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The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness Podcast aims to deepen and improve every area of a man's life, from fitness and philosophy, to relationships and productivity. Engaging and edifying interviews with some of the world's most interesting doers and thinkers drop the fluff and filler to glean guests' very best, potentially life-changing, insights.

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Episodes

Timeboxing ? The Productivity-Boosting Power of Doing One Thing at a Time

From work to chores to entertaining distractions, there are many options for what you can be doing at any moment in the modern world. We often endlessly toggle between these options and, as a result, feel frazzled and frustratingly unproductive. We feel ever haunted by the question, "What should I be doing right now?" (Or "What am I even doing right now?")

My guest will share a simple but effective productivity method that will quash this feeling of overwhelm, answer that question, and help you make much better use of your time. Marc Zao-Sanders is the CEO and co-founder of filtered.com, a learning tech company, and the author of Timeboxing: The Power of Doing One Thing at a Time. In the first half of our conversation, we unpack what timeboxing ? which brings your calendar and to-do list together ? is all about and its benefits as a time management system, including how it can help you get more done, live with greater intention and freedom, and even create a log of memories. In the second half of our conversation, we get into the practicalities of timeboxing, from how to capture the to-dos that will go on your calendar to how to deal with things that might pull you away from it. We end our conversation with how you can get started with timeboxing right now and have a more focused, productive, and satisfying day tomorrow.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #543: Learn the System for Getting Things Done With David AllenAoM Podcast #972: Down With Pseudo-Productivity ? Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work With Cal NewportAoM Article: The Eisenhower Decision Matrix ? How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks and Make Real Progress in Your LifeAoM Podcast #768: Become a Focused MonotaskerAoM Article: The Productivity Tool I Use to Get Things DoneAoM Article: A Formula for Success ? The Power of Implementation IntentionsConnect With Marc Zao-SandersMarc's websiteMarc on LinkedIn 
2024-03-20
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How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise

When you think about someone having a midlife crisis, you probably think of a man getting divorced, stepping out with a younger woman, and buying a sports car. But my guest today says the often jokey, mockable trope of the midlife crisis we have in our popular culture discounts the fact that the sense of dissatisfaction people can feel in their middle years is quite real, and that the questions it raises are profond, philosophical, and worth earnestly grappling with.

His name is Kieran Setiya, and he's a professor of philosophy and the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. Kieran and I first discuss what researchers have uncovered about whether the midlife crisis really exists, how it might be better described as a kind of midlife malaise, and how Kieran's own sense of life dissatisfaction began when he was only in his mid-thirties. We then explore the philosophical reframing that can help in dealing with the existential issues that the journey into midlife often raises, including feeling like you've missed out on certain possibilities and feeling regret over your mistakes and misfortunes. We also talk about how to shift out of one primary cause of the midlife malaise ? the sense that your life is merely about putting out fires and checking off boxes.

Resources Related to the PodcastSeasons of a Man's Life by Daniel LevinsonAoM series on Levinson's researchTransformations: Growth and Change in Adult Life by Roger GouldPassages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life by Gail SheehyOrville Gilbert Brim's MacArthur study on "Midlife in the United States"David Branchflower's study on the U-shaped curve of happinessJohn Stuart MillSunday Firesides: Youth Is Not an IdentityAoM Podcast #770: Philosophical Tools for Living the Good LifeAoM Podcast #620: How to Deal With Life's RegretsAoM Article: The George Bailey Technique ? Mentally Erase Your Blessings for Greater Joy and OptimismAoM Podcast #527: Father Wounds, Male Spirituality, and the Journey to the Second Half of Life With Richard RohrAoM Podcast #598: Journeying From the First to the Second Half of Life With James HollisConnect With Kieran SetiyaKieran's WebsiteKieran on TwitterKieran's Podcast
2024-03-18
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The 3 Musical Geniuses Behind the Most Popular Jazz Album of All Time

Even if you're not very into jazz, you probably know Kind of Blue, the jazz album that's sold more copies than any other and is widely considered one of the greatest albums ever, in any genre.

Among the sextet of musicians who played on the album, three stand out as true jazz geniuses: Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and John Coltrane. Today on the show, James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool, unpacks the stories behind these towering figures. We discuss their background, their demons, their passion for musical greatness, and what they contributed to the evolving world of jazz. And we discuss why, when they got together to record Kind of Blue, the result was the most timeless and beloved jazz album in history.

Resources Related to the PodcastJames' last appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #186 ? The Legend and Reality of Frank Sinatra"Miles Davis Blows His Horn" ? James' 1989 Vanity Fair profile of DavisAoM Article: A Crash Course in Jazz AppreciationAoM Article: Want to Get Into Jazz? Listen to These 10 Albums FirstAlbums mentioned in the showKind of Blue by Miles DavisPortraits in Jazz by Bill Evans TrioBitches Brew by Miles DavisGiant Steps by John ColtraneConnect With James KaplanJames' website
2024-03-13
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A Butler's Guide to Managing Your Household

It's a tough job to manage a household. Things need to be regularly fixed, maintained, and cleaned. How do you stay on top of these tasks in order to keep your home in tip-top shape?

My guest knows his way all around this issue and has some field-tested, insider advice to offer. Charles MacPherson spent two decades as the major-domo or chief butler of a grand household. He's also the founder of North America's only registered school for butlers and household managers and the author of several books drawn from his butlering experience, including The Butler Speaks: A Return to Proper Etiquette, Stylish Entertaining, and the Art of Good Housekeeping.

In the first part of our conversation, Charles charts the history of domestic service and describes why the practice of having servants like a butler and maid ebbed in the mid-20th century but has made a comeback today. We then turn to what average folks who don't have a household staff can do to better manage their homes. Charles recommends keeping something called a "butler's book" to stay on top of household schedules and maintenance checklists. We then discuss how to clean your home more logically and efficiently. Charles shares his golden rules of house cleaning, the cleaning task you've probably neglected (hint: go take a look at the side of the door on your dishwasher), his surprising choice for the best product to use to clean your shower, how often you should change your bedsheets, and much more.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: How to Establish a Simple Cleaning Routine and Stick to ItAoM Article: How to Clean Your Entire House in 30 MinutesAoM Article: How to Clean Like a ManAoM Article: Keep Your House in Tip-Top Shape ? An Incredibly Handy Home Maintenance ChecklistThe Book of Household Management by Isabella BeetonConnect With Charles MacPhersonCharles' website
2024-03-11
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Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work

The last several years have seen the rise of a sort of anti-productivity movement. Knowledge workers who feel burned out and that work is pointless, meaningless, and grinding, have been talking more about opting out, ?quiet quitting,? and doing nothing.

My guest would argue that, in fact, productivity itself isn?t the problem and that most people actually want to do good work. Instead, he says, it?s our whole approach to productivity that?s broken and needs to be transformed.

Cal Newport is a professor of computer science and the author of books like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. His latest book is Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Today on the show, Cal explains what?s led to the rise of what he calls ?pseudo-productivity? and the fallout when we apply the structures of the industrial revolution to modern work. He then unpacks the tenets and tactics of the ?slow productivity? approach to work, and how to implement them whether you work for yourself or for a boss. We discuss why you need to do fewer things in the short-term to do more things in the long term, the artificiality of working at the same intensity every day and how to inject more seasonality in your work, the role quiet quitting can play in achieving greater balance, and many other ideas on how to make modern work more sustainable, humane, and fruitful.

Resources Related to the PodcastCal?s previous appearances on the AoM Podcast:Episode #78: The Myth of Following Your PassionEpisode #168: The Value of Deep Work in the Age of DistractionEpisode #479: Becoming a Digital MinimalistEpisode #689: Email Is Making Us Miserable ? Here?s What to Do About ItAoM Article: A Counterintuitive Cure for BurnoutAoM article on the importance of location in productivity Ira Glass? past comments on the gap between taste and quality and more recent comments on Michael Lewis? podcast.Connect With CalNewportCal?s website
2024-03-06
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The 5 Factors for Crafting Simple (Read: Effective!) Messages

Whether you?re a teacher, parent, or entrepreneur, you want to be able to persuade your students, children, and customers with your messages. That?s a tall task in the modern age, when people are bombarded with 13 hours of media a day. How do you cut through all that noise to make sure you?re heard? My guest would say it?s all about keeping things simple.

Ben Guttmann is a marketing educator and consultant who?s helped promote everything from the NFL to New York Times-bestselling authors. He is himself the author of Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win?and How to Design Them. Today on the show, Ben explains the gap between how people like to receive messages and the self-sabotaging, complication-introducing ways people tend to send them. We then talk about the five factors of effective marketing that anyone can use to close this gap and craft simple, effective, influential messages. We discuss why you should highlight something?s benefits rather than its features, the question to ask to figure out what those benefits are, how to replace ?and? with ?so? to create more focused messages, how the fad of using the F-word in book titles shows the transience of salience, how to make your message minimal by imagining it as a Jenga tower and how minimal isn?t the same thing as short, and much more, including Ben?s most immediately actionable tip for crafting better, simpler messages.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #666: The Power of Brevity in a Noisy WorldAoM Podcast #580: Why People Do (Or Don?t) Listen to YouSunday Firesides:  Don?t Confuse Niceness With KindnessThing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall MunroeConnect With Ben GuttmannBen?s websiteBen on LinkedIn
2024-03-04
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The Misconceptions of HIIT (And the Role It Can Play in Your Fitness Routine)

You've probably heard of HIIT ? high intensity interval training. In fact, you may feel so familiar with the idea that you think you understand it. But do you?

People often hold some popular misconceptions about HIIT, and today we'll unpack what some of those are with Dr. Martin Gibala, a foremost researcher of this fitness modality and the author of The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter. Martin explains the main, underappreciated advantage of HIIT, which revolves around the "intensity-duration trade-off": the higher intensity you make exercise, the shorter your workouts can be while still triggering improvements in metabolism, cardiovascular health, and mitochondrial capacity. We get into the fact that the intensity of HIIT needn't be as high as you might think and that, contrary to popular belief, sprinting at intervals is actually a predominantly aerobic rather than anaerobic workout. Martin answers questions like whether Zone 2 cardio has an advantage over HIIT, if the so-called "afterburn effect" of HIIT is real, if you can do HIIT if you're older or have heart problems, and whether you should worry about the way HIIT can raise cortisol in the body. He also shares specific HIIT workouts you can do, including a walking interval workout and one of the best higher-intensity protocols to try.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: Conditioning ? What It Is and How to Develop ItAoM Article: You Only Have 15 Minutes to Work Out. What Should You Do?AoM Article: How to Use an Assault Bike to Improve Your All-Around ConditioningWingate Anaerobic TestJapanese 3X3 Interval Walking TrainingNorwegian 4X4 IntervalTraining10X1 Interval WorkoutTabata TrainingVILPA ? One-minute bursts of activity during daily tasks could prolong your lifeConnect With Martin GibalaMartin's websiteMartin on XMartin's faculty page
2024-02-28
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The Making of a Stoic Emperor

Perhaps you've read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, a book many turn to to learn and internalize the teachings of Stoic philosophy. But what do you know of the man who penned that seminal text?

Here to help us get to know the philosopher and ruler is Donald Robertson, a cognitive-behavior psychotherapist and the author of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. Drawing on the Meditations, three ancient histories about Marcus' life and character, and a cache of private letters between him and his rhetoric tutor, Donald unpacks how Marcus' life shaped his approach to Stoicism, and how Stoicism shaped him. We discuss Marcus' childhood and influences, his idea of manliness, the surprising significance of who he does and doesn't mention in the Meditations, and how he used that journal as a kind of father figure. We also discuss how Marcus may have undergone training modeled on the Spartan agoge, how he came to attention as a successor to the emperorship, how he got turned on to Stoicism as medicine for the soul, and how he used the philosophy to deal with his tumultuous rule.

Resources Related to the PodcastDonald's previous appearance on the AoM Podcast: Episode #537 ? How to Think Like a Roman EmperorAoM Article: Meditations on a First Reading of MeditationsAoM Article: 5 Ancient Stoic Tactics for Modern LifeAoM Podcast #316: An Introduction to StoicismAoM article on the Spartan agogeMeditations by Marcus AureliusEpictetus' "show me your shoulders" discourseConnect With Donald RobertsonDonald's SubstackModern StoicismPlato's Academy Centre
2024-02-26
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The Secrets of Supercommunicators

Have you ever known one of those people who seemed to be able to connect with anyone? The kind of person who had the ability to make others feel understood and smoothly navigate even the trickiest of conversations?

Charles Duhigg calls these folks "supercommunicators," and he's the author of a new book by the same name. Today on the show, Charles explains that what underlies supercommunicators' skill in connection is something called the matching principle, and he unpacks how it works and how you can put it to use in your own conversations. We discuss several techniques for how to figure out what kind of conversation you're having, so you can align your language and energy with the other person. And because emotional conversations can be particularly difficult, we dig into tactics for successfully navigating them, even when they contain a high degree of conflict. We also get into how to carry the skills of connection into your digital conversations.

Resources Related to the PodcastCharles' previous appearances on the AoM podcastEpisode #61: The Power of HabitEpisode #196: The Science of Self-Motivation & ProductivityAoM Podcast #559: How to Handle Difficult ConversationsConnect With Charles DuhiggCharles' website
2024-02-21
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7 Journaling Techniques That Can Change Your Life

In my twenties and early thirties, I was a regular journaler. Several years ago, however, I stopped journaling almost entirely because I wasn?t getting anything out of it anymore. But my guest has helped me see that my problem wasn?t with journaling itself, but that I had gotten into a journaling rut, and he?s introduced me to some new ways to journal that have inspired me to get back into the practice. 

Campbell Walker is an illustrator, animator, podcaster, and YouTuber, as well as the author of Your Head is a Houseboat: A Chaotic Guide to Mental Clarity. Today on the show, Cam shares how journaling transformed his life and what it can do for yours. We discuss why it?s helpful to do a journaling brain dump and how to then move beyond that to incorporate different techniques that will help you get greater insight into the problems you?re facing and how to solve them. We unpack those techniques, which include how to journal to break mindset, conduct a lifestyle and habits audit, and quell anxiety. We also talk about an experiment Cam did where he only used the social media apps on his phone when he was posting something, and every time he got the itch to check social media for fun, he engaged in something he calls ?microjournaling? instead. We end our conversation with how Cam?s journaling changed after he became a dad and his tips on making journaling a consistent habit in your life.

Resources Related to the EpisodeCampbell?s Video: The Journaling Techniques That Changed My LifeCampbell?s Video: I Replaced Social Media With Micro-Journaling for 1 YearAoM Article: The Right and Wrong Way to JournalAoM Article: Why I Stopped JournalingAoM Article: 30 Days to a Better Man Day 8 ? Start a JournalAoM Article: Jumpstart Your Journaling ? A 31-Day ChallengeAoM Article: 31 Journaling Prompts for Building Greater Self-RelianceAoM Article: Quit Catastrophizing AoM Podcast #387: Think Like a Poker Player to Make Better Decisions (With Annie Duke)Connect With Campbell Walker (AKA ?Struthless?)Cam on YouTubeCam on IGThe Struthless Shop WebsiteThe Struthless Animation Studio Website
2024-02-19
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Busting the Myths of Marriage ? Why Getting Hitched Still Matters

The marriage rate has come down 65% since 1970. There are multiple factors behind this decrease, but one of them is what we might call the poor branding that surrounds marriage in the modern day. From all corners of our culture and from both ends of the ideological spectrum come messages that marriage is an outdated institution, that it hinders financial success and personal fulfillment, and that it's even unimportant when it comes to raising kids.

My guest would say that these ideas about marriage are very wrong, and he doesn't come at it from an emotionally-driven perspective, but from what's born out by the data. Dr. Brad Wilcox is a sociologist who heads the nonpartisan National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, which studies marriage and family life. He's also the author of Get Married. Today on the show, Brad discusses the latest research on marriage and how it belies the common narratives around the institution. We dig into the popular myths around marriage, and how it not only boosts your finances, but predicts happiness in life better than any other factor. Brad also shares the five pillars of marriage that happy couples embrace.

Resources Related to the PodcastBrad's previous appearance on the AoM Podcast: Episode #278 ? The Surprising Benefits of Marriage for MenThe National Marriage Project at UVAAoM Article: The Case for MarriagePiece in the NYT by Brad: "To Be Happy, Marriage Matters More Than Career"Piece in the Atlantic co-authored by Brad: "Now Political Polarization Comes for Marriage Prospects"Brad's articles at the Institute for Family Studies 

AoM Podcast #946: Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids

Connect With Brad WilcoxBrad's faculty pageBrad on XBrad on LinkedIn 
2024-02-14
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Chasing Shackleton ? Re-creating the World?s Greatest Journey of Survival

If you?ve ever read the classic book Endurance, you probably shivered and shuddered as you wondered what it would have been like to have undertaken Ernest Shackleton?s famously arduous Antarctic rescue mission.

The adventurer Tim Jarvis did more than wonder. When Alexandra Shackleton challenged him to re-create her grandfather?s epic journey, he jumped at the chance to follow in the legendary explorer?s footsteps.

Today on the show, Tim, the author of Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World?s Greatest Journey of Survival, first shares the story of Shackleton?s heroic effort to save the crew of his failed Antarctic expedition. Tim then tells us how he and his own crew replicated Shackleton?s journey over land and sea, from taking the same kind of rowboat to eating the same kind of rations ? and the lessons in resilience and leadership he learned along the way.

Resources Related to the PodcastEndurance by Alfred LansingShackleton?s apocryphal recruiting advertisement AoM Article: Leadership Lessons from Ernest ShackletonAoM Article: What They Left and What They Kept ? What an Antarctic Expedition Can Teach You About What?s Truly ValuableAoM Article: Alone ? Lessons on Solitude From an Antarctic ExplorerAoM Article: The Libraries of Famous Men ? Ernest ShackletonConnect With Tim JarivsTim?s websiteTim on IGTim on LinkedIn
 
2024-02-12
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Night Visions ? Understand and Get More Out of Your Dreams

When you really stop to think about it, it?s an astonishing fact that we spend a third of our lives asleep. And part of that time, we?re dreaming. What goes on during this unconscious state that consumes so much of our lives, and how can we use our dreams to improve our waking hours?

Here to unpack the mysterious world of dreams is Alice Robb, the author of Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey. Today on the show, Alice first shares some background on the nature of dreams, why their content is often stress-inducing, and how they can influence our waking hours, from impacting our emotional health to helping us be more creative. We then turn to how to get more out of our dreams, including the benefits of keeping a dream journal and talking about your dreams with others. We also get into the world of lucid dreaming and some tips for how you can start controlling your dreams.

Resources Related to the PodcastInterpretation of Dreams by Sigmund FreudExploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBergeAoM Article: Nap Like Salvador Dali ? Get Creative Insights on the Boundary Between Sleep and WakefulnessConnect With Alice RobbAlice?s website


 

2024-02-07
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Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall

When people think of the plays of Shakespeare, they tend to think of his comedies and tragedies that spotlight interpersonal dynamics like love and jealousy, pretense and reality. But my guest would say that many of Shakepeare's plays, especially his sometimes overlooked histories, are also unmatchable in revealing the dynamics of power.

Eliot Cohen is a military historian, political scientist, professor of international studies, and former State Department counselor, as well as the author of The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall. Today on the show Eliot takes us through what Shakepeare's plays can teach us about navigating the three-part arc of power: acquiring power, exercising power, and losing power. Along the way, we discuss how these lessons in leadership played out in the lives of real-life historical figures as well.

Resources Related to the PodcastPlays discussed:Richard IIHenry IV, Part 1Henry IV, Part 2Henry VRichard IIIJulius CaesarCoriolanusKing LearMacbethThe TempestAoM Podcast #853: The Real Rules of PowerAoM Podcast #792: How Power CorruptsAoM Article: A Lesson From TR & Taft on Pursuing a Life You LikeAoM Article: There Is No Indispensable ManRobert Caro's biographical series on LBJAll the King's Men by Robert Penn WarrenSupreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime by Eliot CohenConnect With Elliot CohenEliot's faculty page
2024-02-05
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Launch a Million-Dollar Business This Weekend

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur but don?t have an idea for a business? Or have you been sitting on a business idea for years but have never gotten going with it?

Well, after listening to this podcast and by the end of this weekend, you can have a business started that could ultimately make you a million bucks.

Here to walk you through the process of becoming a near-overnight entrepreneur is Noah Kagan. Kagan is the founder of AppSumo, a software deals site, and half a dozen other multi-million-dollar businesses, as well as the author of Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours. Today on the show, Noah and I first discuss the two biggest obstacles that hold people back from starting a business and how to overcome them. We then turn to the practicalities of coming up with and vetting a business idea, how to find your first customers, and how to keep growing from there. Along the way, Noah and I share insights into how we turned AppSumo and Art of Manliness, respectively, from side hustles into rewarding careers.

Resources Related to the PodcastNoah?s previous appearance on the AoM Podcast: Episode #315 ? The Power of Small Experiments to Supercharge Your SuccessAoM Article: The Company Man?s Guide to Starting a Side Hustle, Part I and Part II AoM Article: Want to Start a Business? Consider These 5 Invaluable Lessons Before Diving InAoM Article: How to Start a Business with Limited FundsAoM Podcast #344: The Art of the Side HustleAoM Article: Be Your Own Boss ? 37 Side Hustle IdeasConnect With Noah KaganMillion Dollar Weekend websiteNoah?s websiteNoah on XNoah on IGNoah on LinkedInNoah on YouTube
2024-01-31
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The Case for Minding Your Own Business

Attend the graduation of a college senior, and the commencement speech is likely to include a few themes: Do something big. Make a name for yourself. Change the world.

My guest is not a fan of this advice, and says that rather than focusing on solving large-scale problems, we ought to concentrate on making things better in our own backyards.

Brandon Warmke is a professor of philosophy and the co-author of Why It's OK to Mind Your Own Business. Today on the show, Brandon explains why what he calls "commencement speech morality" distorts our moral vision by emphasizing one version of the good and valuable life, at the expense of the value and good of a life marked by "ordinary morality." Brandon first unpacks the dangers of intervening in other people's business, including becoming a moralizer and a busybody. He then makes a case for the benefits of minding your own business and putting down roots, creating a good home, and living in solitude, and for how a smaller, quieter life can still be generous, important, and noble.

Resources Related to the PodcastBrandon's previous appearance on the show: Episode #734 ? How Moral Grandstanding Is Ruining Our Public DiscourseSunday Firesides: Blessed Are the Trail MaintainersAoM Article: How John Stuart Mill Got Over His Existential Crisis, and You Can Too!AoM Podcast #910: Thick Desires, Political Atheism, and Living an Anti-Mimetic LifeAoM #881: A Kantian Guide to LifeAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines ? Solitude and Silence The Virtues of Limits by David McPhersonThe Need for Roots by Simone WeilConnect With Brandon WarmkeBrandon's websiteBrandon's faculty page 
2024-01-29
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The Mundanity of Excellence

Forty years ago, now retired professor of sociology Daniel Chambliss performed a field study in which he observed an elite swim team to figure out what it was that led to excellence in any endeavor.

As Chambliss shared in a paper entitled ?The Mundanity of Excellence,? the secret he discovered is that there really is no secret, and that success is more ordinary than mystical.

As mundane as the factors and qualities that lead to excellence really are, they can still run contrary to what we sometimes think makes for high achievement. Today on the show, I unpack the sometimes unexpected elements of excellence with Daniel. We discuss how desire is more important than discipline, the central role of one?s social group and surrounding yourself with the best of the best, the outsized importance of the small things, why you need to make being good your job, why motivation is mundane, and why you need to keep a sense of mundanity even as you become excellent.

Resources Related to the PodcastChampions: The Making of Olympic Swimmers by Daniel F. Chambliss?The Mundanity of Excellence?AoM Article: Motivation Over DisciplineAoM Article: The Secret of Great Men ? Deliberate PracticeAoM Podcast #887: The Golden Rules of SuccessSunday Firesides: What Looks Like Grit, Is Often Fit?Go Ahead, Drop My Course? ? WSJ article by DanielMark SchubertMission Viejo NadadoresConnect With Daniel ChamblissDaniel?s faculty page
2024-01-24
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A Guide to Protecting Yourself Against Unexpected Violence

When Sam Rosenberg was 20 years old and working as a bouncer in a bar, a disgruntled patron pointed a gun directly at his chest and told him: ?Now I?m going to kill you.?

Sam survived the incident but it caused him to question what he thought he knew about self-defense and sent him on a decades-long quest to figure out how people can best protect themselves and others.

Today on the show, I talk to Sam, an expert in personal protection and the author of Live Ready: A Guide to Protecting Yourself in an Uncertain World, about his self-defense philosophy and how you can use it in your life to stay safe from violent threats. Sam makes the case that understanding how the mind works under life-or-death stress is the foundation of protecting yourself. We unpack that idea, as well as the phases of the timeline of violence, the phase you can exercise the most control in to deter a violent encounter and how to know when you?re in that phase, how to convey you?re a hard target that predators don?t want to mess with, and much more.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: The Tao of Boyd ? How to Master the OODA LoopAoM Article: A Crash Course in Real World Self-DefenseAoM Article: How to Treat Your Family Like VIPsAoM Podcast #85: Situational Awareness With Patrick Van HorneAoM Podcast #198: Turning Yourself Into a Human Weapon With Tony BlauerAoM Podcast #334: When Violence Is the AnswerAoM Podcast #513: Be Your Own BodyguardAoM Podcast #688: Protection for and From HumanityAoM Podcast #781: Beyond OODA ? Developing the Orientation for Conflict and ViolenceConnect With Sam RosenbergLiveReady website
2024-01-22
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Come Alive Again by Having More Fun

Reflect on something for a second: when was the last time you had fun? Are you having trouble remembering, and if you think about it, is it actually kind of hard to even describe what fun is, even?

Don?t worry, if you feel like fun?s gone missing from your life, and are feeling a little dead inside as a result, Catherine Price and I are here to offer you a fun-tervention.

Catherine is the author of The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, and today on the show we discuss the three elements of true fun and how it differs from fake fun, how to conduct a fun audit so you can identify your personal fun magnets, how to get a greater kick out of your life, and why you really need to have a Ferris Bueller day.

Resources Related to the PodcastHow to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life by Catherine PriceAoM Article: The Case Against Scheduling Your FunAoM Article: A Lesson From Ernest Hemingway in Why You Should Plan Your WeekendsThe Book of Delights by Ross GayFerris Bueller?s Day OffConnect with Catherine PriceCatherine?s Substack: How to Feel AliveCatherine?s website
2024-01-17
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An Insider's Guide to the Rise of the American Mafia

You're probably familiar with the American mafia, at least through its portrayal in popular culture. But how did this infamous secret society come to be?

Louis Ferrante traces its origins in the first volume of his slated trilogy on the subject, entitled Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia. While there's been plenty written on the mafia, Ferrante, who was incarcerated for being a mobster himself, offers the first insider's history of this crime organization. Today on the show, he shares the surprising influences on the formation of the mafia in Sicily, why Louisiana and not New York was actually the mob's American Plymouth Rock, the unexpected collaboration between the government and the mafia during WWII, the real reason J. Edgar Hoover didn't go after the mob, why that hands-off approach changed, and much more.

Connect With Louis FerranteLouis' websiteLouis' previous appearance on the AoM podcast ? #551: Inside the Gangsters? Code
2024-01-15
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How Curiosity Conversations Can Supercharge Your Success

Brian Grazer is a Hollywood producer whose films and television shows have been nominated for 43 Academy Awards and 217 Emmys and grossed $15 billion worldwide. He's produced everything from my favorite TV show of all time, Friday Night Lights, to critically-acclaimed and Oscar-winning films like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind.

Grazer credits much of his success to his commitment to a practice he calls "curiosity conversations." Today on the show, I talk to Grazer, who's also the co-author of A Curious Mind Expanded Edition: The Secret to a Bigger Life, about why he considers curiosity conversations the ?superpower? that fueled his rise as one of Hollywood?s leading producers. We talk about how these curiosity conversations are beneficial to have with everyone from VIPs to ordinary folks, how the ideas and connections they foster can enhance both your personal and professional life, what makes a curiosity conversation effective, and how to make them happen.

2024-01-10
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Feeling Depressed and Discombobulated? Social Acceleration May Be to Blame

The social theorist Charles Taylor says that part of what characterizes a secular age is that there are multiple competing options for what constitutes the good life.

The sociologist Hartmut Rosa argues that modern citizens most often locate that good in optionality, speed, and reach, which creates a phenomenon he calls ?social acceleration.?

Professor of theology Andrew Root explores the ideas of Taylor, Rosa, and social acceleration in his work, including in his book The Congregation in a Secular Age. While Andy largely looks at social acceleration through the lens of its effect on churches, it has implications for every aspect of our lives, from work to family. We explore those implications today on the show, unpacking the way that seeking stability through growth leads to feelings of depression, exhaustion, and discombobulation, how we collect possibilities while not knowing what we?re aiming for, and how we?ve traded the burden of shoulds for the burden of coulds. We discuss how social acceleration has shifted the horizons and significance of time, how time has to be hollowed out to be sped up, and how the solution to the ill effects of social acceleration isn?t just slowing down, but finding more resonance.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #238: Life in a Secular AgeA Secular Age by Charles TaylorSocial Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity by Hartmut RosaResonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World by Hartmut RosaThe Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age by Alain EhrenbergConnect With Andy RootAndy?s website
2024-01-08
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The Power of NEAT ? Move a Little to Lose a Lot

Do you have a goal to lose weight? If so, you're probably thinking about how you need to exercise more. And that can certainly help. But what about the 23 hours a day you're not at the gym? How much you move during those hours ? from walking to the mailbox to fidgeting at your desk ? can be just as important in winning the battle of the bulge.

Here to explain the importance of what's called non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, is Dr. James Levine, a professor, the co-director of the Mayo Clinic's Obesity Solutions Initiative, the inventor of the treadmill desk, and the author of Get Up!: Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It. James explains how much more sedentary we are than we used to be and what happens to your body when, as the average American does, you spend two-thirds of your day sitting. He shares how doing the lightest kinds of physical activity, even standing more, can help you lose a significant amount of weight and improve other aspects of health, from your sleep to your mood. And we talk about how to easily incorporate more NEAT into your day.

Resources Related to the PodcastRole of Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis in Resistance to Fat Gain in Humans ? James' overfeeding studyAoM Article: The Digestive Power of an After-Dinner WalkAoM Podcast #552: How to Optimize Your MetabolismAoM Article: The Importance of Building Your Daily Sleep Pressure
2024-01-03
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The Feel-Good Method of Productivity

When we think about getting more done, we tend to think about working harder, exerting more willpower, and buckling down; we tend to think of doing things that are unpleasant, but that we deem worth it, for the productivity boost they offer.

But what if the key to greater productivity ran the other way round, and the easier and more enjoyable you made your work, the more of it you?d get done?

That?s the premise of Ali Abdaal?s new book Feel-Good Productivity. In addition to being a new author, Ali is a doctor, a YouTuber, and the world?s most followed productivity expert. Today on the show, Ali unpacks the three prongs of his feel-good approach to productivity: energerize, unblock, and sustain. We talk about how to inject your work with more play, flip the confidence switch, find joy in increasing your power, harness relational energy, and use the 10-10-10 rule for overcoming hesitation in taking action. We also discuss why smart goals aren?t always effective and what?s a better alternative, why you might want to put a five-minute hourglass on your desk, the three types of burnout and how to overcome each, and much more.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: Motivation Over DisciplineAoM Article: The 7 Habits ? Be Proactive, Not ReactiveThe 7 Habits: Begin With the End in MindLondon Writer?s SalonThe Strenuous LifeAoM Podcast #575: Counterintuitive Advice on Making Exercise a Sustainable HabitAoM Podcast #292: The Road to CharacterAoM Podcast #716: How to Make Your Life More EffortlessConnect With Ali AbdaalFeel Good Productivity websiteAli?s YouTube channelAli on TwitterAli on IG
2024-01-01
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Fat Loss Made Simple

Note: This is a rebroadcast.

When it comes to losing weight, you can find plenty of complicated programs that involve long, intense workouts and strict calorie-counting diet plans. But my guest today takes an approach to fat loss that?s awesomely simple, and even more effective because of that fact.

His name is Dan John and he?s a strength coach, a competitive thrower and weightlifter, and the author of many books about health and fitness, including Fat Loss Happens on Monday. Today on the show, Dan talks about the importance of not only picking a specific number where you want your weight to be, but enriching that goal so that it lights up multiple parts of your brain. We then discuss how and how often to measure your weight, how to deal with setbacks as you shed the pounds, and Dan?s uncomplicated approach to eating. Dan also explains why he recommends drinking hot water with lemon, practicing intermittent fasting, and working out in a fasted state. We go over the ?Easy Strength? exercise program he suggests for fat loss, and why these short weightlifting sessions are always followed by a walk. We end our conversation with how to break through a weight loss plateau by doing something called ?reverse rucking.?

Resources Related to the PodcastOur previous episodes with Dan John:#354: Brains & Brawn ? Tips and Inspiration on Being a Well-Rounded Man#655: Excuse-Busting Advice for Getting in Shape#678: Physical Benchmarks Every Man Should Meet, at Every AgeAoM Article: 6 Ways to Measure Your Body FatMyoTape Body Measuring TapeClarence BassAoM podcast #581 on tiny habits with BJ FoggRusty Moore?s Fat Loss BoostAoM Article: How Much Protein Do You Really Need?Pavel TsatsoulineAoM article and podcast about intermittent fastingAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines ? Fasting5:2 fastingAoM Article: Cardio for the Man Who Hates Cardio ? The Benefits of RuckingConnect With Dan JohnDan John University (use code ?artofman? for a discount)Dan on InstagramDan?s Website
2023-12-28
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Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward With Your Life

Note: This is a rebroadcast.

You want to declutter. You want to downsize. You want to live more simply. So what?s been holding you back from getting closer to those ideals?

My guest today sorts through both the psychological and practical roadblocks that can get in the way of living more minimally, and more in the present. His name is Matt Paxton, and he?s a downsizing and decluttering expert, a featured cleaner on the television show Hoarders, the host of the Emmy-nominated show Legacy List With Matt Paxton which showcases people?s heirlooms and treasures, and the author of Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life.

We begin our conversation with how Matt got into cleaning out houses and working with hoarders, and some of the worst cases of hoarding Matt?s seen. We then get into both the mindset and brass tacks tips he?s learned from the most extreme cases of clutter that can be used by regular people who just want to pare down their stuff. We talk about why we can feel so attached to our possessions, and how to let them go, while still preserving your and your family?s memories. Matt recommends how and where to get started with your decluttering, and offers tools, including creating a ?maybe pile? and a ?legacy list,? for deciding what to keep and what to chuck, whether you?re dealing with big items like furniture or small stuff like documents and pictures. Matt explains what to do with your stuff whether trashing, donating, upcycling, or selling, and how much you can reasonably expect to get when you do the latter (spoiler alert: it?s a lot less than you think). We end our conversation with how, after you?ve decluttered your place, to keep it from getting clogged up again.

Oh, and we also discuss where to find hidden stashes of money when you?re cleaning out the house of an older person who?s died.

This is a really fun and interesting conversation that definitely motivated me to clean out our house.

Resources Related to the PodcastWebsite for My Legacy ListHoarders television showMatt?s TEDx talk on ?The Unintended Result of Our Attachment to Personal Belongings?Podcast #699: The No-Nonsense Guide to Simplifying Every Aspect of Your LifeAoM article on declutteringPodcast #626: How to Declutter Your Work LifeConnect With Matt PaxtonMatt?s Website
2023-12-26
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Duty, Honor, and the Unlikely Heroes Who Helped Win the Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge commenced on the morning of December 16, 1944. The Allies were ill-prepared for this last, desperate offensive from the Germans, and the campaign might have succeeded if a few things hadn?t gotten in their way, including a single, green, 18-man platoon who refused to give up their ground to the Nazis.

Alex Kershaw shares the story of these men in his book, The Longest Winter, and with us today on the show. He first explains the background of the Battle of the Bulge and how an Intelligence and Reconnaissance unit that had never seen combat ended up in the thick of it. And he describes the platoon?s 20-year-old leader, Lyle Bouk, who was determined to carry out his orders and hold their position despite being massively outmanned and outgunned, and how his men fought until they were down to their last rounds. Alex then shares how what Bouk thought was a total failure ? being captured as POWs after just a day of combat ? turned out to have been an effort that significantly influenced the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge, and how an unlikely platoon of heroes who initially went unrecognized for their valor became the most decorated American platoon of WWII. You?ll find such an inspiring lesson in this show about living up to your duty and holding the line.

Resources Related to the PodcastAlex?s previous appearances on the AoM Podcast:#361: The Untold Story of WWII?s 45th Infantry Division#514: Remembering D-Day 75 Years Later#806: The Humble Heroics of Four of WWII?s Most Decorated SoldiersThe Bedord Boys by Alex Kershaw The Bitter Woods: The Battle of the Bulge by John S.D. EisenhowerAoM Article: NUTS! Why Remembering Christmas 1944 Can Change Your LifeLyle Bouck
2023-12-20
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Season?s Screenings ? A Tour of Classic Christmas Movies

Watching a holiday movie is a great way to get into the spirit of the season and has become an annual tradition for many families. But what exactly makes a Christmas movie, a Christmas movie, what are some of the best ones ever made, and what makes these gems so classic?

Here to answer these questions and take us on a tour of the highlights of the holiday movie canon is Jeremy Arnold, a film historian and the author of Christmas in the Movies: 35 Classics to Celebrate the Season. Today on the show, we talk about what defines a Christmas movie, why we enjoy them so much, and why so many classics in the genre were released during the 1940s. Jeremy offers his take on the best version of A Chirstmas Carol, whether Holiday Inn or White Christmas is a better movie, why he thinks Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie, what accounts for the staying power of Elf, and much more. At the end of the show, Jeremy offers several suggestions for lesser-known Christmas movies to check out when you?re tired of watching A Christmas Story for the fiftieth time.

Movies Mentioned in the ShowSanta Claus (1898)Scrooge (1901)Scrooge (1935)Miracle on Main Street (1939)Remember the Night (1940)The Shop Around the Corner (1940)Holiday Inn (1942)The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)It?s a Wonderful Life (1947)Scrooge/Christmas Carol (1951)We?re No Angels (1955)Cash on Demand (1961)Die Hard (1988)Home Alone (1990)Home Alone 2 (1992)The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)Elf (2003)
2023-12-18
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The Hobbit Virtues

Virtue ethics is an approach to life, a framework for developing character and making moral decisions. To learn about virtue ethics, you could read a philosophical treatise by Aristotle. Or, you could read a fictional novel by J.R.R Tolkien. As my guest, Christopher Snyder, observes, the ideals of virtue ethics are well illustrated in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, being vividly embodied in the characters of Middle-earth.

Chris is a professor of European history, a medieval scholar, and the author of Hobbit Virtues: Rediscovering J.R.R. Tolkien's Ethics from The Lord of the Rings. Today on the show, he shares the way Tolkien's fantasy stories provide real lessons in the capacity of ordinary people to act heroically. We discuss the courage of persistence, the importance of fellowship and how it differs from friendship, the role of merrymaking in the good life, and the value of chivalry.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: Lessons in Manliness ?The HobbitAoM Article: Against the Cult of Travel, or What Everyone Gets Wrong About the HobbitAoM Podcast #272: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Myth of ProgressAoM Podcast #723: Men Without Chests ? An Exploration of C.S. Lewis' Abolition of Man"Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics" by J.R.R. TolkienScene from  LOTR: The Return of the King ? "I Can't Carry It For You... But I Can Carry You"Scene from LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring ? The Death of BoromirScene from LOTR: The Return of the King ? The Coronation Of Aragorn"The Necessity of Chivalry" by C.S. Lewis The Making of Middle-Earth: A New Look Inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien by Christopher SnyderBooks by Tom ShippeyConnect With Chris SnyderChris' faculty page
2023-12-13
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A Carpenter's Notes on the Art of Good Work

After forty years working as a carpenter, and not just any carpenter, but one who is often considered the best in New York and who executes some of the country's most elaborate, expensive, and challenging projects, Mark Ellison has filled hundreds of notebooks with drawings of his plans. He's also made plenty of observations about the nature of work, craft, and doing a good job at whatever you pursue.

Mark is the author of Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work, and today on the show, he shares some of the lessons he's learned over his career in high-end construction, including those that center on the less romantic aspects of being a carpenter. We discuss the comparative importance of will, talent, and interest in learning a craft, the challenges not only of construction but managing personalities, mistakes, and expectations, why speed is essential for a successful craftsman, and how the principles that make for a master builder carry over into other pursuits.

Resources Related to the Podcast"The Art of Building the Impossible" ? very interesting New Yorker article about Mark and his work The Very Efficient Carpenter by Larry HaunAoM Article: Applying the Ethos of the Craftsman to Our Everyday LivesMark's album: Hard to TameConnect With Mark EllisonMark's website
2023-12-11
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Unpacking The Emotion No One Likes to Talk About

Of all the emotions, there's one that people are arguably the most reluctant to talk about and admit to feeling.

Envy.

Not only is there very little social discussion of envy, but there's also been very little academic scholarship on the topic. As a result, few people really understand this emotion ? what it is, why they feel it, and what it means in their life.

Today we'll reveal the fascinating dimensions of the green-eyed monster with one of the few people who has given a lot of thought and study to this oft-neglected but important subject: Sara Protasi, a professor of philosophy and the author of The Philosophy of Envy. Today on the show, Sara defines envy and explains how it's different from jealousy and why people are more comfortable admitting to feeling jealous than envious. Sara then unpacks what she thinks are the four types of envy, and we work our way from the worst type to a kind that is actually redeemable and potentially beneficial. We end our conversation with how envy, something that's often considered the worst kind of vice, can, in fact, be used to achieve more excellence in your life.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: An Intro on EnvyAoM Article: Envy, Ressentiment, and the Inversion of ValuesAoM Article: The Insidious Disguises of EnvyScene from Mississippi Burning ? My Daddy Killed That MuleConnect With Sara ProtasiSara's websiteSara's faculty pageSara on PhilPapersSara on FacebookSara on X
2023-12-06
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Increase Your Influence With the Science of Immersion

Why are so many social, business, and classroom interactions so dang dull? This state of affairs isn't only a bummer for those on the receiving end of these underwhelming experiences, but those offering them, too. It means that people are failing to connect with others, teachers are failing to impart knowledge, and salespeople are failing to make sales. Because when you don't engage people, you don't influence them.

My guest says that the secret to making an impact on others is learning to turn ordinary experiences into extraordinary ones through the science of immersion. Dr. Paul Zak is a professor, scientist, and the author of Immersion. Today on the show, Paul shares what he's learned from decades of neuroscience research on how to create immersive experiences that will set you apart as an individual or business and increase your influence. We discuss the elements that create immersion, what goes on in the brain when it occurs, how long it can last, and how to induce immersion, whether you want to teach a more engaging class, wow your customers, or simply make everyday interactions with friends and family more memorable.

Resources Related to the EpisodePaul's TED Talk: Trust, Morality ? and Oxytocin?AoM Article: 3 Simple Steps to Telling a Great StoryAoM Podcast: #462: How to Tell Better StoriesDiet Coke Super Bowl Commercial 2018Connect With Paul ZakPaul's websiteImmersion websitePaul's faculty page
2023-12-04
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Turn Your Anxiety Into a Strength

Anxiety is typically thought of as a disease or a disorder. My guest has a very different way of looking at it, and says that rather than being a burden, anxiety can actually become a benefit, and even a strength.

Dr. David Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, the founder of the Center for Anxiety, and the author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You. Today on the show, David explains why the prevalence of anxiety has risen while the reasons to feel anxious have fallen, and what the increase in anxiety has to do with our growing intolerance for uncertainty and uncontrollability. We discuss how the perception of anxiety is a big part of the problem that has made anxiety a problem, and how you can change your relationship with anxiety, transforming it from something that hinders your life, to something that helps you develop greater self-awareness, reach your goals, make needed changes, connect better with others, and build your overall resilience.

Resources Related to the EpisodeAoM Podcast #497: The Meaning, Manifestations, and Treatments for AnxietyAoM Podcast #614: Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (With Steven Hayes) AoM Podcast #782: Anxiety Is a Habit ? Here?s How to Break ItAoM Podcast #868: Escape the Happiness TrapAoM series on developing resilience AoM Article: Just Go to SleepAoM Article: 5 Tools for Thriving in UncertaintyAoM Article: The Best Books to Read in Uncertain TimesConnect With David RosmarinDavid's website
2023-11-29
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Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids

There are a lot of popular ideas out there around marriage, family, and culture, like, for example, that living together before marriage decreases your chances of divorce, people are having fewer children because children are expensive to raise, and society is becoming more secular because people leave religion in adulthood.

Are these ideas actually born out by the data?

Today we put that question to Lyman Stone, a sociologist and demographer who crunches numbers from all the latest studies to find out what?s going on in population, relationship, and familial trends. We dig into some of the counterintuitive findings he?s discovered in his research and discuss the possible reasons that cohabitation is actually correlated with a higher chance of divorce, the effect that marrying later has on fertility, why the drop in the number of kids people are having isn?t only about cost but also about the rise in high intensity parenting, and how the increase in societal secularization can actually be traced to kids, not adults.

Resources Related to the EpisodeRelated articles by Lyman Stone:Does Getting Married Really Make You Happier?Why Canadian Women Aren?t Having the Children They DesireFor Fertility, Marriage Still MattersToo Risky to Wed in Your 20s? Not If You Avoid Cohabiting FirstWhat the Latest Current Population Survey Tells Us About the Future of FertilitySecularization Begins at HomeAoM Article: The Surprising Benefits of Marrying YoungAoM Article: How to Test Your Relationship Without Moving In TogetherAoM Podcast #349: The Problem With Ambiguity in Relationships with Scott StanleyConnect With Lyman StoneLyman on Twitter
2023-11-27
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The Cues That Make You Charismatic

Note: This is a rebroadcast.

Charisma can make everything smoother, easier, and more exciting in life. It?s a quality that makes people want to listen to you, to adopt your ideas, to be with you.

While what creates charisma can seem like a mystery, my guest today, communications expert Vanessa Van Edwards, says it comes down to possessing an optimal balance of two qualities: warmth and competence.

The problem is, even if you have warmth and competence, you may not be good at signaling these qualities to others. In Vanessa?s work, she?s created a research-backed encyclopedia of these influential signals, and she shares how to offer them in her book
Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. Today on the show, Vanessa and I discuss some of the verbal and nonverbal social cues that make you attractive to others, and keep you out of what she calls the ?danger zone.? She explains what the distance between your earlobes and shoulders has to do with looking competent, how using uptalk and vocal fry sabotages your ability to convey power, how to put more warmth in your voice, how to trigger the right response with a dating profile picture, and more.

Resources Related to the EpisodeAoM series on the elements of charisma AoM Article: Gut Check ? Are You a Contemptible Person?AoM Podcast #72: The Charisma MythAoM Article: How to Use Body Language to Create a Dynamite First ImpressionAoM Podcast #694: The Fascinating Secrets of Your VoiceJFK vs. Nixon presidential debateAoM article on the generational cycleConnect With Vanessa Van EdwardsThe Science of People Website Vanessa on TwitterVanessa on IG
2023-11-22
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The Japanese Practice That Can Give More Meaning to an American Holiday

A focus on gratitude is typical this time of year. But more often than not, the cognitive or behavioral nods we give gratitude around Thanksgiving can feel a little limp, rote, and unedifying. If you feel like this American holiday has been lacking in meaning, maybe what you need is to infuse it with a Japanese practice.

The Naikan method of self-reflection grew out of Buddhist spirituality and has been recognized by psychologists as a way to develop greater self-awareness, gratitude, empathy, and direction. Naikan involves asking yourself three questions: What have I received from others? What have I given others? What troubles and difficulties have I caused others?

Gregg Krech, who is the executive director of the ToDo Institute, which promotes principles of psychology based on Eastern traditions, has created a Thanksgiving-specific version of Naikan that helps practitioners dig further into its first question. Today on the show, we talk about the way Naikan differs from mainstream gratitude practices and is based less on feeling and more on seeing the world objectively. Gregg shares six prompts that can help you recognize the reality of how you're being supported in the world, cultivate the art of noticing, and embrace life's grace.

Resources Related to the PodcastThe ToDo Institute's free Thanksgiving Guide to Self-Reflection booklet ? scroll down, enter your email into the form, and a PDF of the booklet will be sent to you.Gregg's previous appearances on the AoM podcast:#425: Action Over Feelings #671: Begin the New Year by Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing QuestionsNaikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection by Gregg KrechAoM Podcast #906: Stop Being a ComplainerAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines ? Gratitude Sunday Firesides: Graduate From the Kindergarten Class of GratitudeAoM Podcast #459: Beyond Gratitude Lite ? The Real Virtue of ThankfulnessHow to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your KidsAoM Article: The George Bailey Technique ? Mentally Erase Your Blessings for Greater Joy and OptimismConnect with Gregg KrechThirty Thousand Days Website
2023-11-20
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The Leadership Qualities That Will Set You Apart From the Pack

For the last 15 years, William Vanderbloemen has run an executive search firm that helps non-profit organizations find leaders. Over the course of conducting tens of thousands of interviews with top-tier candidates, he's tracked and recorded what qualities the best leaders ? the people he calls "unicorns" ? possess that set them apart from everyone else in the field.

William shares what he's learned in his new book Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. Today we talk about what some of those twelve distinguishing habits are, and how people can use them to move ahead at work, as well as improve their relationships outside of it. We discuss the nearly 100% difference it can make in your business to respond to people right away, the least common trait among unicorns that the general population mistakenly believes they have in spades, how mastering the art of anticipation will make you stand out, a way to use eye contact to build strong connection, and much more.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: The Myth of Scarcity ? 12 Stupidly Easy Things That?ll Set You Apart from the PackAoM Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st CenturyAoM Article: How to Make Eye Contact the Right Way in Life, Business, and LoveAoM Podcast #644: How to Develop Greater Self-AwarenessAoM Article: The Best Kind of Leader to BeNYT article: "What Do You Do With the Brilliant Jerk?"Sunday Firesides: Never Criticize Without Offering an Alternative
2023-11-15
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The Lesser-Known Philosophy of the Iron Age Greeks

When we think of Western philosophers who pondered questions about the good life, we typically think of the classical era of Greece and the likes of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. But my guest would say that the poets and philosophers who came out of the preceding period, Greece's Iron Age, also have something to say about the nature of existence.

Adam Nicolson is the author of How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks. Today on the show, Adam takes us on a tour of Iron Age Greece and how these seafaring people set the stage for our modern sense of self. Adam makes the case that the early Greeks had what he calls a "harbor mindset," which lent them a mentality centered on fluidity and transience. We discuss how Odysseus exemplifies this harbor mindset, and how a group of lesser-known pre-Socratic philosophers defined life through a lens of change and contradiction. Adam then explains how a mystical guru named Pythagoras paved the way for Greek thinkers like Plato and Aristotle and the rise of cooperative civility.

Resources Related to the PodcastAdam's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #857 ? Why Homer MattersAoM Podcast #337: What Homer?s Odyssey Can Teach Us TodayThe philosophers of Miletus:AnaximenesThalesAnaximander
2023-11-13
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10 Unchanging Ideas for Navigating an Ever-Changing World

To figure out what will happen in the future, we typically make guesswork predictions and look to particular periods in the past that seem like potential parallels.

My guest says that to figure out what will happen next, and how best to navigate that coming landscape, the best things to consider are those that have been true in every time, and will be true until the end of it.

Morgan Housel is a venture capitalist and the author of Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes. Today on the show we talk about ideas and principles that never change that can help you be successful in an ever-changing world, including how the biggest risks are those you can?t see, how the idea of compound interest applies beyond your finances, how your expectations can sabotage your happiness, why you need to learn to accept that things are supposed to be hard, and how success can lead to failure. Morgan also shares his rubric for choosing your reading, what genres of books he finds most useful for improving long-term thinking, and two books he especially recommends for broadening your perspective.

Resources Related to the PodcastMorgan?s previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #659 ? Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy? (And Why the Difference Matters)AoM Article: 5 Tools for Thriving in UncertaintyAoM Article: The Best Books to Read in Uncertain TimesAoM Podcast #821: Routines Are OverratedThe Great Depression: A Diary by Benjamin RothThe Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy by David NasawConnect With Morgan HouselMorgan on XMorgan?s websiteMorgan on LinkedIn
2023-11-08
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How to Avoid Death by Comfort

Nietzsche's maxim, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," isn't just a sound philosophical principle. It's also a certifiable physiological phenomenon; toxins and stressors that could be deadly in large doses, actually improve health and resilience in smaller, intermittent ones. The ironic thing, my guest points out, is that it's the fact that we're not getting enough of this sublethal stress these days that's really doing us in.

Paul Taylor is a former British Royal Navy Aircrew Officer, an exercise physiologist, nutritionist, and neuroscientist, and the author of Death by Comfort: How Modern Life is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It. Today on the show, Paul discusses the science of hormesis, how small doses of intermittent stress can make us more resistant to chronic stress, and why you need to embrace what Paul calls "discomfort harvesting." We talk about some now-familiar topics like fasting and cold and heat exposure with fresh inspiration as to how important they are to practice and how to do them effectively. We discuss how hot a sauna needs to be to get the benefits of heat exposure, Paul's suggestion for how to make an ice bath on the cheap, what may be the single best type of food to eat to improve your gut's microbiome, a form of fasting that's got anti-cancer benefits but is so accessible it won't even feel like fasting, what supplement to take to mitigate the effects of a bad night's sleep, and much more. We end our conversation with how to use what Paul calls a "ritual board" to stick with your healthy habits and resist the "soft underbelly" of modern life.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoMPodcast #708: Overcome the Comfort CrisisAoM article/video on the benefits of cold showersAoM Podcast #801: The Cold Water Swim CureAoM Podcast #603: The Physical Keys to Human ResilienceAoM Article: How Saunas Can Help Save Your Body, Mind, and SpiritAoM Article: How to Sauna ? All the FAQsAoM Podcast #585: Inflammation, Saunas, and the New Science of DepressionAoM Podcast #862: Heal the Body With Extended FastingPodcast #328: The Pros and Cons of Intermittent FastingAoM Podcast #581: The Tiny Habits That Change EverythingAoM Podcast #425: Action Over FeelingsThe NOVA Food Classification SystemStanford study on the effect of fiber and fermented food on the microbiomeResearch on creatine as a neurotransmitter and creatine's effect on brain health (including impact when sleep deprived)Connect With PaulTaylorPaul's websitePaul on IGPaul on LinkedInPaul's podcastPaul's mental fitness course for coaches and health professionals
2023-11-06
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The 3 Types of Failure (And How to Learn From Each)

People often think of failure in one of two ways: as something that hinders the pursuit of success, or as something that's a necessity in obtaining it ? as in the Silicon Valley mantra that recommends failing fast and often.

There's truth to both ideas, but neither offers a complete picture of failure. That's because there isn't just one kind of failure, but three.

Here to unpack what those three types are is Amy Edmondson, a professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School and the author of The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. Today on the show, Amy shares which type of failure is most productive, which types are less fruitful, and how to best use the former, prevent the latter, and learn from failure of every kind. We also talk about how to organize potential failures into a matrix that will help you best approach them. Along the way, we dig into examples, both big and small, of how individuals, organizations, and families can put failure to work for them.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #646: How to Win at LosingAoM Article: Clausewitz on Overcoming the Annoying Slog of LifeAoM Podcast #517: What Big-Time Catastrophes Can Teach Us About How to Improve the Systems of Our LivesAoM Article: The Power of ChecklistsAoM Article: How Reframing Builds ResilienceConnect With Amy EdmondsonAmy's website
2023-11-01
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What Lifting Ancient Stones Can Teach You About Being a Man

For millennia, stone lifting was an important part of cultures around the world, and its significance went far beyond feats of strength. Stone lifting was part of weddings and funerals, used as a job interview to assess someone's fitness as a farmhand, and included in rites of passage and tests of all-around manhood.

Much of the world's ancient stone lifting culture has been forgotten, and rocks that used to be hoisted regularly in town squares and cemeteries have been sitting untouched for hundreds of years. David Keohan, an Irish world champion kettlebell lifter-turned-amateur folklorist, has set out to change that. In the last couple of years, David has been on the hunt for Ireland's legendary lifting stones; he uses oral and written history to search them out and learn their stories and then hoists them himself, once again putting wind under stones that haven't been picked up for centuries.

Today on the show, David shares the significance of stone lifting around the world and specifically in Irish culture, the practicalities of lifting a 400-pound stone off the ground, and what stone lifting has taught him about being a man.

Resources Related to the Podcast"The Quest to Pick Up the Lost Lifting Stones of Ireland" ? GQ article about David Rogue documentaries on stone lifting in ScotlandIceland, and SpainDuchas ? Ireland's National Folklore Collection AoM Article: Odd Object Training PrimerUtah Stones of StrengthEdmonton Stones of StrengthConnect With David KeohanDavid on IG
2023-10-30
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Social Skills as the Road to Character

If you've wanted to develop your character, you've probably thought about strengthening virtues like courage, humility, and resolution. But my guest would say that practicing social skills is another way of increasing your moral strength, and the moral strength of society as a whole.

David Brooks is the author of numerous books, including his latest, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. Today on the show, David discusses why our culture lost an emphasis on moral formation, and why this loss has led to alienation and anomie. We then talk about the role each of us can play in repairing this fabric by developing concrete social skills, avenues to improve character that, unlike some virtues that are only called upon in a crisis, you can practice every day. David shares insights on how we can get better at giving people attention, asking good questions, and helping those who are going through a hard time. We also discuss how understanding different personality types and life stages can allow us to better understand other people.

Resources Related to the PodcastDavid's previous appearances on the AoM Podcast:Episode #292: The Road to CharacterEpisode #518: The Quest for a Moral Life"How America Got Mean" ? Atlantic article by David BrooksAoM series on becoming a better listenerAoM excerpt: 10 Ways to Help a Grieving FriendAoM Article: The 3 Elements of Charisma ? PresenceAoM Article: The Stages of a Man?s Life 
2023-10-25
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Protein ? Everything You Need to Know

Protein, along with fat and carbohydrates, make up one of three basic macronutrients of the human diet. Yet for something so fundamental, a lot of confusion exists around protein. What's the best kind? How much do you need? When should you eat it?

Here to clear up some of that confusion is Don Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition and one of the world's foremost researchers on the subject of dietary protein. Today on the show, Don explains why animal-based proteins are superior to plant-based proteins, why he thinks collagen is worthless, how much protein you really need to consume and whether it depends on your activity level and age, what happens when kids don't get enough protein, the optimal times of day to eat protein, who needs to consume protein right after a workout and who doesn't, and whether you can get enough protein in your diet if you do intermittent fasting. We end our conversation with why Don thinks increasing protein consumption can be the most effective way to lose weight.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: Chugging Your Protein ? It?s Whey Easier Than You ThinkAoM Article: How Much Protein Do You REALLY Need?AoM Article: How to Finally Nail Your Pre- and Post-Workout NutritionProtein leverage hypothesisForever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging WellConnect With Donald LaymanDon on XMetabolic Transformation websiteDon's faculty page
2023-10-23
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Zombies, Minecraft, and Dealing with Uncertainty

In order to thrive in a world that?s constantly in flux, you have to learn to overcome your fear of the unknown and adapt yourself to whatever circumstance you find yourself in. Zombies and Minecraft can teach how to do both.

Today on the show, I talk to Max Brooks, son of famed filmmaker Mel Brooks, who is the author of books that include World War Z and a series of Minecraft novels for kids. Max and I discuss how he?s used his fiction to explore learning to be resilient in the face of change and how his work writing about the zombie apocalypse led to a gig at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Along the way, Max offers insights on overcoming your fear of the unknown and how Minecraft can help your kids learn how to thrive in a world where becoming a creative problem solver is the name of the game.

Resources Related to the PodcastSelect books by MaxBrooks:The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living DeadWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie WarMinecraft: The IslandMinecraft: The MountainMinecraft: The VillageAoM Article: Survival Lessons from World War ZAoM Podcast #902: How to Survive Any Worst Case ScenarioAoM Article: 5 Tools for Thriving in UncertaintyAoM Article: The Best Books to Read in Uncertain Times?In a Far Country? by Jack LondonConnect With Max BrooksMax?s website
2023-10-18
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Dog as Cure for the Midlife Malaise

Maybe you're in a midlife slump. Maybe you're unhappy in your job and marriage. Maybe you're inactive and overweight. Maybe you've tried to change your life before but can't seem to make the changes stick. What do you need to do to finally turn things around?

My guest would say that the answer might be getting a dog.

Jeff Goodrich is the author of Dude and Duder: How My Dog Saved My Life. Today on the show, Jeff shares what his life was like at age 49 before getting Duder the Dog, and how Duder sparked changes that helped him lose 70 pounds, repair his relationships, and find real happiness. Along the way, we talk about advice that can apply to anyone trying to get out of the midlife slump, even if you don't own a dog, although Jeff would say you really should get one.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #776: How to Shift Out of the Midlife MalaiseAoM Article: Choosing Man?s Best Friend ? A Guide to Canine CompanionsAoM Article: Why a Man Should Get His Dog From the PoundAoM Article: Solvitur Ambulando ? It Is Solved By WalkingConnect With Jeff GoodrichThe Dude and Duder websiteDude and Duder on IG 
2023-10-16
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Beyond Mere Politeness ? The Art of True Civility

It often seems like we live in a very inconsiderate, indifferent, and ill-mannered time and that the cure for what ails our abrasive and disjointed relations is a lot more politeness. But my guest would say that what we really need is a revival of civility.

Today on the show, Alexandra Hudson ? author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves ? explains the difference between politeness and civility, and how being civil can actually require being impolite. We discuss how civility ensures the health of democracy, and good government relies on citizens' ability to govern themselves and check each other, which may require acting a little like . . . Larry David. We talk about what Homer's Odyssey can teach us about the art of hospitality, the relationship between civility and integrity, and more.

Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: How Manners Made the WorldClass: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul FussellAoM Podcast #746: The Confucian GentlemanAoM Article: The Manly Art of Hospitality"Chat and cut" scene on Curb Your Enthusiasm The Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonConnect With Alexandra HudsonAlexandra's websiteAlexandra's Substack: Civic Renaissance 
2023-10-11
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The Science of Swole ? How to Grow Your Muscles

A lot of guys would like to build bigger muscles. And they may have heard that in order to do so, they need to activate something called "hypertrophy." But what is hypertrophy and how do you achieve it in order to get swole?

My guest, bodybuilding and strength coach Paul Carter, will unpack what you need to know today on the show. We get into the difference between size and strength, the two big myths around hypertrophy, the right number of sets to do for developing a muscle group, why Paul thinks machines are better than free weights for building bigger muscles, and more.

Resources Related to the PodcastMaximum Muscle Bible by Christian Thibaudeau and Paul CarterMike Mentzer's Heavy Duty trainingConnect With Paul CarterPaul on IGPaul on FBPaul's Programming at Train Heroic
2023-10-09
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A Cure for Existential Boredom

It?s one thing to be bored by having to wait in line or sit through a dry lecture. It?s another thing to be bored with life itself.

What can you do about this kind of existential boredom?

My guest will share a remedy with us today on the show. His name is Kevin Hood Gary, and he?s a professor of education, specializing in the philosophy of education. We begin our conversation with the difference between situational and existential boredom, and how the latter arises when we toggle solely between work and amusement. Kevin argues that we need to add an element of leisure, as the ancients understood it, into our lives, and we talk about what that looks like, and how it requires embracing solitude, study, epiphanies, and love.

Connect With Kevin Hood GaryKevin?s WebsiteListen to the Podcast! (And don?t forget to leave us a review!)

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2023-10-04
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The Real Reason You Procrastinate

If you or someone you know has a problem with procrastination, you've probably chalked it up to a deficiency in time management skills or self-control. But my guest says there are deeper reasons underlying procrastination, and he'll unpack what they are today on the show.

Joseph Ferrari is a Catholic deacon, a professor of psychology, and a foremost researcher and expert on procrastination who has authored or co-authored 400 professional articles and 35 books and textbooks. Today on the show, Dr. Ferrari explains the psychological dynamics behind procrastination and what you can do to counter them. He also shares the difference between regular and chronic procrastination, which of your parents you probably got your propensity to procrastinate from, and how procrastination can manifest in indecision.

Resources Related to the PodcastSelect books/textbooks Joseph has authored/co-authored on procrastination:Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It DoneProcrastination and Task Avoidance: Theory, Research, and TreatmentCounseling the Procrastinator in Academic SettingsAoM Article:Stop Procrastinating Today With Behavioral ScienceAoM Podcast #444: How to Use the Procrastination Equation to Start Getting Things DoneAoM Article: Get Better Without Torturing Yourself ? The Power of Temptation BundlingConnect With Dr. Joseph FerrariJoseph's faculty page
2023-10-02
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