Metalearn

Tom Chatfield is a philosopher and author of the books Critical Thinking and How To Think. In this episode we discuss:- How to avoid common thinking mistakes and deal with your biases to be less wrong- The three characteristics of valuable information sources- How to understand statistics and form an accurate picture of reality in a data driven world  We also discuss Tom’s experience writing a book during the pandemic and the task of teaching people to think. This episode will help you overcome thinking mistakes and make sense of the world around you.

Visakan ‘Visa’ Veerasamy is a creator, marketer and the author of two books, Friendly Ambitious Nerd and Introspect. In this episode we discuss:  - How to reframe your ambition so you can succeed your way- How to create content that helps people, makes money and connects you to your tribe- How to market yourself and your work without selling out We also discuss Visa’s experience growing up as a child of multiple worlds, turning ADHD into a superpower, and the importance of creative scenes like the Golden Age in Ancient Greece and the Renaissance in Italy. Visa is one of the most interesting and unique thinkers I’ve come across and this episode will give you a lot of valuable insight into creating, marketing and more.

Michael Meade is a mythologist, storyteller and author best known for books like The Water of Life, Fate and Destiny and The Genius Myth. In this episode we discuss: - How to find and tap into your inner genius - How to tell transformative stories that move people- The most valuable life lessons from world mythology We also cover Michael’s near fatal run-in with a gang aged 13 and his experience going on hunger strike after being drafted into the Vietnam War. This episode will fuel your imagination and help you discover and tap into your own genius.

Luke Burgis is an entrepreneur and author of the book Wanting, The Power of Mimetic Desire and How to Want What You Need.  In this episode, we cover: - How to turn blind wanting that leaves you unfulfilled to intentional wanting that supports your values- The different kinds of role models and how they affect your desires and behaviour- How conflict often comes from similarities, not differences and the tactics to break the cycle in your life This conversation will help you better understand what you want and why you want it, giving you the power to find more meaning in your work and life and transform your life for the better.

Rob Fitzpatrick is an author and entrepreneur, best known for his book The Mom Test. His latest offering is Write Useful Books. In this episode, we discuss: - Rob’s 4-part system for writing useful books based on product testing principles - Common mistakes to avoid in getting feedback from readers - Business lessons Rob has learned from a decade and a half of entrepreneurial projects We also cover the publishing industry and Rob’s plans to disrupt it. This episode will give you a system for writing great non fiction that solves readers' problems and give you an insights into running an entrepreneurial career in a sustainable way.

Thomas Moore is an author and psychotherapist, best known for the NYT bestseller Care of the Soul. His latest book, Soul Therapy is focused on therapy that actually makes a difference. In this episode we discuss: - What therapy or "soul care" is and how it works - The myths that to help you through dark times in life - The modern obsession with childhood trauma This conversation will give you a fresh perspective of therapy and help you separate the signal from the noise in a world of shallow conversations about mental health.

David Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of Ruby on Rails, Co-Founder and CTO at Basecamp and the best-selling co-author of Rework and Remote. In this episode we discuss: - David’s learning process and how he’s applied it to everything from photography to race car driving - Basecamp's recent battle against Apple and the implications of Big Tech monopolies for business and society - David’s take on a recent controversy at Basecamp around discussing political issues at work This conversation will give you access to the methods and philosophies of an exceptional learner as well as insight into some of the key issues of our time. 

Raoul Pal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Real Vision Group, a disruptive financial media brand. He also runs his own macro research business the Global Macro Investor and was himself previously a highly successful portfolio manager at one of the world’s largest hedge funds GLG. The global economy is in a state of transition and with the march of technology accelerating and a new financial system and digital economy being created before our eyes, Raoul is the perfect guide to help you make sense of what’s going on. In this episode we discuss: - How we got to the current crisis point in the global economy and what that means for you- The emerging digital asset space (including cryptocurrencies, NFTs & community tokens) and its significance as a source of return to combat monetary debasement- The skill of investing and what Raoul has learned about it after several decades in the markets If you’re expecting tips on which cryptocurrencies to buy or sell this conversation isn’t for you. But it is what I hope wi

Barbara Oakley is an educator and writer who’s empowering people all over the world to learn more effectively. She’s best known for her role as the lead instructor on Coursera’s Learning How To Learn and her bestselling book A Mind for Numbers but in the last few years she’s created an incredible body of work including multiple books and online courses. In this episode we discuss: - How and why Barb is releasing not one but two books in quick succession Learn like a Pro and Uncommon Sense Teaching - The main insights from the last 5 years of research on the learning process - The difference between declarative and procedural memory and why that matters for learning This was a great conversation, full of fascinating insights about the learning process that you can go away and apply straight away.

Dean Nelson is the director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and author of the book Talk To Me. He has over 40 years of experience in journalism and has written stories from all over the world, which have been published the likes of the New York Times & Boston Globe. In this episode, we discuss: - How to navigate career crisis and the two questions that resolved Dean’s own struggles- How jazz is a useful analogy for understanding how to having better conversations- The path to becoming an effective interviewer and talking to your heroes This was a really insightful conversation that will teach you how to ask better questions and get better answers whether you interview for a living or not.

Eric Jorgenson is the author of the Navalmanack, a distillation of the best insights from Angel List Founder Naval Ravikant and the Founder of Course Correctly, a site that curates the best online courses for knowledge workers. Eric is in the process of creating a course about leverage and has learned from one of the best thinkers on the subject, Naval Ravikant, founder of Angel List and one of the world’s best-known technologists.  In this episode we discuss: - The core principles of leverage & the limiting beliefs that prevent people from applying it- How to curate the best online courses in an ocean of available learning materials - How the best way to become a unique specialist is to start as a generalist This was a really insightful conversation that will give you some great ideas on how to apply leverage to your own life and business, as well as some powerful insights into the future of online education.

Dhrupad Karwa is the Founder and CEO of Inspo, an AI Inspiration Partner designed to enrich creative thinking at brands and agencies. He is also the co-founder and CEO of HaikuJAM, a social writing game that helps people write collaboratively online. In this episode we discuss: - The importance of inspiration and how AI can bring more of it to our lives- The challenges of building startups and what kept Dhru going along the way- The current state of the social media landscape and the challenge of navigating it  This was a great conversation that will give you an insight into the mind of an entrepreneur working on a fascinating problem at the intersection of human and machine creativity. Plus, if you’re craving some inspiration at the moment, Dhru’s stories and ideas will definitely give you a top-up.

Billy Broas is an entrepreneur, marketing coach and consultant and instructor of the Keystone online course. In this episode we discuss: - Limiting beliefs holding you back from marketing yourself and your business - Billy’s Bridge of Transformation Method - What Billy learned from some of history’s greatest copywriters This episode will give you the mindsets and skillsets you need to thrive in marketing, as well as great insights into human psychology, business and online education.

Anton Howes is a historian in residence at the RSA and a visiting lecturer at King's College London. He is also the author of the book Arts and Minds: How The RSA Changed a Nation. In this episode we discuss: - The innovator's mindset and why it’s much rarer than you think- A vision for reviving the great exhibitions of the 19th century as a vehicle for progress- How to research and write a book, as well as advice for getting your work read This conversation will give you some great ideas for how you can innovate more in your life, your organisation, and even for society as a whole as well as some valuable insights into the creative process. 

Kevin Kelly is the co-founder and editor at Wired magazine, and one of the world’s leading technologists. He’s the author of What Technology Wants and The Inevitable and has recently launched Vanishing Asia, a photo-book documenting 40 years of Kevin’s travels in Asia.  In this episode we discuss: - Kevin’s lessons about photography, the world and himself from 40 years of travel in Asia - What the rise of Asia and accelerating global convergence means for you and the world- How to succeed in the industry of ideas and the current state of intellectual property This was a wide ranging conversation that will offer you powerful insights about travel, technology and where the world is going. Most importantly, you’ll get a fresh perspective on how to discover your own unique attributes so you can future proof yourself and live a good life.

Neer Sharma is the founder of Patent Drop, a newsletter that gives you a peek into the future by summarising new patents from big tech companies.He previously co-founded HaikuJAM - a mobile game that helps people feel better through collaborative writing, helping grow the community to over 1 million users.In this episode we discuss: - How to navigate a career change without having the next thing lined up - What the latest patents coming out of big tech tell us about the future of online interaction - Neer’s experiments with NFTs (non fungible tokens) and what the technology means for creatorsThis conversation will give you access to the mindset and strategies of someone who’s created a completely new career for himself by running experiments online as well as some great insights into the weird and wonderful virtual world that’s being built online.

Armand D’Angour is a Professor of Classics at Oxford University, a musician and the author of several books, including his latest Socrates in Love. In this episode we discuss:- Armand's revisionist biography of Socrates including an account of the woman who helped him shape his ideas on love - The value of reviving ancient music and the methods for doing so- What the Greeks’ attitude to the new can teach us about technology in the modern world This was a wonderful conversation that will give you fresh insight into the foundations of Western philosophy and the connections between music and the classics.

Annie Duke is a bestselling author, speaker, and decision-making consultant. Her latest book, How to Decide is already earning rave reviews and her previous one, Thinking in Bets, became a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, Annie won more than $4 million in tournament poker before retiring from the game in 2012. If you're anything like most people, you probably don't have much of a process for making decisions but what if decision making was a learnable skill? Annie has dedicated herself to teaching it through her books and consultingIn this episode we discuss: - What games like poker, chess and backgammon can teach us about decision making - How to learn effectively from your experiences without becoming biased by outcomes- How to overcome analysis paralysis and eliminate unnecessary decisionsThis was a great wide-ranging conversation with a lot of practical applications that will help you combat your own biases, address your weaknesses and become a better and more confident decisio

Joel Christensen is a Professor of Classics at Brandeis University and author of the book The Many Minded Man. He also posts regularly on the popular Classics-oriented website Sententiae Antiquae.  The Many Minded Man explores Homer's Odyssey through a modern psychological lens, focusing on how it reflects the workings of the human mind and provides a model for coping with the challenges of chance and fate. In this episode we discuss: - The concept of agency and how The Odyssey helps us to understand what we can control- How to use the power of storytelling to make sense of your life and the world around you - What modern psychology can learn from Homer's Odyssey and Iliad This was a wonderful conversation centred on some of the greatest stories ever told, which will show you how storytelling can shape a sense of agency and provide solutions to help you avoid destructive patterns.

Minter Dial is an international speaker and award-winning author, who focuses on the topics of leadership, branding and transformation. He has written three books including his latest You Lead: How Being Yourself Makes You a Better Leader. In this episode we discuss: - How Minter's experience observing 9/11 in New York changed his values - The 4 paradoxes we all have to navigate in a modern business context - What Minter learned from making a documentary about his grandfather This conversation was remarkably insightful and wide ranging and in it, you'll discover the mindsets and skillsets required for transformational leadership and how to facilitate meaningful dialogue.