A Bit of Optimism

It’s our last episode of 2024, so I decided to invite comedian Trevor Noah on…to get as serious as possible. Most Americans know Trevor as the former host of The Daily Show, a bestselling author, and a stand-up comedian. But his brand of humor isn’t just a barrel of laughs— it’s raw, witty, thought-provoking, and often makes you see the world in a whole new way. In this conversation, we ditched the small talk (mostly) and went deep into the paradox of choice, the public's response to the murder of United HealthCare's CEO, and why the human experience might be defined by constraint. It will make you chuckle, think, and probably question everything all at once. This...is a Bit of Optimism. P.S. Come back and see us on January 7, 2025 for an all new episode. Until then, take care of yourself and each other. For more on Trevor and his work, check out: trevornoah.com

They say business and pleasure don’t mix. But what about business and friends? My dear friend Will Guidara is the perfect person to dive into this question because we're actively trying to get into business together. And, let's just say, it requires a lot of effort. In addition to being someone I love, Will is a renowned restaurateur, known for owning and operating Eleven Madison Park, once named the best restaurant in the world. He’s also the author of the brilliant book Unreasonable Hospitality and a co-producer of the HBO television series The Bear. Will and I have worked together before, so I was excited to chat with him about turning friends into colleagues, the reality of friendship breakups at work, and why sometimes showing respect means we have to change the way we treat a friend. This…is A Bit of Optimism For more on Will and his work, check out: Unreasonable Hospitality The Art of Creating Fiercely Loyal Customers

We all want to live a happy life, but what does research say about how to actually achieve it? For more than 86 years, researchers at Harvard University have been trying to answer that question. In one of the longest-running and most comprehensive studies of human happiness, Harvard tracked 724 teenagers through every stage of their adult lives since 1938. Some of them are still alive today and the findings are clear: lasting happiness isn’t about wealth or fame—it’s about something much deeper. Robert Waldinger, a professor and psychiatrist, has directed the study for over 20 years. His TED Talk about it went viral with nearly 50 million views, and in 2023, he wrote a book about it - The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.I asked Robert to share what the study has revealed about happiness over the decades, how its insights have shaped his own life, and the one essential ingredient for a joyful, meaningful existence. This…is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Robert and his work, check out: The Harvard Study of Adult Development robertwaldinger.com

Finding love is a journey. We might take some wrong turns along the way. Matthew Hussey helps people find love, and sometimes, redefine their relationship with love. Matthew is a dating coach who balances practical advice about the art of attraction with the importance of centering our own sense of self in our search for love. Starting as a teenager and working primarily with women, he’s helped thousands of people find romance and create relationships built on values which feel right for them. I sat down with Matthew to ask him everything he’s learned about love after decades as a dating coach. He shares with me the most common mistakes people make when looking for a partner, what we ought to be looking for, and why our own happiness is ultimately our own responsibility, not anyone else’s. This…is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Matthew and his work, check out: his new book, Love Life his YouTube channel matthewhussey.com

Close friends are the best thing for your health. Friendship, it turns out, is one of life’s best medicines. If you don’t believe me, believe Dr. Mark Hyman. Mark is one of the leading voices in the functional medicine movement, which is all about taking a holistic approach to our health for natural healing and preventing disease. The smallest changes in our daily lifestyle habits, or what we eat and drink, or our positive social interactions can have huge impacts on our long-term health. I sat down with Mark to talk about my most recent obsession – friendship. I was eager to get a physician’s perspective on all the ways friendship is beneficial for our health. In this conversation, we discuss the biological benefits of talking to a good friend and why you’re only as healthy as your five closest friends. This…is A Bit of Optimism For more on Mark Hyman and his work, check out: The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast Function Health drhyman.com

In 2020, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from his own company in protest. After 15 years building Reddit into a social media juggernaut, why leave? The answer is values. Alexis is the kind of entrepreneur and investor who believes that integrity and long term profits go hand in hand. It’s the reason he started his new company 776, allowing him to invest in startups that are trying to make the world a better place. And it’s the reason he resigned from Reddit after George Floyd was killed, requesting the board replace him with a Black director. In this conversation, Alexis shares with me his thoughts on the future of entrepreneurship, the race for AGI, climate change, and the principles that guide the way he leads. It turns out, building a business with values is the best thing for long term greed. This...is A Bit of Optimism For more on Alexis and his work, check out: 776 alexisohanian.com

Kenya's Maasai Mara is rugged, beautiful, and tough. Values are everything for the people who live in this rural countryside, On a trip to Kenya, I had the opportunity to visit The Mara. The intelligence and grit of the young people there blew me away! I met incredibly driven young women determined to uplift their families from poverty. Carol Moraa is giving them that opportunity. She's the founding principal of Kisaruni Girls High School and Provost for Legacy College. I wanted to ask Carol where her kids find the motivation to willingly sign up for 18-hour school days. It turns out when learning is a choice, not an obligation, it's possible to build schools where cultural values and community are at the heart of what people do. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Carol and her work, check out: Legacy College Kisaruni Girls High School

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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