The slums of Kenya are a tough place to grow up. Stealing a mango could get you killed. Kennedy Odede grew up in Kibera, Africa's largest urban slum. A street kid at age 10, he dreamed of factory work for 10 cents a day. But after stealing a mango out of hunger, a stranger's single act of kindness changed the course of his life. Today, Kennedy is the CEO and founder of Shining Hope for Communities, or SHOFCO. For 20 years, SHOFCO has empowered Kenya's poorest neighborhoods, helping over 4 million people access clean water, education, and Internet. In 2024, TIME Magazine named Kennedy one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Kennedy shares with me what it takes to see human goodness while surrounded by scarcity and anger, and how poverty taught him that being together is one of the greatest forms of wealth. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Kennedy and his work, check out: SHOFCO.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Elon Musk rebranded Twitter, X was already in use — at Google. Google X was Google's secret research lab, where Google's most imaginative ideas came to life. As CEO and co-founder, Astro Teller's job is to harness X's wildest, most futuristic technology to solve the world's hardest problems. The same "moonshot factory" that created Google Brain and Waymo self-driving cars is also working on carbon capture, laser-beam Internet, delivery drones, and more. I sat down with Astro to discuss how we build cultures of radical innovation. He shares some useful wisdom about unlearning what we know and why the counterintuitive approach is the key to landing moonshots. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Astro and his work, check out: X, the moonshot factory See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and poetry usually don't mix. But vulnerability has the power to bring teams together. Poet IN-Q has found an unlikely audience in business. A slam poetry veteran and accomplished songwriter, companies invite IN-Q to help strengthen their cultures. He works with teams to connect on a deeper level, using poetry to share something human. As he'll tell you, winning over crowds of skeptical businesspeople is an art. In this conversation, IN-Q takes me through a powerful exercise in vulnerability. He shares some deeply personal poems and walks me through writing my own, and I learn that to truly connect with someone else, you must offer something of yourself first. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about IN-Q and his work, check out: The Never Ending Now poetry journal IN-Q.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our sense of smell has the deepest tie to emotion and memory. But it's also the most overlooked. In business, that's a giant missed opportunity. Dawn Goldworm knows how to use scent to evoke emotion and create loyalty. From Lady Gaga to Ferrari to books, Dawn designs signature fragrances that allow customers to connect with brands in a more meaningful way. A perfumer turned entrepreneur, her company 12.29 works with some of the biggest names in hospitality, fashion, automotive, and beyond. Many years ago, Dawn helped me create the Scent of Optimism. I was excited to talk with her about what it takes to compose a new smell from scratch and why smell has the unique ability to make a brand instantly memorable. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Dawn and her work, check out: 12.29 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fierce competition can lead to burnout. How do we train ourselves to maintain excellence without giving in to the pressure to perform? High-performance psychologist Mike Gervais has a solution. He calls it mastery. Mike's approach to mastering our thoughts and emotions has helped Olympians win gold medals, the Seattle Seahawks win the Superbowl, and CEOs take their companies to the next level. Mike and I sat down to discuss the psychological tools to fine-tune our inner voices and why focusing on purpose instead of outcome empowers us to accomplish difficult things. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Mike's work, check out his podcast: Finding Mastery See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classical music could use a little disruption. For Anastasia Kobekina, that means playing outside of its rigid forms. An accomplished soloist, Anastasia has played with prestigious orchestras all over the world. She also bangs on her cello, improvises with Vivaldi, and sings. I was thrilled to sit down with Anastasia to discuss her musical experimentations and to hear her play some pieces from her remarkable new album Venice. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Anastasia and her music, check out: kobekina.info See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courage isn't about bravado. It's about staying calm. Li Karlsen knows a lot about staying calm under the most inhospitable conditions. One of the most accomplished freedivers in the world, Li is a record-holding champion at holding her breath and diving hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface. I wanted to ask Li what freediving has taught her about managing stress and fear. It turns out the lessons she's learned in the ocean work just as well above the water. Something as simple as changing the way we breathe can have a huge impact on our own fear and stress. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Li, check out: her AIDA stats @li_karlsen and her latest venture bkm.health See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and I continue our journey of out loud self-reflection. We discuss identifying our values, the two types of narcissists, explanation-based parenting, and exercising judgment over our own judgment. Listen to Part 1 here or wherever you listen to podcasts. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Brené and Adam's work, check out: brenebrown.com adamgrant.net See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To become more self-aware, sometimes you need a friend. Two friends is even better. Brené Brown and Adam Grant swing by the podcast for one of our trademark conversations with no plan. It turns into a deep dive about knowing our selves and how self-reflection is sometimes best done with others. What's a little metacognition between friends? This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more from Brené and Adam, check out: brenebrown.com adamgrant.net See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building wealth is an unequal pursuit. Scott Galloway believes no one is getting more screwed financially than young people. Scott argues what the U.S. is doing to the economic future of its youth is nothing less than a war on the young. The massive transfer of wealth from young to old is a topic he explores in his new book The Algebra of Wealth. I was delighted to have Prof G back on the show to share what's been on his mind lately, and enjoyed veering far off topic to discuss love, money, and the nature of true friendship. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Scott and his work, check out: his book The Algebra of Wealth his podcasts at Prof G Media his TED Talk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven years after ISIS killed her son, Diane Foley met with one of his killers. Somehow, she was able to find the humanity in her son's murderer. ISIS held journalist James Foley hostage for 2 years before publicly executing him in 2014, when they uploaded a YouTube video of James's beheading. After her son's murder, Diane Foley started The Foley Foundation, working to free American hostages held abroad, teach journalist safety, and inspire people to act with moral courage. I asked Diane how she found the moral courage to meet ISIS terrorist Alexanda Kotey and see him as a human being. If Diane could find the grace to connect with her son's murderer, the rest of us can find the moral courage to see the good in those with whom we so vehemently disagree. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Diane and her work, check out: her book American Mother The Foley Foundation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humility stems from confidence. Confident leaders can admit when they're not the smartest person in the room. Blake Hall exemplifies the type of leadership we need more of in business. A former Army Ranger, Blake was awarded the Bronze Star for leading his platoon in combat during the Iraq War. Now he's the CEO and co-founder of ID.me, a digital wallet that simplifies online identity verification. I sat down with Blake to discuss how his combat experience informed his journey as an entrepreneur and why the smartest leaders lead with humility. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Blake and his work, check out: id.me See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jump from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue doesn't happen overnight. Over 25 years, John Burke transformed Trek Bikes into a global powerhouse — one mom-and-pop bike store at a time. The key to John's success is simple but powerful. Create value for others first, and you too shall be rewarded. John and I discuss why the best way to win isn't to focus on "winning," but to focus on "play," and how the principles of The Infinite Game have guided his leadership. And he tells me why creative leadership is exactly what's missing in American government. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about John and his work, check out: his book, A Bold Plan For America TrekBikes.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

War reporters risk their lives to document conflict. And yet, after a career living on battlefields, Sebastian Junger's closest brush with death was surviving an aneurysm. Sebastian's story of his sudden internal hemorrhage and making sense of what he saw while dying is the subject of his new book In My Time of Dying. As someone who usually writes as an outside observer, it's an atypical and personal exploration of death. I was privileged to speak with Sebastian about the fragility of life and why being necessary to others is one of our highest needs of all. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Sebastian and his work, check out: sebastianjunger.com his book, In My Time of Dying See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting a company from scratch isn't easy. Doing it multiple times seems downright impossible. Eric Ryan is one of those serial entrepreneurs. Most known as the co-founder of Method soaps, he's also the founder of Olly vitamins, Welly first aid kits, Cast jewelry, and he has more ventures planned. I sat down with Eric to ask him about his creative process. What follows is a conversation about serial creativity and why reinvention is the key to repeating creative success. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Eric and his work, check out: methodproducts.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2005, Neil Strauss published The Game, a book about his years living in the pickup artist community. The Game sold millions of copies, stirred up huge controversy, and made Neil a bestselling author. Neil has totally reinvented himself since writing The Game, and I wanted to talk with him about walking away from that identity of success. This led to a much deeper conversation about what success even is. Is meaning tied to outcomes, or is intention enough? Neil and I don't see eye-to-eye on everything in this conversation, but I love talking with him because he challenges my ideas. I hope this episode challenges you as well, to continue questioning what the definition of success should be. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Neil and his work, check out: neilstrauss.com The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Society treats marriage like the end goal of human intimacy. Platonic friends can never be as important as romantic partners. What would life look like if we made friendship the goal? Journalist and producer Rhaina Cohen tackles this question in her book The Other Significant Others. She tells the stories of people who made platonic friends the closest people in their lives, doing things together like buying houses, executing a will, and raising children. I wanted to talk with Rhaina because redefining what friendship means in our lives lets us connect in new and deeper ways outside the rigid boundaries of a marriage or relationship. And it might take the pressure off our romantic partners to fulfill every one of our social needs. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Rhaina and her work, check out: rhainacohen.com her book The Other Significant Others See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not just what we eat but how we eat it that counts. Eating the same meal in a different order can dramatically change how we feel! Glucose Goddess is the viral Instagram account of Jessie Inchauspé, who's inspired millions of people to change how they eat. With simple and easy dietary hacks, Jessie teaches people how to prevent glucose spikes -- large influxes of sugar into our bodies that make us tired, stress our organs, and cause us to age. Since adopting her eating habits, my energy has never been better. I was thrilled to talk with Jessie about creating Glucose Goddess and her personal story behind showing people a better way to eat. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Jessie and her work, check out: @glucosegoddess glucosegoddess.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships are hard. No matter how much we like, respect, or love someone, conflict seems inevitable. But even as we fight and disagree, we can also learn the skills we need to resolve our problems. For over two decades, Shawn McBride has helped thousands of couples do the work to strengthen their relationships. And he has tons of practical advice. Shawn sat down with me to discuss the three biggest problems couples face, why I'm a huge fan of his Instagram, and how love can keep relationships afloat, but it's often not enough. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Shawn and his work, check out: @couples_counseling_center @shawnmcbridespeaks and couplescounselingcenter.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loneliness is now an epidemic, with devastating impacts on our health. How can we rekindle the deep human connection we need now more than ever? For Rabbi Sharon Brous, this question is the focus of her work. Considered one of the most influential rabbis in the U.S., she's founded her own congregation and has led multiple White House faith events. In her new book, The Amen Effect, Sharon explores how grief and heartbreak can be gateways to truly seeing each other. Sharon and I talk about what it means to be present to someone else's pain and how a 2,000-year old ritual taught her the meaning of healing together. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Sharon and her work, check out: her book The Amen Effect her congregation iKAR See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.