

Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media
Sometimes all it takes is one little fact or one little piece of wisdom to change your life forever. That's the purpose and the hope of "Something You Should Know." In each episode, host Mike Carruthers interviews top experts in their field to bring you fascinating information and advice to help you save time and money, advance in your career, become wealthy, improve your relationships and help you simply get more out of life. In addition, Mike uncovers and shares short, engaging pieces of "intel" you can use to make your life better - today. Right now.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 19, 2023 • 49min
Harnessing the Voice Inside Your Head & How to Shape a Perfect Meeting
When you see a construction site where there is sandblasting going on, you probably shouldn’t hang around. This episode begins with an explanation of the problem sandblasting poses to anyone nearby. Source: Dr. Paul Blanc author of “How Everyday Products Make People Sick” (https://amzn.to/3iug5Me)You have a voice inside your head. It talks to you all the time and tells you good things and bad things. It can be a positive coach or a negative critic. Where does that voice come from? How can you use that voice to your advantage? Find out by listening to my guest Ethan Kross. He is an award-winning psychologist, professor at the University of Michigan and author of the book Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It (https://amzn.to/38XXEwa)While meetings can be good and are often necessary, it does seem that a lot of meetings are a big waste of time. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make meetings better? You absolutely can according to my guest Mamie Kanfer Stewart. She is founder of a company called Meeteor (www.meeteor.com) which helps businesses improve the quality of meetings. Marnie is coauthor of the book Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings (https://amzn.to/2XXL2yT). Listen as she offers some easy ways to make your meeting more productive and engaging.When was the last time you checked your tires – REALLY checked them? You may not realize it, but your tires can lose half of the air in them before they even start to look flat. Having underinflated tires can cause all kinds of problems and cost a lot of money. Listen as I explain those problems and how to prevent them. Source: https://bit.ly/3oYpjmjPLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!To match with a licensed therapist today, go to https://TalkSpace.com and use the promo code SYSK to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show!TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax. Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 16, 2023 • 47min
Our Fascination With Butts & What Makes A Good Apology (and A Bad One)
The pitch of your voice sends a message. Often when you are nervous or stressed, the pitch goes up and people can tell. This episode begins with some advice on how to tame your voice in stressful situations, so you sound great and are not betrayed by your own voice. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communications-matter/202101/why-you-need-pitch-your-voice-lowerEven though we all have one, there does seem to be a cultural mystery and fascination with the human butt. And by the way, only humans have actual butts. So what is it about butts and why do so many people hate the one they have? What makes an attractive butt? Here to shed some light on all this is Heather Radke author of a book that Amazon awarded one of the best books of 2022 - called Butts: A Backstory (https://amzn.to/3IDCndo) There will always be times when we need to apologize. And how you deliver that apology can help make things better – or worse. So what is the anatomy of the perfect apology? And what makes a terrible one? To find out, listen to my guest Marjorie Ingall, co-author of the book Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies (https://amzn.to/3vTllk9).When you leave a tip at a restaurant, you are sending a message. How much should you leave? What if the service was bad? Listen as I explain some things to consider when deciding how much to leave and why. Source: Steve Dublanica author of Keep The Change (https://amzn.to/3Wjelut)PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!To match with a licensed therapist today, go to https://TalkSpace.com and use the promo code SYSK to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show!TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax. Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 14, 2023 • 49min
SYSK Choice: Why You Are Prone to Financial Mistakes & Why Time is Just a Mirage
Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Is it ever too late?” Perhaps there are goals in your life and career that you think have passed you by. That if you don’t set course early in life, maybe you will miss out. Often parents worry that if their kids don’t get on the right track early enough, others will pass them by. This episode begins with some interesting and optimistic research on why these worries may not be justified. Source: Susan Krauss Whitbourne author of The Search for Fulfillment (https://amzn.to/3bCL47h)Everyone makes blunders with their money from time to time. In fact, we just may be wired that way according to research conducted by Brad Klontz. Brad is a financial psychologist, a certified financial planner, an associate professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business in Nebraska and author of the book Money Mammoth: Unlocking the Secrets of Financial Psychology to Break from the Herd and Avoid Extinction (https://amzn.to/2LHWU5h). Brad joins me to discuss why people have so much trouble with money, why we never seem to save enough and how to get on the path that will make you feel good about your financial life. You’ll find his advice is pretty easy and painless.Where does all the lost and unclaimed luggage from airplanes go? Not only is this an interesting story, it turns out you can shop online and buy things left on airplanes and some of it is really amazing. https://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/Of course you know what time is but try to define it. It is impossible really even though we know intuitively exactly what time is and how to measure it. It wasn’t always that way though. For most of history, it wasn’t all that important to know EXACTLY what time it was. But it all changed when the railroads came along. Listen as I discuss the fascinating history of time with Joseph Mazur professor emeritus of mathematics at Marlboro College and author of the book, The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time (https://amzn.to/3oJ8qvI).PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something !Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 12, 2023 • 51min
The Proven Benefits of Having More Fun & How We Tamed Electricity
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a way to turbocharge your will power when you are faced with temptation? Well, you do have such a way. This episode begins with a simple technique that will help you resist whatever is tempting you in the moment and keep you on the straight and narrow. http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/clenched-muscles-assist-self-contro-10-10-20/Everyone wants to be happy but being happy isn’t something you do, it's the result of doing something you enjoy. You must first have fun, then happiness follows. This is according to organizational psychologist Mike Rucker author of a book on this called The Fun Habit (https://amzn.to/3inKGPT). Listen as Mike explains why fun is the key to happiness and why so many of us struggle with the idea of just playing and having fun. He reveals how the benefits of incorporating even just a little more fun in your life can be tremendous. Mike also offers some easy strategies to carve out time for fun. And he explains why everyone can and should do that as soon as possible. The fact that we all have reliable electricity at the flip of a switch is really quite amazing when you think about it. It has only been in the last 120 years or so that having electricity in your home has been the norm. So how did scientists tame this force of nature so that it now powers so much of our lives? Here to tell the story is Kathy Joseph. She holds multiple advanced degrees in physics ad engineering and has a YouTube Channel called Kathy Loves Physics and History. https://www.youtube.com/c/KathyLovesPhysicsHistory. She is also author of the book The Lightning Tamers: True Stories of the Dreamers and Schemers Who Harnessed Electricity and Transformed Our World (https://amzn.to/3CqcyJY)Whenever you feel down or depressed, it is typically because you are regretting something in your past or you worry about something in your future – or both. Listen as I explain what you can do the next time that happens that should make you feel better in the moment. Source: Dr. Jeffrey Rossman author of The Mind-Body Solution (https://amzn.to/3QkommK)PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something !Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 9, 2023 • 48min
The Power of Awe and Wonder & The Backstories of Your Favorite Songs
When you are all stuffed up with a cold or the flu or Covid, it can be very hard to sleep because you can’t breathe. This episode begins with some excellent ways to open things up so you can breathe better and get some rest. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/cold-relief-6-sleep-tips-to-help-youbreathe-easiThere are a lot of ways to experience that sense of awe and wonder. And it turns out that the experience is really good for you both mentally and physically. Joining me to discuss the science of awe is Dacher Kelter. He is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and author of the book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/3YYVMvh). Listen and you will be seeking out and finding awe a lot more often.Here is the website he references in the interview: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/Every song has a story – often several stories. Listen and hear the stories behind some of the most famous and loved songs including You’re So Vain, Yesterday, Satisfaction, I Am The Walrus and others. My guest is music critic David Cheal who works at The Financial Times in London and is coauthor of the book The Life of a Song: The Stories Behind 100 of the World’s Best Loved Songs (https://amzn.to/3jIUvbp)Sticking to New Year’s resolutions or to any big change is hard. And there’s actually a good reason why that is. Listen as I explain why change is hard and a better way to make a change that is more likely to stick. Source: Kelly Traver M.D. author of “ The Healthiest You (https://amzn.to/3G0oB1F).PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something !Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 7, 2023 • 49min
SYSK Choice: What Influences How Food Tastes & How Habits Work
You’ve heard about pheromones, right? Supposedly they can make you more appealing. In fact, some perfumes and colognes claim to have pheromones in them that will give you more sex appeal. This episode looks at those claims and whether they can really improve your love life. https://www.rd.com/article/do-pheromone-perfumes-really-work/Does dessert taste sweeter on a round plate than it does on a square plate? Can candles on the table improve the taste of a meal? It seems that a lot of things can influence our perceptions of the food we eat. Joining me to discuss how this works and the research behind it is Nell McShane Wulfhart. She is a journalist and author of the audiobook Off Menu: The Secret Science of Food and Dining (https://amzn.to/3n2rbsC).How do you form a positive new habit or break an old bad one? It is something we would all probably like to know how to do. And here to discuss it is Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California and author of the book, Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. (https://amzn.to/34USXAW). Listen as she explains some effective yet simple ways to change habits to really improve your life.It's easy to spend a lot of time wishing people were different and trying to get them to change. Is it a waste of time or can you help people change? Listen as I explain one renowned psychiatrist take on changing how other people act and behave. Source: Dr. Steven Reiss author of Who Am I? (https://amzn.to/2WZY2DP).PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 snips
Jan 5, 2023 • 50min
Amazing Things Your Smartphone Camera Can Do & Is Fasting Really Healthy?
We all want to be happy – but maybe not too happy. This episode begins by explaining how too much happiness can be a problem and how a little unhappiness can be a very good thing. https://www.businessinsider.com/on-a-scale-of-1-to-10-how-happy-should-you-aspire-to-be-2012-5One of the most amazing things about your smartphone is the camera. And you likely haven’t taken the time to really understand all the amazing things it can do. Yes, it takes pictures and videos but it does so much more. Here to explain some of the things you never knew your smartphone camera can do is Scott Kelby. Scott is a is a photographer, photography teacher and author of The iPhone Photography Book (https://amzn.to/3vkgs3l). If you own a smartphone – iPhone or otherwise, you will really enjoy hearing what Scott has to say.Fasting has gotten a lot of attention lately. It has been touted as a treatment for many illnesses and ailments as well as a great way to lose weight. But is it all it is cracked up to be? After all, humans need to eat. So what is the science behind this idea of withholding food for long periods of time? Is it safe? Does it really have medical benefits? Joining me with a look at what fasting does and doesn’t do is journalist Steve Hendricks author of the book The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting (https://amzn.to/3I38287).Hard to imagine anyone who doesn’t enjoy listening to music. Good thing too, because listening to music may help prevent a cold or the flu or other illnesses. Listen as I explain how this works. https://www.zmescience.com/science/does-listening-to-music-boost-your-immune-system/PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 2, 2023 • 48min
What Really Influences What You Purchase & The Benefits of Being Bold
When you use a public restroom, is it better to use a paper towel or an air dryer to dry your hands? In terms of getting your hands really clean, there is really one clear choice. This episode begins with answer. http://lifehacker.com/5967976/Everything you buy is the result of a decision you make. From breakfast cereal to a new car, you decide what to purchase. And there are a lot of things going on that influence that decision. Some of those things will surprise you. Listen to my guest, Phil Barden, who is a marketing expert and author of the book Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy (https://amzn.to/3v7If6P) He joins me to discuss the purchasing process we all go through to figure out what to buy and what not to buy. Do you think of yourself as bold? Do you speak up and ask for what you want or are you more likely to sit back and take what you get? “Fortune favors the bold” is a phrase you often hear and it is something Jennifer Cohen certainly believes in. Jennifer has a brilliant TED talk on this topic (https://www.ted.com/talks/jen_cohen_the_secret_to_getting_anything_you_want_in_life_given_by_jennifer_cohen) and she is host of a podcast called Habits and Hustle (https://habitshustle.com/). She is also author of the book Bigger, Better, Bolder: Live the Life You Want, Not the Life You Get (https://amzn.to/3jlI6tO). If you have ever regretted not speaking up and asking for what you want, you need to hear this discussion.Have you ever had a waiter or waitress come to your table and ask how everything is going and you said it was great even though it wasn’t? Most people do because it is a hassle to complain. But NOT complaining could be costing you. Listen as I explain. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201112/telling-white-lies-comes-pricePLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 snips
Dec 31, 2022 • 42min
SYSK Choice: How to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions & What Influences Our Preferences
Why do we yawn? You might think it is because we are tired or bored. However, according to some research, yawning has nothing to do with either of those things. This episode begins with a look at the real reason we yawn and why yawning is contagious. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3425960&page=1If you have ever tried to make a significant change in your life, you know it can be very difficult. It’s why so many New Year’s resolutions don’t last very long. What makes change so hard? One of the big reasons is what executive coach Marshall Goldsmith calls “triggers.” Triggers are those things that can get in the way of achieving your goals. Listen as Marshall offers concrete advice for making lasting positive changes and achieving your goals by managing those triggers. Marshall is author of the book Triggers (http://amzn.to/2dWTWog).Why do you like the things you like? You probably have a favorite color or a favorite food – but why? It is interesting that one person can hate something that another person loves. It applies to clothes, cars, numbers, people – almost anything. What is it that influences our tastes and preferences? Listen as I speak with Tom Vanderbilt author of the book You May Also Like (http://amzn.to/2h8YecT ) and discover why you prefer some things over others and why you have a favorite color.What really matters when it comes to health and long life? Yes, exercise, diet and lifestyle are all important, but it actually may have even more to do with the kind of person you are. To find out if you are that kind of person who is likely to live a long and healthy life, you need to answer an important question. Listen and I will tell you what that question is. (Source: Dr. Paul Persall author of, Write Your Own Pleasure Prescription: https://amzn.to/2RdFqyU).PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something !If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. PAID FOR BY NHTSADid you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 29, 2022 • 52min
How to Move On From a Setback & The Interesting Way Trends Come and Go
Ever wonder why staying hydrated is vital when you're sick? It's not what you think! Discover how elite athletes manage to bounce back from setbacks using the 'third space' technique. Learn effective strategies for emotional resilience and the power of acceptance. Plus, explore the fascinating world of consumer trends shaped by technology and instant gratification. Lastly, find out how a simple test of getting up from the floor can be linked to longevity. It's all about staying present and adapting to change!


