Podcast
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Most self-help advice is guesswork dressed up as wisdom. We dig into psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to find what actually changes lives.
WHY LISTEN?
Over 8 million downloads because we answer the questions that matter: How do I build mental strength? What creates lasting motivation? How can I understand my own mind well enough to work with it, not against it?
This podcast is for curious skeptics who want frameworks backed by psychology studies, not Instagram quotes. Whether you're navigating procrastination, building self-discipline, or designing your own philosophy for a life well lived—we explore the hidden psychology behind real change.
WHAT YOU'LL GET
Mental models and simple techniques from cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions like Stoicism and Buddhism.
Being a human can be confusing, learning about it doesn’t have to be.
We cover everything from emotional intelligence and habit formation to brain health and the nervous system.
WHAT YOU DON’T GET
No pseudoscience. No oversimplified "hacks." No hustle porn.
Just practical insights on mindset improvement, self-development, and human psychology that respect your intelligence and mental health.
THE APPROACH
Instead of telling you what to think, we explore how thinking works. Armed with psychology studies, social science research, and relentless curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of belief change, attitude change, and personal development.
Success is personal. You might want to leverage your neurodiverse strengths, build a business, or simply discover how to be happier. We provide the mental frameworks to pursue your definition of success with mental strength and self-care that fits your life.
YOUR HOST
I'm Sam Webster Harris—a lifelong learner with ADHD and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching businesses, traveling the world, and nearly dying a few times, I concluded that psychology and science are where real wisdom lives.
This show is my excuse to dive deep into health and fitness research, behavioral psychology, and cool science while helping you build genuine self-discipline and motivation.
PREMIUM
Go ad-free and access exclusive content, AMAs, and our community Discord.
Growth Mindset Premium
PAST SERIES
Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum.
Past series:
— Psychology vs Stoicism
— Time Management for Busy Mortals
— Independence and Knowing Yourself
— Cognitive Biases and Rational Thinking
— Psychology of Connection and Relationships
— Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets
— Addiction and Behaviour Change
— Nervous System Mastery and Polyvagal Theory
— Mental Strength and Self-Discipline
- Self-Improvement chart
- #122
- Episodes
- 557
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 34 min
- On air since
- 2017
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
557 episodes, newest first
-
31 min
The Psychology of Mean Girls - Lessons on Power, Fear & Insecurity
Show notes
How social hierarchies, relational aggression and status games shape teenage behaviour.
In this episode, we use Mean Girls as a surprisingly useful case study in social psychology. Regina’s power does not come from being universally liked. It comes from making other people need her approval. Through relational aggression, exclusion, gossip and carefully chosen compliments, she turns friendship into a hierarchy—and turns insecurity into influence.
We explore narcissistic traits, social dominance, adolescent identity, and why ostracism can hurt as much as physical pain. Then we ask the uncomfortable question: if the system rewards manipulation, how different would any of us be?
•
Notice when you are seeking approval rather than connection.
•
Recognise exclusion and gossip as forms of social control.
•
Choose the status games worth playing—and leave the rest.
SPONSORS
⛷️ Stio
• Ski wear designed and tested in Jackson Hole
• Gear up the way the locals do
• 20% off promo - Stio.com/Psychology🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcastsLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Mean Girls and Social Psychology
02:34 Regina George: The Rulebook
04:51 The Plastics and building a kingdom
07:38 The Fragility of Regina’s Power
10:17 Diagnosing Regina George
15:39 Regina’s Transformation
17:38 The Real Tragedy of Regina George
20:52 Fun Trivia
28:00 Closing ReflectionTopics discussed
•
The psychology of Regina George and Mean Girls
•
How social hierarchies shape teenage behaviour
•
Relational aggression, gossip and social exclusion
•
Narcissistic traits, manipulation and fragile self-esteem
•
Why fear of irrelevance drives controlling behaviour
•
Social dominance and the fragility of popularity
•
How status games affect identity and belonging
•
Why ostracism can feel like physical pain
•
The influence of parenting and appearance-based worth
•
Choosing connection and values over approval
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
45 min
What Is Real Wealth—and How Do You Build It? | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Show notes
How to rethink success, escape status games, and build a life with more freedom.
In this episode, Sam and Nico explore The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. A book that changes how you think about success. The fundamental concept is that earning money isn’t the same as building wealth. A bigger salary can become a faster treadmill. You're not actually going anywhere you want to end up.
Through their experiences learning to code, building businesses, and sharing ideas publicly, they unpack Naval’s approach to valuable skills, leverage, and long-term relationships. They also question the urge to impress people you don’t particularly like. Because the goal isn’t to win an endless comparison contest. It’s to build something that gives you more choice over your time.
So listen in to understand what “enough” actually means to you.
•
Define success by the freedom you want, not someone else’s income.
•
Identify a skill or asset that can create value beyond your working hours.
•
Choose collaborators you’d happily keep learning and building with.
SPONSORS
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcastsLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
02:00 Introducing The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
04:00 Wealth, Money, and Status
07:00 When Can You Call Yourself Wealthy?
09:00 Building Wealth from Nothing
11:00 Specific Knowledge and Accountability
14:00 Learning to Build and Sell
17:00 Using Capital as Leverage
20:00 Scaling Your Impact with People, Code, and Media
23:00 Becoming a Perpetual Learner
26:00 Can Wealth Creation Be Ethical?
28:00 Escaping Status Games
31:00 Long-Term Relationships and Compounding
33:00 Why Judgement Matters More Than Effort
36:00 Defining Enough and Reviewing the Book
39:00 Wisdom, Stories, and Who This Book Is For
42:00 Closing Thoughts and ReflectionTopics discussed
•
Naval Ravikant’s philosophy of wealth and freedom
•
The difference between money, wealth, and status
•
Defining success beyond income and social comparison
•
Building valuable skills through learning and curiosity
•
Using leverage to create value beyond working hours
•
Learning in public and embracing personal accountability
•
Ethical wealth creation through solving real problems
•
How long-term relationships compound trust and opportunity
•
Making better decisions instead of simply working harder
•
Recognising when to change your career direction
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
22 min
A Simple Framework for Solving Any Problem in Your Life
Show notes
Practical tools for problem-solving, decision-making, and building resilience when life feels complicated.
Simply put, You don’t need a better life. You need a better way to deal with the one you’ve got.
Most problems feel huge because we meet them all at once. A difficult decision, a relationship issue, money stress, a career wobble—they arrive tangled together, and your brain treats the whole knot as one emergency.
This episode gives you a simple framework for solving problems without spiralling. You’ll learn how to define what’s actually wrong, separate what you can control from what you can’t, and turn vague worry into one clear next step.
•
Name the real problem in one specific sentence
•
Sort it into “control,” “influence,” and “accept”
•
Choose one small action you can take today
Press play and turn the next problem on your list into a plan.
SPONSORS
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcastsLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Problems Are Illusions of the Mind
00:37 A Framework for Handling Complaints
01:22 The Three Types of Problems
02:02 Problems You Want to Have
02:39 Problems You Have to Accept
03:56 Why Expectations Create Suffering
08:05 Problems You Don’t Want to Have
09:58 Community, Purpose and Major Life Changes
11:16 Having Too Many Interests and Desires
14:29 When Small Problems Reveal Bigger Issues
15:56 How Priorities Change Over Time
17:00 Complaints as Tools for Self-Reflection
19:20 OutroTopics discussed
•
A simple framework for solving any problem in life
•
How to define the real problem behind your stress
•
Separating what you can control from what you cannot
•
Turning overwhelming problems into clear next steps
•
Why vague worries feel harder than specific problems
•
Practical problem-solving skills for difficult decisions
•
How to stop spiralling and start taking action
•
Building resilience through better decision-making habits
•
Using curiosity to find solutions instead of blame
•
A mindset shift for handling life’s inevitable challenges
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
22 min
Designing Your Ambition Around A Life You Enjoy - w/ David Meltzer
Show notes
Rethinking success and our approach to money, happiness and breaking free from a scarcity mindset.
You’ve upgraded your goals, your workload and possibly your spreadsheet. Has anyone remembered to upgrade your enjoyment?
This episode asks whether your approach to success is delivering a better life or merely a longer to-do list. David Meltzer joins Growth Mindset Psychology to discuss gratitude, priorities and the expectations we place on money.
You’ll explore why “enough” can remain frustratingly out of reach, how to distinguish useful ambition from chasing approval, and what to do when frustration starts steering your decisions.
David also shares five daily questions for bringing direction to your efforts. No requirement to stop caring about achievement or become suspicious of your salary. The invitation is simpler: examine what you expect success to solve, then make more deliberate choices about how you spend your time.
•
Ask what your next achievement is supposed to change.
•
Make gratitude a daily practice, not an occasional thought.
•
Identify what matters now before adding more to your workload.
Listen for a more useful definition of progress—one that includes enjoying the life you’re working so hard to improve.
SPONSORS
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcastsLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Why Success Doesn’t Guarantee Happiness
03:18 Five Daily Practices for Purpose and Priorities
06:50 When Ambition Creates a Scarcity Mindset
10:04 Can You Learn Without Making the Mistakes?
11:57 Money, Status and the Purpose Behind Spending
15:11 Handling Frustration and Refocusing Your Energy
17:11 Natural Talent, Practice and Reaching Your PotentialTopics discussed
•
The relationship between money, happiness and fulfilment
•
Designing ambition around a life you enjoy
•
How scarcity thinking shapes your definition of success
•
Daily gratitude practices for appreciating what you have
•
Five daily questions for clarifying goals and priorities
•
Learning from mentors versus making your own mistakes
•
Understanding the motives behind status and spending
•
Managing frustration through breathing and deliberate reprioritisation
•
Finding enjoyment in the pursuit of personal growth
•
Developing natural talent through consistent practice
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
21 min
How to Enjoy Your Imperfect Life
Show notes
Simple mindset shifts to build more gratitude, without reworking your entire personality.
We imagine success as a destination where the problems finally stop. But the life we want brings its own friction: the garden needs tending, meaningful work fills the inbox, and intimacy means sharing life with another imperfect person. If we only notice the friction, we can miss the strange fact that some of our frustrations belong to things we once hoped for.
This episode considers gratitude as a shift in attention, not a demand to call everything good. We’ll look at how anticipating the difficulties attached to our hopes can help us meet them with more perspective. And we’ll explore a second route to appreciation: curiosity. Learning how ordinary comforts came to exist can loosen their grip as invisible background and make the familiar feel newly astonishing.
No perfect mindset is required. Just a willingness to look again at the life already taking shape around you.
• Actionable takeaways to build positivity
• No requirement to pretend bad things are good
• Increased levels of inner peace and lower frustrationSPONSORS
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Gratitude Without the Zen Routine
00:32 Why Gratitude Is So Elusive
01:35 The Problems That Come With a Good Life
04:12 The Annoyances Hidden in Success
05:56 Planning for the Problems You Want
08:46 Making Peace With Imperfection in Relationships
09:40 Why Perspective Alone Doesn’t Create Gratitude
11:44 Finding Wonder Through Curiosity
13:18 Stories That Make the Everyday Feel Extraordinary
15:10 Building Everyday Gratitude Through Curiosity
15:54 A Practical Recap: Reframing Life’s Problems
17:58 Next Week: The Problems You Don’t Want to HaveTopics discussed
•
Building practical gratitude without forced positivity
•
Reframing everyday problems as signs of success
•
Finding perspective when goals bring new frustrations
•
Accepting imperfection in relationships and daily life
•
Using curiosity to rediscover wonder in ordinary things
•
Appreciating modern comforts through history and innovation
•
Shifting attention from complaints toward what matters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
24 min
What Your Relationship With Food Is Trying to Tell You - w/ Toni Maranucci
Show notes
Most people think healthy eating means following stricter rules: fewer carbs, fewer calories, fewer “bad” foods. But strict rules often create the exact behaviour they’re meant to prevent. Eat one cookie, feel guilty, decide the day is ruined, then eat three more.
In this episode, I speak with registered dietitian Tony Marinucci about how to build a healthier relationship with food—without obsession, punishment, or another fad diet.
We explore why extreme restriction backfires, how “good” and “bad” food labels damage your mindset, and why focusing on energy, confidence, and long-term habits beats chasing a number on the scales. Tony also shares practical ways to handle comments about your body, set boundaries around diet talk, and make nutrition simpler rather than more complicated.
•
Notice when you label food as “good” or “bad” and ask what belief is behind it.
•
Choose one small, repeatable habit that improves how you feel—not just how you look.
•
Set a calm boundary when someone comments on your body or eating choices.
Press play and learn how to make peace with food—without giving up on your health.
SPONSORS
☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGYLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Why Food Mindset Matters
01:00 From Dieting to Dietetics
01:47 The Problem With Fad Diets
03:46 Why Quick Transformations Mislead Us
04:59 The Real Cost of Restrictive Programs
07:07 Changing Your Mindset Around Food
09:00 Focus on How You Want to Feel
10:00 Building Habits for the Long Game
11:00 Setting Boundaries Around Body Comments
11:47 Instagram, TikTok and Diet Culture
12:35 Coaching, Weddings and Sustainable Change
14:41 Hydration, Exercise and Digestive Issues
16:43 Electrolytes, IV Drips and Marketing Hype
18:58 The Kindest Thing Someone Has Done
20:03 Final Advice: Act First, Learn Later
20:45 Outro and ReflectionTopics discussed
•
How to build a healthier relationship with food
•
The psychology behind food guilt and shame
•
Why extreme diets and quick fixes backfire
•
Breaking free from the diet-binge cycle
•
Focusing on energy and wellbeing, not just weight
•
How social media shapes body image and eating habits
•
Setting boundaries around comments about food and bodies
•
Building sustainable nutrition habits without restriction
•
Hydration, electrolytes, and nutrition for endurance exercise
•
Why self-compassion supports long-term healthy eating
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
38 min
AMA: Accountability and Procrastination, Lasting Enthusiasm and Auditory Processing Issues
Show notes
Why we procrastinate, lose enthusiasm and struggle to process spoken information—and what actually helps.
In this listener AMA, I answer three questions: how auditory processing difficulties affect a child’s willingness to learn, why enthusiasm disappears even when nothing is objectively wrong, and how to stop procrastinating on projects that matter. I share my own experience of struggling with spoken instructions, language learning and getting a podcast off the ground. We look at why “just try harder” usually fails, why accountability often works better than willpower, and how to make difficult tasks feel less punishing.
•
Separate low enthusiasm from negativity bias before deciding whether to quit.
•
Turn one intimidating project into visible, small next actions.
•
Use deadlines, other people and reduced friction to make follow-through easier.
If this gave you a useful idea, send it to someone who needs permission to start imperfectly.
SPONSORS
☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGYLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to the AMA
00:38 Auditory Processing and Willingness to Learn
03:36 My Experience of Learning Difficulties
05:18 Learning Spanish in Mexico
07:10 How Environment Shapes Learning
10:01 Signs of Auditory Processing Issues
14:02 Enthusiasm vs Negativity Bias
16:52 Why You Might Feel Flat, Not Negative
19:35 What to Do About Low Enthusiasm
21:08 Accountability and Procrastination
22:42 How I Finally Launched the Podcast
26:52 Productivity Books and Planning Tools
29:12 Breaking Big Projects Into Small Tasks
32:00 Habits, Focus and Finishing Deadlines
35:09 Thanks and Send-OffTopics discussed
•
Auditory processing difficulties and learning support
•
Why children lose confidence at school
•
Making difficult skills easier and more enjoyable
•
The difference between low enthusiasm and negativity bias
•
How to rebuild motivation without quitting everything
•
Accountability strategies for procrastination
•
Breaking overwhelming projects into manageable tasks
•
Using deadlines and habits to finish creative work
•
Reducing friction between writing and publishing
•
Visual planning, mind mapping and task organisation
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
37 min
How to Make Your Ideas Survive a Changing World
Show notes
A life is brief. An idea can travel further than its inventor ever will. What determines which ones last?
We follow life’s story from the first organisms to the systems we build today, using three laws of biology as a lens: competition, selection and reproduction. These aren’t just rules for animals in a nature documentary. They also help us think about innovation, businesses, beliefs and the ambitions that shape our own lives.
Seen this way, success isn’t simply being clever or working harder. An idea must meet a real need, adapt when its environment changes, and find a way to continue beyond its creator. That doesn’t make the future predictable. It makes it more open: if survival depends partly on fit, then changing the idea—or the conditions around it—can change what becomes possible.
•
Notice which assumptions your environment is rewarding—and which it is quietly discarding.
•
Make room for variation before committing everything to one solution.
•
Ask how your idea can remain useful when you are no longer there to carry it.
Listen with curiosity, then consider what you could create that others might adapt, share and carry forward.
SPONSORS
🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcastsLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Philosophical Questions
02:32 The Beginning of the Universe
03:42 The Story of Life on Earth
04:05 Three Rules of Biology
07:34 The First Law: Life is Competition
09:06 The Evolution of Competition
12:25 The Second Law: Life is Selection
14:30 Inequality in Nature and Society
16:18 Balancing Freedom and Equality
18:53 The Third Law: Life Must Breed
20:24 The Gift of Existence
20:39 Human Progress and Fire
21:14 Agricultural Revolution and Civilization
21:53 Fertility and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations
22:27 Population Dynamics: Japan vs. Nigeria
23:17 Ideas and Religions: Survival of the Fittest
24:54 The Three Horsemen: Famine, Disease, and War
30:06 Modern Challenges and Fertility Trends
31:09 The Laws of Biology in Action
32:13 Conclusion and Future EpisodesTopics discussed
•
The three laws of biology and life
•
Competition as the engine of evolution
•
Natural selection and why life is unfair
•
Freedom versus equality in human societies
•
Reproduction and the survival of ideas
•
Fertility rates and the future of nations
•
Famine, disease and war as population checks
•
How civilizations rise, grow and decline
•
Adapting your thinking to changing conditions
•
Building ideas that compete, adapt and spread
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
31 min
How to Catch Your Brain Lying to You: A Practical Guide to Self-Awareness Over Ego
Show notes
It's easy to spend our lives defending a story about who we are, instead of finding out who we could become.
This episode is an invitation to stop protecting your ego and start practising self-awareness as a craft. We look at how high intelligence can turn into a sophisticated self-deception machine, and how the stories we tell ourselves—“I’m the rational one”, “I learn from feedback”, “I’m different from those stubborn people”—are often the very things that keep us stuck.
Through real examples from science, travel, and building (and misbuilding) companies, you’ll see how ego hides in certainty, and how growth begins the moment you allow yourself to be wrong on purpose. This is about a shift in identity, from someone who must be right to someone who is willing to see.
•
Identify three recurring patterns where your ego resists uncomfortable truths.
•
Create a regular “ego audit” ritual: write, reflect, and invite honest feedback.
•
Choose relationships and environments that reward curiosity over confidence.
Hit play if you’re ready to trade the comfort of being right for the possibility of becoming wiser.
SPONSORS
🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Intro: Intelligence as a Burden
02:50 What This Episode Is About
05:25 How Good Are You at Understanding Information?
07:55 Being Aware of Your Flaws
10:42 Mistake 1: The Unscientific Scientist
14:00 Mistake 2: The Unbalanced Balancer
18:13 Mistake 3: The Unentrepreneurial Entrepreneur
22:47 Recap: Three Big Mistakes
23:05 Becoming an Ego Detective
24:28 Tip 1: Write Down Three Big Errors
25:25 Tip 2: Nurturing Strategies for Awareness
26:46 Tip 3: Find Your Crowd
27:18 Outro and Final ThoughtsTopics discussed
•
Why smart people trick themselves into being right
•
How ego hides unconscious bias in everyday decisions
•
Real stories of ego-driven mistakes in work and life
•
The link between high IQ and self-deception
•
Simple habits to build honest self-awareness
•
Spotting blind spots before they cost you
•
How to learn from feedback without defensiveness
•
Using reflection and journaling to reduce ego traps
•
Choosing friends who challenge your certainty
•
Turning mistakes into fuel for long-term growth
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
39 min
Faster Than Normal - Living well with ADHD
Show notes
The peculiar thing about attention deficit is that everybody seems to have it these days, whether they've earned it through proper diagnosis or simply absorbed it from an enthusiastic TikTok video filmed in someone's bathroom.
What I've learned, from my own escapades, and partly through reading Peter Shankman's excellent book Faster Than Normal, is that whatever your brain does, you need to learn how to drive it.
This conversation covers the four rules Shankman uses to turn a supposedly defective brain into rather useful equipment, none of which involve medication or particularly virtuous behaviour.
•
Structure your environment so willpower becomes optional
•
Eliminate choice wherever possible — routine isn't boring, it's protective
•
Exercise before you need focus, not after you've lost it
•
Work with your strengths, delegate the rest
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interviews people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Sam's ADHD Reality Check
03:10 Podcast Intro and Season Kickoff
05:23 Reframing ADHD as Strength
06:17 ADHD Stereotypes Explained
08:15 ADD vs ADHD Breakdown
09:41 The Shy Extrovert Story
10:53 The Supercar Brain Metaphor
12:34 Strengths Over Weaknesses
15:26 Rule One: Eliminate Choice
22:44 Rule Two: Eat Healthy
24:21 Rule Three: Morning Exercise for Dopamine
26:08 Rule Four: Active Lifestyle and Micro Workouts
28:53 Sleep Fuels Focus
29:26 Food as Procrastination
31:07 Tools, Assistants and Tracking
35:23 Ratings and Book Recommendations
36:00 Next Book and FarewellTopics discussed
•
Sam shares his recent official ADHD diagnosis and what it finally explained about his life
•
The TikTok self-diagnosis trend and why overdiagnosis drowns out people who actually have ADHD
•
Peter Shankman's Faster Than Normal book and the supercar metaphor for the ADHD brain
•
Why Sam never held a job longer than nine months and what that pattern revealed
•
The difference between ADD and ADHD and how stereotypes miss quiet, inattentive presentations
•
Four core rules from the book: eliminate choice, eat well, exercise first, stay active
•
The apple versus Doritos rule for distinguishing real hunger from boredom eating
•
How to design your life around your brain instead of fighting your natural weaknesses
•
Why batching meetings and tracking data helps neurodivergent people protect their focus and energy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
36 min
The Deep-Thinking Habits That Quietly Change Your Life
Show notes
Train your brain to resist distraction, form your own opinions, and think like an intellectual.
When every answer is one click away, we’ve forgotten how to enjoy the struggle of figuring things out. This episode explores the radical act of thinking more slowly in a fast-paced world.
Modern life has made us intellectual snackers: we graze on headlines, notifications, and other people’s opinions until our minds feel full on intellectual candy floss.
Drawing on ideas from Cal Newport, Charlie Munger, and curious historical figures, we unpack why boredom, better information, and stronger memory are the unsung heroes of clear thinking.
You’ll learn:
• How to design an information diet that actually feeds your brain
• How to become comfortable enough with silence to let your own ideas emerge
• How to train your attention so it doesn’t sprint away at the first ping.You don't need to turn into a monk, but hopefully this is a gentle nudge to think with more depth, nuance, and independence.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Deep Thinking
02:04 Using Charlie Munger’s Inversion Approach
05:02 System One vs. System Two Thinking
06:14 Improving Information Quality
09:34 Comfort with Boredom
13:35 Cultivating Attention
16:23 Tracking Your Progress
18:00 Increasing Working Memory
21:47 Intellectual Practice
22:13 Pairing Primary and Secondary Sources
23:02 Richard Feynman’s Idea Documents
25:46 Adopting Intellectual Curiosity
27:38 Benjamin Franklin’s Deep Thinkers Club
28:12 Launching a Book Club
29:02 Rebranding the Podcast
30:08 Starting a Second Podcast
31:43 Episode Summary and Final ThoughtsTopics discussed
•
How to think more deeply in a world designed for shallow attention
•
Why outsourcing your opinions to social media weakens independent thought
•
The cognitive cost of prioritising fast emotional hits over slow work
•
How checklist mentality creates the illusion of progress without real depth
•
System One versus System Two thinking and why deeper thinkers choose slower
•
Building an information diet that improves the quality of what you consume
•
Training your brain to become more comfortable with boredom and silence
•
Practical ways to sanitise your phone and reduce distraction in daily life
•
Strengthening working memory so you can hold and connect complex ideas
•
How intellectual curiosity and argumentative thinking sharpen judgment and reduce bias
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
57 min
Can Psychedelics Really Help You Change Your Patterns?
Show notes
Have you ever wonder if the thing keeping you stuck is yourself? Invisible rules your brain runs on that you have no choice over... In this episode, we go inside guided psilocybin retreats to see how people actually change deep mental patterns.
As they say the “trip” is only the start.
We talk with Gabriel Charalambides, founder of Odyssey, about what happens in the brain during these experiences: the default mode network quiets down, old self-stories lose their grip, and the mind becomes unusually open to new connections.
But the real work shows up afterwards, in the quiet days of writing, reflection, and small experiments that turn a powerful experience into lasting change. We also cover who these retreats help, who they don’t, and why integration matters more than most people think.
•
Understand how psychedelics can temporarily loosen rigid thought patterns
•
Learn why post-experience integration is where real change happens
•
See the limits and risks so you can think clearly about your own path
If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same mental loops, this conversation might give you a new map for getting out.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Psilocybin and Odyssey
02:08 Defining Growth Mindset and Oceanic Boundlessness
07:59 The Attachment to Ego and Spiritual Perspectives
11:06 Recommended Reading and Book Tangent
12:32 The Role of Anxiety and Letting Go During Experiences
15:09 The Role of Retreat Guides and Holding Space
17:53 Reflections and Note-Taking During Retreats
21:39 Screening and Assessing Suitability for Retreats
24:26 The Potential Benefits of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
31:00 Restrictions and Who Should Avoid Psilocybin Retreats
34:02 Considerations for Mental Health Conditions
36:19 Psychedelics and Narcissism
37:29 The Training and Qualifications of Retreat Guides
41:49 The Neuroscience of Psychedelic-Induced Neuroplasticity
43:17 Flow States, Meditation, and ADHD
48:51 Cultural Differences in Participants
49:53 About Odyssey and How to Get Involved
50:29 Books Discussed and Final RecommendationsTopics discussed
•
Psilocybin retreats for depression, trauma, OCD, and breaking mental patterns
•
Oceanic boundlessness and ego dissolution during guided psychedelic experiences
•
Default mode network, neuroplasticity, and how psilocybin changes the brain
•
Integration practices that turn psychedelic insights into lasting behaviour change
•
Who should avoid psilocybin: psychosis risk, bipolar, borderline, and cardiac issues
•
The role of retreat guides in creating safety without steering the experience
•
Anxiety, panic attacks, and navigating difficult moments during psychedelic journeys
•
Comparing psychedelic experiences with meditation, near-death experiences, and flow states
•
Screening criteria and realistic expectations for legal psilocybin retreats in Oregon
•
Recommended books on psychedelics, mindfulness, and personal growth for listeners
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
38 min
34 Unconventional Life Lessons That Changed My Definition of Success
Show notes
Beyond money, status, and attractive partner where do we find meaning, and happiness?
Across 34 unconventional life lessons, we explore the inner machinery behind a meaningful life: why status can behave like a sugary breakfast cereal, why exercise is cheaper than many illnesses, and why some of our finest ideas arrive only after we stop staring aggressively at a blank page.
Along the way, we consider discipline, creativity, money, identity, empathy, confirmation bias, and the possibility that society is held together with rather more metaphorical duct tape than anyone would like to admit.
We all have enough heroic checklists for self-improvement. My aim is to make familiar ideas seem strange enough to re-examine properly. That and to leave you feeling slightly more optimistic about being human.
•
Treat mistakes as tuition rather than evidence of failure.
•
Make room for rest, curiosity, and unplanned opportunities.
•
Build beliefs carefully instead of inheriting them wholesale.
Listen in and discover why a less certain life may be a happier one.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
• Alex Honnold interview people reshaping what's possible
• Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
• Listen on Apple podcasts🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage
00:27 Exploring Thought-Provoking Ideas
00:44 Welcome to the Growth Mindset Podcast
01:09 Personal Philosophy and Lifelong Learning
01:14 The Importance of Understanding Books
02:54 Are You Pursuing a Shadow Career?
03:32 You Don’t Need a Side Hustle
04:14 You Do Need an Exercise Habit
04:47 Your Best Work Happens When You Aren’t Working
05:39 Ideas Are Stepping Stones
06:14 Money Is a Tool
06:54 Life Is Too Short for the Wrong Pursuits
07:36 It’s How You Do It
08:23 Practise the Emotions You Want to Feel
09:35 Find Out Who You Are
10:07 Find Your Personal Voice
11:04 Discipline Is More Important Than Talent
11:40 IQ Is an Unfair Advantage
13:01 Apply Yourself Accordingly
14:08 Make Other People Feel Clever
14:59 Think Bigger
16:17 No One Thinks About You as Much as You Do
16:53 Make Your Life Story Interesting
17:47 Use First-Principles Thinking
18:56 Learn from Other People’s Mistakes
19:56 Too Much of Anything Is Bad
20:59 Society Is an Accident
21:36 Embrace Unplanned Opportunities
22:22 The World Is Duct-Taped Together
24:06 Question What You Take for Granted
25:54 Build Your Own Beliefs
27:50 Keep Your Identity Small
28:38 Understand Your Biases
30:28 Empathy Makes the World Nicer
30:38 Life Is About Contrasts
31:20 Anger Is a Useless Emotion
32:17 Camera Angles and Stories
33:43 Big and Small Things Matter
34:20 Final Thoughts and Birthday WishLearn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
50 min
Why So Many People Secretly Struggle With Porn Addiction
Show notes
An honest conversation on addiction, depression, and identity with recovery coach Powerful Eric.
This week we talk about the strange modern epidemic of porn addiction, an affliction so quietly widespread that roughly one in nine men wrestle with it, yet almost nobody mentions it at dinner.
Eric explains how the brain mistakes novelty for reward, why the "disease model" of addiction may be doing more harm than good, and how a golden Buddha buried under centuries of clay became his favourite metaphor for the human mind. It is a hopeful, occasionally hilarious, thoroughly researched conversation about getting your brain back.
•
Why the brain falls into compulsive behaviours
•
How identity, not willpower, drives lasting behaviour change
•
What a buried golden statue can teach you about recovery
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindsetLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Trigger Warning
02:26 Recognizing Porn Addiction
05:43 Eric's Personal Struggle
08:26 Eric's Journey to Beating Addiction
11:00 Identity Reconstruction
15:44 The Dangers of Porn Desensitization
20:10 Addiction's Impact on Mental Health
22:08 Reframing the Disease Model
24:31 The Rise of AI-Generated Porn
29:04 Schizophrenia and Murder
31:26 Finding a Healthy Habit
35:12 Overcoming Moral Conflicts
37:59 Masturbation vs Pornography
41:36 Eric's Advice and Resources
43:32 Earliest Memories and Acts of Kindness
44:58 OutroLearn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
32 min
Psychology of Mistakes: 7 Lazy Thinking Habits You Don't Notice You Have
Show notes
Human beings, it turns out, are magnificently good at fooling themselves.
Sadly the mind has developed an elaborate way of hiding our worst thinking mistakes from us. Our shortcut-taking so instinctive we rarely notice it happening.
This episode explores seven of these habits and on the way answers a lot of questions. Why do we blame the referee and ignore our own missed shots? Why does a friend's anecdote beat a mountain of statistics? Why do the people who commit history's worst atrocities rarely think of themselves as villains?
I find it oddly comforting discovering that everyone, including myself, is quietly wired / weird this way. Hopefully you do to and can learn to start working around it.
•
Catch yourself assigning blame to one convenient cause
•
Ask what a friend's story leaves out that the statistics reveal
•
Notice when certainty feels good but the evidence is thin
Listen in, and you may never trust your first instinct quite the same way again.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindsetLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Benefits of thinking hard thoughts
00:52 Developing ourselves and our thinking
01:12 Optimizing for the wrong things
02:45 Doubting takes time and energy
03:39 The 7 biggest flaws of lazy thinking
06:35 Single cause explanations to complex events
08:52 Justifying your own actions while judging others
11:52 Tangent on the book Evil
14:01 Your field of vision isn't everyone else's
17:45 Prioritizing stories over statistics
20:26 Outsourcing hard decisions to experts
23:47 Overconfidence
25:59 Annie Duke and thinking in bets
28:00 Accepting probability and reality
29:11 OutroTopics discussed
•
Why humans default to lazy thinking instead of doing the harder mental work
•
How rushing to eliminate doubt leads to wrongful blame and bad decisions
•
Why blaming one cause for complex events ignores the real bigger picture
•
How we justify our own mistakes while judging others for the same ones
•
Why ordinary people can rationalize evil without believing they're doing wrong
•
How assuming everyone shares your worldview limits empathy and understanding
•
Why personal stories persuade us more than statistics, even when we're wrong
•
The hidden risks of outsourcing big decisions to consultants and so-called experts
•
How overconfidence blinds us to the role of luck and probability in life
•
Why embracing uncertainty leads to better decisions than chasing false certainty
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
25 min
8 Questions I asked Myself after 30
Show notes
The World Record Breaking Jack Cai is back on the show. Asking Sam some of the deep life questions he asks himself a lot.
To say this was a discussion on a single topic that stayed focused would be a big old lie. We discuss various random things: from making the most of your time on earth or with your grandparents to youtube thumbnail strategies.
Should Sam keep building a podcast in a crowded market, or walk away entirely? Is a rootless, nomadic life actually freedom, or a disguise for avoiding commitment?
The conversation might not resolve into a tidy lesson but that's life and we can enjoy it nonetheless.
SPONSORS
☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGYLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
01:43 Asking Friends What They Think of You
02:54 What's Next for Sam - Stop Podcasting or Get a Job?
06:02 Relationships and Staying Connected as a Nomad
07:21 Where Sam Wants to Live Next
11:41 What Works on YouTube
12:48 GeoWizard vs Zack and Jay
15:25 Why Community Matters for Growth
18:20 Jack's Own YouTube Journey
20:00 The Power of Obsession in Content
21:41 Outro and CreditsTopics discussed
• Why asking friends for honest feedback reveals more about your future than self-reflection alone.
• How to decide whether to quit a podcast, take a job, or build something entirely new.
• The hidden loneliness of digital nomad life despite the freedom it appears to offer.
• Key factors for choosing where to live abroad, including language, healthcare, and housing costs.
• Why spending time with aging grandparents matters more than it feels like in the moment.
• What separates GeoWizard's loyal YouTube audience from Zack and Jay's clickbait-driven format.
• Why parasocial connection and background listening build stronger audiences than viral thumbnails.
• How comedy and storytelling give any YouTube script a structural advantage over competitors.
• Why obsessive depth, like the Dissect podcast's song-by-song breakdowns, builds lasting niche loyalty.
• How ADHD can fuel creative obsession when channeled into the right long-term project.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
33 min
How To Solve Complex Problems
Show notes
This episode asks a simple question: what if the way forward isn't a bigger vision, but a smaller unit of thought? We trace this idea through history, biology, and the quiet architecture of the mind, showing how growth rarely comes from grand gestures. It comes from identifying the one reliable piece worth repeating. The paradigm shift isn't thinking bigger. It's thinking smaller, on purpose, until the small thing becomes unstoppable.
•
Find the smallest version of the idea worth trying
•
Repeat what works instead of chasing what's new
•
Let simple, boring reliability replace the need for certainty
Hit play, and start building the small thing that changes everything.
SPONSORS
☺️ NOCD
• Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
• Book a free 15 min call
• https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset🌳 Acorns
• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGYLearn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Found on all major podcast players:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:08 Intergalactic Planetary Lasagna
02:49 Thinking in Primitives: Jeff Bezos, Amazon and AWS
07:51 The Building Blocks of Life
11:11 HOX Genes and the Animal Building Instruction Manual
14:07 Civilization and Hidden Inventions
17:17 Standardisations That Make the World Work
19:29 Primitive Lessons
21:12 Market Timing and Innovation Mistakes
24:35 Future of Technology and Innovation
26:54 Space and Orbital Refuelling
28:50 Wrap UpLearn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
49 min
How to Shift Your Mindset and Take Control of Your Life - w/ Kyle Livingston
Show notes
Scarcity whispers that there isn't enough. Ego insists you deserve more anyway. Abundance is the quiet third option nobody mentions.
Most of us were handed scarcity as a default setting. This episode sits with that tension: what scarcity actually protects us from, why ego is so loyal to it, and what shifts when abundance becomes a practiced choice instead of a lucky feeling.
It's less about having more and more about needing less from the wrong things.
•
Ask what your ego is really protecting when it demands "more"
•
Treat abundance as a discipline you build, not a mood you wait for
•
Trace your scarcity triggers back to their original source
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro - Sam's opening thoughts and meeting Kyle Livingston
02:02 Kyle's origin story - abandoned at a yard sale
05:55 The turning point - mowing lawns, hustle, and a life-changing book
08:58 Chasing $10k a month and realizing money isn't the finish line
11:27 Money as fuel, not the goal
14:18 The panic attack that changed everything
17:57 Overcoming anxiety - coaches, books, and facing fear through travel
20:38 The worst-case scenario technique for beating fear
23:03 Spotting luck and losing everything twice
26:39 Mentoring, leverage, and helping failed founders scale
29:52 Biology, business, and the scientific method
35:20 Relationships, self-improvement, and honest advice
39:07 Friends who stayed, kindness, and early memories
42:21 Advice for his younger self and closing thoughtsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
29 min
7 Painful Paradoxes of Self-Improvement (And what they teach us)
Show notes
You know that feeling when you try so hard to seem normal that you become a weirdo? Self-improvement works the exact same way.
The more you chase happiness, the further it runs. The more validation you seek, the emptier you feel. This episode breaks down 7 painful paradoxes when we take on personal growth — psychological traps where trying harder makes things worse.
We dig into King George VI's stutter, Carl Jung's shadow work, and why Steve Jobs getting fired was the best thing that happened to him. You'll learn why over-planning destroys resilience, why self-help books can quietly wreck your confidence, and why real change happens slower, yet more easily, than you think.
Takeaways:
•
Stop directly chasing happiness. Let it arrive as a byproduct of living with purpose.
•
Build self-worth internally. External validation is a leaky bucket you can never fill.
•
Accept your flaws before fixing them. Rejection breeds resistance, not change.
CTA: Press play and learn why the hardest part of growth is knowing when to stop trying so hard.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com• Smart way to grow your money
• $5 welcome bonus
• Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Awkward First Date Conversations
02:32 The Effortlessness Paradox
04:23 Introduction to the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast
05:14 The Paradox of Pursuing Happiness
07:49 The Paradox of Validation
10:30 The Paradox of Emotions
12:31 Carl Jung and the Shadow Concept
14:46 The Planning Paradox
16:07 Understanding Uncertainty Tolerance
16:26 Steve Jobs' Journey of Adaptability
17:44 The Paradox of Self-Improvement
18:23 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Self-Help
19:28 The Slow Process of Real Change
21:51 Balancing Self-Improvement and Acceptance
25:01 The Timid Cat Analogy for Happiness
26:12 Final Thoughts and FarewellTopics discussed
•
Chasing happiness directly backfires; Mill's story reveals why joy resists pursuit.
•
Marilyn Monroe's fame shows how validation-seeking deepens inner emptiness over time.
•
Imposter syndrome persists because self-worth depends on external praise, not internal validation.
•
King George VI's stutter proves fighting emotions strengthens them through ironic process theory.
•
Bruce Lee's "be like water" philosophy favors emotional flexibility over rigid emotional control.
•
Carl Jung's shadow concept warns that repressed flaws gain power when denied.
•
Self-rejection breeds a fixed mindset; genuine change starts through radical self-acceptance instead.
•
Eisenhower and Steve Jobs show rigid planning increases anxiety, while adaptability builds resilience.
•
Dunning-Kruger effect explains why more self-help content increases feelings of personal inadequacy.
•
The timid cat analogy teaches patience over pressure for lasting, sustainable personal growth.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
-
47 min
Seeking Difficulty: The Habit System Behind Three World Records and a Remarkable Life – Jack Cai
Show notes
What if the thing you're avoiding is exactly what you should pursue?
Jack Cai broke three world records solving Rubik's Cubes blindfolded, for teh same reason America suppsoedly went to the moon. "Not because it is easy, but because it is hard"
This episode explores the mindset shift that happens when you stop asking "How can I make this easier?" and start asking "What's so hard that almost no one else is doing it?"
Jack shares his five-year journey from curiosity to world record, the habit systems that made elite performance possible, and the surprising question that emerged after he achieved his goal: now what? We discuss deliberate practice, the introvert's edge in mastery, and why the hardest problems often offer the best opportunities for people willing to embrace discomfort.
•
Reframe difficulty as a competitive advantage, not a barrier
•
Build systems that make extraordinary performance automatic over time
•
After winning, redefine success on your own terms
The remarkable life isn't found in avoiding hard things—it's found in seeking them deliberately.
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
• Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
• Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
• Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Jack's Early Obsessions
03:07 Working Towards Success
06:55 Introversion and Personality
10:15 Why Blindfolded Solving
14:30 Being the Best at Something Unique
18:29 How Winning Actually Felt
22:42 Compressing Information and Algorithms
26:52 Five Years to World Records
31:17 Life After World Records at 20
34:54 Enjoying Your 20s
38:34 AI and Life Coaching Ideas
41:16 Fatherhood and Emotional Openness
42:00 Closing Thoughts and OutroTopics discussed
•
Jack Cai's journey to three blindfolded Rubik's Cube world records
•
How choosing harder problems creates less competition and more opportunity
•
The psychology of deliberate practice and building unbreakable habits over five years
•
Why introversion and solitude can accelerate skill mastery and performance
•
Memory techniques and mnemonic systems for solving Rubik's Cubes blindfolded
•
The counterintuitive strategy of status arbitrage in niche selection
•
What happens after achieving your biggest goal and feeling lost
•
Why your 20s should be for sampling, not settling on one path
•
Meditation retreat insights on future obsession and present-moment awareness
•
Asian parenting, work ethic, and finding your own definition of success
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Self-Improvement lists
More Self-Improvement shows picked out from the charts
More from Sam Harris
All Sam Harris podcasts
More in Self-Improvement
Placed highest on Apple Podcasts' Self-Improvement chart right now
