A Bit of Optimism

Peace is a process, not an outcome. It's a process that must begin with understanding the other side. Few people on this planet have as much experience making peace as William Ury. William spent decades as a peace negotiator, resolving the world's most intractable conflicts — from avoiding nuclear catastrophe in the Cold War to mediating ethnic tensions and civil wars. Considered one of the world's pre-eminent negotiation experts, he's written several books on the subject, including the best-selling Getting To Yes. His latest book is titled Possible. I sat down with William to discuss the possibility of peace in an increasingly conflicted world. He shares some great stories with me from his career and what he's learned about the right way to influence others. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on William and his work, check out: his books, Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict and Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In williamury.com

Astonishment. A feeling of amazement so powerful you have to stop in wonder. As President and CEO of the Chicago Bears, Kevin Warren's job is to astonish people with sports moments they'll never forget. A veteran executive of professional football, he's also served as COO of the Minnesota Vikings and Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. For Kevin, helping others experience the magic of the Bears starts with finding his own astonishment. He shares with me why ambitious high-performers need to slow down and appreciate the little things if they want to become better leaders and happier human beings. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Kevin and his work, check out: Kevin's Chicago Bears bio

Leadership is deeply personal. As people change, the way they lead has to change, too. Few leaders have navigated as much change as Joe Biden. He was elected to the Senate at 29 and will end his time as President at 82. The number of things he has witnessed and been a part of over the course of his career is remarkable. His journey has been shaped by unlikely friendships and profound personal loss. I had the honor to sit down with President Biden at the White House to reflect on how his experiences have influenced his approach to both life and leadership. I chose to stay clear of politics and instead focused on the lessons that are applicable to all Americans…and indeed all people. I hope you find it insightful and inspiring. This...is A Bit of Optimism.

Friends can help us get through life’s toughest moments. But a true friend remembers to smile about the good times. That’s why I wanted to revisit my conversation with the founder and CEO of Milk Bar, host of Netflix’s Bake Squad, and author of several cookbooks including Dessert Can Save the World, my dear friend Christina Tosi. Christina is the type of friend I can trust with anything, someone I can cry with. Together we reflect on the art of asking for help and why sometimes all we need from a true friend is 8 minutes of their time. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Christina and her work, check out: Milk Bar her cookbook, Dessert Can Save the World and christinatosi.com For more on the power of an 8-minute phone call, check out this New York Times article. *** By the way, I wanted to share Christina's recipe for making an Ice Cream Loaf. It's magic. You will need: 2 cups (1 pint) of softened ice cream 1 cup of self-rising flour 1 egg Enjoy.

Some people’s life stories are too crazy not to tell. So today, we’re revisiting one of my favorite episodes, my conversation with Molly Bloom. Her story is so riveting it's no surprise it became a star-studded Hollywood film. After her Olympic dreams were dashed, Molly wound up running an illegal, high-stakes poker game where hundreds of millions of dollars would change hands in a night. Molly made a lot of money. Celebrities, mafias, and federal informants soon took an interest in her and her game. Eventually, she lost everything and had no one to blame but herself. Her story became the Academy Award-nominated movie Molly’s Game, and the lessons she learned from her extraordinary journey have tremendous value for the rest of us. This is… A Bit of Optimism. For more on Molly and her work, check out: twitter.com/immollybloom

Grief can paralyze us. Most of us aren't given a manual about how to comfort someone grieving or how to ask for help with our own pain. That's why I wanted to revisit one of my favorite conversations, with Rabbi Sharon Brous. I talked with her about being present to someone else's pain and what it means to heal together in the loneliness epidemic. Considered one of the most influential rabbis in the U.S., she founded her own congregation and has led multiple White House faith events. In her book, The Amen Effect, Sharon explores how grief and heartbreak can be gateways to truly seeing each other. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Sharon and her work, check out: her book The Amen Effect her congregation iKAR See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vision, not skill, is the heart of creativity. But when a creative vision gets too big for one person, the key is to ask for help. Logic is a platinum-selling rapper who’s made waves in the hip hop world. After a troubled childhood, he started making music with a positive, introspective message, eventually receiving nominations for two Grammy Awards. But after achieving massive popular success, he decided to branch out into something different. Today, he writes science fiction novels, makes movies, and is the only rapper to also have a New York Times bestseller. I sat down with Logic, whose real name is Bobby Hall, for a deep dive into bringing creative visions to life — especially when you have no idea what you’re doing. This…is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Logic and his work, check out: his new novel, Ultra 85 @logic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The slums of Kenya are a tough place to grow up. Stealing a mango could get you killed. Kennedy Odede grew up in Kibera, Africa's largest urban slum. A street kid at age 10, he dreamed of factory work for 10 cents a day. But after stealing a mango out of hunger, a stranger's single act of kindness changed the course of his life. Today, Kennedy is the CEO and founder of Shining Hope for Communities, or SHOFCO. For 20 years, SHOFCO has empowered Kenya's poorest neighborhoods, helping over 4 million people access clean water, education, and Internet. In 2024, TIME Magazine named Kennedy one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Kennedy shares with me what it takes to see human goodness while surrounded by scarcity and anger, and how poverty taught him that being together is one of the greatest forms of wealth. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Kennedy and his work, check out: SHOFCO.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Elon Musk rebranded Twitter, X was already in use — at Google. Google X was Google's secret research lab, where Google's most imaginative ideas came to life. As CEO and co-founder, Astro Teller's job is to harness X's wildest, most futuristic technology to solve the world's hardest problems. The same "moonshot factory" that created Google Brain and Waymo self-driving cars is also working on carbon capture, laser-beam Internet, delivery drones, and more. I sat down with Astro to discuss how we build cultures of radical innovation. He shares some useful wisdom about unlearning what we know and why the counterintuitive approach is the key to landing moonshots. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Astro and his work, check out: X, the moonshot factory See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and poetry usually don't mix. But vulnerability has the power to bring teams together. Poet IN-Q has found an unlikely audience in business. A slam poetry veteran and accomplished songwriter, companies invite IN-Q to help strengthen their cultures. He works with teams to connect on a deeper level, using poetry to share something human. As he'll tell you, winning over crowds of skeptical businesspeople is an art. In this conversation, IN-Q takes me through a powerful exercise in vulnerability. He shares some deeply personal poems and walks me through writing my own, and I learn that to truly connect with someone else, you must offer something of yourself first. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about IN-Q and his work, check out: The Never Ending Now poetry journal IN-Q.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our sense of smell has the deepest tie to emotion and memory. But it's also the most overlooked. In business, that's a giant missed opportunity. Dawn Goldworm knows how to use scent to evoke emotion and create loyalty. From Lady Gaga to Ferrari to books, Dawn designs signature fragrances that allow customers to connect with brands in a more meaningful way. A perfumer turned entrepreneur, her company 12.29 works with some of the biggest names in hospitality, fashion, automotive, and beyond. Many years ago, Dawn helped me create the Scent of Optimism. I was excited to talk with her about what it takes to compose a new smell from scratch and why smell has the unique ability to make a brand instantly memorable. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Dawn and her work, check out: 12.29 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fierce competition can lead to burnout. How do we train ourselves to maintain excellence without giving in to the pressure to perform? High-performance psychologist Mike Gervais has a solution. He calls it mastery. Mike's approach to mastering our thoughts and emotions has helped Olympians win gold medals, the Seattle Seahawks win the Superbowl, and CEOs take their companies to the next level. Mike and I sat down to discuss the psychological tools to fine-tune our inner voices and why focusing on purpose instead of outcome empowers us to accomplish difficult things. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Mike's work, check out his podcast: Finding Mastery See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classical music could use a little disruption. For Anastasia Kobekina, that means playing outside of its rigid forms. An accomplished soloist, Anastasia has played with prestigious orchestras all over the world. She also bangs on her cello, improvises with Vivaldi, and sings. I was thrilled to sit down with Anastasia to discuss her musical experimentations and to hear her play some pieces from her remarkable new album Venice. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Anastasia and her music, check out: kobekina.info See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courage isn't about bravado. It's about staying calm. Li Karlsen knows a lot about staying calm under the most inhospitable conditions. One of the most accomplished freedivers in the world, Li is a record-holding champion at holding her breath and diving hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface. I wanted to ask Li what freediving has taught her about managing stress and fear. It turns out the lessons she's learned in the ocean work just as well above the water. Something as simple as changing the way we breathe can have a huge impact on our own fear and stress. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Li, check out: her AIDA stats @li_karlsen and her latest venture bkm.health See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and I continue our journey of out loud self-reflection. We discuss identifying our values, the two types of narcissists, explanation-based parenting, and exercising judgment over our own judgment. Listen to Part 1 here or wherever you listen to podcasts. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Brené and Adam's work, check out: brenebrown.com adamgrant.net See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To become more self-aware, sometimes you need a friend. Two friends is even better. Brené Brown and Adam Grant swing by the podcast for one of our trademark conversations with no plan. It turns into a deep dive about knowing our selves and how self-reflection is sometimes best done with others. What's a little metacognition between friends? This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more from Brené and Adam, check out: brenebrown.com adamgrant.net See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building wealth is an unequal pursuit. Scott Galloway believes no one is getting more screwed financially than young people. Scott argues what the U.S. is doing to the economic future of its youth is nothing less than a war on the young. The massive transfer of wealth from young to old is a topic he explores in his new book The Algebra of Wealth. I was delighted to have Prof G back on the show to share what's been on his mind lately, and enjoyed veering far off topic to discuss love, money, and the nature of true friendship. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Scott and his work, check out: his book The Algebra of Wealth his podcasts at Prof G Media his TED Talk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven years after ISIS killed her son, Diane Foley met with one of his killers. Somehow, she was able to find the humanity in her son's murderer. ISIS held journalist James Foley hostage for 2 years before publicly executing him in 2014, when they uploaded a YouTube video of James's beheading. After her son's murder, Diane Foley started The Foley Foundation, working to free American hostages held abroad, teach journalist safety, and inspire people to act with moral courage. I asked Diane how she found the moral courage to meet ISIS terrorist Alexanda Kotey and see him as a human being. If Diane could find the grace to connect with her son's murderer, the rest of us can find the moral courage to see the good in those with whom we so vehemently disagree. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Diane and her work, check out: her book American Mother The Foley Foundation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humility stems from confidence. Confident leaders can admit when they're not the smartest person in the room. Blake Hall exemplifies the type of leadership we need more of in business. A former Army Ranger, Blake was awarded the Bronze Star for leading his platoon in combat during the Iraq War. Now he's the CEO and co-founder of ID.me, a digital wallet that simplifies online identity verification. I sat down with Blake to discuss how his combat experience informed his journey as an entrepreneur and why the smartest leaders lead with humility. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Blake and his work, check out: id.me See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jump from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue doesn't happen overnight. Over 25 years, John Burke transformed Trek Bikes into a global powerhouse — one mom-and-pop bike store at a time. The key to John's success is simple but powerful. Create value for others first, and you too shall be rewarded. John and I discuss why the best way to win isn't to focus on "winning," but to focus on "play," and how the principles of The Infinite Game have guided his leadership. And he tells me why creative leadership is exactly what's missing in American government. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about John and his work, check out: his book, A Bold Plan For America TrekBikes.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.