The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast

Have you ever felt like there’s more to life than the daily grind, like your dreams are buried under all the obligations and expectations life throws at you?

In this episode, we sit down with The Buried Life co-founder and New York Times bestselling author, Ben Nemtin, to explore why so many of us feel disconnected from our true purpose—and how to reclaim it.

For Ben, it all started as a group of friends chasing wild bucket-list dreams and helping strangers achieve their dreams too. In the process, they discovered what it means to give yourself permission to dream and then make those dreams a reality.

We dive deep into the psychology of fear, the power of accountability, and the surprising benefits of doing what you love—not just for yourself, but for everyone around you. We discuss why most people regret not living authentically, how to overcome the social and emotional barriers holding you back, and practical strategies for rediscovering your dreams, even if they’ve been buried for years.

If you’re looking for inspiration to take that first small step toward a life that feels truly yours, this episode will get you there.

Enjoy.

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Ben’s Stuff:

The Bucket List Journal by Ben Nemtin: https://www.amazon.com/Bucket-List-Journal-Achieve-Fulfilling/dp/B09VX2LMY2

The Buried Life (TV Show): https://www.bennemtin.com/tv-show/

The Buried Life (Poem): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43585/the-buried-life

Ben’s Website: https://www.bennemtin.com

Follow Ben:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennemtin

https://www.instagram.com/bennemtin

https://twitter.com/BenNemtin

https://www.facebook.com/Nemtin/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5l2kfhEEEXLm2HlRXRVzbw

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00:00 What is the buried life?

06:57 Finding your gift and giving it away

11:07 The impact of The Buried Life TV show

18:06 Your goals don't have to be big to be meaningful

21:17 Your authentic self changes over time

26:15 Buried lives and the modern world

34:50 How to uncover your buried life

50:22 Leveraging emotions in your favor

59:41 Ben's Bucket List Journal

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

Life has a way of just kind of happening to you. And while exactly what happens is unique to each of us, we all seem to go through very similar stages of our lives.

Today, we talk about the challenges of these stages. Each stage comes with its own “crisis” that, if navigated well, can propel us to the next stage. It is this never-ending struggle where life happens.

And then… Drew gets all new age and Mark just isn’t having it. And we round it out with a very simple, yet very difficult question from a listener: How much is enough?

Enjoy.

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The Four Stages of Life by Mark Manson: https://markmanson.net/four-stages-of-life

The Art of the Interesting by Lorraine Besser: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Interesting-What-Pursuit-Cultivate/dp/1538743205

Chapters:

02:48 The F*ck of the Week: The Four Stages of Life

26:09 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Psychological Richness

38:27 Q&A: How much is enough?

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Theme song: Icarus Lives by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

Wouldn’t it be great if we dropped all the bullsh*t about modern dating? No more games. No more fake, flaky people. No more texting back and forth for weeks or even months only to find out you have zero chemistry when you meet up in person. No more f*cking bots and AI generated dating profiles…

Sabrina Zohar definitely thinks we can skip all of it and get right down to the fun stuff (oh yeah, baby!). All it requires is brutal honesty with yourself and the people you’re interested in. So if you can stomach that, this episode is right up your alley.

We ask Sabrina: What does your attachment style really tell you about how you should date? Are dating apps really that terrible, or can we change the way we use them to get better results? And do we have high standards, or are our expectations just too f*cking high?

And a whole lot more.

We had a lot of fun in the studio with Sabrina. I hope you enjoy it too.

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About Sabrina Zohar

Sabrina Zohar is the multi-faceted entrepreneur and media figure responsible for coaching hundreds of thousands of people to start doing the work to improve their dating life, their relationships with others–and more importantly: their relationships with themselves.

Sabrina’s online presence shifted from talking about her sustainable clothing line, SoftWear, to sharing about her personal dating life. Sabrina’s message spread like wildfire, and the rest is history.

Sabrina’s message has earned her features in NBC California live, The LA times, The Drew Barrymore show, Daily Mail, Newsweek, US Sun, Yahoo, MSN, and more. Sabrina is a multi-faceted force guiding individuals to success in the entrepreneurial space, fashion, podcasting and media, and of course, the intricate world of love and relationships.

Sabrina’s website: https://www.sabrinazohar.com/

The Sabrina Zohar Show Podcast: https://www.sabrinazohar.com/podcast

Follow Sabrina:

https://www.tiktok.com/@sabrina.zohar

https://www.instagram.com/sabrina.zohar

https://www.youtube.com/@Sabrina_zohar

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Sabrina Zohar

04:25 The F*ck of the Week: Attachment Styles

21:36 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Dating Apps

46:28 Q&A: Are my standards too high?

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Theme music: "Icarus Lives" by Periphery used with permission from Periphery.

Today, we’re diving deep into the subtle difference between a healthy routine and a rut. How can you tell if your daily grind is keeping you grounded… or just grinding you down?

Next, we tackle the question of boredom: Why does it feel so unbearable, and could we actually be missing out on its hidden perks? Spoiler alert—boredom might just be the key to unlocking your most creative, inspired self.

Finally, we confront one of life’s biggest dilemmas: When is it time to walk away, and when should you double down? Whether it’s a project that’s going nowhere or a relationship that feels like it’s on life support, we’ll give you insights on knowing when to quit and when to stick it out.

Enjoy.

Brilliant or Bullshit Paper: Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4330241/

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01:19 F*ck of the Week: Routines vs ruts

31:06 Q&A: When to quit vs when to grit?

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Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery used with permission from Periphery.

What are you called to do in life? What is your life’s task? And once you figure that out, how do you pursue it?

The one and only Robert Greene sat down with us on the pod to talk about all of these questions and a whole more.

We discuss finding and pursuing one’s life task, the nature and causes of “Peter Pan Syndrome”, science vs timeless wisdom on life, figuring out what do in midlife after you’ve taken the wrong path, and a much more.

Enjoy.

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About Robert Greene

Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, The Laws of Human Nature, and most recently of The Daily Laws.

In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, Greene’s books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry (including Jay-Z, Drake, and 50 Cent).

Greene attended U.C. Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Robert’s Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com/

Robert’s Books: https://powerseductionandwar.com/books/

Robert’s social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobertGreeneOfficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial

X: https://x.com/RobertGreene

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Robert-Greene-100085341047380/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@robertgreene

Chapters:

00:40 The F*ck of the Week: Finding Your Life’s Task

29:37 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Peter Pan Syndrome

43:15 Q&A: Science vs Timeless Philosophy, How to Start Over in Midlife

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

It's hard enough to change, but why it is so hard to maintain that change too? How might psychedelics facilitate big changes in our lives? And how can young men find healthy role models in the modern world?

In this week's pod, we cover my current struggles around keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle, how psychedelics might actually scramble your brain (in a good way), and why so many young men are struggling to find a place in the world today.

Enjoy.

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00:15 The F*ck of the Week: Struggling with food and healthy eating

14:23 Brilliant of Bullsh*t: Psychedelics rewire your brain?

26:37 Q&A: How do I be man in today's world?

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by ⁠Periphery⁠, used with permission from Periphery.

Why can’t we just do the things we know we should do? It’s a simple question with a very complex answer.

To help us answer it, I sat down with my old friend, Nir Eyal, a behavioral design expert and author of the best-selling book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

I love Nir’s approach because he doesn’t linger on the surface of the problem of distraction by hocking the latest app or hack or fancy new time management method. Instead, he dives right into the thorny emotional realities we all face in trying to lead productive, meaningful lives.

In this episode, we talk about what it means to be “indistractable” and how it’s probably the most important skill of the 21st century. We also get Nir’s take on the role of social media in our lives (his views on this might surprise you). And finally, he answers that timeless question: Why don’t we just do what we know we should do?

Enjoy.

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About Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. His books have resonated with readers worldwide, selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages.

Nir’s book, Indistractable: http://geni.us/indistractable

Nir on time boxing: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing/

Nir on values: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/

Nir’s free schedule maker: https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/

More articles by Nir: https://www.nirandfar.com/best-articles/

Follow Nir on social media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/

https://www.youtube.com/user/nirandfar

https://twitter.com/nireyal

https://www.facebook.com/nirandfar/

http://instagram.com/neyal99

2:02 The F*ck of the Week: Becoming Indistractable

23:04 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: The Social Dilemma

44:20 Q&A: How do I get myself to do the things I know I should do?

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

How many f*cks should we give about politics? What’s driving the widening ideological gap between young men and women? And is the world truly and utterly f*cked beyond all recognition?

In this episode, we talk politics without really talking politics. We cover how to stay up-to-date on current events without going insane, what history can teach us about the present, the real downside to TikTok’s invasion of—well, everything—and why there is still reason to hold out hope, even when it seems like the world is going straight to hell.

Check it out.

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Chapters

01:17 The F*ck of the Week: Politics

16:24 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Is TikTok Ruining Politics AND Dating?

32:24 Q&A: Is Everything Just F*cked?

Theme song: Icarus Lives by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

Cutting off bad or toxic parents is all the rage in some pockets of the internet these days—but have we lowered the bar a little too much for what makes a parent “toxic”? How can we navigate and own up to the hard conversations we need to have with the people closest to us? And is there a silver lining for putting up with family members who drive us absolutely f*cking insane?

Join us on today’s pod as we get a little squirmy in our chairs while we tackle these issues. Drew squashes some beefs, Mark sniffs out some of the bullshit around cutting people off, and we answer one of your questions about dealing with those crazy people you just can’t get away from: your family.

Enjoy.

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Theme Song: Icarus Lives by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

The quality of your life often comes down to the quality of the relationships you have. That’s why we’re giving a huge f*ck about friendship this week.

While the benefits of having good friends are pretty obvious, the cost of maintaining friendships is often overlooked by a lot of people. We dive into that, plus some advice on when you should and shouldn’t cut off people in your life, and how friends and romantic partners really impact our happiness.

Check it out.

Here’s the paper we discuss: People perceive parasocial relationships to be effective at fulfilling emotional needs

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If you’d like to submit a question for us to consider, you can leave it in the comments below or email it to [email protected]

Theme Music: "Icarus Lives" by Periphery