Smart People Podcast

Smart People Industries

Smart People Podcast is a biweekly, interview-based podcast that features today's most well respected thought leaders engaging in authentic, insightful conversation for the benefit of the listener. The host, Chris Stemp, and his co-host/producer Jon Rojas, utilize their insatiable curiosity and relatable charm to provoke their guests into giving the interview of a lifetime.  Every single guest has achieved a high level of recognition within their arena and in doing so has collected a wealth of experiences and insights that are brought to life in this top ranked podcast. Show topics include: psychology, leadership, education, technology, entrepreneurship, relationships, and much more. read less

Our Editor's Take

The Smart People Podcast is an interview-based series. Chris Stemp hosts it with cohost and producer Jon Rojas. In each episode, Stemp speaks to an expert on a particular topic. The themes discussed in the show include science, politics, and entrepreneurship.

In one episode of Smart People, Stemp and guest journalist Joe Nocera analyze America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss what the country learned from the crisis. They also consider how it would respond to a similar emergency in the future.

Other conversations on the podcast have been about psychology. In the episode "What does it mean to be you?" Stanford psychologist Brian Lowery talks about the topic of identity. The episode "The Perfection Trap" features Thomas Curran. He is a psychology professor at the London School of Economics. Curran says that people should not pursue perfection. Instead, he says, they should "embrace the power of good enough."

Christian Madsbjerg is another guest on the Smart People podcast. He is a strategy expert and author of the best-selling book Look: How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World. Madsbjerg shares advice for paying attention amid distractions, like social media.

The podcast has explored whether America should pay reparations for slavery. The guest in this episode is Coleman Hughes. He is a writer, podcaster, and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York. Hughes argues that the current president does not influence the state of race relations in the US.

Another topic explored in Smart People is astrophysics. In the episode "Interstellar," Stemp interviews Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb. The guest believes that advanced alien technology has visited the solar system. In another episode, Dan Levitt talks to Stemp about the Big Bang theory. He says that understanding the Big Bang can help people to understand themselves. He suggests it can also help them make better decisions.

The Smart People Podcast might appeal to people who want to learn about a topic from an expert. New episodes are available every two weeks.

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Episodes

The Past, Present, and Future of Real Estate: A Conversation with Dave Liniger, Founder and President of the Largest Real Estate Company in the World
Apr 9 2024
The Past, Present, and Future of Real Estate: A Conversation with Dave Liniger, Founder and President of the Largest Real Estate Company in the World
The real estate market is the topic of many conversations these days. Are we in a bubble? Is Real Estate still a good investment? Is AirBNB destroying communities? What is the future of real estate agents after the recent lawsuit? In this week's episode we sit down with Dave Liniger, the Founder and President of Re/Max, the worlds largest Real Estate firm, to discuss all of these questions and more. Dave is the chairman of RE/MAX, the Denver based global real estate company that he cofounded with his wife, Gail, in 1973. RE/MAX is the leading franchisor of real estate offices throughout the world and has expanded to more than 9,000 offices in over 110 countries, with over 140,000 sales agents. He is highly respected internationally for his vast knowledge of the real estate and franchising industries. Although he retired as the CEO in 2018, he continues to lead the company as chairman of the board. Dave's book, The Perfect 10: 10 Leadership Principles to Achieve True Independence, Extreme Wealth, and Huge Success, is available now. Learn more about Dave at daveliniger.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Rocket Money - Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/SMART Factor - use code smart50 to get 50% off at factormeals.com/smart50 Babbel - Get 55% off your Babbel subscription at babbel.com/spp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How to Find Your Life Path with Creative Strategist, Bonnie Wan
Feb 13 2024
How to Find Your Life Path with Creative Strategist, Bonnie Wan
Bonnie Wan is a Partner and Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, one of Fast Company’s 2021 Most Innovative Companies In The World. As a career brand strategist she has been celebrated as an Ad Age Leading Woman for 2023 and 2022’s Chief Strategy Officer of the Year. We all have moments when we doubt the path we’re on. Is this the career for me? Am I in the right relationship? Is this as good as it gets? These questions can feel uncomfortable without a method for uncovering the answers. Enter The Life Brief, a simple yet effective playbook for navigating life’s decisions, crossroads, and curve-balls. Modeled after the creative brief, a tool used by the most innovative companies in the world to unlock clarity and unleash action, The Life Brief carves a path for living with intention and imagination. Designed by leading brand strategist Bonnie Wan, The Life Brief is a practice in three parts: The first phase, Get Messy, is a set of open-ended writing prompts that cut through limiting beliefs and false assumptions about what’s possible. The second phase, Get Clear, offers prompts for finding clarity around what you truly, deeply want. The third phase, Get Active, catapults you into the steps to making those desires a reality. Bonnie's book, The Life Brief: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living, is available now. To learn more about Bonnie, go to thelifebrief.com/bonnie. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Hims - Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/SMART. The Optimistic Outlook - Dive into The Optimistic Outlook and join a community of listeners who are enthusiastic about big, transformative ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Survival Mode to Thriving: Hacking Your Neurobiology for Success using Polyvagal Theory with Dr. Stephen Porges
Jan 30 2024
From Survival Mode to Thriving: Hacking Your Neurobiology for Success using Polyvagal Theory with Dr. Stephen Porges
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. Since Stephen Porges first proposed the Polyvagal Theory in 1994, its basic idea―that the level of safety we feel impacts our health and happiness―has radically shifted how researchers and clinicians approach trauma interventions and therapeutic interactions. Yet despite its wide acceptance, most of the information on the topic has been obscured behind clinical texts and scientific jargon. In this episode we talk with the founder of Polyvagal Theory, Dr. Stephen Porges, to better understand how to master our autonomic nervous system for health and happiness. Dr. Porges' book, Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us, is available now. To learn more about Dr. Porges, go to stephenporges.com. Links: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.871227/full?fbclid=IwAR1qtL6FhiAqEPFFU1G-R2pm70rUTx9EbJIyEHJTZV0KeHHTgkiUxm2Zj-g https://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/download/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-a-paradoxical-challenge-to-our-nervous-system-a-polyvagal-perspective-2/ Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Hims - Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/SMART. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bridging the Divide: Using Curiosity as a Solution for Division with Scott Shigeoka
Dec 5 2023
Bridging the Divide: Using Curiosity as a Solution for Division with Scott Shigeoka
It’s no secret that division, loneliness, and polarization are on the rise—to catastrophic impact on our personal lives. While we often think of curiosity as a personality trait, internationally-recognized curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka knows that it’s actually the most potent tool we have to bridge our differences and heal relationships: From political blow-ups to age divides at work; religious differences to languishing friendships; gun rights to gender rights. In this episode, Shigeoka blends cutting edge research on curiosity with wisdom from years of grassroots community work —as he takes listeners on a journey to understand the power of deep curiosity. Scott Shigeoka is an internationally recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and the author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. He is known for translating research into strategies that promote positive well-being and connected relationships around the globe, including at the UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and through his groundbreaking courses at the University of Texas at Austin. Scott implements his curiosity practices in the public sector, Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood, media organizations, education institutions, and small businesses. Scott's book, Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, is available now. To learn more about Scott, go to scottshigeoka.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Babbel - Get 55% off your Babbel subscription at Babbel.com/SPP. HelloFresh - Go to HelloFresh.com/smartpeoplefree and use code smartpeoplefree for FREE breakfast for life! ButcherBox - Sign up today at butcherbox.com/smart and use code smart to get free chicken wings for a year. Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/spp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Threshold: Terminal Lucidity and the Border Between Life and Death, with Dr. Alexander Batthyany
Oct 12 2023
Threshold: Terminal Lucidity and the Border Between Life and Death, with Dr. Alexander Batthyany
Prof. Alexander Batthyány, PhD, holds the Chair of the Research Institute for Theoretical Psychology and Personalist Studies at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary. Since 2012, Batthyány is Visiting Professor for Existential Psychotherapy at the Moscow University Institute of Psychoanalysis, Russia. He is Director of the Viktor Frankl Institute and first editor of the 14-volume edition of the Collected Works of Viktor Frankl. Near the end of life, many people--including those who have suffered brain injuries or strokes, or have been silenced by mental illness or deep dementia--experience what seems a miraculous return. They regain their clarity and energy, are able to talk with families and caregivers, recall their lives and often appear to be aware of their nearing death. In this episode, cognitive scientist and Director of the Viktor Frankl Institute Dr. Alexander Batthyány offers the first major account of terminal lucidity, utilizing hundreds of case studies and his research in the related field of near-death studies to explore the mind, the body, the nature of consciousness, and what the living can learn from those who are crossing the border from life to death. Alexander's book, Threshold: Terminal Lucidity and the Border of Life and Death, is available now. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Babbel - Get 55% off your Babbel subscription at Babbel.com/SPP. Hello Fresh - Go to HelloFresh.com/50smartpeople and use code 50smartpeople for 50% off plus free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars with Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb
Aug 29 2023
Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars with Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb
Avi Loeb, the longest serving Chair of Harvard’s Astronomy Department, presented a theory that shook the scientific community: our solar system, Loeb claimed, had likely been visited by a piece of advanced alien technology from a distant star. This provocative and persuasive argument opened millions of minds internationally to the vast possibilities of our universe and the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth. But a crucial question remained: now that we are aware of the existence of extraterrestrial life, what do we do next? In this episode we will talk about what proof we have for alien technology, what it means, and what we can do about it. He also lays out the profound implications of becoming—or not becoming—interstellar; why we must seek out other life forms, and in the process, choose who and what we are within the universe. Avi's book, Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars, is available now. Learn more about Avi at avi-loeb.medium.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Sponsors: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/spp. LinkedIn - Go to LinkedIn.com/SMARTPEOPLE for a 60-day free trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator! Graduate Debt Free - Visit Graduate-debt-free.com and take the first step to securing a debt free education by picking up your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anywhere books are sold! ZBiotics - Go to zbiotics.com/SMART to get 15% off your first order when you use SMART at checkout. DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code SMART to score two hundred dollars in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five dollars on college football! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices