Experts on Expert with Dax Shepard

Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Daniel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the complexity of human nature, studying judgment and decision-making, and his experiments involving loss aversion. Daniel explains that memories can play tricks on our minds when remembering experiences and how to avoid noise and bias in the corporate hiring process. Daniel recounts his childhood growing up in Nazi-occupied France and his encounter with an SS soldier, he breaks down decision hygiene, and how it relates to vaccines.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is a member of the British royal family. Prince Harry joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how to approach mental health issues, growing up with privilege, and how healing it is to perform a service for someone. Harry discusses how much like the Truman Show his life is, unconscious bias, and how people can change their mindset once they acknowledge it. Harry talks about his time in the military service, how it opened his eyes to the trauma people face around the world, and how much more important mental health is than physical health.

Kwame Onwuachi is a James Beard award-winning chef and author. Kwame joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his experience as a contestant and judge on Top Chef, writing his first book, and cooking for Obama, Oprah, and Dave Chappelle. Kwame and Dax talk about their shared experience growing up in a single-mother household and how as a kid, Kwame was sent to Nigeria for two years to live with his Grandpa. Kwame explains that opening his own restaurants has taught him how to be a better leader and that he's not the best Spades partner if you want to win.

Alexi Pappas is a Greek-American Olympic runner, filmmaker, actor, and writer. Alexi joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her experience competing at the Rio Olympics, getting into running later in life, and the impact her father had in her life after her mom passed away. Alexi and Dax discuss post-Olympic situational depression, treating mental health the same as physical health, and striving to achieve as many goals in life as possible. Alexi talks about being into improv comedy at Dartmouth, why she wanted to produce books and film, and her future in the arts and performing space.

Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, non-profit leader, and currently running for Mayor of New York City. Andrew joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up as a first-generation Asian American in the ’80s, being an older dad to young kids, and running for mayor of New York City. Andrew and Dax discuss universal basic income and how artificial intelligence technology is threatening American jobs. Andrew explains the concept of human-centered capitalism, his ideas about value-added tax for the economy, and reflects on the recent hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Michael Moss is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter. Michael joins the Armchair Expert to discuss food addiction, the invention of processed food, and what government oversight of the food industry would look like. Michael and Dax discuss free will when it comes to diet, how big food companies use marketing tactics to influence our choices, and that obesity is a crude measure of health. Michael explains the phenomena of dieting and how income inequality affects people’s access to healthy food.

Daniel Goleman, PhD is a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominated author and science journalist. Daniel joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the differences between cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and empathic concern, and that emotional intelligence starts with being aware and able to name your feelings. Daniel explains the importance of cognitive control, that the same circuitry that helps you focus also calms you down, and the impact your emotional intelligence has on your health. Daniel discusses the flawed understanding of emotion vs logic, that the brain is designed to learn from life when it comes to emotional intelligence, and the science behind how your brain communicates emotions with another person.

Walter Isaacson is an American author, journalist, and professor. Walter joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his work as a biographer, that it’s important to remember that all people are human, and how much more inspiring they are when you realize that. Walter explains the three great innovation revolutions of modern times, how transformative Jennifer Doudna’s gene editing work is, and how she used her knowledge of CRISPR to help with the fight against covid. Dax and Walter discuss the dilemma of editing out certain negative traits and the effects it can have on shaping a person and the importance of trying to maximize the Utopia of gene editing while minimizing the many unforeseen issues that will arise.

Dr. Susan Liautaud (The Power of Ethics) is an author, teacher of ethics at Stanford University, and founder of Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited. Susan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss ethics: the six forces present in all ethical dilemmas, why we can’t look at things in a binary manner, and how we’re only as ethical as our last decision. Susan explains that there’s no place for blame, shame or guilt in ethics, what incentive people have to make ethical decisions, and the need to make ethics accessible to everyone. Dax & Susan discuss the need to think about the consequences that could happen, not just the consequences that will happen and in the fact check, we have a visit from the man whose simulation we are all living in.

Ethan Kross (Chatter) is an experimental psychologist, neuroscientist and writer, who specializes in emotion regulation. Ethan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the usefulness of your inner voice and how to harness it. Ethan explains how important context is when triggering emotions, how negative emotions are just as vital as positive ones, and the ways language can shape our emotional experiences. Ethan discusses how having the ability to feel the way we want all the time could be problematic and tips on how to be in the past and the future without being sucked in the chatter. In the fact check, Dax & Monica discuss the Royals.

George Saunders (A Swim in a Pond in the Rain) is a #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author. George joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the mental phenomena of life, farting in an elevator, and romanticizing everything as a writer. George explains how he learned that being a writer wasn’t about your adventure resume, how to trust your own mind and bless your reactions, and how he finds inspiration by revisiting great works. George discusses how underestimated the role of encouragement is, that self-remonstration is the enemy of art, and how writer’s block is having artificially elevated expectations of yourself.

Michael Eric Dyson is a professor, ordained minister, political commentator, and the author of seven New York Times bestsellers. Michael joins the Armchair Expert to discuss preaching at the National Cathedral on the King’s Sunday, the transition from going to an inner-city segregated school to a school with rich white kids, and how the church became a lifeline for him. Michael recounts the day when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and his last great speech, the level of mastery of Jay-Z, and how race is shaped by the environment and context of the culture. The two discuss white privilege, the Capitol protestors, and their opinions on why the 2020 election was so close.

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace is an ethologist and advocate for the environment, animals, and the natural world. Jane joins the Armchair Expert to discuss her journey to studying chimpanzees, how her approach of empathy allowed her to learn how human chimps are and that they have a culture of their own. Jane explains how similar the gender roles are between chimps and humans, her trajectory of going deep into the jungle and coming out a world icon, and how the Jane Goodall Institute has grown to 24 institutes in 24 separate countries. Dax admits that if he met Jane, he would try to groom her.

Erin Meyer (The Culture Map, No Rules Rules) is an author and professor at the INSEAD Business School, based in Paris. Erin joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how feedback is interpreted differently in various cultures, who the most direct and confrontational culture is, and how to move beyond stereotypes to understand the more complex issues we are unaware are affecting us. Erin teaches us how we need to build empathy and develop strategies when interacting with people from other cultures, the direct to indirect negative feedback scale, and why Americans are seen as superficial and hypocritical in most European cultures. Erin explains how we express disagreement differently in many parts of the world, how every culture is deferring to authority less than their parents did, and that you need to understand the differences in cultures in order to make the right adjustments.

Emily Morse is a sex therapist, author and host of the podcast Sex with Emily. Emily joins the Armchair Expert to discuss Dax’s favorite subject: sex. Emily explains her theory on why sex is still the most taboo topic in America, how little has changed in sex education, and the effect pornography is having on young people. Emily stresses how important communication is for a thriving sex life, how much there is to discover about yourself if you’re curious, and that you’re responsible for your own orgasm, not your partner. The two discuss shame around self-pleasure, the impact sexual wellness has on your overall wellness, and Emily’s vision of lube on every nightstand.