Episodes

March 16, 2019

156: Pale Blue Dot Today

If you've never heard Carl Sagan's spoken essay Pale Blue Dot , you'll get to hear it in today's episode. It still chokes me up. Here is an Earthrise image taken a few years ago like those he contrasts the pale blue dot image...
March 15, 2019

155: Margot Machol Bisnow, part 1: Raising an Entrepreneur

A few months ago I attended the Summit. It was expensive, so I wasn't sure I'd get the value out of it that I paid. As it came together for me, I met the founder, Elliott Bisnow, and then happened to meet his mother, Margot, ...
March 13, 2019

154: Why You, Famous Person, Will Like Being a Guest on this Podcast

Today, I'm sharing what value being a guest offers to influential, well-known people. I call Oprah and her peers the single-name people -- people everyone knows by single names: LeBron, Serena, Sergey, Larry, Barack, Elon, Bi...
March 12, 2019

153: Sean O'Connor, part 1: From paper cups to evaluating life

Today's guest, Sean, is a friend. We recorded this conversation before the podcast launched in November 2017. It took a while to get through the editing process, but I wanted to post it to document the evolution of the podcas...
March 12, 2019

152: Peter Gray, part 1: Free to Learn

Nobody likes being coerced to do something you don't want under threat of punishment. Nor do people like being told they're wrong or ignorant by someone else telling you they know better. Yet it happens all the time. Much of ...
March 11, 2019

151: What Al Gore Misses

I confess I haven't interacted directly with Al Gore so I don't know how he leads in person. I saw him on stage once, but the person interviewing him, Jaden Smith, was 20 years old and I didn't see grasped the situation. Jade...
March 8, 2019

150: Tom Murphy, part 1: Do the Math, the language of nature

Everyone thinks about the environment. Nearly everyone gets bogged down in questions. What's best? Will this or that change make a difference? What does all the science mean? What should I do? Science answers some of these qu...
March 8, 2019

149: Ana Rocha, part 1: Cleaning Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Ana works in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Executive Director for Nipe Fagio (Give Me the Broom! in Swahili), my first guest who works in Africa. This conversation is about leadership in an area lacking it -- environmental action....
March 7, 2019

147: Ron Gonen: Closed Loop Solutions

When I met Ron in business school, he and Recycle Bank, which he co-founded, were well regarded. He's continued to grow since. Beyond contributing into entrepreneurship in sustainability as an entrepreneur, he's helped create...
March 4, 2019

146: To Sam Harris: A preface following meeting at the Beacon

I recorded a preface to episode 142 because I got the backstage pass, attended the meet and greet, shook Sam's hand, and asked him if he was open to alternatives to conversation and violence. I won't be able to do his answer ...
March 1, 2019

145: Rob Greenfield, part 1: Abundance without stuff

This conversation is about joy, responsibility, community, and values you undoubtedly share. Rob Greenfield lived like an average American. He saw the environmental problems we all see on headlines and dismissed them as most ...
March 1, 2019

144: Nikole Beckwith, part 1: Education and leadership

While Nikole's being a celebrated director and writer is a great reason to feature her and listen to her, I approached her because she graduated from Sudbury Valley School. I hope you've heard of Sudbury. If not, it's likely ...
Feb. 27, 2019

143: Dune Ives, part 2: How Did Plastic Pollution Become Normal?

Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about a negative peace, where a problem exists but people don't face it or deal with it, and a positive one, where people solve the problem, which requires facing it. He used non-violent civil d...
Feb. 25, 2019

142: To Sam Harris, whom I hope to meet backstage Friday at the Beacon Theater

In End of Faith Sam Harris says "We have a choice. We have two options as human beings. We have a choice between conversation and war. That's it. Conversation and violence." I like his podcast, listened to most episodes, read...
Feb. 23, 2019

148: Dawn Riley, part 2: Minding her beeswax

Right off the bat, we talk about Olympians, Americas cup winners, and a Crossfit games champion. The places Dawn brought me to were elite -- this time a fundraiser on Wall Street, the first time the New York Yacht Club, the n...
Feb. 22, 2019

141: Dune Ives, part 1: Let's Talk Ocean Plastic

If you've heard about avoiding straws -- if you're actively avoiding straws -- Dune Ives and the Lonely Whale, the organization she's the Executive Director of, have influenced you. If you've asked yourself, why straws or wha...
Feb. 20, 2019

140: Joanne Wilson: Gotham Gal

If you're in entrepreneurship in New York City, you know Joanne Wilson, especially among the women entrepreneurs I talk to. She's prominent in the New York entrepreneurial world, as well as art, travel, food A lot of investor...
Feb. 19, 2019

139: Chris Voss, part 1: FBI Hostage negotiation through honesty and fun

When you think of negotiating, do you think of honesty, fun, and openness. How about hostage negotiation with terrorists? Chris Voss brings the experience of negotiating in some of the world's most challenging situations to t...
Feb. 16, 2019

138: A National Civilian Service Academy

Today's post covers a dramatic proposal I see as a clear winner. It's big and bold but everyone benefits from it. Its challenges are in garnering support and implementation, but once started I see it sustaining itself as a na...
Feb. 15, 2019

137: Why Famous Guests

This podcast has featured some world-renowned guests, with more renown to come. Popular downloads include Dan Pink , multiple #1 bestseller, 40+ million TED talk views, Beth Comstock , former Vice Chair and CMO of General Ele...
Feb. 14, 2019

136: Nataly Kogan, part 2: Happiness Comes From Skills You Can Learn

Happiness comes from skills, which you can learn, which Nataly teaches. Environmental action does too. Happiness and living harmoniously with the environment and your values go well together, as would make sense given our env...
Feb. 13, 2019

135: Why We Want a World Without Growth

People seem to have a hard time imagining a world without growth, specifically economic growth or population growth. There's personal growth, but I'm talking about materially measurable growth. People seem to believe that eco...
Feb. 12, 2019

134: Tim Kopra, part 1: Viewing Earth from Space

Hearing an astronaut talk about space is unparalleled. I imagine anyone and everyone wants to hear about seeing Earth from space and what launch feels like. You have to listen to hear it from a man who experienced it. Having ...
Feb. 11, 2019

133: At Least Try

When I played sports competitively, I once watched a pass go by me without trying because I thought I couldn't make a play on it. A teammate asked why I just watched. I said, "Because I couldn't reach it." He said, "At least ...