Art of Manliness Favs.

man5

All Time Greatest Podcasts

Malcolm Gladwell's brilliant, #1 bestselling follow-up to The Tipping Point, a book about how we make decisions and the power of intuition.

--------

How do we make decisions - good and bad - and why are some people so much better at it than others? That's the question Malcolm Gladwell asks and answers in the follow-up to his huge bestseller The Tipping Point. Utilizing case studies as diverse as speed dating, pop music, and the shooting of Amadou Diallo, Gladwell reveals that what we think of as decisions made in the blink of an eye are much more complicated than assumed. Drawing on cutting edge neuroscience and psychology, he shows how the difference between good decision-making and bad has nothing to do with how much information we can process quickly, but on the few particular details on which we focus. Leaping boldly from example to example, displaying all of the brilliance that made The Tipping Point a classic, Gladwell reveals how we can become better decision makers - in our homes, our offices and in everyday life.

"Gladwell's real genius is as a storyteller. He's like an omniscient, many-armed Hindu god of anecdotes: he plucks them from every imaginable field of human endeavor. Royally entertaining." - Lev Grossman, Time 

--------

Available now from Hachette Audio on CD and as a digital download, and in hardcover and ebook from Little, Brown.

Download:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Science-Technology/Blink-Audiobook/B002VAEK3K/ref=a_search_c4_1_4_srTtl?qid=1435263890&sr=1-4
 https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/blink-power-thinking-without/id315600111?uo=6
http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/blink-the-power-of-thinking-without-thinking/143274
http://www.emusic.com/book/malcolm-gladwell/blink/10052403/


CD:
http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/1586217194/ref=sr_1_1_twi_6_aud?ie=UTF8&qid=1435265053&sr=8-1&keywords=blink+malcolm+gladwell
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blink-malcolm-gladwell/1100022866?ean=9781586217198

Check out our other great titles and more at:
HachetteAudio.com

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, Read by the Author - Audiobook Excerpt

Why some people are succesful and some aren't, by the #1 bestselling author of Blink and The Tipping Point. 

--------

In this stunning new audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

--------

Available now from Hachette Audio on CD and as a digital download, and in hardcover and ebook from Little, Brown and Company.

Download:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/Outliers-Audiobook/B002UZDRK8/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1435263890&sr=1-1
http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/outliers-the-story-of-success/53840
http://www.emusic.com/book/malcolm-gladwell/outliers/10052383/
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/outliers-story-success-unabridged/id295301869?uo=6
http://www.downpour.com/catalog/product/view/id/210337/

CD:
http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/1600243916/ref=sr_1_1_twi_5_aud?ie=UTF8&qid=1435263979&sr=8-1&keywords=malcolm+gladwell
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/outliers-malcolm-gladwell/1100030024?ean=9781600243912

Check out our other great titles and more at:
HachetteAudio.com

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Read by the Author - Audiobook Excerpt

At long last, a collection of the very best of Malcolm Gladwell's brilliant New Yorker essays.

--------

Over the past decade, Malcolm Gladwell has become the most gifted and influential journalist in America. In The New Yorker, his writings are such must-reads that the magazine charges advertisers significantly more money for ads that run within his articles. With his #1 bestsellers, The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers, he has reached millions of readers. And now the very best and most famous of his New Yorker pieces are collected in a brilliant and provocative anthology. Among the pieces: his investigation into why there are so many different kinds of mustard but only one kind of ketchup; a surprising assessment of what makes for a safer automobile; a look at how we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job; an examination of machine built to predict hit movies; the reasons why homelessness might be easier to solve than manage; his famous profile of inventor and entrepreneur Ron Popeil; a look at why employers love personality tests; a dissection of Ivy League admissions and who gets in; the saga of the quest to invent the perfect cookie; and a look at hair dye and the hidden history of postwar America.

For the millions of Malcolm Gladwell fans, this anthology is like a greatest hits compilation-a mix tape from America's alpha mind.

--------

Available now from Hachette Audio on CD and as a digital download, and in hardcover and ebook from Little, Brown and Company.

Download:
http://www.downpour.com/what-the-dog-saw-1
http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/what-the-dog-saw/59633
http://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/What-the-Dog-Saw-Audiobook/B002V5GXEO/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1435265517&sr=1-2
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/what-dog-saw-other-adventures/id333440647?uo=6
http://www.emusic.com/book/malcolm-gladwell/what-the-dog-saw/10045268/


CD:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-the-dog-saw-malcolm-gladwell/1100259261?ean=9780316076203&fmt=1800&usri=what+the+dog+saw
http://www.amazon.com/What-Dog-Saw-Other-Adventures/dp/1600249159/ref=sr_1_1_twi_5_aud?ie=UTF8&qid=1435265493&sr=8-1&keywords=what+the+dog+saw

Check out our other great titles and more at:
HachetteAudio.com

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

Follow us at:
twitter.com/HachetteAudio
www.tumblr.com/blog/hachetteaudio
www.facebook.com/HachetteAudio

What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell, Read by the Author - Audiobook Excerpt

It's crazy how quickly we take things for granted - just one of the point I touched on in this completely fire and HUGE keynote and Q&amp;A in Oregon for the Dutch Bros Coffee Leadership event. This ENTIRE talk is gold. The Q&amp;A portion is fire too. Loved loved loved these questions, and one that really stood out was the question about how I'm able to be so positive while cursing so much- which leads straight to my passion for the game. You should hear every. single. second of this talk because there's definitely something in it that applies to every single one of you. I hope you enjoy &lt;3

An ALL TIME Keynote and Q&A With Dutch Bros Coffee

“REST AT THE END, NOT IN THE MIDDLE.”- KOBE BRYANT

He’s won five NBA championships with the Lakers and led the NBA in scoring during two seasons. He’s an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons played with one franchise for an entire career: 20 seasons.

In 2018, he received an Academy Award for his animated short “Dear Basketball.” He also just launched a podcast called The Punies that teaches kids morals and history in a really fun way.

Kobe’s known for what he calls his Mamba Mentality, but it’s his big heart that is truly admirable. He is constantly reinventing himself and continuing to pursue new dreams.

There is so much power in his energy and presence. I know you’re really going to love this one.

So get ready to learn all about Mamba Mentality and how to embrace failure on Episode 691.


Some Questions I Ask:

Who was your greatest teacher? (7:10)

What are some other things you do to raise the level of your teammates? (17:00)

What’s been your greatest challenge since leaving the game? (20:30)

What’s a constant theme in your life? (24:40)

Why is storytelling important to you? (25:39)

What’s your greatest weakness? (34:35)


In This Episode You Will Learn:

All about the “Mamba Mentality” (12:20)

Why he has a passion of storytelling (26:00)

Why you should be excited about failure (27:10)

Kobe’s greatest moment in 20 seasons of basketball (36:14)

Kobe’s daily routine (39:00)

The School of Greatness

On Apple Podcasts

Kobe Bryant: Mamba Mentality and The Mind of a Champion

Alan Stein, Jr. is a performance coach, consultant, speaker and author. He spent 15 years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet.

Alan delivers high-energy keynotes and interactive workshops to improve performance, cohesion and accountability. He inspires and empowers everyone he works with to take immediate action and improve mindset, habits and productivity.

In other words, Alan teaches how to utilize the same strategies in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level.

Alan Stein Jr. - 5 Ways To Develop A High Performance Mindset

Emerson famously said "society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." 

My guest today says things have gotten a lot worse since Emerson uttered those words over a century and a half ago. His name is Robert Twigger. We last had him on the show to discuss his book "Micromastery." Today we discuss a book he wrote 20 years ago called "Being a Man in the Lousy Modern World." We begin our conversation discussing how the modern world infantilizes men so they're easier to control, and whether Robert thinks things have changed since he initially published the book. We then dig into the four factors Robert says need to be in place for a man to feel like a man, and why experiencing these qualities has become harder to do in the present age. We then discuss what Robert did to counter the currents of modern malaise like hiking the Pyrenees mountains and learning a martial art, and whether doing those things actually made him feel manlier. We end our conversation with what men can do to start fighting back against the conspiracy against their manhood.

Get the show notes at aom.is/twigger.

#592: Being a Man in the Lousy Modern World

Are you feeling overwhelmed at work? Trying to find a job, but can't seem to get your foot in the door? Have you been knocking your head against a problem over and over again, but haven't made any headway on it?

My guest today says you can solve most of these issues by simply asking for help. 

His name is Wayne Baker, he's a sociologist, consultant, and the author of the book All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success.

We begin our conversation discussing what the research says are the benefits of asking for help and why people are nevertheless so reluctant to do it. Wayne then provides insights on how to overcome those obstacles in asking for help, the best way to formulate an ask so that it actually gets a response, and how to handle rejection. We then turn to Wayne's research on how organizations can benefit from creating a culture of help-seeking and what you can do within the organizations you belong to to foster such a culture.

Get the show notes at aom.is/ask.

#593: All You Have to Do Is Ask

Steve Jobs Audiobook Excerpt by Walter Isaacson, read by Dylan Baker

Buy Now

STEVE JOBS Audiobook Excerpt

The coronavirus pandemic has forced tens of millions of people to stay home due to shelter-in-place orders and even lockdowns. While supplies of food, water, and other essentials have largely continued undisrupted, if one or more of these services were cut off, what would be the best way to prepare for that kind of emergency?

To answer this question, I talk to friend of AoM and survival expert, Creek Stewart. Creek has dedicated his life to mastering all things survival, spending thousands of hours in the field, authoring numerous articles and books, teaching courses to others, and hosting television shows for the Weather Channel like SOS: How to Survive.

Today, Creek and I talk about what we can learn from the current pandemic about how to shelter-in-place or bug-in, and how to be prepared if this crisis worsens in severity, or we're one day hit with a more dire disaster. We dive into the different bug-in categories you need to consider, beginning with how much food and water you need for a long-term bug-in situation, and how to properly store it. Creek then talks about what you need to consider in terms of first aid and home defense in a bug-in scenario, and why you also need to think about how to keep yourself entertained.

Get the show notes at aom.is/bugin.

#597: A Survival Expert's Guide to Bugging-In

Have you come to a point in your life where the pursuits of your younger years no longer seem meaningful or satisfying? Maybe it's time for you to transition from the first half of your life to the second.

My guest today has spent decades helping people, particularly men, make this passage. His name is James Hollis and he's a Jungian analyst and the author of over a dozen books, including Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life. We begin our conversation with a brief overview of what makes Jungian or depth psychology unique, and how it helps individuals find meaning and deal with life's existential questions. Our discussion then explores the differences between the first and second halves of life, and how the main question of the first is "What is the world asking of me?" while the primary question of the second is "What is my soul asking of me?" Jim explains why you need to sort through the influences of your family and culture on who you've become and how the second half of life is about finding personal authority and sovereignty. We also discuss why the first half of life is always "a gigantic, unavoidable mistake," and why that's okay.

Jim explains what triggers the impetus to move from the first to the second half of life, how it can happen at any age, how to make the transition from one phase to the other, and why the journey to the second can be terrifying because it lacks the structure of the first. Jim describes the internal systems you can use for guidance in moving forward in the absence of this external structure. He then gets into the importance of continuing to grow in your profession or marriage throughout your life. We discuss the particular reasons men can get stuck in the first half of life, and how men are more free to tend to the needs of their souls these days, but can still feel adrift. We end our conversation with how you can know if you're on the right track in pursuing the tasks of the second half of life.

Get the show notes at aom.is/secondhalf.

#598: Journeying From the First to the Second Half of Life

More than 80% of the world's population consumes the same psychostimulant every single day. Yet few of us know very much about our favorite daily drug . . .  caffeine.

My guest today will shed some light on humanity's love affair with this pick-me-up substance. His name is Murray Carpenter and he's the author of Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us. We begin our discussion exploring what caffeine does to our mind and body, before delving into how caffeine consumption developed in different places all around the world and how the way we get our caffeine fix has evolved over the millennia. Murray and I then discuss the popularity of coffee in America and how our grandparents actually drank way more of it than we do today. Murray explains how caffeinated sodas became a stimulating competitor to coffee in the 19th century and how energy drinks became a huge business in the late 20th. Murray and I then discuss how you're probably ingesting more caffeine than you realize, and what the generally recommended maximum amount to consume per day is. We then get into whether caffeine can enhance athletic performance, and how much you need to take for it to make a difference. We then discuss the overlooked benefits of caffeine, as well as its downsides, and end our conversation with the question of whether caffeine is an addictive substance. 

This episode will get you thinking about your morning joe differently.

Get the show notes at aom.is/caffeinated.

The Art of Manliness

#608: How Caffeine Hooks, Hurts, and Helps Us

A lot of ink has been spilled about how young people today are struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood. But these think pieces are often heavy on blame and light on solutions. My guest today takes an understanding approach to the difficulties of growing up, as well as offers practical strategies for facilitating the process. His name is Mark McConville, and he's a family clinical psychologist who's spent decades working with young clients and written a book on what he's found does and doesn't work in getting them to become more independent called Failure to Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn't Grown Up . . . and What to Do About It.

We begin our conversation with how Mark defines a failure to launch, when in his career he started to notice this issue in his young clients, and what factors are behind its prevalence. He then explains the idea of "emerging adulthood" and how it's normal for it to take some time for a twenty-something to start feeling like a grown-up. Mark and I then unpack the three tasks a young person must master to transition to adulthood, which includes discussions of what prevents twenty-somethings from taking on grown-up responsibilities, how parents need to shift from a supervisory role to a consultant role, the importance of getting going in the right direction, and why young adults should treat life like a climbing wall. We end our conversation with advice to parents on the best way to motivate their kids to tackle the tasks of growing up.

Plenty of insights for both young adults and their parents in this episode.

Get the show notes at aom.is/launch.

#609: The 3 Tasks of Moving From Adolescence to Adulthood

In disasters or accidents, why do some people survive and others perish? In exploring this question, my guest has uncovered psychological and philosophical insights into not only dealing with life-threatening crises, but strategically navigating any situation that involves risk and decision-making. 

His name is Laurence Gonzales and he's a pilot, a journalist, and the author of several books, including the focus of today's conversation: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. Today on the show, we discuss how the story of his father being shot out of the sky during WWII set Laurence on a journey to explore the mysterious underpinnings of survival. Laurence then explains what happens to us mentally and emotionally in a disaster situation that causes us to make poor decisions, how our mental models can get us in trouble, and why rule breakers are more likely to survive than rule followers. Laurence then walks us through complexity theory and how trying to make things safer can counterintuitively make them more dangerous. We then talk about why the frequency with which you yell at your kids correlates to your chances of surviving a life-threatening emergency, before ending our conversation with a discussion of the paradoxes would-be survivors must grapple with, including being both realistic and hopeful at the same time.   

Get the show notes at aom.is/deepsurvival.

#610: Who Lives in Survival Situations, Who Dies, and Why

One of the most burning questions in life is what it is you’re called to do with it. What is your life’s purpose? What great work are you meant to do?

Guidance on this question can come from many sources, and my guest today says that one of the best is the Bhagavad Gita, a text of Hindu scripture thousands of years old. He’s a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and author of The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling. Stephen Cope and I begin our conversation with an introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, the significant influence it’s had on philosophers and leaders for ages, and what it can teach us about making difficult decisions. We then discuss the insights the Gita offers on the four pillars of right living, beginning with discerning your true calling or sacred duty. We unpack the three areas in your life to examine for clues to your life’s purpose, and why that purpose may be small and quiet rather than big and splashy. Stephen then explains the doctrine of unified action, why you have to pursue your calling full out, and why that pursuit should include the habit of deliberate practice. We also discuss why it’s central to let go of the outcome of actions to focus on the work itself, and the need to turn your efforts over to something bigger than yourself. All along the way, Stephen offers examples of how these pillars were embodied in the lives of eminent individuals who lived out their purpose.

#616: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling

When someone is struggling with a seemingly easy problem, someone else might say, "Come on, it's not rocket science!" The inference being that rocket science represents the pinnacle of complexity.

But my guest today argues that the study of rocket science contains some simple, overarching principles that cannot only be universally understood, but universally applied to all kinds of problems and decisions. His name is Ozan Varol, he served on the operations team for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers project, and he's the author of the book Think Like a Rocket Scientist. We begin our conversation discussing why Ozan went from studying astrophysics to going to law school, and how his scientific background has influenced his legal career. We then dig into ways that the same thought processes that enable spacecraft to travel millions of miles can also be applied to moving forward in work and life. Ozan explains how scientists deal with uncertainty and why you have to constantly question the way things are done to get better results. We end our discussion by talking about how to use thought experiments to solve problems, how to test ideas, and how to actually learn from your failures.

Get the show notes at aom.is/rocketscientist.