Blinkist Podcast - Interviews | Personal Development | Productivity | Business | Psychology

Hear ye, hear ye! We're kicking off the New Year with Simplify Season 5: Blinkist’s hit podcast returns on January 31st. Here's what's in store... In season 5, you’ll learn how easy meditation can be with Dan Harris, how to change your self-defeating beliefs with Jen Sincero, and how to talk about race with Robin DiAngelo. You'll also hear what it's like to microdose LSD for a month and learn the surprising ways a little bit of cannabis can improve your health. If you haven’t subscribed, make sure to do so before the first new episode drops on January 31. If we’re lucky enough to already count you as a Simplify fan, then please spread the word and tell your friends. It really does help! Send us feedback, suggestions, or questions about anything you’ve heard or would like to hear at podcast@blinkist.com. And if Twitter’s your thing, you’ll find Caitlin @CaitlinSchiller and Ben @bsto. More soon!

In this bonus episode of Simplify, Caitlin talks to bestselling author, speaker and humorist Luvvie Ajayi on how we can all benefit from telling each other the ugly truth. If a friend of yours needed to hear an unpleasant truth, would you tell it to them? Or would you gloss over it in order to avoid an uncomfortable conversation? Many of us would probably opt for the latter to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, but sometimes loving criticism is necessary to make people understand that they deserve better — and are capable of achieving it. In conversation with Caitlin, Luvvie Ajayi argues that honesty, judgment and criticism shouldn’t always be perceived as negative — as difficult as it may be to tell someone you expect more of them. “Discomfort will not kill you, but it is necessary for growth”, she says, and speaking the uncomfortable truth will end up making your relationships more sincere and trustworthy. Tune into this episode to learn the practices of loving criticism from Luvvie Ajayi and find out the benefits of challenging yourself to always say what you mean. And stick around after the interview for when Terence Mickey joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Luvvie Ajayi and helps put together a book list for further reading. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-honesty-luvvie-ajayi-how-to-tell-uncomfortable-truths Read the transcript of the interview here: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-luvvie-ajayi-speak-uncomfortable-truth-transcript Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "troublemaker" Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller, Ben at @bsto, and Terence at @terence_mickey. That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

In this episode of Simplify, Caitlin talks to The Second City executive Kelly Leonard about how improv-based skills and techniques can be applied to the business world. Effective collaboration, innovative thinking, and constructive problem-solving can be major struggles for many teams, regardless of industry. But for those who really want to fix these issues, it’s time to look beyond how other companies work and turn to improv comedy ensembles for inspiration. After all, they’ve literally taken teamwork and turned it into an art form. Reflecting on years of experience with Chicago’s famous Second City improv troupe — where comedians like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Dan Aykroyd cut their teeth — Kelly Leonard explains how improv techniques can benefit the business world. From fostering better communication to generating better ideas, improv can help to build teams capable of rising to any challenge. Leonard gives useful advice and practical exercises on how to get the most out of a meeting, what kind of environment should be created at a workplace, and how to build trustworthy and respectful relationships inside the team to improve collaboration and get better ideas. Listen to this episode to learn business tips that are used on stage by some of the world’s best comedians, and discover the key to truly outstanding teamwork. Stick around after the interview for when Ben Schuman-Stoler joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Kelly Leonard and helps put together a book list for further reading. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-kelly-leonard-growing-teams-with-improv. Read the transcript of the interview here: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-kelly-leonard-transcript. Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller and Ben at @bsto. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "yesand" That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

In this episode of Simplify, psychologist Guy Winch tells Caitlin why we should treat our emotional pain as seriously as physical pain and explains how to heal from common heartaches. Nothing hurts worse than heartbreak. Whether it’s the painful end of relationship or the passing away of a beloved pet, grief and emotional suffering can quickly become all-consuming. And that’s where we blame ourselves and feel guilty for our inability to overcome emotional pain fast enough. Moreover, as psychologist Guy Winch shows, when going through a breakup, it’s not just our mental health that suffers, but our bodies too. In this episode of Simplify, Winch reveals what happens in our brain when we’re experiencing a romantic heartbreak or a loss of a pet and offers warm and wise advice for all the broken-hearted. Listen to this episode to find out the reasons why you should stop stalking your ex on social media and why you should not necessarily wait to jump into another relationship after a breakup. Stick around after the interview to hear Terence Mickey join Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Guy Winch as well as the book list they put together for the episode. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-breakup-guy-winch-fix-broken-heart Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller and Terence at @terence_mickey. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "heart" That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

Do you consider yourself a night owl or are you a morning person? Regardless of whether you love mornings or not, we all want to make best of them. Everybody has those few things––that certain morning ritual––that if they don't do it, their whole day is ruined. But what’s the best way to start your day off right? Benjamin Spall and his co-author, Michael Xander, have spent five years studying morning routines of today’s most successful innovators, entrepreneurs, writers and artists to find out how they developed a morning regimen that sets them up for the day ahead in the best possible way. Based on his research and numerous interviews, Spall describes the best ways to introduce new rituals into your morning routine––consequently turning it into a habit––and gives recommendations on how to craft a morning routine that suits your needs. Tune into this episode to peek into the morning routines of talented creatives and successful people, and find out what kind of morning is most likely to boost your productivity and happiness. Stick around after the interview for when Ben Schuman-Stoler joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Benjamin Spall and helps put together a book list for further reading. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-your-morning-routine-benjamin-spall-on-how-to-start-your-day-off-right Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller and Ben at @bsto. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "oatmeal" That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

In this episode of Simplify, Caitlin talks to bestselling author and self-help “anti-guru,” Sarah Knight, about how to stop people-pleasing and get what you want — without becoming a jerk! How much of your life do you spend pleasing those around you? Maybe it’s time to be honest with yourself, invest time in the things that really matter, and start weeding out unnecessary obligations to people you don’t really like. But how exactly are you supposed to do that? In this episode of Simplify, Sarah Knight will help you start a process of mental decluttering and show you how to develop your personal “f*ck budget”, i.e. the amount of f*cks you are prepared to dispense on any given day. Use it as a filter to make sure you’re spending your time, energy, and money on the things that actually matter to you. Listen to this episode if you want to have more confidence in asking for what you want in life, and learn how to get it without feeling guilty or worrying about what others think. Stick around after the interview for when Ben Schuman-Stoler joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Sarah Knight and helps put together a book list for further reading. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-your-life-sarah-knight-care-less-and-get-more Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller and Ben at @bsto. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "budget" That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

In this episode of Simplify, Caitlin talks to behavioral economist and bestselling author Dan Ariely about how environment influences our financial decision-making and why saving is so hard. We all like to buy stuff. Endless ads screaming “sale,” “discount," and “free” trick us into believing that we want things that we don’t actually need. In an age of credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, and Apple pay, it has become incredibly easy to spend our hard-earned sheckles and tough to save them. In this episode of Simplify, behavioral economist and cognitive psychologist Dan Ariely explains what’s behind our irrational behavior in financial decision making and teaches us how we can get better at managing our finances. Based on extensive research and numerous global studies, Dan shows what exactly matters in personal economics and offers ideas toward better ways to save. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-finance-dan-ariely-get-wrong-money Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller and Ben at @bsto. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "broccoli" That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

Simplify kicks off Season 4 with words of wisdom from Cheryl Strayed, a bestselling author widely known for her advice column, Dear Sugar, and the memoir that spawned the blockbuster hit, Wild. In the first episode of Season 4, Caitlin talks with Cheryl Strayed about how tending to humanity’s toughest quandaries has become her calling, and the three central questions that keep us all up at night. Through years of listening deeply and sensitively to others’ experiences as well as her own, Strayed has unlocked what makes a good advice-giver and friend: sincerity, listening without judging, and connection. This—paired with her straight-shooting style—is why thousands of people have trusted Sugar with their deepest secrets. In all of her work, from memoir to advice to fiction, she teaches us all to listen deeply to our own inner voices for the truth we already know. Get comfortable and tune into this episode with Cheryl Strayed to ponder how to move on after a deep loss or a heartbreak and reflect on the three major questions people struggle with throughout their lives. Stick around after the interview for when Ben Schuman-Stoler joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation with Cheryl Strayed and helps put together a book list for further reading on how to better communicate your needs and listen to your inner voice. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-cheryl-strayed-life-questions-struggle/ Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just give us some book recommendations on Twitter—we’d love to hear from you! Find Caitlin at [https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller?lang=en] and Ben at [https://twitter.com/bsto]. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code "sugar." That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/niceaux] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/niceaux].

The sun's a-shining, the iced coffee's cold, and Simplify is back with season 4! Here's what's in store. Simplify season 4 launches on August 23rd with an episode featuring bestselling author, memoirist, and internet legend, Cheryl Strayed. This first episode is one of our favorites yet, but as you'll hear in the trailer, there's much more to come. If you want to say hi to Ben and Caitlin before the season really gets into swing, you can find them on Twitter: @bsto and @CaitlinSchiller. See you next week!

Do you feel bad about wasting time? Good news: you can stop beating yourself up! In the bonus episode, MIT professor and writer Alan Lightman shares the benefits of procrastination and how wasting time is essential to our productivity and creativity. Are you slavishly devoted to your to-do list, rushing around to fit every vacant area of time to a task? In this day and age, most of us are—and it's doing no favors to our creativity, our minds, and our very humanity. Something's got to give, and Alan Lightman has a plan. Or, rather, a lack of one. And that's perfect. In this episode of Simplify, the MIT professor, scientist and novelist offers an antidote to how we live today. He underscores the importance of wasting time, revealing how unstructured time with no goal, unplugged from the wired world, can actually make you a better version of yourself. Tune in to learn how procrastination sparks your creativity and makes you even more productive and how wasting time is essential for establishing a solid sense of self. Stick around after the interview for when Emily Phillips joins Caitlin Schiller to talk about the main takeaways from the conversation and the two compose a book list for further reading on making the most of your time in a fresh new way. For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode and a voucher to use Blinkist for free, go to https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-time-management-alan-lightman-wasting-time/ Let us know what you thought of the episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller, Emily at @phillips_em, and Ben at @bsto. Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/ and typing in the code **relax**. That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on Soundcloud and Facebook.