Smart People Podcast

Smart People Industries
  • 4.5 (699)
  • Education
  • Updated Biweekly

Smart People Podcast is a biweekly, interview-based podcast that features today's most well respected thought leaders engaging in authentic, insightful conversation for the benefit of the listener. The host, Chris Stemp, and his co-host/producer Jon Rojas, utilize their insatiable curiosity and relatable charm to provoke their guests into giving the interview of a lifetime. Every single guest has achieved a high level of recognition within their arena and in doing so has collected a wealth of experiences and insights that are brought to life in this top ranked podcast. Show topics include: psychology, leadership, education, technology, entrepreneurship, relationships, and much more.

  1. 5d ago

    Why We Don’t Trust Each Other Anymore with Claude Steele

    Why does it feel so hard to talk to people who see the world differently than we do? In this episode, we sit down with renowned social psychologist Claude Steele, author of Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It, to examine the hidden psychological tension that shows up whenever identity, race, politics, or difference enters the room. Steele calls it “churn,” the mental strain of wondering how other people see us, whether we’ll be stereotyped, whether we’ll say the wrong thing, or whether a mistake will become a judgment about who we are. That strain is everywhere right now. It shows up in debates over wokeness, partisan politics, race, culture, workplaces, classrooms, and even ordinary conversations. And as trust declines, we become more guarded, more suspicious, and more likely to retreat toward people who already think like us. But Steele argues that the answer may be simpler than we think. We talk about why prejudice is only part of the problem, why both sides of a divide can experience the same underlying anxiety, how political and cultural conflict can intensify it, and why trust, curiosity, and genuine interest in other people can change the way we relate across difference. It’s a conversation about one of the defining tensions of modern life, and what it might actually take to start trusting each other again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Why We Don’t Trust Each Other Anymore with Claude Steele

  2. Jun 5

    The Economic Lie That Let Companies Sell Us Out with Eric Ries

    What if the problem isn’t that a few companies got greedy? What if the problem is that we built a system that teaches companies to sell us out? In this episode, Eric Ries joins us to explain the economic lie sitting underneath so much of modern business: that companies exist to extract as much value as possible for shareholders, even if that means making the product worse, treating employees poorly, breaking customer trust, and slowly destroying the very thing that made the company great. We talk about why so many once-loved brands seem to get worse over time, why Costco has managed to resist the pressure, what Amazon reveals about the tradeoff between customer obsession and company decay, and why “good governance” may actually be helping create weaker companies. This conversation will change how you think about capitalism, Wall Street, private equity, and the companies we interact with every single day. https://www.incorruptible.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Economic Lie That Let Companies Sell Us Out with Eric Ries

  3. May 5

    Are You Really You, or Just a Pattern Your Brain Built with Dr. Masud Husain

    What actually makes you who you are? In this episode, we get into one of the biggest questions a person can ask, not in a vague or philosophical way, but through the lens of neuroscience. Our guest is Dr. Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at Oxford, Editor-in-Chief of Brain, and the award-winning author of Our Brains, Our Selves, which won the Royal Society Trivedi Best Science Book Prize. Dr. Husain explains how your sense of self is built through memory, attention, motivation, perception, concepts, and relationships. In other words, who you are is not just something you have, it is something your brain is constantly creating. That is what makes this conversation so gripping. Because if the brain creates the self, then what happens when part of that system changes? We talk about real patients whose identities seemed to shift after changes in the brain, including one man who lost nearly all motivation after tiny strokes, and another who began losing not just words, but the concepts behind them. Their stories are fascinating, but they also raise a deeply personal question: how much of who you are depends on brain processes you rarely notice? We also get into why we become more risk-averse over time, why discomfort starts to feel less worth it, and whether changing how we think can actually change who we are. This episode will make you think differently about personality, memory, identity, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. Listen now, then subscribe and follow Smart People Podcast so you don’t miss what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Are You Really You, or Just a Pattern Your Brain Built with Dr. Masud Husain

  4. Mar 3

    The Plastic Problem Most People Miss with Judith Enck

    Most of us think we understand the plastic problem. We’ve heard about ocean pollution. We’ve heard about recycling. We’ve heard the word microplastics enough times that it barely registers anymore. But what if the most important part of this story isn’t the trash, the packaging, or even the environment? What if the real issue is happening inside our own bodies? In this conversation, Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator and president of Beyond Plastics, explains the part of the plastic crisis that rarely makes headlines. Microplastics are not just floating in the ocean. Researchers are now finding them in human blood, lungs, arteries, and even the brain. And the concern is not just the particles themselves, but the thousands of chemicals that travel with them. We also explore why plastic production continues to accelerate despite public concern, why recycling has largely failed, and how the economics of fossil fuels quietly shape the future of plastic. This is not just an environmental story. It is a health story, a policy story, and a story about systems most people never see. Judith's book, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late, is available now wherever books are sold! Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Plastic Problem Most People Miss with Judith Enck

  5. Jan 26

    How to Predict Other People’s Behavior - The Process Communication Model

    What if the way we think, communicate, react under pressure, and connect with others isn’t random at all? And much of your experience could actually be decoded using a very specific behavioral model. And this model could explain why certain conversations energize you while others shut you down, why stress brings out patterns you don’t recognize, and why people who care about each other still miss each other completely. In this episode, we introduce the Process Communication Model, a powerful framework originally developed in a therapeutic setting to improve human connection and outcomes. It has been used quietly for decades, helping millions of people better understand themselves and others, yet many people have never heard of it. This is part one in a three part series. To go hear the other episodes follow In the Arena With DoorTwo or visit doortwo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How to Predict Other People’s Behavior - The Process Communication Model

  6. 12/16/2025

    The Science of Feeling Dead Inside with Dr. Corey Keyes

    What if you’re not burned out, not clinically depressed, and nothing in your life is falling apart—but you still feel numb, empty, or like you’re just going through the motions? In this episode, sociologist and mental health researcher Dr. Corey Keyes explains the science behind that feeling, and why he calls it “languishing.” We dig into how our culture massively underestimates mental health by defining it as “not sick,” and why that quiet definition keeps so many of us stuck. Corey shares how watching his own father’s life slowly unravel pushed him to rethink success, work, and what it really means to flourish. You’ll learn the key differences between languishing and flourishing, the hidden ways modern life pulls us toward numbness, and why feeling “dead inside” might actually be an existential alarm clock trying to wake you up. We don’t just stay in theory—we talk about what real flourishing looks like for regular people with jobs, kids, stress, and messy lives. Corey's book, Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down, is available now wherever books are sold! Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Science of Feeling Dead Inside with Dr. Corey Keyes

  7. 11/04/2025

    Decoding Human Behavior: The Science of How We Show Up with Shaun Dyke

    What if there really was an owner’s manual for being human? In this episode, Chris sits down with one of the top executive coaches in the country Shaun Dyke, to reveal the models that billion-dollar leaders use to understand people, motivate change, and create results. They unpack the hidden psychology behind your reactions, relationships, and results—and why most of us are still flying blind without our “human operating manual.” You’ll never look at behavior the same way again. Shaun is the Managing Partner of the leadership development and executive coaching firm called, DoorTwo. Learn more at doortwo.com and subscribe to their brand new podcast, In The Arena with DoorTwo. Stay up to date by signing up! Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Decoding Human Behavior: The Science of How We Show Up with Shaun Dyke

  8. 10/14/2025

    Feeling Guilty for Hating Your Job? Here’s the Real Problem with Malissa Clark

    If you’ve ever felt guilty for resenting your job—even one you worked hard to get—you’re not alone. In this episode, psychologist and author Dr. Malissa Clark breaks down why burnout and dissatisfaction aren’t always about hours worked, and why our relationship with work is more complicated than we think. We explore the hidden forces that keep us “always on,” why rest doesn’t always feel restful, and how modern work culture is quietly draining us. Whether you're stuck in a toxic job or just feeling off, this conversation will shift the way you think about work—and yourself. Malissa's book, Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business--and How to Fix It, is available now wherever books are sold! Learn more about Malissa at malissaclark.com. Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Feeling Guilty for Hating Your Job? Here’s the Real Problem with Malissa Clark
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Hosts & Guests

4.5
out of 5
699 Ratings

About

Smart People Podcast is a biweekly, interview-based podcast that features today's most well respected thought leaders engaging in authentic, insightful conversation for the benefit of the listener. The host, Chris Stemp, and his co-host/producer Jon Rojas, utilize their insatiable curiosity and relatable charm to provoke their guests into giving the interview of a lifetime. Every single guest has achieved a high level of recognition within their arena and in doing so has collected a wealth of experiences and insights that are brought to life in this top ranked podcast. Show topics include: psychology, leadership, education, technology, entrepreneurship, relationships, and much more.

Information

  • Creator
    Smart People Industries
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2026
  • Episodes
    509
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Smart People Podcast
  • Show Website
    Smart People Podcast

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