Keep Talking

Walter Robinson is an investigative journalist, an editor-at-large at "The Boston Globe," and is the Donald W. Reynolds Visiting Professor of Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.This is a rebroadcast of episode 42, from 2022.------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:58) A path to journalism(10:00) The power and state of the Catholic Church during the late 80s and 90s(21:40) "The Boston Globe's" "Spotlight" team(28:10) The Catholic Church's reputation before the Spotlight team’s investigation(35:59) What was revealed in the church’s internal documents(40:56) The Church’s consistent strategy of protecting abusive priests(46:58) Nearly every bishop in every diocese knew about abuse and participated in a cover-up(53:27) The role of the Church's celibacy vow in incentivizing abuse(59:36) What explains the abusive behavior of Catholic Church priests?(01:04:06) Women's second-class status and the role of a free press(01:07:55) The need for a full confession from the Church(01:15:48) The role of investigative journalism today and why it matters(01:20:43) The importance of investigative journalists to think outside the box

Mark Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong and the author of "The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro00:57 Mark's relationship with Jimmy Lai06:40 Jimmy's journalism in Hong Kong10:41 The source of Jimmy's devout anti-communism18:27 Jimmy's interest in journalism21:35 Was Jimmy optimistic about Hong Kong's future?24:27 China's public enemy #133:22 Jimmy's core principles39:40 Lessons from Jimmy's example44:14 Hong Kong and JImmy's future49:47 Jimmy's eccentricities and flaws

James Hollis is a Jungian psychoanalyst and the author of many books, including "A Life of Meaning," which is the primary subject of our conversation.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro01:05 Why Jim wrote "A Life of Meaning"05:28 The shadow08:38 Why confront one's shadow?10:48 The numinous and finding your calling25:20 Lethargy is a threat to living29:55 A modern culture of distraction32:28 Jim's decision to become a public educator37:02 Jim's growth beyond his family of origin44:30 Psychopathology 48:26 Sin: missing the mark55:15 Fear - the spirit of evil is negation of the life force by fear 58:50 Jim is a "recovering nice person"

Daniel Lieberman is a psychiatrist, the SVP of mental health at Hims & Hers, and the author of the best-selling book, The Molecule of More.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:59) What would humans be without dopamine?(01:29) Donating dopamine to phones, not friends(03:58) What is dopamine?(07:53) What are the signs of someone with high dopamine?(11:56) How can high dopamine people live wisely?(18:50) Can workaholics change their insatiability? (22:22) "The modern devil is cheap dopamine"(28:58) What does a wise future look like re: smartphones?(31:37) Dopamine in relationships and love(38:46) Skills to develop to sustain long-term relationships(43:11) Are we on the cusp of a conservative cultural shift?(48:02) Modern dopamine and men in society(54:42) What advice does Daniel give to his sons?(57:14) What's next for Daniel?

Robert Plomin is a British-American scientist, a psychologist and behavioral geneticist, and the author of the bestselling book, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) The history of nature vs nurture debate(15:40) "All parents are nurture-ists - until their second child."(18:54) Identical twin studies(39:16) Lessons from the film "Three Identical Strangers"(41:20) How much influence do parents have on their kids?(58:40) Genes and psychology(01:10:55) A better model for psychology(01:16:35) How should society look, based on the truth and power of genes?(01:27:03) Nucleus genomics in NYC for polygenic information

Derek Sivers is a TED speaker, an essayist, a businessman, a musician, one of my favorite thinkers on the planet, and the author of many books including his most recent, Useful Not True: Whatever Works For You.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) Your actions reveal your values(03:25) Obvious to you, amazing to someone else(05:19) How Derek thinks about money(13:03) Deep happy vs. shallow happy(21:00) Following an innate drive and desire(24:07) 18 months of feeling adrift(30:04) To find direction: read a lot and wait for energy(31:18) The power of heroes and anti-heroes(36:05) Egotists and hedonists(40:00) Changing your mind and keeping your identity small(44:37) Think of yourself as a student, not a preacher(47:42) Personal growth over wealth growth(53:00) Prioritizing openness(56:59) What lifestyles or beliefs is Derek against?(01:04:50) The downside of optimism in Derek's personal life(01:14:24) Dating, marriage, and the role of women in Derek's life(01:23:55) How to save a life with $2,000(01:27:50) Derek's thoughts on philanthropy(01:33:54) "Useful Not True"(01:38:39) A prequel to "How To Live"(01:41:13) "Useful Not True": the truth of many answers and perspectives

Anna Lembke is a psychiatrist, Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, and the author of "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence."This is a rebroadcast of episode 35, from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:57) Anna Lembke’s interest in studying addiction(04:34) Defining addiction and the "gremlin theory" of addiction(15:19) Characteristics of an addict(23:48) The stigma around addictions(26:46) Characteristics of a healthy person living today(33:50) The importance and role of struggle in a good life(41:04) The impact of modern addictions on society today(46:54) Habit change ideas and the role of struggle in a good life(52:11) How to know if you're becoming an addict(58:45) The effective and ethical way to address addiction(01:03:58) Workaholism as an addiction(01:20:13) The connection between shame and a “never enough” attitude towards work

Russell Foster is a sleep expert, a professor of circadian neuroscience, a fellow of the Royal Society, and the author of Life Time.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:55) Views on sleep through time(03:34) Why we have de-prioritized sleep(05:39) Where should sleep rank in our health priorities?(08:22) How do we know we're getting enough sleep?(11:59) The historic and current cost of sleep deprivation(17:44) Why does sleep exist?(21:53) What is happening biologically while people sleep?(27:59) Sleep and mental illness(38:09) What those with mental illness can do to stabilize their sleep(01:00:25) Sleep for new parents(01:03:35) How would a healthy society approach sleep?

Nick Pollard, "The People Displeaser," is a speaker and life coach who advocates for honest, authentic living through mindful boundaries, free of people-pleasing.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) When Nick's was homicidal and suicidal(04:09) Nick's father(09:10) How Nick got his life together(18:08) Why Nick focuses on people-pleasing(23:25) Symptoms of a people-pleaser(26:44) Why do people become people-pleasers?(31:23) Your rules for life and a personal bill of rights(37:23) Establishing personal boundaries(42:39) Confronting fear and quotes from Jim Hollis(49:16) People-pleasers often have few same-sex friends(57:11) When should former people-pleasers leave relationships?(01:09:15) Nick's relationship deal-breakers

Pico Iyer is a novelist, a travel writer, and the author of many books, including his most recent, "Aflame: Learning From Silence," which is the subject of this conversation.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:00) Intro(00:58) Santa Barbara, June 1990(04:25) The New Camaldoli Hermitage(07:30) Pico's life when he first went to New Camaldoli(11:08) Silence elicits gratitude, what's shared and what's essential(16:10) Intentionally turning off technology(22:39) Creating a wise amount of "cathedral time"(25:53) Embracing silence as a non-religious person(32:03) Leonard Cohen exploring his inner landscape in silence(36:05) How Pico has developed from his 100+ hermitage visits(41:35) Saying no in order to prioritize space for silence(47:07) How to begin a life with more silence and contemplation(50:41) Silence as an antidote to despair(54:36) What Pico has learned from the Dalai Lama

Orville Schell is an author, a journalist, a China scholar, and the director of the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) Orville's entering China in the 1970s(07:10) Was was China like in the 1970s?(10:09) The palpable fear in China in the 1970s(14:55) The details of Mao Zedong the Cultural Revolution(20:40) What preceded Communism in China?(25:32) Why was Communism appealing to Chinese revolutionaries? (30:11) China in the 1970s and how it reopened to the world(37:10) Why did China not become free after the 1980s?(41:39) 1989 and Tiananmen Square(45:28) China in the next few years(52:19) How might China become free?(55:26) Why China matters

Joseph Goldstein is an author, the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and is one of the most influential and important figures to bring vipassana meditation practices into the American mainstream.A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:45) How Joseph ended up in Asia a young man(04:39) Reason for interest in Buddhism and meditation(08:59) Immersing in the study of the mind(12:41) The Buddha’s teachings(18:52) Joseph's psychological state when first exposed to Buddhism and meditation(21:01) The daily habits, discipline, and rituals to try to achieve Enlightenment(27:14) Deciding to devote his life to meditation(30:11) Communicating to his mother his desire to devote his life to Buddhism(32:59) Metaphysical views pre and post meditation(37:46) Buddhism is non-theistic(40:14) What is the Dharma?(44:48) Integrating Buddhist teachings with practice and The Noble Eightfold Path(53:37) The first step to use mindfulness to ease psychological suffering(01:01:24) Awareness versus the weather pattern of one's mind(01:04:30) Using mindfulness to respond, rather than to react(01:15:37) Dealing with grief(01:24:50) How can we improve our lives by being mindful?

James Hollis is a psychoanalyst, one of the world's most prolific Jungian thinkers, and the author of many books, including "Living An Examined Life."A rebroadcast from 2021.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:02) Jim's transition from academia to psychoanalysis(06:24) The decision to pursue psychoanalysis as a full-time profession(10:59) Gathering the courage to pursue psychoanalysis(18:19) What about Jung’s work resonated with Jim?(30:16) Jim's process of helping people navigate the transitionary phases of their lives(41:31) The most pressing issues Jim sees facing Americans(48:24) The primary blockers to growth and self-healing(51:54) Discerning the difference fears you should avoid and fears you should face(57:01) Exhausted relationships vs. relationships that need endurance(01:09:02) The ratio of men vs. women seeking counsel and therapy and how it’s changed over the years(01:13:21) Why most men tend to suppress their innermost emotions(01:19:49) Jim's explanation of Joseph Campbell’s ‘hero’s journey’(01:25:31) How to live an examined, authentic life

Elizabeth Economy is a political scientist, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a China expert, and the author of multiple books, including "The World According to China" and "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) Xi Jinping's father's story(07:16) The Cultural Revolution(12:02) "China's Holocaust" between 1950's-1970's(13:10) Why Marxism resonated in China(21:43) Darker aspects of the Cultural Revolution(33:48) The rise of Xi Jinping and the rise of China's economy(38:33) The meme of Xi Jinping as Winnie the Pooh(41:43) Xi Jinping's personality and vision for China(46:27) The near-term future of U.S-China relations(53:00) What America can do to win Cold War 2.0

James Holland is a historian and the author of many books, including Normandy '44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:46) The state of the world in June 1944(14:48) What was D-Day like for an average Allied soldier(21:13) Is D-Day the most important military conflict in history?(27:01) "Steel not flesh"(32:43) The Atlantic Wall(41:08) Cooperation and morale among the Allied troops(45:31) Dick Winters and men like him(51:15) Why James has committed so much of his life to WWII history(54:45) How can we best honor and remember veterans?

Noam Dworman is a businessman, the co-host of the podcast "Live From The Table," and the owner of the world-famous Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, NYC.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:59) How The Comedy Cellar came to be(02:38) Noam's dad, Manny(07:05) Why did Manny start The Comedy Cellar?(10:42) Notable comics early at The Comedy Cellar(12:00) The way to fame for comics pre-internet(14:32) Identifying comedic talent(18:36) Patrice O'Neal(24:12) How Noam took over The Comedy Cellar(27:37) The scene at The Comedy Cellar in early 2000's(29:52) Why The Comedy Cellar is so popular(32:19) The design of The Comedy Cellar venue(36:58) Quotes from Noam about free speech(38:11) Louis CK, free speech, and woke culture(43:58) How the left has changed regarding free speech(47:22) Comedy as a refuge(50:23) Defining wokeness and a story about Noam's daughter(56:30) The state of wokeness and cancel culture(59:02) Comedians and intellectuals with courage(01:02:58) What's next for Noam and The Comedy Cellar

Sir Richard Evans is a historian, and the author of many books, including The Third Reich Trilogy, The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815–1914, and Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich, which is the primary focus of this conversation.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) The young Hitler(04:11) The Nazis were conservative, middle class Germans(10:20) How Hitler rose, his talents as a speaker(19:52) The Reichstag Fire and The Enabling Act(27:57) The romantic and personal life of Hitler(31:39) Hitler's romantic interest in Joseph Goebbels's wife(35:52) Demythologizing the Nazis: a story of Himmler in the sauna(39:27) "Ordinary Men" by Christopher R. Browning(44:50) The story of Dr. Karl Brandt(49:34) Why history and studying the Nazis matters(52:19) Threats to freedom and democracy in the modern world(54:22) Donald Trump is not a fascist

Glenn Loury‬ is an economist, a professor at Brown University, a podcaster, an essayist, and is the author of "Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative" and the essay "The Case for Black Patriotism."A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:01) Get to know Glenn Loury(03:56) South Side of Chicago culture when Glenn was a boy(06:11) Fatherhood at 18, working at RR Donnelley & Sons, and Mr. Andres(15:01) Opportunity launches Glenn to Northwestern and MIT(19:34) The culture and opportunity of MIT(28:48) The first African-American tenured economics professor in Harvard, at 33(37:30) Glenn's interest in politics and his heterodox political philosophy(47:44) A memorable incident with Glenn's uncle Alfred(55:35) How Glenn's conservatism informs his views on the campus(01:01:57) Glenn's defense of Western culture(01:06:43) "The Case for Black Patriotism"(01:23:17) An American Living "The American Dream"

Greg Lukianoff is a journalist, an attorney, the co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind," and the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Greg puts it well when he calls freedom of speech "the eternally radical idea."A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:58) Greg's interest in free speech(06:35) Free speech: "the eternally radical idea"(10:55) What happens in societies without free speech(17:14) How free speech creates a more peaceful society(24:17) Key observations from "The Coddling of the American Mind"(34:32) Social media's effect on free speech(43:35) Examples of cancel culture(50:22) Respect for free speech must begin early in one's life(57:42) What is the point of education?(01:03:37) Antifragility and the importance of growth through struggle(01:08:48) How overcoming mental health struggles informs Greg's beliefs

Robert Greene is the author of many best-selling books, including "The 48 Laws of Power," which is the primary subject of our conversation. A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) ‘Power’ as explained in "The 48 Laws of Power"(04:33) Robert's depression before writing "The 48 Laws of Power"(09:03) Why are people reluctant to talk about power?(13:44) The link between the desire for fulfillment and power(17:58) From powerless to powerful: Robert’s story(22:30) Human's desire to gain power through autonomy and authenticity(27:19) How to live a life that increases one's power(33:00) The importance of self-mastery(38:03) Lincoln's quote about power(44:22) Is power inherently neutral, neither good nor bad?(47:49) Carl Jung's quote on "the shadow"(52:20) What are examples of America's shadow?(56:07) The importance of integrating one's shadow(01:04:56) How can the American center hold, given our polarization?(01:12:07) Four laws of power for modern times(01:14:44) The relationship between power and love