The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Adam Karr outlines his personal framework for finding success in both life and business. He shares insights into how to hire the best CEOs (even if you have just ten minutes to talk with them) and what CEOs he avoids talking to, the simple ideas Karr takes seriously, the correlation between people's writing and their performance, and more. This episode is packed with practical wisdom on how to succeed as an investor and business person.
Adam Karr is the President and Portfolio Manager at Orbis Investments. Prior to Orbis, Karr was a partner at Palladium Equity and a financial analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette.

(00:00) Intro
(02:44) Investing Strategies and Market Games
(04:08) Adapting and Evolving Investment Styles
(05:20) The Importance of Obsession and Environment
(06:29) Aligning with Long-Term Investment Goals
(07:11) Identifying and Evaluating Obsessed CEOs
(08:13) The Role of Culture in Investment Decisions
(08:54) Building Long-Term Positions and Overcoming Short-Term Pressures
(12:21) The Blueprint for Success
(15:24) Learning from Role Models and Mentors
(21:25) The Power of Writing and Decision Analytics
(29:11) The Magic in the Last 5% of Investment Research
(35:25) Understanding Roll-Ups: Success Factors and Challenges
(36:01) Applying Knowledge for an Unfair Advantage
(37:42) Learning from Feedback and Case Studies
(40:47) The Importance of Independent Thinking
(43:06) Lessons from Industry Leaders
(49:32) The Will to Practice and Time Management
(56:44) Positioning for Success and Resilience
(01:08:59) Defining Success and Helping Others

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In this episode, John Mackey takes us from the inception of SaferWay—the precursor to Whole Foods—to building one of the most successful natural food empires in the United States. He shares how a life-altering experience shifted his consciousness about food and health, leading him to pioneer the organic food movement. Learn about the delicate balance between staying true to personal ideals and adapting to market realities, as Mackey discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of listening to customers, and the resilience needed to overcome crises, like the flood that nearly destroyed his first store. This conversation is packed with lessons on visionary leadership, the tension between idealism and business growth, and the power of staying committed to a mission.
In this episode, John Mackey takes us from the inception of SaferWay—the precursor to Whole Foods—to building one of the most successful natural food empires in the United States. He shares how a life-altering experience shifted his consciousness about food and health, leading him to pioneer the organic food movement. Learn about the delicate balance between staying true to personal ideals and adapting to market realities, as Mackey discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of listening to customers, and the resilience needed to overcome crises, like the flood that nearly destroyed his first store. This conversation is packed with lessons on visionary leadership, the tension between idealism and business growth, and the power of staying committed to a mission.

John Mackey is the co-founder of Whole Foods Market, where he was the CEO of the company from 1980 to 2022. He is the author of the bestselling book, Conscious Capitalism.

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OUTWAY CEO Rob Fraser discusses the mindset required to excel in elite sports and business. He shares how his personal mission fueled his resilience through injuries and setbacks in cycling, and how this same perseverance has driven him in entrepreneurship. He delves into the lessons he has learned from failure, underscores the importance of long-term thinking, and explains how competitive sports taught him crucial skills—preparation, endurance, and performing under pressure—that he applies daily to build his business.

Rob Fraser is the Founder and CEO of OUTWAY and Custom Lab. He is a five time Team Canada cyclist.

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Follow Shane:
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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/

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John Bragg, founder of Oxford Frozen Foods and Eastlink (the largest privately held telecommunications company in North America), shares his journey from growing up in a small village to becoming one of North America’s largest wild blueberry producers and leading a major telecommunications company.

He discusses his early entrepreneurial ventures, why he got into the blueberry business in the first place, and how he pivoted when things didn’t go quite as planned.

Bragg emphasizes key business principles like long-term thinking, efficiency, and maintaining a low-cost mindset. He also reflects on the importance of cultivating strong teams and staying humble despite his success.

John Bragg is the Chairman, President, and co-CEO of Oxford Frozen Foods, a food manufacturing company he founded in 1968. The company operates the largest fruit farm in the world, with over 12,000 acres of wild blueberries. In the 1970s, he started a cable TV company that became North America’s largest privately held telecommunications company. He did all of this from a town of around one thousand people.

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In this episode, Erin Wade discusses her journey from being a practicing lawyer to making mac and cheese...as a business. Wade shares how surfing became a personal escape while managing a busy life as a CEO and mother, and how she applied lessons from her career to build a restaurant known for its strong workplace culture. She introduces the concept of open book management, which empowers employees by involving them in the company's financials and decisions, leading to higher engagement and performance.Erin also highlights her innovative approach to tackling sexual harassment in the workplace with the “color code of conduct,” a system now used globally in the restaurant industry. She reflects on the power of titles in shaping both external perception and self-identity, and the importance of managing for impact rather than intent. The conversation is packed with insights on leadership, culture-building, and how to create work environments where employees feel valued and empowered.Erin Wade is a chef, author, and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of Homeroom, a restaurant in Oakland, California, known in equal parts for its unique workplace culture and incredible macaroni and cheese. She has a degree in public policy from Princeton University and a law degree from UC Berkeley.

Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at https://fs.blog/newsletter/
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(00:00) Intro
(02:30) Wade's surfing obsession
(04:42) Defeating overthinking
(05:00) Wade's background in food
(06:40) Wade's law detour
(10:20) On being fired
(12:40) Early mistakes and freedom
(20:00) Employee-centric companies
(32:30) Homeroom Hard Times
(34:40) How Wade's law background helped (and hurt)
(42:40) The Color Code of Conduct
(49:30) Why Wade sold Homeroom (and how she felt)
(55:58) Impact vs. Intent
(59:00) Why titles are important
(01:04:00) On success

Shane Parrish sits down with Matthew Dicks, a renowned storyteller, author, and teacher, to explore the nuanced art of storytelling. They go deep into the techniques that turn mediocre stories into masterful ones.

You’ll learn what makes a story truly resonate with an audience, how to identify and highlight the pivotal moments that create emotional impact, the architecture of compelling stories, how to structure narratives for maximum engagement and how to use techniques like suspense, stakes, and humor to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. This conversation covers broad frameworks, like how to structure a great story—and the granular details, like when you should talk quietly to refocus the audience.

Matthew Dicks is novelist, storyteller, columnist, playwright, blogger, and teacher. He’s published fiction and non-fiction books, the latter of which include: Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling and Someday Is Today: 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life.

(00:00:00 Intro
(00:03:28) What makes a good story
(00:06:57) Stories vs anecdotes
(00:08:29) A Story: The Spoon of Power
(00:17:42) The art of story architecture
(00:21:28) Create compelling stories
(00:36:30) Common mistakes & how to fix them
(00:55:01) Strategic listening
(01:03:32) Can you lie in stories?
(01:05:10) 'And' stories vs. 'but / therefore' stories
(01:10:05) Finding engaging stories in everyday life
(01:20:05) Structuring a story
(01:24:00) Storytelling for an unforgettable brand
(01:31:20) Learn confidence
(01:38:40) Writing vs telling a story
(01:51:53) Teach kids to love writing
(01:55:15) Define success

Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at https://fs.blog/newsletter/
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What if people aren’t buying your product or service because their idea of what it does is wrong?
In this episode, Shane asks April Dunford to reveal all her secrets about what makes good and bad product positioning, how a startup should differ in its communications from a big company, and the difference between B2B and B2C positioning. Dunford also shares how a startup can better identify pain points their customers face, how to write the best sales page copy, and the best way to objectively evaluate a product’s positioning.
If you’re an executive at a company, this episode will make you reflect on your current marketing and sales pipelines and ask, “Are we doing this right?” If you’re a designer, engineer, or marketer at a company, this episode will teach you the secrets to selling a product that will help get you promoted and earn trust within your organization.

Dunford spent the first 25 years of her career as a startup executive running marketing, product, and sales teams positioning products acquired by companies like IBM and Siebel Systems. Since then, she’s worked with over 200 companies as a consultant, developing a system to better position technology products and companies. She studied Engineering at the University of Waterloo and is most recently the author of Sales Pitch.

Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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(00:00) Intro
(02:07) Positioning, explained
(16:47) Why is positioning important?
(20:40) B2B vs. B2C positioning
(29:03) When re-positioning a product failed
(32:31) How to identify customer's pain points
(34:35) How to position a product on a sales page
(38:06) How technology has changed positioning
(41:40) How to evaluate product positioning
(45:43) Who's in charge of positioning at a company?
(50:27) On storytelling
(56:35) Should a company have a point of view on the market?
(1:00:21) Dealing with gatekeepers in B2B marketing
(1:03:02) Mistakes people make with positioning
(1:05:21) What schools get wrong about marketing
(1:08:59) Secrets of B2B decision-making
(1:11:18) On success

Brian Halligan, co-founder and former CEO of HubSpot, discusses the journey of leading a company from the startup phase to IPO. Halligan shares his personal and professional experiences, including a snowmobiling accident that altered his life trajectory, the importance of company culture, the nuances of hiring the right people, and the complications involved in running a growing organization.
This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, CEOs, and anyone interested in the intersection of personal growth and professional success.
Brian Halligan is currently a Senior Advisor at Sequoia Capital. In 2006, he co-founded HubSpot and served as its CEO until 2021. He is also a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

(00:00) Intro
(02:36) Halligan's life-changing snowmobile accident
(09:38) Shane's life-changing medical mystery
(14:38) The different phases a CEO goes through while growing companies
(20:44) Lessons learned from Steve Jobs
(23:18) How to hire and fire people (and when)
(27:55) The problems with "Best Practices" in business
(31:11) The most underrated public CEOs (and why Jerry Garcia from The Grateful Dead is on this list)
(43:38) The history and future of inbound marketing
(51:08) On decision making
(55:18) On work-life balance
(58:28) On success

Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠
Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fs.blog/newsletter/⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Few episodes in The Knowledge Project’s nine-year history have impacted people’s relationships and lives more than when Esther Perel shared her infinite wisdom for the first time in 2019.
Shane and Esther discuss how the stories you tell yourself shape how you see the world (and what to do about that), the important conversations to have at the beginning of a relationship, the most common arguments couples have and how to prevent them, what to say to a partner if the relationship isn’t working out, the relationship between desire, love, and pleasure, and so much more. Plus, the conversation starts out on an interesting note: Esther Perel shares stories about her parents surviving the Holocaust and how their experiences shaped her childhood and continue to shape her life today.

(00:00) Intro(02:38) Coming back to life after the war(08:09) The myth of stability(11:30) The power of reflections(19:48) Important conversations for early relationships(24:20) Can values change in relationships?(27:20) Being secure in a relationship(30:40) Better conversations with your partner(33:00) What's behind every criticism(36:52) Too much honesty(39:37) What happens if I don't love my partner(47:12) Why does good sex fade in relationships?(50:59) Love vs. desire(55:38) How to have difficult conversations with your partner(01:05:13) Conscious uncoupling

Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠⁠⁠
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Shane Parrish and Maya Shankar dive into the complexities of identity and personal transformation. They explore how significant life changes can reshape one's sense of self and explain how to navigate these transitions. Maya shares her personal stories and tips on making proactive choices and keeping a flexible, layered sense of self. They also discuss the psychological and philosophical aspects of identity, offering practical advice on goal-setting and personal growth.Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist and the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. Shankar was a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Oxford and a B.A from Yale.
(00:00) Intro
(02:40) Shankar's "almost unbelievable" story of getting into Julliard
(05:30) Why Shankar studied identity
(11:38) What is identity?
(14:52) Using your identity to accomplish your goals
(18:00) Using anti-identities to accomplish your goals
(18:51) What to do when your identity is "attacked"
(26:30) How to re-establish trust in institutions
(32:30) Use identity to start a positive habit
(35:35) How to debunk myths with stories and facts
(37:18) How does how we frame our goals help (or prevent) us from accomplishing them
(43:11) The one motivational technique Shankar uses every day
(45:15) On success

Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠⁠
Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: ⁠⁠https://fs.blog/newsletter/⁠⁠
My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - ⁠⁠https://fs.blog/clear/⁠⁠
Follow me: ⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish⁠⁠
Join our membership: ⁠⁠https://fs.blog/membership/

It's surprising how often we give our kids orders: "Do this!" "Don't do that!" But if we want to raise resilient and independent kids, is this the right approach? Michaeleen Doucleff argues there's a better way, and in this conversation, she explains why and shares practical strategies for solving the parenting "crisis" in the modern world.
In this conversation, Doucleff reveals four parenting principles that will help foster resilience and independence in your kids while protecting and enhancing their emotional well-being. Shane and Doucleff discuss her observations on how different cultures approach parenting and how their practices can help alleviate the burdens we place on ourselves and our children. We also explore the role of technology and its impact on our parenting and our children's development and maturity.Michaeleen Doucleff is the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent. Her work has taken her all over the world to explore, observe, and learn from the parenting practices of various cultures. She is also a correspondent for NPR's Science Desk.
(00:00) Intro
(04:12) How (and why) we've lost our way as parents
(08:02) The rise of the nuclear family
(13:46) TEAM Parenting: T
(17:20) TEAM Parenting: E
(23:01) Why you don't need to praise your child
(26:12) TEAM Parenting: A
(36:42) TEAM Parenting: M
(38:34) "Kids do not need to be entertained"
(39:12) Technology, parenting, and transmitting values
(1:02:59) Resources parents can use to educate kids about technology
(1:04:50) How you can use the environment to give kids autonomy
(1:09:56) Success and parenting

Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠
Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: ⁠https://fs.blog/newsletter/⁠
My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - ⁠https://fs.blog/clear/⁠
Follow me: ⁠https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish⁠
Join our membership: ⁠https://fs.blog/membership/

Succeeding in both life and business is very difficult. The skills needed to scale a company often clash with those required to cultivate a thriving home life. Yet, Brent Beshore seems to have cracked the code—or at least he's actively working on it. In this conversation, he spills his secrets on excelling in both arenas.
This episode is split into two parts: the first 45 minutes covers life and how to be a better person. Brent opens up about the evolution of his marriage, physical health, and inner life.
The rest of the episode focuses on business. Shane and Beshore discuss private equity, how to hire (and when to fire) CEOs, incentives, why debt isn’t a good thing in an unpredictable world, stewardship versus ownership, and why personality tests are so important for a functional organization.After beginning his career as an entrepreneur, Brent Beshore founded Permanent Equity in 2007 and leads the firm as CEO. He works with investors and operators to evaluate new investment opportunities.

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos
Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/
My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/
Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish
Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/
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(00:00) Intro
(05:08) Why Brent examined his life
(09:44) How Brent "fixed" his relationships
(20:04) How helping hurts
(32:13) How Brent was subtly controlling relationships
(40:36) Why Brent stopped drinking (mostly)
(50:29) How to run a business with love yet competitively
(01:00:34) Win-win relationships
(01:05:34) On debt
(01:19:28) On incentives
(01:29:08) How to hire and fire CEOs
(01:34:18) What most people miss about hiring
(01:44:19) Brent's playbook for taking over a company
(01:51:20) On projections
(01:55:52) Revisiting investments
(01:58:44) How "hands-off" is Brent?
(02:08:34) Where people go wrong in private equity
(02:14:07) On success

The skills it takes to get rich are drastically different from the skills it takes to stay rich. Few understand this phenomenon more than Morgan Housel. He's identified unique lessons about wealth, happiness, and money by studying the world's richest families and learning what they did to build their wealth and just how quickly they squandered it all.In this conversation, Shane and Housel discuss various aspects of risk-taking, wealth accumulation, and financial independence. Morgan explains the importance of understanding personal financial goals and the dangers of social comparison, lets everyone in on his personal financial “mistake” that instantly made him sleep better at night, and why the poorest people in the world disproportionately play the lottery—and why it makes sense that they do. They also touch on the influence of upbringing on financial behaviors, the difference between being rich and wealthy, and the critical role of compounding in financial success. Of course, we can’t have a writer as good as Morgan Housel on the podcast and not ask him about his process, so Housel concludes with insights into storytelling, his writing processes, and the importance of leading by example in teaching financial values to children.Morgan Housel is a partner at Collaborative Fund. Previously, he was an analyst at The Motley Fool. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and was selected by the Columbia Journalism Review for the Best Business Writing anthology. He's the author of two books: The Psychology of Money and Same as Ever.Watch the episode on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos⁠
Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: ⁠https://fs.blog/newsletter/⁠
My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - ⁠https://fs.blog/clear/⁠
Follow me: ⁠https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish⁠
Join our membership: ⁠https://fs.blog/membership/⁠

Sponsors
Protekt: Simple solutions to support healthy routines. Enter the code "Knowledge" at checkout to receive 30% off your order. ⁠https://protekt.com/knowledge

(00:00) Intro
(04:46) Risk and income
(07:40) On luck and skill
(10:10) Buffett's secret strategy
(12:28) The one trait you need to build wealth
(16:20) Housel's capital allocation strategy
(16:48) Index funds, explained
(20:59) Expectations and moving goalposts
(22:17) Your house: asset or liability?
(27:39) Money lies we believe
(32:12) How to avoid status games
(35:04) Money rules from parents
(40:15) Rich vs. wealthy
(41:46) Housel's influential role models
(42:48) Why are rich people miserable?
(45:59) How success sows the seeds of average performance
(49:50) On risk
(50:59) Making money, spending money, saving money
(52:50) How the Vanderbilt's squandered their wealth
(1:04:11) How to manage your expectations
(01:06:26) How to talk to kids about money
(01:09:52) The biggest risk to capitalism
(01:13:56) The magic of compounding
(01:16:18) How Morgan reads
(01:22:42) How to tell the best story
(01:24:42) How Morgan writes
(01:35:42) Parting wisdom and thoughts on success

Over the last decade, therapy has become the de facto solution to solve all sorts of problems for all sorts of people. Everyone has slowly accepted that therapy is normal and a net benefit to society. But instead of helping kids work through difficult circumstances, what if it's just making the problems worse? That's what Abigail Shrier thinks is happening, and in this conversation, she reveals some surprising reasons why. Shane and Shrier discuss the real reason therapy is "bad," how we got to this point of acceptance as a culture, and what you can do as a parent to get back to normalcy. Shrier also shares her experiences with lifelong therapy patients, who should actually be in therapy, and the one thing that makes someone a successful parent. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsors: Shopify: Making commerce better for everyone. https://www.shopify.com/shane Protekt: Simple solutions to support healthy routines. Enter the code "Knowledge" at checkout to receive 30% off your order. https://protekt.com/knowledge (00:00) Intro (05:44) Inverse: How do we raise mentally unstable kids? (08:29) How we got to now (11:45) Bad therapy...or just social trends? (13:21) Being your kids' friend: good or bad? (15:55) The parenting type that raises the BEST kids (21:35) Is this all the parents' fault? (29:53) Is "Bad Therapy" a world-wide problem? (32:57) Talk to your kids' therapist about these things (42:09) The importance of facing adversity in childhood (47:06) Can we blame grad schools for all of this? (49:14) On technology and social media (51:03) Schools should "never" have gotten involved in mental health (54:43) Did COVID accelerate "bad therapy?" (56:07) How to return to normalcy (58:21) Why Shane shares negative YouTube comments with his kids (01:01:23) Shrier's experience being "cancelled" (01:04:13) On prestige media (01:07:47) Small steps parents can take to return to normal (01:11:02) Dealing with schools saying one thing and parents saying another (01:13:32) Why is the silent majority...silent? (01:16:32) If this continues, what happens? (01:18:19) What makes someone a successful parent?

What if reaching the next level of success wasn't determined by another skill, degree, or course but by something that changed on the inside? That's what Dr. Jim Loehr believes, and in this episode, he reveals everything he knows about mental toughness and winning the mind game. Shane and Loehr discuss the radical importance of the stories you tell yourself—including how they can damage your kids—and how to change the negative stories you believe. Loehr also shares the best reflection questions to ask yourself to reveal personal blindspots, the importance of rituals for calming anxiety and performing under pressure, and how the best in the world use their recovery time effectively. Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 16 books. From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfillment, and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character. Dr. Loehr possesses a masters and doctorate in psychology and is a full member of the American Psychological Association. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsor: Protekt: Simple solutions to support healthy routines. Enter the code "Knowledge" at checkout to receive 30% off your order. https://protekt.com/knowledge   (00:00) Intro (03:20) Parenting and storytelling (06:15) How to determine whether or not the stories are limiting or enabling you (08:41) What the stories world-class performers tell themselves (15:02) How to change the stories you tell yourself (23:26) Questions to journal about (26:16) Private voices vs. public voices (and how they impact your kids) (31:32) How to help your friends change their stories (37:30) How to better come alongside your kids to prevent destructive behavior (44:48) - (45:06) What Loehr knows about high performers that others miss (53:12) On time and energy (01:06:26) Conquering the "between point" ritual (01:11:50) On rituals vs. habits (01:15:54) How to increase your mental toughness (01:23:51) On success

Working in a business and working on a business are two different things. Without the former, nothing gets done; without the latter, the wrong things get done. David Segal has a unique way of managing that tension, and this episode, he reveals all his business operating secrets and explains how he failed along the way. Shane and Segal discuss what entrepreneurship really is, where motivation comes from, and what Segal learned building a $200 million tea business. Shane and David also dive deep into the dark side of success and the radical depression that can strike when you get a big payday, life and business lessons they learned from Warren Buffett, and the value of time management. David Segal is the co-founder of Firebelly Tea. He’s also best known as “the David” of DAVIDsTEA. During his time at DAVIDsTEA, Segal grew the company from a single store to a $200 million retail giant. Segal left DAVIDsTEA in 2016 and started Mad Radish—a quick service restaurant concept. Mad Radish is all about providing healthy, gourmet fast foods. In 2021, Segal started Firebelly tea to create exceptional loose leaf teas tailored to modern living. Listeners of The Knowledge Project can receive a special 15 percent discount on Firebelly Tea products by heading to www.firebellytea.com and entering the code Shane15 at checkout. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsor: Shopify: Making commerce better for everyone. https://www.shopify.com/shane   (00:00) Intro (04:59) What entrepreneurship really is (07:10) How to manage your psychology (10:40) Yearly planning, daily action (15:50) Avoiding "ivory-tower syndrome" (18:30) Segal's childhood and background (25:15) The history of DAVIDsTEA and Firebelly (36:40) The evolution of tea and business over the last twenty years (42:30) On failures (49:00) Dealing with depression (52:30) Lessons about money (56:55) Business and life lessons from Warren Buffett (1:00:00) On time management (1:04:50) What's missing in Segal's life (1:08:39) On success

Shane Parrish sits down with the renowned biochemist Dr. Rhonda Patrick to explore the intricate world of nutrition and health. Dr. Patrick provides a deep dive into the role micronutrients play in our daily health, detailing how deficiencies and insufficiencies in vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids can lead to serious health issues over time. Shane and Dr. Patrick also discuss the science behind deliberate heat exposure. She outlines the optimal sauna conditions—temperature, duration, and frequency—necessary to achieve these health benefits and explains the physiological mechanisms at play.   Rhonda Patrick has a Ph.D. in biomedical science and a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry/chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. She has done extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition.   (00:00) Intro (04:40) A philosophy for nutrition (15:36) Micronutrients through supplements vs. food (25:43) Wild-caught vs. farm-raised fish (28:44) Organic vs. non-organic vegetables (36:14) On macronutrients (40:20) How protein levels differ in different foods (45:27) The best morning smoothie recipe (54:48) Dr. Patrick grades Shane's "GOAT" smoothie recipe (59:14) Grass-fed vs. non-grass fed (01:04:40) On vitamin D (Is sunscreen killing us more than the sun?) (01:19:48) Deliberate heat and cold exposure (01:44:27) Top three behavioral and diet interventions for life and health improvements Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsors: Eight Sleep: Sleep to power a whole new you. https://www.eightsleep.com/farnamstreet Shopify: Making commerce better for everyone. https://www.shopify.com/shane

Throughout his tenure, Brad Jacobs has built multiple billion-dollar companies. While there is no "playbook" for growing a business, he focuses on a few factors above all else in every company he operates, and in this conversation, he reveals them all. Shane and Jacobs discuss how to read anyone during an interview through a series of intentional questions, the exciting role of AI and technology in the future of business, and where money-making ideas hide in companies. Jacobs also shares how his training in math and music made him a better business operator, the one thing he focuses on to grow his businesses, how to spot big trends before everyone else, and the only thing a company should focus on for success. Brad Jacobs has started five companies from scratch and led each to become a billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar enterprise. These include three publicly traded companies: XPO Logistics, where he serves as Chairman and CEO, United Rentals, and United Waste Systems. Before starting XPO in 2011, Jacobs founded United Rentals in 1997 and led the company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In 1989, he founded United Waste Systems.   (00:00) Intro (04:44) The future of AI (07:21) How to think rationally (08:48) The major trend (10:57) The research process (13:29) On asking better questions (19:35) On rearranging your brain (22:23) On music, math, simplicity, and business (32:26) Leverage, debt, and optionality (35:11) What it takes to take contrarian bets (40:45) Confidence and parents (50:21) Why negative-only feedback is detrimental for employees (56:14) Money lessons (58:13) A deep dive on M&A (Jacobs' secret sauce to growing his companies) (01:07:51) Questions to immediately get to know anyone (01:11:14) On boards and board meetings (01:16:57) On decision-making (01:23:37) The role of capital markets (01:25:41) The type of person you don't want to hire (01:31:16) The best capital allocators (01:33:53) Biggest lesson Jacobs learned from the past year (01:37:20) On success   Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - I share timeless insights and ideas you can use at work and home. Join over 600k others every Sunday and subscribe to Brain Food. Try it: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsors: Eight Sleep: Sleep to power a whole new you. https://www.eightsleep.com/farnamstreet Shopify: Making commerce better for everyone. https://www.shopify.com/shane

Most families who obtain immense wealth squander it by the third generation. But Chris Davis comes from a family whose grandfather and father all became independently wealthy of each other, and Davis has done the same. How does that keep happening? In this conversation, we find out. Shane and Chris discuss life and investment lessons he learned from his father and grandfather, why writing is more important to clarify one's thinking no matter who's reading it, and the surprising benefit of reading physical newspapers and wearing ties to work. Davis also shares his value-investing philosophy, what he learned from working with and meeting Charlie Munger, and what parents can do to raise kids who aren't entitled. Davis talks about his alcohol drink tracker and why it's important to him, why he never puts himself in situations where envy can grow, and Warren Buffett's letter about why investment managers underperform. Chris Davis has been a Director of The Coca-Cola Company since April 2018. Davis is Chairman of Davis Selected Advisers-NY, Inc., an independent investment management firm founded in 1969. Davis joined Davis Selected Advisers-NY, Inc. in 1989 as a financial analyst and in 1995, he became a portfolio manager of the firm’s flagship funds. Prior to joining Davis Selected Advisers-NY, Inc., he served as a research analyst at Tanaka Capital Management and as an accountant at State Street Bank and Trust Co. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - Each week I share timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My New Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsors: Eight Sleep: Sleep to power a whole new you. https://www.eightsleep.com/farnamstreet   (00:00) Intro (03:20) Life lessons Davis learned from his grandfather and father (26:24) The importance of writing things no one reads (36:55) Davis' experiences through financial crises (52:31) Why Davis loves managing a mutual fund (55:49) Why Berkshire Hathaway operates with margin (01:01:05) What is risk? (01:04:02) On low interest rates and their future impact (01:14:46) The mismatched timelines between CEOs, companies, investors, and policy (01:22:19) How Davis and Munger met (01:30:20) Lessons learned from Munger (01:41:29) Why avoiding weaknesses is the ultimate recipe for success (01:55:46) How to raise non-entitled kids and avoid lifestyle creep (01:16:10) On happiness (02:27:00) Good vs. bad board meetings (02:31:34) Three generations of wealth (02:37:15) On success

What can you do (or avoid) tomorrow to guarantee you can live longer? In this episode, Bryan Johnson reveals the five simple disciplines you can start doing to live healthier and longer. Johnson shares what his daily routine looks like, the ins and outs of his experimentation process, and why he gave his father plasma. Johnson also opens up about the constant hate he receives from people online, how he deals with it all, and what he wishes he'd known when he sold his company. Bryan Johnson is the world's most measured human. Johnson sold his company to PayPal in 2013. Through Project Blueprint, Johnson has achieved metabolic health equal to the top 1.5% of 18 year olds, inflammation 66% lower than the average 10 year old, and reduced his speed of aging by the equivalent of 31 years. Johnson is also the founder of Kernel, creator of the world’s first mainstream non-invasive neuroimaging system; and OS Fund, where he invested in the predictable engineering of atoms, molecules, and organisms. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos Newsletter - Each week I share timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ My New Book! Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results is out now - https://fs.blog/clear/  Follow me: https://beacons.ai/shaneparrish Join our membership: https://fs.blog/membership/ Sponsors: Eight Sleep: Sleep to power a whole new you. https://www.eightsleep.com/farnamstreet Sidebar: Accelerate your career. https://www.sidebar.com/shane   Timecodes: (00:00) Intro (04:45) On biographies (09:03) On depression and coping mechanisms (15:18) Self-destructive behavior and how to pitch Blueprint to someone (27:50) What a day looks like on Blueprint (exercise and what to eat)43:06 (43:06) How to turn Blueprint protocols into habits (46:17) Embracing the hate (50:07) The downsides and lessons of making money (01:00:22) The five habits (01:06:09) Why does posture matter? (01:08:48) Relationship between biological health and sexual health (01:10:50) Hair-loss prevention (01:16:46) Sunscreen, plastics, and other miscellaneous impacts on aging (01:19:30) How will AI help us? (01:23:10) On success