Modern Wisdom

Chris Bailey, productivity author and attention researcher, explores why some goals feel natural while others spark resistance. He gets into values, intention stacking, default vs deliberate choices, why SMART goals fall flat, what really fuels procrastination, and how structure, constraints, and reflection can make commitment feel more meaningful.

Will Guidara, restaurateur and hospitality expert who helped Eleven Madison Park reach number one in the world, dives into what separates service from hospitality. He explores turning small moments into magic, the hot dog story that changed his thinking, why businesses forget human connection, and how patience, humor, and culture shape extraordinary teams.

Roy Baumeister, psychologist and willpower researcher, dives into why men dominate both the top and bottom of society. He explores male risk-taking, competition, and sacrifice, plus why cultures reward dangerous male roles. The conversation also touches on incels, protector instincts, ego depletion, self-control, and how sexual novelty may reshape desire.

Nir Eyal, author and behavioral design expert behind Indistractable, dives into why beliefs act more like tools than truths. He explores limiting self stories, why motivation collapses when belief fades, and how rejection, failure, pain, and rumination can trap people. They also touch on agency, optimism, rituals, and practical ways to rethink old narratives.

Gurwinder Bhogal, a programmer and writer on human nature and online culture, explores why empathy can turn tribal, how labels can shrink agency, and why disability incentives can get warped. He gets into AI’s threat to trust, the tiny slice of users shaping the internet, discomfort as a path to resilience, and the strange gap between progress and satisfaction.

Debra Soh, a neuroscientist and sex researcher, explores why modern intimacy is collapsing. She gets into the sex recession, porn as a substitute, and how smartphones and social media changed dating. There’s also a look at hypergamy, plastic surgery, falling fertility, AI partners, and why real world courtship feels harder than ever.

Bill Gurley, a longtime venture capitalist at Benchmark and author on career design, discusses why people regret their careers and how to rethink work. He explores regret-minimization thinking, signs it’s time to pivot, testing side projects, the role of mentors and peers, and how AI and cross-industry learning can accelerate reinvention.

Louis Theroux, journalist and documentary filmmaker known for immersive investigations, explores the rise of the manosphere. He tracks how figures like Andrew Tate gamed algorithms and how performative online personas blur truth and spectacle. They probe why young men are drawn to self-improvement, outrage-driven grifts, and the algorithmic forces that escalate online radicalization.

Dr Max Butterfield, physician and performance coach who translates relationship science for real life. He unpacks why love makes us act irrationally. Topics include public grand gestures, repair versus regulation after betrayal, how to stop rumination, simple signals of interest, rejection sensitivity, and building habits that change thinking.

Dr Peter Salerno, clinical psychologist and researcher on personality disorders, explains how manipulative personalities distort reality and exploit empathy. Short sentences cover brain networks involved in empathy and self-control. He outlines antagonism, idealize-devalue-discard cycles, charm and mimicry tactics, and practical red flags for spotting and protecting yourself from manipulative people.