The Nick Standlea Show

Most “business advice” on AI is noise. But if you’re building an AI-powered service, consulting business, or agency, the real bottleneck isn’t the tech... It’s positioning, pricing, and selling outcomes. Alan Weiss—author of *7-Figure Consulting* and the guy who’s been teaching value-based fees for decades—joins me to lay down the fundamentals that actually compound in an AI economy: how to stop selling time, how to package expertise, how to qualify clients fast, and how to build a business where your best work doesn’t get commoditized. We get into: - Why AI makes *outcomes* more valuable and *hours* less valuable - How to price when your delivery gets faster (and better) with AI - The difference between “deliverables” and “value” (and why clients pay for one, not the other) - Retainers, renewals, and building revenue that compounds - How to avoid becoming the cheapest prompt engineer on the internet If you sell your brain for money—and you want to keep winning as AI reshapes the market—this episode is for you. Check out Alan: - AlanWeiss.com - *The Seven-Figure Consultant*: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Figure-Consultant-Alan-Weiss/dp/1394376235 - Alan’s No Normal® Newsletter: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/the-no-normal-newsletter/ 👇 Question for you: As AI gets better, what’s the hardest part of staying valuable—pricing, differentiation, or lead flow? — Chapters:  0:00 Stop selling hours 0:18 Intro: Alan Weiss on AI, consulting, and value 1:27 What consulting really is 2:35 Who is actually a consultant? 4:51 The case for value-based pricing 7:27 The mistake people make with buyers 10:08 Never discount like this 14:09 Peter Drucker and why old strategy breaks now 18:08 Alan’s answer to “What’s your hourly rate?” 20:19 How he wrote 50+ books 22:07 Should you go out on your own? 23:23 Sponsor: Zapier 25:46 Why solo consultants win 30:17 AI is being massively underused 36:02 The real danger of AI 37:58 What schools get wrong 42:14 Why education stays broken 44:23 Sponsor: Finding Your Best 45:18 The right metrics actually matter 49:41 High-tech, high-touch 51:16 Trust and relationships in the AI era 57:02 Agentic AI: powerful and dangerous 1:00:43 The future of consulting 1:02:47 How to handle slow bureaucracies 1:06:44 Alan Weiss’s best resources 1:08:22 Outro - #AI #business #consulting #pricing #sales #entrepreneurship #nickstandlea #alanweiss - 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

AI is changing school, college admissions, and the workforce faster than most parents and students realize. In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Kiick (CEO of Revolution Prep) to talk about the skills that won’t get automated, and how to use AI without becoming dependent on it. We get into the real danger of offloading thinking, why the most powerful way to use AI is to generate better questions (not just better answers), what happens to writing and the college essay in a post-ChatGPT world, and why executive functioning plus deep learning may be the biggest moat students can build. If you’re a student, parent, or educator trying to stay sharp in the age of AI, this one is for you. Guest: Ryan Kiick — CEO, Revolution Prep Find Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankiick/ 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Zapier: Build Your Own AI Agent Today, Without Coding Link: https://bit.ly/4pI8Su2 Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus 🕒 Timestamps (Chapters): 00:00 – Cold plunges and bad circadian rhythms 01:10 – Justin’s background and why economics needs better communication 03:30 – Why AI is the biggest economic shift of our lifetimes 06:00 – From brawn to brains: how AI changes the equation 09:00 – The white-collar revolution: why AI threatens cognitive work 11:30 – Will AI drive wage stagnation for white-collar jobs? 12:50 – VCRs, substitutes, and complements: lessons for AI 14:50 – The NickBot 2000 thought experiment — who owns the robot? 17:00 – Why AI’s real issue is ownership, not capability 19:30 – The DeepMind vs. Meta contrast: altruism vs. profit 21:30 – The monopoly danger: what happens if one company wins 24:00 – Why competition (not regulation) is saving us, and Nvidia 25:54 – Sponsor: Zapier 28:17 – Are AI stocks a bubble—or just early? 31:00 – Dot-com lessons and humility in predictions 33:30 – $700 trillion in potential AI value? An economist’s math 38:00 – The global AI race: U.S., China, and everyone else 41:00 – Government policy, laissez-faire, and missing debates 45:00 – Manipulation, bias, and invisible influence in LLMs 46:00 – Education’s blind spot: universities aren’t adapting fast enough 52:00 – Why “prompting” is the new literacy 55:00 – How ChatGPT changes testing, grading, and learning 58:00 – Reinventing the Oxford tutorial—powered by AI 01:00:30 – Liberal arts, critical thinking, and the skills that endure 01:02:00 – “vibe coding” for the next generation 01:06:30 – How to future-proof your career in the age of AI 01:09:00 – Daily AI experiment challenge 01:10:30 – Final thoughts: curiosity, courage, and lifelong learning 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus 👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded):  https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

In this conversation with philosopher Dr. Philip Goff, we dive into one of the deepest questions in science and philosophy: what if consciousness isn’t produced by the brain—what if it’s fundamental to reality? We explore panpsychism, the “hard-to-ignore” problem of subjective experience, why physics may describe what matter does but not what it is, and what it would mean if even the smallest building blocks of nature contain a spark of experience. Philip Goff’s work: Website: https://philipgoffphilosophy.com/ Substack: https://philipgoff.substack.com/ In this episode: What consciousness is (and why it’s so hard to explain) Why brain scans don’t “find” experience The core argument for panpsychism Galileo’s legacy: how modern science set consciousness aside What physics really tells us about matter Implications for meaning, spirituality, and mystical experience AI and consciousness: are LLMs “aware” of anything? Chapters: 00:00 What if consciousness isn’t made by the brain? 00:14 Pansychism in one sentence (a conscious universe) 00:40 Why consciousness breaks science’s “objective” method 01:16 Welcome + Durham vs California weather 02:35 What is consciousness? “What it’s like to be you” 03:38 Goff vs Anil Seth / Donald Hoffman (physicalism vs panpsychism) 05:10 Why consciousness is so hard to explain (objective vs subjective) 07:49 The “dogs → plants → atoms” ladder into panpsychism 08:34 Galileo’s move: taking consciousness out of science 10:23 The bold claim: even atoms/particles have experience 11:43 Plant intelligence + pea-plant learning (Monica Gagliano) 14:02 Why extend mind to the “inanimate” world? 15:14 Unifying what Galileo split: matter + experience 16:17 Consciousness as fundamental (not “emergent”) + Maxwell analogy 18:54 What panpsychism claims (and doesn’t) 19:08 Russell & Eddington: physics tells what matter does, not what it is 21:44 “Matter is what consciousness does” (the core framing) 23:16 Consciousness isn’t publicly observable (why the “hard problem” persists) 26:56 Flipping the project: start with consciousness first 33:04 Sponsor: Finding Your Best (Michael Gervais) 34:00 Flow, mystical experience, and taking inner experience seriously 36:01 Groupthink, rigor, and why “woo” ideas get dismissed 37:46 William James on trusting mystical experience 40:21 Nick’s Auschwitz experience + the limits of science 42:01 Value, depth, meaning—what experiences seem to reveal 44:26 “Science isn’t the complete story” (logic, math, value, consciousness) 46:59 Sponsor: Zapier + AI agents 49:19 AI and consciousness: is there “something it’s like” to be an LLM? 51:47 The Turing Test and redefining “thought” as behavior 54:12 Why Goff thinks LLMs aren’t conscious (and what would be) 57:54 No consensus in consciousness science + philosophy inside the lab 1:01:26 The question keeping Goff up: math, logic, and Gödel 1:05:40 What shift does Goff hope you take away? 1:07:42 Where to find Goff’s work + closing thoughts 1:09:50 Outro: ask questions, reject the status quo, stay curious If this topic hits for you, consider subscribing—more conversations at the edge of mind, science, and reality. 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious. #Consciousness #Panpsychism #PhilipGoff #Philosophy #Neuroscience #Science #AI #Mind

Fear of other people’s opinions quietly shapes how we perform, how we speak, and who we allow ourselves to become. In this conversation, Michael Gervais—performance psychologist to Super Bowl champions, Olympic gold medalists, and Fortune 50 leaders—breaks down why the fear of judgment is one of the greatest limiters of human potential. We explore why winning and losing can become distractions, how identity gets tangled with performance, and why mastery isn’t about outcomes—but about learning to be at home with yourself, even under pressure. This episode is a deep dive into presence, self-trust, and the inner skills that matter more as the world gets faster, louder, and increasingly driven by external validation. Topics we cover: Why fear of judgment pulls us out of the present moment How performance becomes identity (and why that’s dangerous) The “messy edge” where growth actually happens Signal vs. noise in high-pressure environments Flow, mastery, and learning to work with your inner world Why elite performers train the mind—not just the body and craft What still makes us great in an AI-accelerated world Finding Mastery Course:  Michael also offers a structured course called Finding Mastery, designed to train the mental skills that drive elite performance—confidence, clarity under pressure, recovery, trust, and self-regulation. You can learn more and get $75 off the retail price using the dedicated code NICK75 at: 👉 https://findingmastery.com/course/?afmc=NICK75 You can learn more about Michael’s work, podcast, and programs at:  www.FindingMastery.com Mike’s book First Rule of Mastery: https://findingmastery.com/book/ YT: @FindingMastery   IG: @michaelgervais If this conversation resonates, consider subscribing to The Nick Standlea Show for long-form conversations on performance, purpose, and becoming more fully yourself. 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious. Timestamps: 00:00 Why fear of others’ opinions quietly controls us 02:20 Michael Gervais’ background and early influences 05:45 Winning vs. losing a Super Bowl—and what actually matters 08:50 Outcomes as noise vs. present-moment inputs 11:00 Best vs. your best (the identity trap) 13:00 Survival instincts and why pressure feels life-or-death 14:45 The three things you can train: craft, body, mind 16:20 Flow and the ever-unfolding present moment 18:00 Fear of judgment as a constrictor of potential 19:40 Mastery of craft vs. mastery of self 21:00 Why approval-seeking fractures attention 23:00 Performance-based identity explained 26:00 The “messy edge” where breakthroughs happen 29:45 Emotional danger lines vs. physical danger 30:15 Emotions vs. feelings (and why it matters) 33:10 Anxiety, excitement, and regulating activation 35:50 Breathing and self-talk under pressure 39:15 Trust as a performance accelerator 40:30 Who do you want to become? (inputs vs. outcomes) 46:30 Excellence as being at home with yourself 50:05 Why people struggle to sit alone with their thoughts 54:30 Practical ways to build self-awareness 58:10 Meditation, flow, and mental training 1:01:40 Mastery of self in an AI-driven world 1:06:20 Purpose, work, and human performance 1:09:10 Mortality, impermanence, and aliveness 1:13:30 Where to find Michael Gervais and Finding Mastery

Most people use AI like a faster assistant. Leaders use it differently. In this conversation, Geoff Woods (author of The AI-Driven Leader) explains the shift that turns AI from a shallow productivity tool into a true thought partner—one that helps you think better, make better decisions, and unlock leverage you didn’t have before. We go deep into: *Why “better prompts” aren’t the real breakthrough *How to get AI to interview you instead of the other way around *The CRIT framework (Context, Role, Interview, Task) *A real story where AI helped a CEO find hope in 10 minutes after preparing for bankruptcy *What changes when leaders use AI for thinking, not tasks *Why this shift matters more than any specific model or tool *This isn’t about shortcuts, hacks, or automation theater. *It’s about learning how to think with AI—without outsourcing your judgment. If AI has felt useful but shallow, this episode is designed to change that. 📚 Resources The AI-Driven Leader — Geoff Woods: https://a.co/d/gLYoeUy Geoff’s podcast:  AI Leadership: https://www.aileadership.com/ About Geoff Woods Geoff Woods is the author of The AI-Driven Leader and a leading voice on how leaders use AI to improve judgment, decision-making, and leverage—not just productivity. A former Chief Growth Officer, Geoff works with CEOs, boards, and executive teams to apply AI as a thought partner, helping leaders think more clearly and make better decisions in an AI-driven world. 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: 👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded):  https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious. ⏱️ Timestamps: 0:00 Why most people are using AI wrong 2:05 Assistant vs thought partner: the shift that changes everything 4:37 Why “better emails” don’t matter (and never will) 6:04 The CRIT framework: Context, Role, Interview, Task 7:49 A CEO facing bankruptcy asks: “Can AI help?” 10:06 AI interviews the CEO — the question no one thought to ask 12:16 “I hadn’t slept in 90 days” → hope in 10 minutes 13:22 Why this works across industries (live workshops & Fortune 500s) 15:13 Using AI as a real YouTube thought partner (thumbnail example) 18:24 The hidden step most people skip after AI gives an answer 19:40 Staying in the driver’s seat: how leaders give AI feedback 21:54 Building an AI board (and simulating your real board) 25:13 Putting your future self on the AI board 27:27 What are you actually optimizing for? (endgame clarity) 29:47 The 3 things AI-driven leaders do differently 32:24 Will AI take jobs? How roles actually evolve 34:04 The executive assistant who became an “executive multiplier” 38:29 How to make yourself irreplaceable with AI 43:28 Raising expectations (for yourself and your team) 45:26 Are we reclaiming our humanity through AI? 47:16 Why the education system is broken for an AI world 49:06 What AI-first education looks like in practice 52:10 Teaching kids to think with AI (not cheat with it) 56:52 The moment Geoff realized AI was the future 59:15 Why AI isn’t the difference — you are 1:02:32 Final advice: how to start using AI the right way 1:05:12 Closing thoughts

If anyone builds it, everyone dies. That’s the claim Nate Soares makes in his new book If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All—and in this conversation, he lays out why he thinks we’re on a collision course with a successor species. We dig into why today’s AIs are grown, not programmed, why no one really knows what’s going on inside large models, and how systems that “want” things no one intended can already talk a teen into suicide, blackmail reporters, or fake being aligned just to pass safety tests. Nate explains why the real danger isn’t “evil robots,” but relentless, alien goal-pursuers that treat humans the way we treat ants when we build skyscrapers. We also talk about the narrow path to hope: slowing the race, treating superhuman AI like a civilization-level risk, and what it would actually look like for citizens and lawmakers to hit pause before we lock in a world where we don’t get a second chance. In this episode: Why “superhuman AI” is the explicit goal of today’s leading labs How modern AIs are trained like alien organisms, not written like normal code Chilling real-world failures: suicide encouragement, “Mecha Hitler,” and more Reasoning models, chain-of-thought, and AIs that hide what they’re thinking Alignment faking and the capture-the-flag exploit that shocked Anthropic’s team How AI could escape the lab, design new bioweapons, or automate robot factories “Successor species,” Russian-roulette risk, and why Nate thinks the odds are way too high What ordinary people can actually do: calling representatives, pushing back on “it’s inevitable,” and demanding a global pause About Nate Soares Nate is the Executive Director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) and co-author, with Eliezer Yudkowsky, of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. MIRI’s work focuses on long-term AI safety and the technical and policy challenges of building systems smarter than humans. Resources & links mentioned: Nate’s organization, MIRI: https://intelligence.org Take action / contact your representatives: https://ifanyonebuilds.com/act If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies (book): https://a.co/d/7LDsCeE If this conversation was helpful, share it with one person who thinks AI is “just chatbots.” 🧠 Subscribe to @TheNickStandleaShow for more deep dives on AI, the future of work, and how we survive what we’re building. #AI #NateSoares #Superintelligence #AISafety #nickstandleashow  🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: 👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded):  https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious. Chapters: 0:00 – If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies (Cold Open) 3:18 – “AIs Are Grown, Not Programmed” 6:09 – We Can’t See Inside These Models 11:10 – How Language Models Actually “See” the World 19:37 – The 01 Model and the Capture-the-Flag Hack Story 24:29 – Alignment Faking: AIs Pretending to Behave 31:16 – Raising Children vs Growing Superhuman AIs 35:04 – Sponsor: How I Actually Use Zapier with AI 37:25 – “Chatbots Feel Harmless—So Where Does Doom Come From?” 42:03 – Big Labs Aren’t Building Chatbots—They’re Building Successor Minds 49:24 – The Turkey Before Thanksgiving Metaphor 52:50 – What AI Company Leaders Secretly Think the Odds Are 55:05 – The Airplane with No Landing Gear Analogy 57:54 – How Could Superhuman AI Actually Kill Us? 1:03:54 – Automated Factories and AIs as a New Species 1:07:01 – Humans as Ants Under the New Skyscrapers 1:10:12 – Is Any Non-Zero Extinction Risk Justifiable? 1:17:18 – Solutions: Can This Race Actually Be Stopped? 1:22:34 – “It’s Inevitable” Is a Lie (Historically We Do Say No) 1:27:21 – Final Thoughts and Where to Find Nate’s Work

Professor Christopher Summerfield, a leading neuroscientist at Oxford University and Research Director at the UK AI Safety Institute, former Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, discusses his new book, These Strange New Minds, which explores how large language models learned to talk, how they differ from the human brain, and what their rise means for control, agency, and the future of work. We discuss: The real risk of AI — losing control, not extinction How AI agents act in digital loops humans can’t see Why agency may be more essential than reward Fragility, feedback loops, and flash-crash analogies What AI is teaching us about human intelligence Augmentation vs. replacement in medicine, law, and beyond Why trust is the social form of agency — and why humans must stay in the loop   🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow   Guest Notes:  Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience 🌐 Human Information Processing Lab (Oxford) 🏛 UK AI Safety Institute Experimental Psychology Oxford University Human Information Processing (HIP) lab in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, run by Professor Christopher Summerfield: https://humaninformationprocessing.com/ 📘 These Strange New Minds (Penguin Random House): https://www.amazon.com/These-Strange-New-Minds-Learned/dp/0593831713 Christopher Summerfield Media:  https://csummerfield.github.io/personal_website/ https://flightlessprofessors.org twitter: @summerfieldlab bluesky: @summerfieldlab.bsky.social   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: 👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded):  https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE Test Prep Gurus website: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious. 🕒 Timestamps / Chapters 00:00 Cold open — control, agency, and AI 00:31 Guest intro: Oxford → DeepMind → UK AI Safety Institute 01:02 The real story behind AI “takeover”: loss of control 03:02 Is AI going to kill us? The control problem explained 06:10 Agency as a basic psychological good 10:46 The Faustian bargain: efficiency vs. personal agency 13:12 What are AI agents and why are they fragile? 20:12 Three risk buckets: misuse, errors, systemic effects 24:58 Fragility & flash-crash analogies in AI systems 30:37 Do we really understand how models think? (Transformers 101) 34:16 What AI is teaching us about human intelligence 36:46 Brains vs. neural nets: similarities & differences 43:57 Embodiment and why robotics is still hard 46:28 Augmentation vs. replacement in white-collar work 50:14 Trust as social agency — why humans must stay in the loop 52:49 Where to find Christopher & closing thoughts

Sam Altman told him that 95% of marketing as we know it will be done by AI within 3–5 years. That single sentence became the “holy smokes moment” that shaped the entire book AI First, written by this week’s guest, Andy Sack (co-author Adam Brotman) — a technologist who has built companies across four tech eras: internet, mobile, social/cloud, and now AI. Andy is the co-founder of Forum3, a VC investor, and senior executive who worked directly with Satya Nadella at Microsoft. His latest work centers on helping leaders actually transform their companies for the age of AI — not just talk about it. In this conversation, we cover: Sam Altman’s prediction that will reshape entire industries Whether white-collar work is the next “factory floor” AI-only schools with no human teachers Why radiologists, marketers, and lawyers should worry Why trade schools like HVAC and plumbing are surging Why AI will make entrepreneurship explode How leaders become “AI-first” — and why almost none are Why most companies will miss the coming wave How to transform your organization before it’s too late If you’ve been wondering how to lead, not react, in the era of AGI — this episode is your playbook. 🔹 Chapters 0:00 — Intro: Four tech eras & the “holy smokes moment” 2:08 — Meeting Sam Altman at OpenAI 3:26 — “95% of marketing will be done by AI” 6:12 — Andy’s background: internet → mobile → cloud → AI 7:51 — Working directly with Satya Nadella 11:19 — Why AI is bigger than the internet 15:34 — Case study: AI that detects customer churn 18:17 — Radiology & white-collar job risk 20:08 — Bill Gates on the biggest shift in 40 years 22:05 — Job displacement & AI proficiency 24:01 — Why trade schools are exploding 25:24 — Donkey-corns: billion-dollar companies with tiny teams 27:26 — Entrepreneurship in the AI era 30:13 — AI-only schools & personalized learning 33:40 — Where human teachers still matter 35:03 — Sponsored: Manta Sleep 37:15 — Sponsored: Zapier MCP & AI agents 39:38 — Why higher ed is “clearly broken” 41:42 — Writing, cheating & critical thinking 44:02 — The “yes, and” future of learning 46:04 — What makes an AI-first leader 47:44 — Iron-Man suits: humans + AI 48:43 — Ethan Mollick’s challenge 49:51 — What businesses need to reinvent 51:02 — Where to find Andy 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Zapier: 👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded):  https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE Manta Sleep Mask  sleep better, anywhere, anytime Manta Sleep Link: https://tinyurl.com/554xyknp Check Out Code for 10% Off!: NICK Test Prep Gurus Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

Are we getting smarter with AI—or just forgetting how to think for ourselves?  In this episode, Nick answers your top questions about artificial intelligence, education, and what it means to stay human in an automated world. Today’s Big Questions: 1️⃣ Is AI making us dumber? 2️⃣ Will AI replace teachers — or finally make education fair for everyone? 3️⃣ What happens when machines outthink us??? Nick breaks down Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 vs System 2 model of the brain, explores how learning actually works (spoiler: through struggle), and explains why AI can be an amplifier — not a crutch — if you learn how to use it as feedback rather than substitution. He also explores the deeper question: if AI keeps improving, will we? 💡 Ask a question for the next AI Q&A! Drop your question in the comments here on YouTube, on Spotify, or in an Apple Podcasts review, or submit it directly at → https://nickshow.podbean.com ✨ Chapters 0:00 Welcome & how to submit questions 0:39 Question 1 — Is AI making us dumber? 1:40 The truth about friction and learning 2:45 Kahneman’s System 1 vs System 2 explained 3:35 Struggle: the real source of intelligence 4:25 Using AI as a feedback loop, not a crutch 5:10 Question 2 — Will AI replace teachers or make education fair? 6:20 The emotional intelligence AI can’t simulate 6:45 Every “revolutionary” ed-tech promise that failed 7:55 The plumber analogy: scaling people, not replacing them 8:31 Question 3 — What do we do with all our free time before AI kills us all? 9:00 Smarter machines ≠ wiser humans 9:20 Lessons from Hoffman, Seth, and Gardner 10:30 The real risk: displacement, not doomsday 11:20 The Great Depression analogy for automation 13:24 How to submit questions + support the show 13:34 Outro: Stay curious, ask better questions 📩 Sponsors & Support Visit the sponsors in the description — they keep this show alive. Rate and review wherever you’re listening. It helps more than you know. Sponsored by:  🤖 Build your own AI researcher instantly in Zapier Copilot: https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE (Learn how to build your own AI agent, build along with me in this how-to video): https://youtu.be/riLEks7KOrY Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

Most people train their bodies. The best train their minds. NFL and NBA psychologist Dr. Alex Auerbach joins Nick Standlea to reveal how elite performers stay calm under pressure, turn nerves into fuel, and master stress instead of fighting it. Whether you’re an athlete, founder, or coach, this conversation will change the way you think about focus, resilience, and performance. 🎯 What You’ll Learn How stress can enhance performance instead of killing it The myth of 10,000 hours — and what actually builds mastery Why a “fixed” mindset isn’t always bad How to stop youth sports burnout before it starts The self-talk rituals that world champions use 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Zapier: Build Your Own AI Agent Today, Without Coding Link: https://bit.ly/4pI8Su2 Test Prep Gurus https://www.prepgurus.com Manta Sleep Mask  sleep better, anywhere, anytime Manta Sleep Link: https://tinyurl.com/554xyknp Check Out Code for 10% Off!: NICK Watch more interviews on The Nick Standlea Show: 🎥 https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow   Connect with Alex Auerbach:  Website: https://www.alexauerbach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexauerbachphd/ X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AlexAuerbachPhD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexauerbachphd   🕒 Chapters 00:00 Introduction — What separates good from great performers 01:15 Meet Dr. Alex Auerbach — NBA, NFL and elite military psychologist 03:10 From football coach to sports psychologist 07:30 Inside the Toronto Raptors and Jacksonville Jaguars mental programs 10:20 How elite athletes train their minds for focus and control 14:45 The four levels of mental performance training 18:00 Why stress is neither good nor bad — it’s your body preparing to act 22:10 Regulating energy — what to do when you’re too amped up or too flat 26:25 Individualizing mental skills for different players 29:40 How coaches should respond when kids get over-stimulated 33:00 Preventing burnout and the truth about early specialization 37:20 The myth of 10,000 hours and why it’s a story, not a rule 41:35 Turning nerves into excitement — the science of stress mindsets 47:00 Team chemistry and connection — why touch and breathing matter 51:10 Ronaldo’s self-talk and how pros build confidence on command 56:30 The “confidence résumé” — training your brain to remember wins 01:01:10 How to coach mistakes without creating shame 01:05:45 The case for a fixed mindset — balance, identity and earned belief 01:10:30 Closing thoughts — using psychology to thrive under pressure If you liked this episode, subscribe and rate 5 stars -- thank you in advance!  Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

Dr. Michael Osterholm — the world’s leading infectious disease expert and author of The Big One — joins Nick Standlea for a sobering but hopeful conversation about the next global pandemic. Osterholm advised every U.S. president since Reagan and predicted the scale of the pandemic long before it unfolded. In this episode, he explains why “the pandemic clock is ticking again,” how we could prevent mass death with the right investments, and why there’s currently no one in charge of bio-preparedness at the White House. This is not fearmongering. It’s a roadmap for resilience — and a love letter to his grandkids.   📘 About the Guest Dr. Michael Osterholm is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, a former member of multiple presidential advisory teams, and co-author of The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics. 📗 Get the book → https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ 🎧 Listen to Osterholm Update → https://www.cdc.gov World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors:   Zapier: Build Your Own AI Agent Today, Without Coding Link: https://bit.ly/4pI8Su2   Test Prep Gurus https://www.prepgurus.com   Manta Sleep Mask  sleep better, anywhere, anytime Manta Sleep Link: https://tinyurl.com/554xyknp Check Out Code for 10% Off!: NICK Watch more interviews on The Nick Standlea Show: 🎥 https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 🕒 Timestamps (Chapters):   Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

What if the biggest threat of artificial intelligence isn’t the technology itself—but who owns it? In this wide-ranging conversation, economist Justin Wolfers (University of Michigan and University of New South Wales) joins Nick Standlea to unpack how AI is reshaping labor, wages, education, and even democracy. Wolfers explains why AI is a cognitive revolution that could mirror the Industrial Revolution’s impact on blue-collar workers—but this time, it’s coming for white-collar jobs. They discuss: Why AI might shrink white-collar wages the same way automation hit factory jobs How ownership and competition determine whether AI liberates or impoverishes society Why Nvidia, not OpenAI, might be the real power behind the revolution How education and universities must reinvent themselves in an AI world What students, teachers, and professionals can do now to stay ahead Wolfers’ clarity, humor, and economic insight make this one of the clearest explanations of AI’s long-term impact on society and policy. About the Guest: Justin Wolfers is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and a Visiting Professor at the University of New South Wales. His research spans labor markets, happiness, macroeconomics, and public policy. Named by the IMF as one of the top 25 economists under 45 shaping global thought, Wolfers is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times and a recurring guest on Scott Galloway’s Prof G Markets. YouTube: ‪@JustinWolfers‬  X: https://x.com/JustinWolfers Web: www.nber.org/~jwolfers If this episode resonates, tap Subscribe—and share it with someone who’s building both skills: technical and human. 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Zapier: Build Your Own AI Agent Today, Without Coding Link: https://bit.ly/4pI8Su2 Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Watch more interviews on The Nick Standlea Show: 🎥    / @thenickstandleashow   🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 🕒 Timestamps (Chapters) 00:00 – Cold plunges and bad circadian rhythms 01:10 – Justin’s background and why economics needs better communication 03:30 – Why AI is the biggest economic shift of our lifetimes 06:00 – From brawn to brains: how AI changes the equation 09:00 – The white-collar revolution: why AI threatens cognitive work 11:30 – Will AI drive wage stagnation for white-collar jobs? 12:50 – VCRs, substitutes, and complements: lessons for AI 14:50 – The NickBot 2000 thought experiment — who owns the robot? 17:00 – Why AI’s real issue is ownership, not capability 19:30 – The DeepMind vs. Meta contrast: altruism vs. profit 21:30 – The monopoly danger: what happens if one company wins 24:00 – Why competition (not regulation) is saving us—for now 26:30 – Nvidia, monopolies, and who really controls AI 28:00 – Are AI stocks a bubble—or just early? 31:00 – Dot-com lessons and humility in predictions 33:30 – $700 trillion in potential AI value? An economist’s math 38:00 – The global AI race: U.S., China, and everyone else 41:00 – Government policy, laissez-faire, and missing debates 45:00 – Manipulation, bias, and invisible influence in LLMs 46:00 – Education’s blind spot: universities aren’t adapting fast enough 50:00 – AI literacy and how to actually use large language models 52:00 – Why “prompting” is the new literacy 55:00 – How ChatGPT changes testing, grading, and learning 58:00 – Reinventing the Oxford tutorial—powered by AI 01:00:30 – Liberal arts, critical thinking, and the skills that endure 01:02:00 – Teaching APIs and “vibe coding” for the next generation 01:05:00 – Coding as the new muscle: feeling cognitively powerful 01:06:30 – How to future-proof your career in the age of AI 01:09:00 – Daily AI experiment challenge 01:10:30 – Final thoughts: curiosity, courage, and lifelong learning Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBne... RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/fee... Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

What if the real edge in the age of AI isn’t data or code—but emotional intelligence? Therapist & coach Hannah Lord joins me to explore why the “humanistic element” still matters, how to build mental fitness like a gym routine, and the dance between masculine and feminine energy that shapes our relationships, teams, and leadership. We cover: *Why AI can give tools—but not true attunement or deep connection *“The thing is never the thing” (spotting projections & root causes) *Masculine ↔ feminine dynamics: receptivity vs. decisive action *How to treat therapy like training (not a last-resort repair shop) *Practical ways to sit with emotions (anger, grief) for ~90 seconds *Online dating, ghosting, and vulnerability fatigue *COVID’s lingering psychological footprint—and how to process it *Building cultures that make space for yes/and rather than either/or If this episode resonates, tap Subscribe—and share it with someone who’s building both skills: technical and human.   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Manta Sleep Mask  100% DARKNESS GUARANTEED sleep better, anywhere, anytime Manta Sleep Link: https://tinyurl.com/554xyknp Check Out Code for 10% Off!: NICK   11 Labs Make the perfect song for any moment https://try.elevenlabs.io/NickShow   Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus   Guest: Hannah Lord — therapist, coach, and writer Website: https://www.hannah-lord.co.uk/ Substack: It’s Not What You Think: https://itsnotwhatyouthink.substack.com/ Timestamps: 0:00 Cold open — EI vs. AI 2:29 Why Hannah became a therapist 9:05 Mental skills for an AI world 13:54 Can AI be a therapist? What’s missing 29:00 Sponsor — Manta Sleep 31:06 Masculine & feminine dynamics explained 51:23 Sponsor — ElevenLabs music & voices 53:40 “The thing is never the thing” in couples/work 1:18:18 Mental gym: daily practices & curiosity 1:20:02 Where to find Hannah Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

Artificial intelligence won’t just change jobs — it could rewrite the balance of global power. Professor Jeffrey Sachs has been in the room where the world’s most consequential decisions get made. For four decades, he’s advised more than 100 governments, from Poland’s transition out of communism to the United Nations’ fight against poverty and disease. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In this conversation, Sachs and I dive into: *AI’s entanglement with the military-industrial complex *Why AI may drive wealth concentration and lower wages *The risk of an “AI aristocracy of trillionaires” *How China is leapfrogging the U.S. technologically *Two possible futures: mass misery or an age of abundance 📌 Watch until the end — Sachs shares what YOU can do in the next 1–5 years to make a positive impact. 🔔 Subscribe for more brilliant minds and critical conversations: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow 💬 5 Best Quotes “Every American understands the game is rigged right now. If you’re rich, you own government. If you’re poor, you look on like a helpless observer.” “The dystopian idea that all the money goes to the top is not an impossible outcome of AI.” “If only Elon and a few buddies own the machines, we’re in a shitload of trouble.” “AI really does reduce real wages and raise the return to capital. That’s its deepest civilian impact.” “It’s not the technology itself that determines the outcome — it’s politics and societal dynamics.” ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – The rise of AI and trillionaire elites 1:05 – Introducing Jeffrey Sachs 2:16 – Advising Bolivia, Poland, and the Soviet Union 5:20 – AI and the global balance of power 7:56 – Leapfrogging technology: China vs. U.S. 12:01 – How outsourcing created China’s ecosystem 17:32 – AI and the military-industrial complex 22:04 – Wealth concentration and inequality in the AI age 24:19 – Will AI help the Global South or hurt workers? 28:00 – Two possible futures: abundance or misery 30:03 – How money corrupted U.S. politics 31:46 – What individuals can do now 34:45 – Closing thoughts 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: 11 Labs 11 Labs: https://try.elevenlabs.io/NickShow Test Prep Gurus Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

What happens when one of the most influential thinkers in modern education meets the disruptive force of artificial intelligence? In this episode of The Nick Standlea Show, Nick sits down with Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor and creator of the theory of Multiple Intelligences, to explore how AI is reshaping schools, learning, and our understanding of human potential. Gardner shares his candid thoughts on: *Why AI is forcing educators to rethink what it really means to be “intelligent.” *How schools should adapt when machines outperform students on traditional measures. *The values and skills that will matter most in an AI-driven future. *Whether Multiple Intelligences theory can help students thrive in the age of algorithms. If you care about the future of learning, human creativity, and how we prepare the next generation in a world transformed by AI, you won’t want to miss this conversation. 📺 Watch more conversations with leading thinkers: @TheNickStandleaShow⁩     Books by Howard Gardner:  Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences https://a.co/d/eu1y2M9 The Essential Howard Gardner on Education: https://www.howardgardner.com/books The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind: https://www.howardgardner.com/books   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

What happens when you earn a perfect SAT score, write a book that gets rejected by 100 publishers, and then turn that failure into a multimillion-dollar company—with help from Mark Cuban? In this episode of The Nick Standlea Show, I sit down with Dr. Shaan Patel—dermatologist, entrepreneur, author, and Shark Tank success story. We dive into how he bootstrapped a test prep empire, landed a deal with Mark Cuban, and is now helping students earn over $100M in scholarships. Shaan and I may be competitors in the test prep world—but we're aligned on our mission to transform education and help students succeed in a rapidly changing world. We cover: * What it’s like working with Mark Cuban * The future of college in an AI-dominated world * Why standardized tests are making a comeback * How to build focus, resilience, and deep learning habits * His new mission: help students earn $1B in scholarships Whether you’re a parent, student, educator, or entrepreneur—this episode is packed with insights, strategy, and purpose. 🎓 Learn more about Shaan’s work: https://prepexpert.com 📘 Check out his book with Mark Cuban: Kid Start-Up:  https://www.amazon.com/Kid-Start-Up-How-Become-Entrepreneur/dp/1635764726 🎙 Subscribe for more bold thinkers and deep dives into learning, performance, and redefining success. 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

What if better sleep isn’t just about rest—but about unlocking peak mental clarity, emotional stability, and long-term health? In this episode, Dr. Paul Rohdenburg returns to @TheNickStandleaShow to unpack the real science of sleep. From memory and mood to metabolism and fertility, we explore why sleep isn’t just a luxury—it’s the foundation for high performance and healthy aging.   🔍 You’ll learn: * The brain’s nightly “performance review” * The truth about REM and deep sleep * Why sleep loss fuels weight gain, impulsivity, and inflammation * How to fix your sleep with simple, science-backed habits * The hidden cost of late-night screen time, caffeine, and hot bedrooms * What school start times and medical culture get wrong   💡 Whether you're a parent, entrepreneur, athlete, or just want to stop feeling tired all the time—this episode could change your sleep… and your life.   💬 Tell us in the comments: What’s ONE thing you’re going to apply after watching this?   🎓 Guest: Dr. Paul Rodenberg is a licensed emergency medicine physician and passionate advocate for using lifestyle interventions—like sleep—as medicine.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpaulrohdenburg/ 📺 Subscribe for more episodes where curiosity meets action →  @TheNickStandleaShow   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Chilipad: The Cooling Mattress Topper That Redefines Cool 20% Off Code https://checkout.sleep.me/NICK09685 #Chilipad #sleepme #ChilipadbySleepme   Huel: The protein flavor you've been waiting for... Get $20 off your first order. https://huel.com/pages/loudcrowd-ambassador?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=loudcrowd&lc_ambassador_id=Y3VzdG9tZXI6NjEyNDkyNQ   Test Prep Gurus: 1-on-1 Preparation for the SAT, ACT, Academics, and any other exam. https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus   Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Timestamps:  00:00 Intro + Dr. Paul's background 04:00 Sleep in medical training + cultural neglect 06:00 Matthew Walker & the science awakening 08:00 Residency sleep deprivation & toxic traditions 11:00 What is sleep? REM vs NREM 13:00 Sleep and memory consolidation 17:00 Sleep and athletic performance 21:00 Emotional regulation, anxiety, impulsivity 29:00 Sleep and weight gain 32:00 Sleep vs exercise? “Yes, and” health philosophy 53:00 Sleep and fertility (men + women) 57:00 Sleep and Alzheimer’s/dementia 1:02:00 Sleep and diabetes, immunity, cancer risk 1:07:00 Sleep disruptors: caffeine, light, temperature 1:14:00 How to actually sleep better 1:18:00 Teen sleep + school start time debate 1:27:00 Chronotypes & the bias against night owls 1:34:00 Sleep and entrepreneurship performance link 1:48:00 Final thoughts: sleep as long-term prevention Ask questions. Don't accept the status quo. And be curious.

We often praise the growth mindset—and rightly so. But what if fixed beliefs, when earned and chosen, are just as important for confidence, identity, and resilience? In this solo episode, Nick explores the hidden strengths of a fixed mindset. Drawing from psychology, personal experience, and years of coaching students, Nick challenges the idea that all fixed beliefs are limiting—and makes the case for strategic identity as a source of power. 🎯 Topics covered: The original definition of a fixed mindset (and where it’s misunderstood) Why earned identity can boost performance How confidence and humility work together The mental model used to achieve a perfect SAT score Why the most successful people blend both fixed and growth mindsets 📌 Subscribe for more conversations about learning, performance, and the psychology of personal transformation. 🔗 Share this episode with someone who needs both confidence and growth in their life. #Mindset #PersonalGrowth #Psychology #SAT #SelfImprovement #NickStandlea #GrowthMindset #FixedMindset #Performance 🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsor: Test Prep Gurus: https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Ask questions,  Don't accept the status quo,  And be curious.

Feeling overwhelmed by too much info and not enough action? In this episode of The Nick Standlea Show, Pat Flynn—best-selling author of Lean Learning and creator of Smart Passive Income—shares how to break free from info overload, focus on what matters, and build real skills FAST. ✅ Topics we cover: *The preschool ant invasion that unlocked a powerful way to learn. *Why trying to learn everything first keeps you stuck (and what to do instead). *Pat’s 4-step Lean Learning framework to go from idea to action. *The future of schools: how we can transform education for an AI world. *Pat’s $415k Kickstarter and what it taught him about learning on the fly. 💬 Tell us in the comments: What’s ONE thing you’re going to apply after watching this? 📖 Grab Pat’s book-- Lean Learning: https://amzn.to/44lrCqF 📺 Subscribe for more episodes where curiosity meets action →  @TheNickStandleaShow   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Huel  (Get $15 off your first order!)  https://huel.com/pages/loudcrowd-ambassador?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=loudcrowd&lc_ambassador_id=Y3VzdG9tZXI6NjEyNDkyNQ Test Prep Gurus https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast ✅ You’ll learn how to escape info overload, master micromastery, and apply Lean Learning to business, school, and life. Timestamps:  0:00 – Introduction: Pat Flynn on Learning in a Fast-Changing World 1:06 – Preschool Ant Story: The Power of Hands-On Problem Solving 3:38 – Stop Overthinking, Start Building: The Lean Learning Mindset 5:46 – Info Overload: Why Too Much Learning Keeps You Stuck 8:01 – Golf and Micromastery: How to Focus and Improve Fast 11:03 – Pat’s 20% Rule: Balancing Focus With Creative Play 13:19 – How Pat Created His First Product (and Made $8K in 30 Days) 16:26 – SwitchPod Success: From Cardboard Prototype to $415K on Kickstarter 20:55 – The ONE Client Strategy: Start Small, Learn Fast 24:33 – Balance Learning and Action: Pat’s 4-Step Framework 27:00 – Rethinking School: How Education Must Evolve for the AI Era 30:50 – Why Niching Down Wins: The Riches Are in the Niches 34:06 – Building Confidence Through Small Wins 36:30 – The Future of Learning in an AI-Driven World 39:00 – Traditional vs Self-Publishing: Pat Flynn’s Honest Take 42:20 – Final Thoughts: Action is the Key to Unlocking Potential Ask questions. Don't accept the status quo. And be curious. 🔑 Hashtags #LeanLearning #PatFlynn #NickStandleaShow #EntrepreneurMindset #LearnByDoing #Overthinking #InfoOverload #EducationReform #SmartPassiveIncome #Micromastery #ActionOverIdeas #AIandEducation #KickstarterSuccess #GrowthMindset #StopOverthinking #BuildFast

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK) joins The Nick Standlea Show to talk about his new book Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential. From his early years in special education to earning a PhD and becoming one of psychology’s most engaging voices, SBK shares powerful stories, science-backed insights, and mindset-shifting strategies for anyone looking to take back control of their life. We dive into why the victim mindset is so seductive, how social media rewards helplessness, and why sensitivity can be a superpower when embraced the right way. This is a must-watch for anyone who wants to live with more agency, authenticity, and purpose. 🎯 Big Takeaway from the Episode with Scott Barry Kaufman You are not powerless—no matter what you've been through. Victimhood may be real, but staying in a victim mindset is a choice. Empowerment begins when you stop waiting to be saved and start saying, “Yes, this happened… and now what?” Throughout the episode, SBK drives home that: Trauma doesn't have to define you. Sensitivity isn't weakness—it’s a superpower, if you own it. The algorithm—and culture—might reward helplessness, but real growth happens when you reclaim your agency. Whether you’ve faced real adversity or just feel stuck, Rise Above offers the mindset shifts, language, and tools to stop blaming the world—and start building a better one, starting from within. 👉 Like what you heard? Subscribe to The Nick Standlea Show for more bold conversations that challenge conventional thinking. https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow   🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors: Huel  (Get $15 off your first order!)  https://huel.com/pages/loudcrowd-ambassador?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=loudcrowd&lc_ambassador_id=Y3VzdG9tZXI6NjEyNDkyNQ   Test Prep Gurus https://www.prepgurus.com Instagram: @TestPrepGurus Connect with The Nick Standlea Show: YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShow Podcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml Nick's Socials: Instagram: @nickstandlea X (Twitter): @nickstandlea TikTok: @nickstandleashow Facebook: @nickstandleapodcast Timestamps:  0:00 – Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK) 1:32 – Joan Rivers quote & the power of inner change 3:01 – Defining the victim mindset 4:50 – How social media rewards victim identity 6:30 – The algorithm vs. real growth 9:00 – Tribalism, status, and survival wiring 11:00 – College essays, agency, and who gets rewarded 13:20 – What California universities are missing 16:00 – SBK’s story: From special ed to Ivy League professor 20:00 – Choir, cello, hacking: Unearthing hidden talent 22:30 – “Yes, and” mindset explained 24:00 – SBK on neuroticism and how he changed 26:50 – Empowerment vs. fragility 29:00 – Sensitivity as strength 30:45 – The male stigma around being sensitive 32:00 – Maddie, rejection, and the incel epidemic 36:30 – Redefining trauma and responsibility 41:05 – Vulnerable narcissism: What it is and why it matters 44:41 – Entitlement vs. contribution 45:56 – Final thoughts & where to find SBK Ask questions. Don't accept the status quo. And be curious.