The Rich Roll Podcast ROLL ON: Stop Optimizing Your Life & Start Living It, Seeking Depth Over Algorithms, The Future of Podcasting, Artemis II, Media Diet & More
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Apr 23, 2026 
Adam Skolnick, writer and journalist known for sharp cultural commentary, joins a loose outdoor conversation on why optimization can become self-obsession and why real presence matters more. They also wander through the future of podcasting, music discoveries like Geese and Turnstile, Dean Potter, SXSW moments, and the awe of Artemis II.
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A Blueberry Muffin Clarified What Matters
- Adam Skolnick describes sharing a blueberry muffin with Zuma at Breakfast Bros and suddenly realizing that ordinary moments with his son matter more than his usual obsessions.
- He calls it a lightning-bolt moment that he expects to remember forever, proof that presence can outweigh achievement.
One South By Day Spanned Art Cars And Radiohead
- At South by Southwest, Rich Roll introduced Tom Sachs, recorded a Rivian ride with CEO RJ Scaringe, and later met Ed O'Brien from Radiohead in the same day.
- He says the range from art to electric vehicles to iconic music made him stop and think, how is this my life?
Mike D Turned A Malibu Parking Lot Electric
- Rich Roll saw Mike D play an underpublicized Malibu parking-lot show that felt like a true local event, with Point Dume, Rick Rubin, and Mike D’s sons all present.
- Rich says quiet, introverted Mike D transformed onstage into a natural performer doing exactly what he was born to do.