Episodes

What does it look like when we merge with tech? And how do we get people to solve the world's biggest problems? [21:56] This week, special guest Matt Ward, Joey, and Aaron talk about Jack Horner, "our fat, lazy selves," the Bystander Effect, a series of extremely bleak world problems, hamburgers, and great robes. They don't talk about which host would match to which Hogwarts house if they were wizards. references 60 Minutes: the MIT kid, and a brain interface Matt Ward's show, Disruptors.fm,...

What is an organization's responsibility to its members? And what impact will memes have on language? This week, Aaron and Joey talk about work-life balance, the making of Red Dead Redemption 2, golden handcuffs, raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, and inside jokes. They don't talk about how the Greek emphatikos is why 'phatic,' like 'emphatic,' sounds familiar. references Leadership paper on pacing, an HBR Classic The Joe Rogan Experience, #131 The "no-collar" workforce The 2014 MTV study, ...

How can we evolve our expectations of aging professionally? And why don't we like vanilla more? [21:17] This week, Joey and Jess talk about peaking, Paul Dirac, second careers, vanilla planifolia, "real vanilla experiences," and redefining 'basic'. They don't talk about how much accidental shade Jess throws at chocolate this episode while standing up for vanilla justice. references The somewhat clickbaity-sounding Atlantic article that inspired Joey this week. Jeremy Lin's emotional speech i...

When is communicating emotion bad for your health? And what is the culture of airports? [20:15] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about sharing feelings, outrage, asking for what you need, "non-places," “Business Men,” and Geert Hofstede. They don’t talk their big dreams for the future of airports. references HuffPost: "Feelings Not Facts" The Atlantic on overindulging versus taking action Marc Augé's Non-Places Forbes: On the Culture of Airports Some Apple corporate travel stats Airports Cou...

Do we own anything anymore? And when does dissecting culture ruin the magic? [18:44] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about ebooks, High Fidelity, the access business model, "where magic resides," reruns, and nuggets. They don't talk about Nuggs. references Audible's class action settlement. BBC: Microsoft eBooks books disappear. Vinyl sales growth. Radio Lab's Bit-Flip episode as you ponder the concept of impermanence. The Pixar Theory video that blew Aaron's mind and which he reviews as "N...

Why is ghosting a thing? And why are we so obsessed with secret menus? [18:18] This week, Joey and special guests Steven and Nora talk about the three kinds of ghosting, 'the first few dates,' rejection, Starbucks orders and soda jerks, Panera's hidden menu flop, and Emma Chamberlain. They don't talk about their favorite secret menu items (they're secret, after all.) references Calling all New Yorkers: check in at Steven Ebert's FourTop. Why Ghosting Hurts So Much, from Psychology Today. Lem...

This week, a special episode! Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk in lightning-round fashion about random events since the top of 2019: the Keanu Reeves renaissance, Billy Porter's style explosion, the black hole photo, the end of Game of Thrones (with no GoT spoilers, but serious Lost spoilers), paper straws, and Zion Williamson's exploding shoe. They don't talk about many other big things that happened in 2019 which are less fun but definitely important. references Some of Billy Porter's looks, incl...

How do we deal with business trends like radical candor? And what values do we communicate through sports? [19:12] This week, special guest Muj, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about "the chasing mentality," "psychological safety," a bunch of other jargon, cricket, Lebron vs. Jordan, and personal optimization. They don't talk about all of the business trends (so please send us some of your favorites!) references Buzzfeed on Radical Candor. The "Tebow Rule," explained.

Why are we afraid of rewiring our brains? And why do we all smell like sticks? [15] This week, special guest Hannah, Joey, and Jess talk about the first seasons of Chuck, Victor of Aveyron, neuroplasticity, the local train through Brooklyn, Hwyl, and Septimus Piesse's contributions to perfumery. They don't talk about the many other ways Piesse changed the perfume industry. references The World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines on screen-time. The highest-grossing media franchises, courtes...

How do we make Pride better? And what kind of self-promotion isn't gross? [22:49] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the Pink Dollar, "seeing rainbows," authenticity, The Wingman Phenomenon, the fear of the snakeoil salesman, and pop-up ads. They don't talk about how the title of this episode is the title of our yet unwritten, smash-hit mashup memoir: a composite of Joey and Aaron's personal stories and pop-cultured Jane Austen motifs. references Carlos Maza (and Coleman Lowndes) present: S...

Why are we bad at self-care? And why can't we sleep? [17:07] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about self-diagnosis, golfing, mani-pedis, hyper-productivity, napping, optimal sleeping temperatures. They don't talk about the superlative punning of pursuing "the American Dream." references The beginnings of Big Sleep Roger Ekrich and the myth of the 8-hour sleep

What is the relationship between compassion and creativity? And why are we so petty? [17:57] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about perceptiveness, the Crisis Text Line, geniuses, "Wig Gate," "spreading," and rounding on Venmo. They don't talk about whether the types of people who round are the same as the people who turn off read receipts. references The Crisis Text Line Time: "People Hate When You're Petty" Passive aggressive social media tips from MTV.

Why do I have to turn my hobby into a hustle? And how can mid-tier cities seize their moment? [14:47] This week, special guest Katie, Jess, and Joey talk about making cheese, intrinsic value, sock embroidery, late-night food, park culture, and "the Goldilocks Zone." They don't talk about how there is a great controversy over the birthplace of the pupusa. references A sample of Jess's sock embroidery. Bon Appétit calling Richmond "America's Next Great Restaurant-Obsessed Town" The pupusa.

Are we killing Disney's magic? And why do we take personality tests? [18:02] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Avengers End Game (no spoilers), The Pixar Theory, retro-futurism, MBTI, the Chinese Zodiac, and enneagrams. They don't talk about the beautiful world of grit size. references Pixar Theory and A113. Aaron's reading/watching list all about Disney: The Carousel of Progress Spaceship Earth Epcot's history Disney's Progressland GE on Progressland, cont. A whole host of personality ...

Why are we so dumb when it comes to nutrition? And why are MLMs a thing? [20:22] This week, a very hoarse Jess, special guest Steven, and Joey talk about whole milk, Big Sugar, Whole30Steaks, Rodan and Fields, hustle, and small business success rates. We don't talk about which is superior between plastic or glass food storage containers (but if you need a recommendation, we'd trust the research). references A brief history of USDA food guides. Jess's 2019 Prognostication coming true: meet the...

About what men isn't Hollywood writing? And how do we design a more focused work environment? [23:50] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about somebody they made up named "Noah Centino" who's perpetually in a hot tub, "YA (Young Adult) Cinema", "the Man Box," "the Slack-ening," "Slow Thinking," and "WFH because productivity." They don't talk (much) about how Alex Contell makes his show debut as Corrections Department Officer. Speaking of, please send all Corrections Department corrections and/or C...

How much "I" is TMI at work? And what does it mean to sell-out in 2019? This week, special guest Ilana and Joey talk about being tired, vulnerable leadership, embarrassing yourself, "sponcon," The Chopra-Jonas Wedding, and FitTea. They don't talk about how the best kind of Doritos is actually Roulette. references UC Berkeley's experiment on how embarrassing yourself makes you seem more trustworthy. Jameela Jamil doesn't hold back on the "detox tea" situation.

Why do we rewrite perfectly good words? And what is the power of offense? [18:50] This week, "Captain of Efficiency" Aaron and Joey talk about idioms, Shakespeare, Backpfeifengesicht, monoculture, sh*t, and emotional vigilance. They don't talk about some of the rewritten words in this episode: sportsball, netherspaces, megaword, gajillion, and battlestargalactokaybai. references Froebel Gifts, or Fröbelgaben. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Thanks 30 Rock for bringing us "mind grapes" Irs...

Why can't women be funny at work? And what drives our latest beauty obsessions? [15:57] This week, Joey, Jess, and special guest Katie talk about work playfulness, foraging, knee-slappers, Korean eyebrow masks, the beauty obsession pendulum, and Malala Yousafzai's perfect unibrow. They don't talk about the technical terms for 18th century "butt shelf" pads: "bums," "bumrolls," "rumps," or "culs." references HBR: "Making jokes during a presentation helps men but hurts women" The VIA Signature S...

How do you travel when you only feel safe at home? And what is the appeal of a hero? [18:12] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about feelings that conflict with safety facts, getting struck by lightning, Aaron's tips for venturing into uncharted territory, Zion Williamson, the hero's burden, and Han Solo (sort of). They don't talk about the great foremother of the "Cone of Possibility": the rather technical "Cone of Uncertainty". references Max Roser from Oxford on data vis around the world. NYTim...

What is our responsibility with our emotion? And how are we dealing with the reality that nowadays, everyone meets online?[19:00] This week, Jess, Joey, and special guest Steven talk about feelings as a virus, male emotion, choosing joy, serendipity engines, Joey's Meet Cute, and how the algorithm knows your type. They don't talk about the power ranking of modern dating apps. references NPR on the contagion of anger. The Stretching Relationship Timeline and one of the associated Stanford sour...

What do the rules we break say about us? And why are video-game movie adaptations so bad? [21:00] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Montessori school, spam calls, rebellious doctors, The Witcher, Harry Potter, and maybe too much Milla Jovovich. They don't talk about the cringe-worthy nonsense that are this—and most of our other—post-credits cookies. references The Atlantic (not Quartz) on the teens and Google docs. That video about moral injury.

What will influence look like in 2020? And what’s so valuable about the institution of college? [20:28] This week, Joey and special guest host Hawa talk about American Meme, status, "piercing the veil," the recent admissions scandal, German craft schools, and meritocracy. They don't talk about their SAT scores. references NYTimes: the college admissions cheating scandal. Hasan Minhaj on college admissions. "Trigger Warning with Killer Mike"

How does one be a neighbor? And when are we old? [18:56] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about segways, friendship, moving in, being old longer, feeling old younger, and Boston Dynamics' Spot. They don't talk about the sheer quantity of fence types we missed: electric, wrought iron, pool, chickenwire, garden, vinyl panel, the list goes on. references Vox on Housing and Adult Friendship. See the headless dog robot for yourself. NYTimes: being "The Elder" and the retreat for dealing with becomin...