2 Pages with MBS Michael Bungay Stanier

Who holds up a mirror to you? We're all on our journeys forward, trying to figure things out and understand our destination, and it's really hard to do that alone. So, travel with people. Travel with someone. Travel with a group of people. Now, one of those people, I think, should be someone who can say, this is who I think you are right now.

This is where I think you are right now. It’s the same person who can then say, look how far you've come. Look how you're a different person. They can see the growth and they can celebrate the change to find that person. Also, be that person for someone. Travel with them and speak what you see.

Today’s guest is Lauren Crux, a multifaceted individual with a diverse range of talents and experiences. As a psychotherapist, author, photographer, and performer, she brings a unique perspective to her work. She embodies the essence of self-discovery and growth, inspiring others to explore their own paths with courage and curiosity.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Lauren reads two pages from The Book by Mary Ruefle. [reading begins at 17:16]

Hear us discuss:

"The far horizon has become the near one. So what do you do when you're looking over the edge? What becomes important?" [01:38] | "I just continue to learn and do my best to figure out how to love life even though I suffer a lot, you know, that sort of thing." [02:07] | "I love the wit and the humor and the absurdity. She uses this formal form of ‘one would, one doesn't.’ These phrases, “I am of the surest that you would be…” It's ridiculous." [23:02] | "I love the ordinary everyday that becomes magical. And sometimes it just remains mundane." [24:43] | “I do a lot of fertilizing and a lot of watering and replanting. And I work at it. It's easy work, but I do work at it." [32:11]

Today, we're pulling one of our best episodes from the vaults, featuring the brilliant W. David Ball.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Where do you find your people? I think I’m still looking for mine, and perhaps you are, too. What often happens is there’s an initial rough sort where you get thrown in with others who have similar labels - but that’s just the start of it. It’s up to you to find your people amongst everyone. I realized that I keep looking for people who make me both think and laugh, meaning I need to seek them out to give them the opportunity to do so. Of course, sometimes your people don’t actually need to be found, they need to be rediscovered; they’re already there, waiting for you to reach out to them and say hello. 

Today’s guest is a law professor with articles published in the Columbia Law Review, Yale Law & Policy Review, the American Journal of Criminal Law, and many more. His full name is W. David Ball, but I know him as my friend Dave, someone I met when we were newly minted Rhodes scholars at Oxford in the early 1990s. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ 

Dave reads the poem, ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. [reading begins at 16:45]  

Hear us discuss: 
“I’d decided that I was going to be me, because there’s no way I could fake that.” [9:25] | How to keep your artistic spirit alive: “The essence of creativity is being in touch with who you are, what you want to say to others, and how other people have moved you.” [11:48] | The process of keeping an open heart in your closest relationships. [24:20] | Sitting with ambition (as a Rhodes scholar). [28:13] | Work in the criminal legal system: “I have calluses - not in the sense where I don’t feel, but where my skin isn’t being burnt off.” [33:01]

Vicki is the “Founding Activator” of Coralus, a venture capital company with a unique approach to reimagining the world of entrepreneurship. With a background in social entrepreneurship and a deep commitment to radical generosity, Vicki is a highly hopeful and optimistic individual who is dedicated to making a positive impact on the world.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Vicki Saunders reads from "Astonishing the Gods" by Ben Okri. [reading begins at 18:40]

Hear us discuss:

“I can feel myself being pulled two ways because definitely things are atomizing. Content is coming in shorter and shorter clips. Even paragraphs are shrinking. Shrinking, just like my attention.” [00:00] | "I just don't understand why we… make money, and then give it away to make things better, to solve the crappy things that we did when we made money." [03:04] | “How much energy is this taking? Is it actually creating any impact? And so at some point in the last 30 years, I was like, you know, changing the system is not why I'm here. It's to build a new one.” [11:05] | “How do we want to be together and live together? How do we want to be with one another, to witness each other's gifts, and to share ours with others in this act of reciprocity?” [21:15] | "Dreaming is a muscle. Courage is a muscle. You need to work it, stress it, be kind to it. That's how muscle grows. That's how muscle stays healthy." [37:07]

Scott is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, a podcast host, computer programmer, and an avid reader. He’s also an autodidact, who spends his time teaching people how to learn. Scott is the author of “Ultralearning” and “Get Better at Anything,” and he has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Scott reads two pages from “The Principles of Teaching Based on Psychology” by Edward Thorndike. [reading begins at 20:30]

Hear us discuss:

"Mastery is a journey that diverts and separates individuals, leading them towards their unique style, voice, and signature move." [01:58] | "The mind is made of specific building blocks, not broad faculties." [26:14] | "The road to improvement is long but sure." [30:26] | "The mysteriousness of talent is that when you get someone who is a real skilled practitioner, they often can't even articulate what the building blocks are." [43:27] | "I feel I'm hungry to find more gaps, not fewer." [44:56]

Kaya Thomas is an app builder and creator of the We Read Too app, a mobile directory of children and young adult books written by authors of color. With a background in working with well-known companies like Slack and Calm, Kaya's career has been a journey of blending her expertise in coding with her passion for promoting diversity in literature. Though the book is closing on the We Read Too app, her work has touched thousands of young lives.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Kaya Thomas reads two pages from "Positive Obsession" by Octavia Butler. [reading begins at 15:51]

Hear us discuss:

"I think a good mentor listens and understands what the person that they're mentoring really needs, where they're trying to go in their journey and help them just guide them and help them shape their goals." [14:05] | "Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you're afraid and full of doubts. Positive obsession is dangerous. It's about not being able to stop at all." [16:16] | "I think for me, it doesn't always manifest in like one particular skill, because for me, I'm not trying to be the best programmer ever or the best software engineer. But I think for me, it's more project based, right?" [18:40] | "Success just looks like more young kids being exposed to these books, because it's important, I think, for all children, no matter their background, to read these types of stories and to realize that difference can be celebrated." [29:13] | "I think for me, WeReadToo is a resource, and it's a free resource. And I always intend to keep it as a free resource. It's not an income-generating thing for me, and that's not the purpose." [30:30]

Mark Brackett is a psychologist and professor at Yale University, known for his groundbreaking work in emotional intelligence and the impact of emotions on daily life. He is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Through his book, “Permission to Feel,” and his work at Yale, Marc helps others give themselves permission to feel, and teaches them to create a safe space for emotional exploration.

Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com.

Marc Brackett reads two pages from “7 ½ Lessons about the Brain” by Lisa Feldman Barrett. [reading begins at 11:57]

Hear us discuss:

"Emotions are signals to approach or avoid. People's facial expressions, body language, and tone all send signals. I wanna be with you, I don't wanna be with you. I like you, I don't like you, I respect you, I don't." [20:12] | "All emotions are information. The idea that there are good and bad emotions is a myth. Emotions are a product of things happening in our body and mind, based on our life experiences." [25:54] | "Just because you have a proclivity to experience strong emotions like anxiety or frustration doesn't mean you're not good at dealing with it or labeling it. It just means that you have a tendency to feel that way more." [26:47] | "We're endlessly making predictions based on what's going on inside of us and what we're observing in the world around us. That's our emotional life." [36:59] | "The core of this work is that concept that we have to give ourselves the permission to be our true, full, feeling selves, nonjudgmental, compassionate, self-scientists." [38:30]