Best Audio Version Of Chronicles Podcasts (2025)

1
The Most Important Choice of Life 5:03

Play Pause

8d ago5:03

5:03

Last week, I had a beautiful conversation with a young mother who reached out wanting to talk to me about her son. The young boy, just four years old, has shown signs of being neurodivergent. His mother courageously expressed to me her fear that he might not be able to thrive in the way that all parents hope for. As a father to a young boy of simil…

1
What Are You Tolerating That’s Holding You Back? 2:20

13d ago2:20

2:20

I've often mused that there are (broadly) two ways to improve your life: Add a Positive: A good habit, behavior, person, etc. Remove a Negative: A bad habit, behavior, person, etc. An important observation: Most of us automatically default to the former and ignore the latter. We're conditioned to believe that progress means doing more. New habits. …

1
The Seasons of Your Life 5:05

18d ago5:05

5:05

Here’s something I find myself thinking about a lot lately: Your life is not a singular, static experience. Your life has seasons. These seasons create a natural flow to your journey. They aren’t always obvious in the moment, but often become clear with the benefit of hindsight. Each one is unique, characterized by its own desires, priorities, purp…

1
Want a Better Life? Be Boring. 2:47

20d ago2:47

2:47

Here’s an underrated life hack: Be boring in the right ways. Why is being boring so powerful? Well, simply because so few people are willing to do it... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying force in anyone’s search to make the best possible choices for their life." Join 300,000+ other readers and get it now on a big sal…

1
The Victim Mentality: A Silent Killer of Growth 9:00

25d ago9:00

9:00

The Dartmouth Scar Experiment is an interesting case study on the impact of the so-called Victim Mentality on our lives. In today’s piece, I’d like to talk about Victim Mentality—and share three simple strategies to eliminate it forever. ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how…

1
What Will Your Next Note Be? 2:25

27d ago2:25

2:25

I recently read a quote from legendary musician Miles Davis that stopped me in my tracks… “It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note—it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.” This isn’t just about music. This is about life... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying force in anyone’s search to …

1
34 Short Lessons on Money 14:39

1M ago14:39

14:39

Money is a funny thing. It consumes an enormous amount of our energy and attention in adulthood, but very few of us learn anything about it in childhood or adolescence. If we're lucky, our parents teach us a few of the basics (and maybe we get a boring course or two on it in school). But we're pretty much left on our own when it comes to one of the…

1
How to Make the Ordinary Come Alive 2:44

1M ago2:44

2:44

I don't read poetry often, but there are a few poems I come back to regularly because of their impact on my life. This beautiful piece by William Martin is on that list... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how you’re spending your time." Join 300,000+ other readers and get …

1
Live Like It's The Last Time 7:07

1M ago7:07

7:07

The Ancient Greeks had two different words for time: Chronos was the idea of chronological, linear, quantitative time. That all time is equal. Kairos was a bit different. That there are certain moments or windows that have more meaning. More texture. More importance. More weight. We’ve all experienced Kairos time. There are certain moments in life …

1
The Simple Question to Unlock Progress 3:21

1M ago3:21

3:21

This has become the most common question I receive: Big project, very intimidating Don't know where to start Feeling stuck, paralyzed, anxious My response is always the same: What's the simplest action you can take today that would create forward progress? ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink e…

1
The Magic of Showing Up on Your Bad Days 3:40

2M ago3:40

3:40

On June 11, 1997, Michael Jordan stepped onto the court for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between his Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. Jordan was reportedly very sick, but chose to play given the critical importance of the game to the series, which was tied 2-2 at the time. Throughout the game, he looked visibly unwell, with a fever over 100 degrees, he…

1
I Co-Hosted a Retreat With Richard Branson—Here’s What I Learned 9:17

2M ago9:17

9:17

Last week, I had a pinch me experience: I spent five days co-hosting a retreat with Richard Branson, Adam Grant, and a group of incredible entrepreneurs and thinkers on Necker Island, Richard’s private island in the Caribbean. The opportunity came about in the most unlikely way... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that w…

1
The Law of Reversed Effort: Slow Down to Speed Up 3:07

2M ago3:07

3:07

Last week, I posted a short thought: The worst mistakes in life are made when you try to do fast what’s meant to be done slow. Real, durable things take a long time to build. Careers. Businesses. Relationships. Health. There are no hacks or shortcuts. The long way is the right way. The idea clearly struck a chord, reaching millions of impressions i…

1
Sahil’s Monthly Idea Drop: July 2025 9:33

2M ago9:33

9:33

If you read (or listen) to this newsletter, you know that I’m obsessed with interesting ideas. Here are 5 ideas I can’t stop thinking about this month… (P.S. This may become a regular monthly segment if people are interested!) ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how you’re spe…

1
The Cheshire Cat Principle: How to Create Clarity 2:28

2M ago2:28

2:28

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, there’s a scene in which Alice reaches a fork in the road and has a simple exchange with the Cheshire Cat: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where—” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way…

1
The Empty Boat Mindset 2:53

2M ago2:53

2:53

There’s a story I come back to when I’m feeling stressed or frustrated... A monk is meditating alone on a lake when another boat crashes into his. Anger rises—until he opens his eyes and realizes the boat is empty, drifting freely after coming untied. In that moment, the anger vanishes... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clari…

1
The Arrival Fallacy: Why Success Is Never Enough 8:09

2M ago8:09

8:09

Last week, the world's top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, went viral for something completely unrelated to golf. During his pre-tournament interview at The Open Championship, one of four annual major golf championships, a reporter asked Scheffler a simple question about his incredible streak of success... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a …

1
The Poem I Wish I Read 10 Years Ago 2:43

2M ago2:43

2:43

Last week, a reader sent me a poem that stopped me in my tracks. To live content with small means. To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. To be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich. To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes, and sages with open heart, to bear a…

1
The Poison Arrow Principle: How to Stop Overthinking 2:30

2M ago2:30

2:30

Here's an old Buddhist story I think about often: Imagine someone is struck by a poisoned arrow. A doctor is called to remove the arrow, but the man stops him. 'Not so fast! Before you remove it, I want to know who shot me. What town or village does he come from? What kind of wood was his bow made from? Was it a crossbow or a longbow?' While he ask…

1
22 Pieces of Career Advice They Don't Teach You in School 8:24

2M ago8:24

8:24

I get a lot of messages asking for career advice. The following is my attempt to synthesize my responses from the last few years into a series of short, valuable lessons. Behind each of these is a much longer story—probably a painful one—but I'll spare you that detail (for now!). No matter where you are on your career journey, my hope is that this …

1
The Question That Haunts High Achievers 3:10

3M ago3:10

3:10

Last week, I was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs when one of them admitted he'd been struggling. He's dealing with a challenging family health situation and feeling like he isn't doing enough to grow his business. A few hours later, I got a text from a friend, who said she was trying to slow down, but struggling with negative self talk that sh…

1
The Artful Life: Ars Longa, Vita Brevis 2:37

3M ago2:37

2:37

In the 4th century B.C., the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, wrote in his Aphorisms (translated into Latin here): Vita brevis, ars longa, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile. Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment dangerous, judgment difficult. The phrase has been further tightened and adapted, inc…

1
The Jonah Complex: How to Stop Running From Your Own Light 8:01

3M ago8:01

8:01

On a windy pier in the ancient city of Joppa, a young man buys a one-way ticket to sail in the opposite direction of his destiny... The young man, Jonah, had been called upon by God to travel to the city of Nineveh to preach his word. But, in the heat of the moment, he runs from this calling, boarding a ship and sailing off in the opposite directio…

1
A Simple Reframe to Improve Your Life 2:36

3M ago2:36

2:36

We've all been there... That familiar sensation of feeling behind. And it's no wonder it's so familiar. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night, you're being hit by a constant drip highlight reel from everyone around you. Their promotions. Their bonuses. Their new homes. Their fancy cars. Their beautiful liv…

1
The Columbus Egg Principle 2:46

3M ago2:46

2:46

There’s an old fable about Christopher Columbus that I like… In 1493, upon return from his first voyage to the Americas (which he mistakenly identified as the East Indies), a group of Spanish nobles gathered for a celebratory dinner with Christopher Columbus. The nobles diminished his accomplishment, saying, “Anyone could have sailed west and found…

1
A Simple Question for True Mastery 3:01

3M ago3:01

3:01

Robert Caro is widely considered to be one of the greatest biographers of our time. His list of accolades is long and includes two Pulitzer Prizes for Biography, two National Book Awards (one for Lifetime Achievement), and many more. But the critical acclaim is no accident. His work is revered for its meticulous research and intense dedication to i…

1
How to Stop Procrastinating 4:16

3M ago4:16

4:16

In 1789, philosopher Jeremy Bentham mused on the two forces that control our lives: "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure." His argument, in simple terms, is that human behavior is driven by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This general idea is the basis for the most useful pro…

1
The Trap of Success (& How to Escape It) 7:32

3M ago7:32

7:32

I have a close friend—we'll call him Ben. Ben is very successful. He's in his 30s, sold a company for $100 million, and earns over $10 million per year in his current role. I was recently out on a walk with Ben when he admitted something interesting: He hates his current job. He finds no fulfillment in the work and dreams of leaving to start someth…

1
The Obstacle or the Goal 2:00

3M ago2:00

2:00

I recently came across a quote that hit me hard: "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." — Henry Ford Every meaningful path in life is lined with obstacles. If you've ever pursued something grand or ambitious... Building a business Raising a family Changing careers Reaching an athletic milestone or anyt…

1
The Hidden Mindset That Shapes Your Entire Life 3:54

3M ago3:54

3:54

Want the key to success? As crazy as it sounds, I might actually be able to give it to you in the next 3 minutes... You see, I spend a lot of time thinking about common threads across the lives of the people I admire. These are all people who are winning in their chosen worlds, whether that be a CEO in the boardroom, an artist in the symphony hall,…

1
The Best Advice From Your Father 3:15

3M ago3:15

3:15

In honor of Father’s Day, I asked over 1 million readers a simple question: What was the single best piece of advice you ever received from your father? I got thousands of replies, which ranged from playful and witty to thought-provoking and emotional. Here were my favorites… ••• Mel Robbins said my book will “push you to rethink everything about h…

1
How to Survive Hard Times 3:26

4M ago3:26

3:26

When life gets hard, most people retreat to one of two worlds: Naive Optimism: This is the world of pure positivity. It is marked by an unwillingness to confront the harsh facts, but also by a steadfast belief in the ability to navigate through to the other side. Hopeless Realism: This is the world of pure negativity. It is marked by a desire to fa…

1
7 Lessons from Steve Jobs’ Legendary Speech 9:07

4M ago9:07

9:07

It’s commencement speech season. I recently shared a series of powerful lessons from David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water commencement speech on its 20th anniversary. Well, as it turns out, 2005 was a legendary year for wisdom from the commencement stage. Just a few weeks after Foster Wallace’s brilliance, on June 12, 2005, Steve Jobs stepped to …

1
Feeling Stuck? Ask These 8 Questions 3:54

4M ago3:54

3:54

According to a famous legend, the ancient land of Phrygia (in what is now modern-day Turkey) was without a king. An oracle proclaimed that the next man to enter the city in an oxcart would become its king. Soon after, a man named Gordius rolled into Phrygia on an oxcart with his wife and son and was swiftly proclaimed king of the land... ••• My fir…

1
AI and the Tragedy of the Commons 9:34

4M ago9:34

9:34

In 1968, an ecologist named Garrett Hardin published an essay that described the perils of individual short-term thinking on shared resources: "Picture a pasture open to all...the rational herdsman concludes that the only sensible course for him to pursue is to add another animal to his herd. And another; and another...Each man is locked into a s…

1
The Dangers of Blind Consistency 2:45

4M ago2:45

2:45

I recently came across a quote I can't stop thinking about: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." – Ralph Waldo Emerson We live in a world that celebrates consistency. You're reading a newsletter that celebrates consistency. We're taught that success is found on the other side of consistent action. That showing up, repeating…

1
The Paradox of Mastery 3:02

4M ago3:02

3:02

In 1921, an Austrian philosopher named Ludwig Wittgenstein concluded his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with the following passage: “My propositions are elucidatory in this way: he who understands me finally recognizes them as senseless, when he has climbed out through them, on them, over them. (He must so to speak throw away the ladder, after he h…

1
7 Reflections from a “Think Week” Retreat 9:58

4M ago9:58

9:58

Last week, I went on my first “Think Week” retreat. Three days. Limited connectivity. No meetings. Just reading, deep conversations, journaling, and thinking. I typically try to take a “Think Day” about once a month—but with the utter chaos of my book launch and tour over the last 12 months, I hadn’t been able to create the space necessary to zoom …

1
The Perspective Shift That Changes Everything 2:17

4M ago2:17

2:17

One of my favorite quotes comes from Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse: “We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” It highlights a story that plays out over and over again in our lives: You’re doing the work. You’re showing up. You’re taking action. But the rewards you expected are now…

1
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: The Psychology of Overconfidence 2:46

4M ago2:46

2:46

Have you ever grown frustrated by the observation that the people who know the least seem to be the most confident in their knowledge? You're not crazy. It's a very real, and very damning, psychological phenomenon. In 1999, researchers David Dunning and Justin Kruger studied the bizarre case of McArthur Wheeler, a would-be bank robber who was caugh…

1
The Speech That Changed How I See the World 9:19

4M ago9:19

9:19

Exactly 20 years ago, on May 21, 2005, author David Foster Wallace stood before the graduating class at Kenyon College and delivered the annual commencement address. The speech completely rewired my brain. Each year, I reread it. Each year, it hits differently. To mark the 20th anniversary of the speech––known as This Is Water––I want to share five…

1
The Say-Do Gap: A Question to Reset Your Life 2:29

4M ago2:29

2:29

Here's a question I like to ask myself when I feel stuck: If an outside observer watched me for a week, how serious would they say I am about achieving my goals? Think about it. It's easy to convince ourselves that we're fulfilling our responsibilities. That we're doing what's necessary to build the life we want. That we're showing up with energy a…

1
The Hidden Bias Keeping You Stuck 3:08

5M ago3:08

3:08

We all do it. We stay in jobs that drain us. We cling to relationships that no longer bring us energy. We hold onto possessions, identities, and goals that don’t serve the future we're trying to build. It turns out there's a simple cognitive bias to blame—and understanding it may be the key to fighting back... ••• SPECIAL OFFER: The e-book edition …

1
A Letter to My Son on His 3rd Birthday 8:50

5M ago8:50

8:50

My son turns three years old this week. Over the last few months, I've grown increasingly excited by the idea of writing him a series of letters he can read as he grows up. My hope is that they serve as a compass for his journey (and maybe for anyone else who happens to read them). What follows is the first letter he'll read... ••• Big News! The eb…

1
The Question That May Change Your Life 3:00

5M ago3:00

3:00

There’s a story about Apple founder Steve Jobs that I love: When he was 12 years old, he cold-called Bill Hewlett—co-founder of the pioneering technology company Hewlett Packard—to request spare computer parts for an electronics project he was working on. Surprised by the request, Hewlett not only sent the parts, he also offered him a summer intern…

1
3 Reasons to "Sell" in Life 4:03

5M ago4:03

4:03

Last week, investor Bill Ackman hosted a fireside chat conversation in Omaha in front of a standing room only crowd of 500+ investors. Ackman was joined onstage by Ryan Israel, his partner and Chief Investment Officer. During the conversation, an audience member asked Israel a deceptively simple question: "How do you know when to sell a stock?" In …

1
11 Uncommon Lessons from Uncommon Minds 9:30

5M ago9:30

9:30

Last week, I had the rare opportunity to spend one-on-one time with some of the most uncommon minds in the world while attending the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha. This piece is my attempt to distill and synthesize the notes down to a set of lessons. 11 lessons from a week with legends: (1) Being misunderstood is the cost of entry, (2)…

1
The Hidden Cost of Comfort 3:00

5M ago3:00

3:00

Your entire life will change when you realize that growth feeds on meaningful struggle. When you avoid that struggle, you literally starve your growth of the oxygen it needs to thrive. ••• My first book is a 7x NYT Bestseller and has reached over 200,000 people around the world in three months since its release. Join the movement to redefine what i…

1
The Statistical Oddity That May Save Your Life 3:22

5M ago3:22

3:22

If you're reading this newsletter, chances are you self-identify as an ambitious, high-achieving individual. Or, at a minimum, you aspire to be one. You probably take pride in your ability to analyze a situation, deconstruct the problem, create potential solutions, and execute against them. And, up to this point, you've mostly been rewarded for tha…

1
The Most Powerful Asymmetries in Life 14:01

5M ago14:01

14:01

I define an asymmetry as something where the risk is limited but the reward is potentially significant. It's an action with an asymmetric return profile: If it doesn't work out, the cost is small, but if it does work out, the reward is large. I've been keeping a running list of the most powerful asymmetries I've found—the tiny investments with pote…