to listen to is our unedited conversation. I hope it can inspire you to take the next step towards the life you've always dreamed of.

For a podcast that's often focused on personal growth, in this episode we're talking economic growth!

This month in New Zealand the Tax Working Group released their report and home owners held their breath.

There it was....a recommendation for a capital gains tax on property sales. There were a host of other recommendations of course, but they were drowned out and seldom debated.

So is this the best we can do? My guest this week was asking the same question.

Geoff Simmons is the leader of The Opportunities Party and took part in discussions around the country to present an answer.

If you've been looking for a long form, in depth discussion about how we look at fairness, taxation and the long term prosperity of New Zealand, I'm hoping you now have a place to start!

In 2007, Vanessa Evetts received a moment of inspiration. Ten years later it would become her debut novel.

Easy as that, right?

For anyone looking to make a creative passion into a career, you need to listen to this conversation.

Vanessa talks about the power of the process and how the time between her first novel's initial inspiration and its eventual completion was essential for her to do the story justice.

We also cover thoughts on being self published, how to manage your time as a writer and what can steal your creativity.

What struck me the most was how 'together' and self assured she is in her writing mission. It's an amazing contrast to the typical insecure artist persona and if you're looking for an example to follow, it's my privilege to bring her to your attention

Follow her via the links below

[email protected]

www.vanessaevetts.com

Insta:vevettswriter

FB:@authorVanessaEvetts

Twitter:@EvettsWriter

After talking to Gabrielle, I observed that she had every reason not to be grateful after what she's been through.

Her response?

"How could I NOT be grateful!"

You're about to meet one of the most inspiring guests I've ever had on The Andrew Curtis Show

It could be a story of sickness, isolation and depression.

Instead, it's a story of gratitude, faith, resilience and love.

If you've had a difficult start to 2019, this episode could be just what you need to shift your focus to an attitude of gratitude.

Looking forward to getting your feedback on this one!