People I (Mostly) Admire
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt tracks down other high achievers for surprising, revealing conversations about their lives and obsessions. Join Levitt as he goes through the most interesting midlife crisis you’ve ever heard — and learn how a renegade sheriff is transforming Chicago's jail, how a biologist is finding the secrets of evolution in the Arctic tundra, and how a trivia champion memorized 160,000 flashcards.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes
Mentioned books
117 snips
May 9, 2026 • 43min
21. Pete Docter: “What If Monsters Really Do Exist?”
Pete Docter, Pixar chief creative officer and Oscar-winning director (Soul, Inside Out, Up), shares stories from Pixar’s scrappy origins and Steve Jobs’ blunt mentorship. He talks about the studio’s creative process, why animated films get so expensive, the heart of Monsters, Inc., and how research, craft, and personal faith shape big imaginative films.
80 snips
May 2, 2026 • 37min
20. John Donohue: “I'm Frequently Called a Treasonous Enemy of the Constitution.”
John Donohue, a law professor with a Ph.D. in economics known for heated academic debates, joins to discuss guns, the death penalty, and the abortion–crime research he famously pursued. Short, punchy conversations cover right-to-carry claims, flaws in prominent studies, the limits of social science, implementation and costs of capital punishment, and the long-running controversy over legalized abortion and crime.
64 snips
Apr 25, 2026 • 38min
19. Marina Nitze: “If You Googled ‘Business Efficiency Consultant,’ I Was the Only Result.”
Marina Nitze, tech entrepreneur and former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CTO now reforming foster care and advocating for Type 1 diabetes care. She recalls building websites at 12 and hacking education rules to accelerate her path. She explains streamlining VA bureaucracy, reimagining foster licensing to favor family placements, and experimenting with low-carb diabetes strategies that transformed her health.
163 snips
Apr 18, 2026 • 42min
18. Robert Sapolsky: “I Don’t Think We Have Any Free Will Whatsoever.”
Robert Sapolsky, Stanford neuroendocrinologist and primatologist who spent years living with baboons, talks about fieldwork, stress physiology, and why social bonds matter more than rank. He shares blowgun tales, a devastating TB outbreak, and moral puzzles about valuing humans over animals. He also argues against free will and rethinks punishment and containment.
32 snips
Apr 11, 2026 • 42min
17. Emily Oster: “I Am a Woman Who Is Prominently Discussing Vaginas.”
Emily Oster, an economist and Brown professor known for books on pregnancy and parenting and for COVID school data, talks about translating research for parents. She covers pregnancy advice like coffee risks, what science actually shows about breastfeeding, building a school COVID dashboard, and the tradeoffs of remote schooling. She also reflects on public backlash and how economists frame decisions under uncertainty.
119 snips
Apr 4, 2026 • 42min
16. Joshua Jay: “Humans Are So, So Easy to Fool.”
Joshua Jay, world‑renowned magician, historian of magic, and author, talks about how magicians build tricks and why storytelling matters. He covers magic as education, online changes to the craft, designing tactile illusions for blind audiences, managing nerves and rehearsed outs, and historical questions about miracles versus conjuring.
57 snips
Mar 28, 2026 • 42min
15. Tim Harford: “If You Can Make Sure You're Not An Idiot, You've Done Well.”
Tim Harford, former World Bank economist turned journalist and author of The Undercover Economist and The Data Detective. He talks about the power and limits of data visualization, why admitting mistakes matters, and how to craft memorable stories from statistics. Conversations explore historical stats, practical rules for skepticism, and creative disruption in problem solving.
107 snips
Mar 21, 2026 • 43min
13. Yul Kwon: “Don't Try to Change Yourself All at Once.” (UPDATE)
Yul Kwon, former lawyer, FBI Academy instructor, entrepreneur, Survivor winner, and current Google researcher. He talks about overcoming severe childhood anxiety, taking small steps to change, treating a career as a portfolio, the social strategy and game theory that won Survivor, and how island life clarified his priorities.
21 snips
Mar 14, 2026 • 39min
12. Sue Bird: “You Have to Pay the Superstars.”
Sue Bird, legendary WNBA point guard and four-time champion and Olympic gold medalist, reflects on career longevity and smart practice. She talks about clutch performance, court feel, and equipment differences between men’s and women’s basketball. She also discusses WNBA economics, pushing to pay top players more, playing overseas, and life choices like fertility and living openly.
32 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 34min
11. Paul Romer: “I Figured Out How to Get Myself Fired From the World Bank.”
Paul Romer, Nobel Prize–winning economist known for endogenous growth theory and charter cities. He discusses why big ideas cannot be manufactured. He explains knowledge as a non-rival good and its role in growth. He tells the story of attempting charter cities and the political obstacles. He reflects on quitting as a deliberate strategy and when to choose change over indecision.
