You'll hear why Sam's books win so many awards: he deeply, personally explores fascinating, critical, current topics, then tells rich, detailed stories that get to their heart. He cares about the people he writes about and our tragic era as you the listener and reader. Meth and fentanyl, you can look in any small town, rural area, or big city---that is, everywhere---to see them sweeping and devastating the United States. Sam shares first his background and interest in learning where it comes from historically and geographically, why it takes root, and what people are doing to stop them. Regular listeners to this podcast and my blog readers know I cover addiction a lot. I focus on it partly because it permeates my neighborhood and twenty-first…

Scott emailed me that he didn't explore wilderness meaninglessly listening to birds as much as he committed. From experience, I know some guests overcommit or for some reason don't complete their commitment. I asked him to share anyway, describing how I'm looking to share actual experiences. I don't want to imply it's easy for everyone. He magnanimously agreed to share. Nobody is perfect, but not everyone is strong enough to share, especially publicly. He described how he's felt spiritual giving up in life before and this time fit the pattern. He did some of what he committed to but let it slide, even though it seemed easy. This time felt disappointing. We spoke more and he found something he may try instead. His sharing openly…

My first week's assignment to my leadership classes at NYU for years has been to watch Geoff's conversation with Charlie Rose. Geoff got his MBA at NYU, but somehow I took years to connect with him. He was delighted to be a guest. I assign Geoff's work because he communicates a message that you can become an expert and how to do it better than anyone. He speaks simply, eloquently, citing research, telling stories, and encouraging. In our conversation he explains and clarifies the meaning of deliberate practice. It's exactly what I want my students to learn before my class since it shows what will help them learn to lead in practice (not just reading and writing). In our conversation, Geoff shares his work, clarifying…

I decided to avoid putting screens on while I ate for a month. I expected to enjoy my food more, to find the euphoria I often feel from fresh, healthy food. I was surprised to find more the feeling of wanting to open a screen: a silky, seductive feeling that said, "It's good to turn on the screen. It's bad not to watch. You'll waste time if you don't put the screen on." The feeling came from inside. I've felt that feeling before, but I felt more conscious of it this time. I wasn't selling-family-heirlooms-to-fuel-the-habit level addicted, but I felt the feelings enough to explore them. I share them in this episode, and how we've built our society and culture around profiting from creating those…