Episodes

Oct. 10, 2019

227: Economists don't know what they're talking about on growth

A few words on growth and how people misunderstand it, especially economists. I start by talking about my window garden cherry tomato plants and how the inability of the insects eating them to regulate their growth and up des...
Oct. 7, 2019

226: Brad P, part 1: Dating coaching, leadership, and the environment

Today's episode with guest Brad P, a dating coach and guru---well, former, since he's moved on, as he'll share---partly reveal a major part of my social and emotional development as an adult. He was in a sense my boss when I ...
Oct. 1, 2019

225: My role model: Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine

Polio terrorized the world. People died and became paralyzed and there were no defenses to it. Science understood it and eventually Jonas Salk found a vaccine. Just having a vaccine wasn't enough. They needed massive global p...
Sept. 30, 2019

224: Clarifying my strategy

People commonly misunderstand the goals of this podcast. I tried in this episode to clear up two common misunderstandings: They mistakenly believe my goal is individual change---to influence one person at a time. They mistake...
Sept. 25, 2019

223: Adam Quiney, part 2: Do the Thing

This episode is two thoughtful, intelligent people sharing environmental thoughts. I think the thoughts we share are what a lot of people think but don't share enough. We cover action, leadership, motivation, caring, beliefs,...
Sept. 22, 2019

222: Why Eat Insects?

Between insects, kelp, vertical farming, lab-grown meat, and other clever options, why didn't we think of them before? Because we had better options! Few meat eaters choose crickets over steaks and hamburgers, but we've squan...
Sept. 21, 2019

221: Climate March Reflections

Here are the notes I work from for this episode: From climate march Went 3 times: Before lunch to participate in organizing group, went to Foley Square. Seemed like tens of thousands, maybe six figures. On my way to a meeting...
Sept. 18, 2019

220: Michelle Tillis Lederman, part 2: Making it habitual makes it easy

Not often do I hear something in a podcast conversation that's a new habit I'm going to try. This conversation with Michelle led to two. I recommend them both and I'll try to find a way to report back how they go. Plus she sh...
Sept. 17, 2019

219: Regretful decisions

I share thoughts in today's episode I didn't have the heart to share with family on their way to vacationing in France. In my lifetime I've seen the world change and our understanding of it change from we can't really raise s...
Sept. 16, 2019

218: To Those Who Say They Can't Stop Polluting

A friend told me the other day that while I could reduce flying, business people couldn't. It's not so easy for them, actually impossible. Did he forget that I have an MBA? That I started a business with an 8-digit valuation,...
Sept. 14, 2019

217: Adam Quiney, part 1: Leadership for the Smartest Person in the Room

Adam studies brilliant people and leadership. There are many leadership coaches and researchers. If you like me and my way of doing things, which is geeky, you might be geeky yourself. You probably like leadership too. We get...
Sept. 10, 2019

216: Brandon Voss, part 2: Negotiate Like Your Environment Depends On It

We start talking about how to learn---you have to practice. This is one of the most important things to get, not just in learning but in life. Too many people read and analyze, expecting to learn. If you don't change your beh...
Sept. 4, 2019

215: Jeremy Ryan Slate, part 2: How long have you gone without a phone?

When was the last time you went without a cell phone for more than a few hours? Jeremy went longer than he expected, but as chance favors the prepared mind, he was ready to take advantage of an opportunity. It sounds to me li...
Sept. 2, 2019

214: Are we smarter than bugs?

Bugs will infest a plant until they kill it, then when it dies, they die. It's happening to the fig tree and cherry tomato plants in my windowsill garden. If they could keep their population low enough to avoid killing the pl...
Sept. 2, 2019

213: Joy from disgust

I don't like my world being full of junk "food," litter, and pollution, but if it is, I'd rather see it for what it is and feel a disgust that motivates me to change it than to keep myself in denial and passively, complacentl...
Sept. 1, 2019

212: The Amazon Burning and Us

What's the difference between burning rain forests for someone's livelihood and family in the Amazon and paying for people to drill oil that we squander in the rest of the world? I'm not asking to accuse. I see some differenc...
Aug. 28, 2019

211: Michael Werner, part 1: Dream job results from environmental leadership

Not everyone gets his or her dream job. Michael Werner did, on sustainable product design at Google and Apple. Since our conversation he's become Google's lead on circular economy. Whatever your thoughts on these companies, h...
Aug. 23, 2019

210: How many children should I have?

How many kids should you have? I've heard people justify how many kids they should have for various reasons. I think of how decisions happen. We tend to decide first, based on emotions---the wiring we were born with that help...
Aug. 19, 2019

209: Laura Coe, part 2: Practice changing habits

Laura and I explore the feelings and emotions around our environmental behavior, specifically that we don't like, like throwing away food. I predict you'll find her descriptions of how people feel familiar. In other episodes ...
Aug. 16, 2019

208: Caspar Craven, part 1.5: Back on Track

Remember how enthusiastic Caspar sounded at the end of the first episode? He made doing his commitment sound so easy. Well, sometimes it is, but not always. He emailed me to postpone, saying he hadn't done as much as he expec...
Aug. 14, 2019

207: My Sad Fig Tragedy

People tell me they prefer personal stories and stories of humility, not just success. Well, this morning I messed up my fig tree. I'm still learning about gardening. I felt like a brute. Plus you can hear about my morning ho...
Aug. 7, 2019

206: Jeremy Ryan Slate, part 1: Leadership: Doing What Others Don't, But Want To

This episode is about doing what others don't, but want to. We recorded it nearly 2 years ago when I was still getting into my groove. We start talking what sounds like about oranges but we're talking about leadership -- doin...
Aug. 5, 2019

205: Notes to a Future President

The U.S. is ramping up its Presidential campaigns. The environment is an issue for many reasons. At first you'd think because of global warming, plastic, mercury in fish, extinctions, bees are mysteriously dying, and so on. B...
Aug. 3, 2019

204: Michelle Tillis Lederman, part 1: The Connector's Advantage

I've known Michelle longer than almost any guest. I met her in business school, which would mean 2005 or 6. She may be the friendliest guest of the show, partly from our being friends. But I've seen her in a room of unknown p...