Work And Life With Stew Friedman

Dave Asprey is founder and CEO of Bulletproof, a company known for its famous coffee, whose mission is to improve client performance through cutting-edge nutrition. He founded Bulletproof after spending years and over $250,000 to hack his own biology. He lost 100 pounds without counting calories or excessive exercise, used techniques to upgrade his brain by more than 20 IQ points, and lowered his biological age by learning to sleep more efficiently in less time. Dave spreads the Bulletproof message via his Bulletproof Radio, one of the top-ranked health podcasts on iTunes. He is also a Silicon Valley investor, having both advised and invested in multiple startups in the personal health space. Dave took Stew’s Total Leadership course on his way to earning an MBA from Wharton in 2004. Stew and Dave talk in this episode about Bulletproof’s early days and his inspiration for pursuing optimal performance. Dave describes the essence of the Bulletproof lifestyle and the fascinating psychology of will power. Dieting

Tom Tierney is former CEO of Bain & Company and co-founder of The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit management consulting firm that assists other nonprofits. He is chairman of the board at Ebay and serves on the The Hoover Institution’s board and on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors. On top of all that, Tom is a successful writer. His most recent book is Give Smart: Philanthropy that Gets Results. In this episode, Stew and Tom (whom Stew calls “the Bono of leadership”) explore the habits Tom has developed to be successful in all domains of life: family, work, community, and self. Learn from a master how to separate what is important in life from what is urgent and steps you can take to prioritize the big picture. By making smarter choices, asking deeper questions, and courageously pursuing unique personal goals, Tierney shows how to lead the life you want. For more information about this and other episodes, check out workandlifepodcast.com, where you can find show notes, links to resources

Scott Sonenshein is the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management at Rice University. Scott’s book “Stretch” offers a groundbreaking approach to achieving high performance. The stretch mindset is about using resourcefulness and creativity in the face of constraints -- simply put, to achieve more with less. Stew and Scott discuss how listeners can develop a stretch mindset. For more information about this and other episodes, check out workandlifepodcast.com, where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, previous episodes, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 1:50. Silicon Valley. Scott spent time in SF during the dot com bubble. There he saw startups recklessly chasing resources. This inspired his current research. 5:10. Using creativity to stretch. Creativity allows business to use old resources in new ways. 7:15. Embracing constraints. They enable us to do things unconventionally to achieve ours

Cal Newport is a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown and author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. In Deep Work, Cal argues that focus is the new I.Q. in the modern workplace and that those who master it have better chances of success in all parts of life. Stew and Cal discuss actionable guidelines for developing the capacity to do deep work. Two of the many useful suggestions in this episode are to quit (or radically reduce) social media and embrace boredom. For more information about this and other episodes, check out workandlifepodcast.com, where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, previous episodes, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 2:20. Overview of deep work. Cal defines deep work as focusing on a cognitively demanding task for a significant period of time, an essential skill for modern workers. 6:00. Guidelines for Deep Work. How to do deep work. 7:20.

Emily Esfahani Smith is author of “The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters.” Emily has explored the essence of what brings meaning into our lives. She melds perspectives from a variety of sources -- contemporary psychologists, ancient philosophers, historical figures, and others -- to show the value of what she calls the “four pillars of meaning,” each of which she and Stew discuss in this episode. For more information about this and previous episodes, check out the blog post on this episode at http://www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/ees , where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 5:50. Meaning and happiness. Finding meaning in life is not about finding happiness. 8:15. Belonging. One pillar of meaning is the feeling of being connected to others. 11:55. Purpose. The second pillar is having a sense of purpose for one’s life, which need not necessarily b

Stew talks with Sam Polk, a former hedge fund trader. Polk came to the hard-won realization that he needed to leave that lifestyle and went on to found two organizations that bring healthy food to poor communities in Los Angeles: Everytable and Groceryships. His New York Times opinion piece “For the Love of Money” told this story and had a big impact. He then wrote a powerful book by the same title in which he chronicles his addiction to wealth, as he calls it, and his struggle to overcome it. Stew and Sam discuss discuss the evolution of Sam’s views and values as he moved from Wall Street to more meaningful work. For more information about this and previous episodes, check out www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/polk , where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stew​ ​talks​ ​with​ ​Anne-Marie​ ​Slaughter,​ ​​President​ ​and​ ​CEO​ ​of​ ​the​ ​New​ ​America​ ​Foundation​ ​and author​ ​of​ ​the​ ​ground-breaking​ ​​Atlantic​ ​​article​ ​“Why​ ​Women​ ​Still​ ​Can’t​ ​Have​ ​it​ ​All,”​ ​a​ ​catalyst​ ​for national​ ​dialogue​ ​on​ ​the​ ​scarcity​ ​of​ ​women​ ​in​ ​executive​ ​positions.​ ​​ ​They​ ​discuss​ ​the​ ​evolution​ ​of Slaughter’s​ ​views​ ​since​ ​writing​ ​that​ ​article​ ​in​ ​2012​ ​and​ ​how​ ​she​ ​now​ ​advocates​ ​for​ ​more​ ​progressive gender​ ​roles​ ​for​ ​men​ ​and​ ​women​ ​at​ ​home​ ​and​ ​in​ ​the​ ​workplace. For​ ​more​ ​information​ ​about​ ​this​ ​and​ ​previous​ ​episodes,​ ​check​ ​out​ www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/ams, where​ ​you​ ​can​ ​find​ ​show​ ​notes,​ ​links​ ​to​ ​resources​ ​discussed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​conversation,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​roster of​ ​Stew’s​ ​guests​ ​you​ ​can​ ​look​ ​forward​ ​to​ ​hearing​ ​soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Stew talked with Julie Smolyansky, CEO of LifeWay Foods. Julie became CEO of LifeWay at the age of 27 and has since grown it to over $130 million in annual revenue. Her dedication to community impact and her commitment to health and fitness are among the creative ways she has found to integrate work and the rest of her life. You’re sure to be inspired and informed by her story. For more information about this and previous episodes, check out www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/julie-smolyansky , where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Burkus is a bestselling author, successful podcaster, and professor at Oral Roberts University who challenges traditional ways of conducting business. Stew and David discuss David’s new book Under New Management: How Leading Organizations are Upending Business as Usual and innovative management practices being implemented worldwide. For more information about this and previous episodes, check out www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/david-burkus, where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, and the roster of Stew's guests you can look forward to hearing soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Stew talked with Sarah Kagan, professor of Gerontological Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She is helping to destigmatize aging in our society by sharing scientific facts about the abilities of older people. In this conversation she offers both practical tips for middle-aged people dealing with elderly parents and advice about how businesses can better meet the needs of their employees with elderly parents. For more information about this and previous episodes, check out http://www.workandlifepodcast.com/blog/2016/11/12/ep-3-sarah-kagan-caring-for-aging-parents , where you can find show notes, links to resources discussed in the conversation, and the roster of Stew’s guests you can look forward to hearing soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.