Best Common Wealth Magazine Podcasts (2025)

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How to Make Your Holiday Gatherings Memorable 42:34

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20h ago42:34

42:34

Back in January 2020, Rufus sat down with Priya Parker — a conflict resolution specialist who’s worked on peace processes around the world — to talk about her book The Art of Gathering. What she told him changed how we think about every dinner party, every work meeting, every family get-together we host. Priya’s argument is simple but radical. She …

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Will Europe Choose Taiwan as Trust in China Fades? 【Taiwanology Ep.55】 35:11

1d ago35:11

35:11

There is historic shift in Europe-Taiwan ties. From Ukraine war to the "Trump factor," we examine why Brussels is looking past old constraints of its One China policy. A new paper asks if Taiwan can turn symbolic support into economic substance Europe now needs for resilience. 01:50 - The explosion in Taiwan-EU interactions 04:00 - How global insta…

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FLOURISH: Daniel Coyle on the Art and Science of Feeling Alive 1:17:19

9d ago1:17:19

1:17:19

What does it mean to flourish? According to author Daniel Coyle, flourishing is “joyful, meaningful growth — shared.” But how do you achieve that enviable state? The answer lies in Dan’s forthcoming book, “Flourish,” which you can pre-order now on Amazon, Audible, or Bookshop.org. Highlights: (5:11) Life isn't a treasure hunt; it’s more like treasu…

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Glenn Dial of American Century Investments on Why Sponsors and Participants See Retirement Risks So Differently 13:04

9d ago13:04

13:04

A recent survey from American Century Investments reveals some surprising disconnects between retirement plan sponsors and the workers participating in their 401(k) plans. The findings uncovered some sizable gaps in how each group views participant preparedness, risk tolerance, and even the basic functionality of common retirement products. To brea…

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Kari Leibowitz Loves Winter (And You Can Too) 59:25

13d ago59:25

59:25

In our divided nation, there's one thing many of us seem to agree on: winter sucks. A recent study found that nearly half of Americans would skip winter if they could. Yet not everyone dreads the cold months. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz has spent years studying these winter-lovers, and she's arrived at a surprising truth: people who thrive this tim…

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Best Of: How Successful Groups Work 1:10:57

20d ago1:10:57

1:10:57

Daniel Coyle will soon join us on the show to talk about his forthcoming book, Flourish. Today, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Dan about his last book, The Culture Playbook. Here's how we described the episode back then: The filmmakers at Pixar. The servers at Union Square Cafe. The badasses on SEAL Team Six. What do these super succes…

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AI and the Future of the University 44:01

22d ago44:01

44:01

A few weeks ago, Rufus moderated a panel discussion at Vanderbilt’s New York City campus on artificial intelligence and the future of American higher education. Today, we’re bringing you that conversation. It features Nabiha Syed, executive director of Mozilla Foundation; Nicholas Dirks, president and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences; Julie …

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Taiwan’s Growing Climate Voice at Brazil’s COP30【Taiwanology Ep.54】 29:22

23d ago29:22

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COP30 wrapped in Belém after two weeks, and the final deal landed with a weak punch. No fossil-fuel phaseout, no major breakthrough. So what does this outcome mean? And with Taiwan hosting an unprecedented pavilion in the Green Zone, what role is Taiwan carving out in global climate politics? In this episode, I speak with climate scientist Rachel C…

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Technology and the Future of Retirement Planning with Morningstar Retirement’s Michael Allen 12:51

23d ago12:51

12:51

Retirement technology is rapidly transforming the way advisors and plan sponsors deliver planning advice. In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Michael Allen, Morningstar Retirement’s Global Head of Retirement Technology, to explore how innovation is making retirement advice more personalize…

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Best Of: David Brooks on the Art of Seeing Others Deeply 1:05:39

27d ago1:05:39

1:05:39

New York Times columnist and acclaimed author David Brooks has been trying to learn the skills that go into seeing others, understanding others, making other people feel respected, valued, and safe. Such social skills may sound trifling, but mastering them, David believes, could help us all make better decisions, enhance our creativity, and maybe e…

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STRONG GROUND: Brené Brown on the Daring Leadership the World Needs Now 55:12

30d ago55:12

55:12

In this conversation, recorded live on Zoom with members of the Next Big Idea Club community, Brené and Rufus talk about what drives her, how Texas has shaped her, the leadership skills that matter most, and work-life balance. Plus, our curator Adam Grant makes a surprise cameo. Brené’s new book is Strong Ground. 🎁 Join the Next Big Idea Club today…

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Brené Brown on courageous leadership (from ReThinking with Adam Grant) 46:29

1M ago46:29

46:29

Brené Brown is a researcher, storyteller, and author who hosts the podcast Dare to Lead and has given some of the most popular TED Talks of all time. In this episode, recorded live at an Authors@Wharton event, Brené and our curator Adam Grant talk about her new book, Strong Ground. They discuss how to identify your core values, what courageous lead…

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Walter Isaacson on The Greatest Sentence Ever Written 1:11:54

1M ago1:11:54

1:11:54

What is the greatest sentence ever written? According to Walter Isaacson — former editor of Time, ex-CEO of CNN, and the acclaimed biographer of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Jennifer Doudna — it’s this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unal…

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Best Of: Decoding Elon Musk 1:06:50

1M ago1:06:50

1:06:50

When Walter Isaacson, the legendary biographer of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci, started shadowing Elon Musk, he found himself following "a guy who was one of the most popular people on the planet, and ended up with a guy who's the most controversial." Today on the show, Isaacson unpacks the transformation. (…

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Andrew Ross Sorkin: What the Crash of 1929 Says About Today 1:09:02

2M ago1:09:02

1:09:02

Andrew Ross Sorkin’s new book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation, is an eye-opening account of the forces that led to the worst financial crisis in history and the lessons that disaster can teach us about today’s economy. (7:09) Life before the crash (8:58) How Americans developed a taste for lever…

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Technology and the Small Plan Market with 401GO’s Sue Hardy and Cheryl Morrison Deutsch 13:50

2M ago13:50

13:50

Technology is transforming the small-plan retirement market—and fast. In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, we sit down with Sue Hardy, Head of Plan Operations at Sandy, Utah-based 401GO, and Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, the company’s Chief Experience Officer, to explore how modern automation, integration, and design thinking are helping sm…

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Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson on What Running Can Teach Us 1:03:27

2M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic. But he moonlights as a damn good runner. At 44, he ran a marathon in 2 hours and 29 minutes, making him one of the fastest marathoners his age on the planet. He later set an American age group record in the 50K. He has run in blazing heat with ice tucked into his hat and in frigid cold with Vaseline dabbed …

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Forced Labor? What Taiwan’s Exporters Must Do Next【Taiwanology Ep.53】 24:21

2M ago24:21

24:21

In September, U.S. Customs hit Taiwan's Giant with a Withhold Release Order—the first ever against a Taiwanese company—blocking its bikes from entering the U.S. over alleged forced labor. The move puts over US$1 billion in exports at risk and exposes gaps between Taiwan’s labor laws and global standards. What must Taiwan do to rebuild trust in its …

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COMMON KNOWLEDGE: Steven Pinker on Awkward Dates, Cancel Culture and the Necessity of Norms 1:01:24

2M ago1:01:24

1:01:24

As promised, today we’re bringing you a full-length interview with Steven Pinker about his new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. What is common knowledge? For Steve, it is not conventional wisdom. Instead, it’s when everyone knows something and everyone knows …

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Private Markets and 401(k)s: Invesco’s Greg Jenkins on What Comes Next 10:11

2M ago10:11

10:11

Private markets are trying to make a move from the margins to the mainstream in workplace retirement plans—and the implications could be enormous. In this episode, we sit down with Greg Jenkins, CFA, Managing Director of Defined Contribution Solutions at Invesco to explore what this potential shift could mean for advisors, plan sponsors, and partic…

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A Food Crisis Is Brewing. Are We Ready? 46:18

2M ago46:18

46:18

Caleb is joined by Sam Kass, former senior food policy advisor to President Obama and the chef who cooked dinner for the first family most nights. Now a partner at a venture capital firm investing in food and agriculture tech, Sam has a new book out, The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Coming Food Crisis. The situation, he says, is bleak. Almonds,…

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The Future Is Going to Be Great 1:33:58

3M ago1:33:58

1:33:58

Dave Blundin has co-founded 23 companies, co-hosts the Moonshots podcast, runs the VC firm Link Ventures, teaches at MIT, and has been building neural networks since the 1980s. His take: “[AI is] under-hyped. It's absolutely going to change the world in the next couple of years more than any change in human history. There's nothing even vaguely com…

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Challenging Common Beliefs About Automated Plan Features with Principal Financial Group’s Marc Howell and Felix Okwaning 23:20

3M ago23:20

23:20

Automated plan features in 401(k)s such as auto-enrollment and auto-escalation have become essential tools for boosting employee participation and contribution levels. Marc Howell and Felix Okwaning, who are both Managing Directors—Enhanced Plan Design at Principal Financial GroupⓇ, share some compelling new research showing employees not only stay…

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PRIMAL INTELLIGENCE: You’re Smarter Than You Realize 1:05:37

3M ago1:05:37

1:05:37

Angus Fletcher has a PhD in literature from Yale and teaches English at Ohio State. He’s passionate about Shakespeare. He probably owns a tweed jacket. In other words, he’s the last person you’d expect to receive the Army’s fourth-highest civilian honor. But when he’s not parsing King Lear or dissecting Hamlet, Angus is pioneering research into nar…

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STEVEN PINKER: How Common Knowledge and Rationality Make the World Go Round 1:11:57

3M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker shares five key insights from his brand new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows. He reveals how “common knowledge” — the hidden force of knowing what others know — shapes everything from financial bubbles and political revolutions to why we say “Netflix and chill.” Then we revisit our 2021 conversation w…

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【Taiwanology Ep.52】Seeking Peace in Taiwan: An Israeli and a Palestinian in Dialogue 42:39

3M ago42:39

42:39

As the world marks two years since the October 7 conflict, peace feels more distant than ever. Israeli peace educator Roi Silberberg and Palestinian scholar Hazem Almassry share deeply personal stories—from childhood in Gaza to life in a shared Jewish-Arab village. They reflect on Gaza’s devastation, Israel’s militarized “normal,” and Taiwan’s own …

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Managing Market Value Adjustments with Lincoln Financial’s Bill McLaren 9:35

3M ago9:35

9:35

In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, we dive into the complex world of Market Value Adjustments (MVAs)—what they are, when they’re triggered, how they’re calculated, and why they matter. Bill McLaren, Stable Value Business Leader for the Retirement Plan Services Business at Lincoln Financial, joins us to explain why MVAs can catch plan…

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AI & THE BRAIN: How Different Are They? 1:22:13

3M ago1:22:13

1:22:13

Today's AI runs on neural networks, a design originally inspired by the human brain. As these systems grow more sophisticated, they're raising a profound question: Even if they don't work exactly like our brains, could something resembling a "mind" eventually emerge from the machines we're building? Guests: Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland Book: The …

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Best Of: Jonathan Haidt on What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids 1:24:01

3M ago1:24:01

1:24:01

It’s rare these days for a book to go viral, but that’s exactly what happened with The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. Now in its 75th week on the New York Times’ bestseller list, the book reveals a startling truth: Starting in 2012, teen depression rates suddenly s…

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Private Equity’s Potential to Help 401(k) Participants with Maura Reilly Kennedy and Michelle Rappa 16:11

4M ago16:11

16:11

Even with regulatory barriers to including alternative assets such as private equity in defined contribution plans being removed by the Trump administration, many advisors, plan sponsors and fiduciaries are understandably hesitant to jump in. To get a better idea of what private equity investments can bring to the table, we speak with Maura Reilly …

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ARTHUR C. BROOKS: Success Won’t Make You Happy — Here’s What Will 1:20:28

4M ago1:20:28

1:20:28

Arthur C. Brooks is an unlikely happiness guru. He’s not a psychologist, philosopher, or mystic. He’s an economist and public policy analyst who, for years, ran a prominent think tank. But rubbing shoulders with heads of state and titans of industry made him miserable. Confronted with the sobering realization that for too long he’d privileged work …

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THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson 54:43

4M ago54:43

54:43

What if, thanks to AI, you can now research and write a book two, three, or even four times faster? For authors and AI pioneers Steven Johnson (Editorial Director, NotebookLM and Google Labs) and Ethan Mollick (Wharton professor and creator of One Useful Thing), that's the new reality. In this episode, they crack open their personal toolkits to rev…

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【Taiwanology Ep.51】Why is Nuclear Power Back on Taiwan’s Agenda? 32:52

4M ago32:52

32:52

Taiwan is at an energy crossroads. After decades of debate, a recent referendum revealed that over 70% favor restarting its last nuclear power plant. What does this shift mean for Taiwan’s energy security? We sit down with Danny Chang, former chairman of Star Buck Power Corp, to unpack Taiwan’s nuclear dilemma and why the island is rethinking its p…

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Stable Value Funds: Balancing Safety and Opportunity with Lincoln Financial’s Matt Condos 15:00

4M ago15:00

15:00

Stable value funds are a staple in many 401(k) plans, offering principal protection and steady returns by investing in high-quality bonds. They’re particularly popular with participants nearing retirement who want to reduce market risk while still earning a competitive yield. But recent market conditions and interest rate changes have raised new co…

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Best Of: Sebastian Junger’s Journey to the Edge and Back 1:03:10

4M ago1:03:10

1:03:10

On a June night several years ago, Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, lay on an operating table, dying. An undiagnosed aneurysm in his pancreatic artery had ruptured, flooding his abdominal cavity with blood. His odds of survival were between 10 and 20 percent. "I s…

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INTUITION: The Science of Trusting Your Gut 58:41

4M ago58:41

58:41

We all have eureka moments, sudden bursts of certainty that seem to come out of nowhere. What if you could summon that feeling on command? Laura Huang, a business school professor, has been studying that question. She’s found that for the world's most successful people, intuition isn't an accident. It's a skill. A tool they’ve sharpened. Today on t…

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Can Rogue Archeologists Bring the Past Back to Life? 47:59

5M ago47:59

47:59

We have a pretty good idea what ancient civilizations looked like. But what did they taste, smell, and feel like? 📕 Dinner with King Tut by Sam Kean 📱 Sign up for Next Big Idea Club+ on Apple Podcasts, and you’ll get ad-free listening, bonus episodes, subscriber-only shows, and more. 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our …

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WHAT WE VALUE: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Making Better Choices 1:08:23

5M ago1:08:23

1:08:23

All day long, your brain makes subconscious value calculations. It looks at every decision and asks, "What is going to be most rewarding for me right this very minute?" That creates a gap, doesn't it? A gap between the person you want to be and the choices you actually make. Today on the show, neuroscientist Emily Falk explains the science behind t…

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SUPER AGERS (Part 2): Eric Topol on Sleep, GLP-1s, and AI 42:16

5M ago42:16

42:16

In part two of our interview with Eric Topol, author of the New York Times bestseller Super Agers, we cover how to get a good night's sleep, why one day everyone may take GLP-1s, and how AI is poised to transform medicine. 1️⃣ Missed Part 1? Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 📚 Become an executive member of the Next Big Idea Club, and we'll se…

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【Taiwanology Ep.50】What Taiwan’s Largest Drills Reveal About Its Defense Strategy 29:43

5M ago29:43

29:43

Taiwan’s largest military exercise, the Han Kuang drills, now includes a supermarket chain helping with evacuation plans. With China’s military pressure near-constant, Taiwan is expanding its defense strategy to include asymmetric warfare, civil defense, and psychological readiness. Silva Shih, CommonWealth Magazine's defense reporter, joins us to …

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Defining Value Creation in the Decumulation Phase with Allianz Life's Danielle Kelso 14:38

5M ago14:38

14:38

As retirement plan participants transition from the accumulation phase to decumulation, the focus moves from building wealth to ensuring sustainable income—what’s also known as "value creation." Danielle Kelso, Senior Institutional Solutions Consultant at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, joins the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast to shed…

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SUPER AGERS (Part 1): The Revolutionary New Science of Longevity 1:12:20

5M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

For years, cardiologist Eric Topol hunted for the rarest people in America: those over 80 who had never been sick. When he finally found 1,400 of them, he made a shocking discovery. It wasn't their genes. These "super agers" were often the last ones standing in families where everyone else died decades earlier. So what separates people who live int…

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GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rule-Breakers 47:52

6M ago47:52

47:52

Sign up for our Substack! Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Thomas Edison famously claimed, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Helen Lewis has a different take entirely. To her, the term genius licenses noxious eccentricities, exasperating ego trips, and dow…

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Best Of: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly 54:50

6M ago54:50

54:50

Sign up for our daily Substack here! Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the way back in the 1980s, and he co-founded Wired, the magazine devoted to digital technology, when the internet was still an infant. But in his new book, Excellent Advice for Living, he looks backward. It…

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AI FIRST: The Tsunami Is Already Here 1:03:01

6M ago1:03:01

1:03:01

AI, according to Andy Sack and Adam Brotman, co-founders of Forum3 and co-authors of the new book AI First, isn't just a neat new tool. It's "a tsunami of technology and capabilities." And if you don't start learning how to use it properly, they say, "you are absolutely gonna be left behind." The problem? Most people are using AI wrong. They're tre…

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【Taiwanology Ep.49】How Taiwan's Mass Recall Movement Is Reshaping Politics 37:52

6M ago37:52

37:52

In 2025, Taiwan is witnessing an unprecedented wave of citizen-led recall campaigns targeting lawmakers—mostly from the opposition Kuomintang. Branded the “mass recall” movement, it raises a question: is this a genuine expression of civic outrage, or a politically driven power play? To unpack the roots and implications of this political upheaval, w…

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Best Of: Michael Lewis Runs Toward Pleasure 1:11:13

6M ago1:11:13

1:11:13

This is one of our favorite conversations from the last year. On the surface, it's an interview we did with Michael Lewis to coincide with the paperback release of Going Infinite, his book about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. Michael, who spent months hovering over Sam's shoulder, believes he wasn't some malevolent grifter: he was an aw…

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Previewing SWAY | LIVE 2025 with Sheri Fitts 15:13

6M ago15:13

15:13

The third edition of the retirement industry’s least traditional conference is coming up Aug. 3–5 in Milwaukee, Wis. To get the low-down, we spoke with organizer Sheri Fitts, a well-known expert in personal branding for financial advisors and 401(k) marketing. Audio here Sheri explains what sets the conference apart. It focuses on helping attendees…

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How Susan Cain Found Her Voice 45:38

7M ago45:38

45:38

Susan Cain always knew she wanted to be a writer. But her path to becoming one was anything but straightforward. She took a creative writing class in college and came away convinced she wasn’t very talented. So she pivoted: law school, white-shoe firm, eyes set on making partner. Seven years later, a senior partner walked into her office with life-…

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HOPE FOR CYNICS: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness 57:21

7M ago57:21

57:21

We think that cynicism protects us from being disappointed by other people. But Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki says the opposite is true. When we expect the worst in people, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy that brings out exactly what we feared. So in his new book, Hope for Cynics, Jamil sets out to prove that hope isn't naive: it's smart. 🎁…