Smart People Podcast

Creativity is like a fire hose.  Once you turn it on it's hard to control, it spews out haphazardly, and if you don't have a firm grasp on it, it can whip you in just about any direction.  The power that it yields is immense; however, one small malfunction can completely stop the flow and you better have some knowledge and tools to get it up and running again. That's where this week's guest, Jill Badonsky, comes in.  She knows the most common reasons your fire hose breaks and how to fix it. I have to admit, I don't really know the extent of Jill's knowledge about fire hoses, but I will tell you she knows a heck of a lot about creativity.   I'll also admit, that Jill's approach to dealing with creativity, working through the process, and overcoming obstacles is a bit odd.  In her most recent book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard): 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers, and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence, Jill introduces us to her 10 imaginary friends that each represent a different creative concept designed to help us overcome creative blocks and let go of the fear that holds us back from doing what we want to do. Jill Badonsky, M.Ed., is an internationally recognized workshop leader, keynote speaker and creativity coach. She has consulted with national magazines, filmmakers, comedians, artists, writers, women in business, and spiritual groups through-out the country. Her background is in occupational therapy, writing, marketing, educational media and instructional design. Find out more about Jill at  http://www.themuseisin.com.

For most of us, our high school textbooks were nothing more than a paper weight.  Maybe if we would have actually opened them, we wouldn't need to rely on talking to smart people, but that's neither here nor there.  The main reason we didn't care what was inside those massive bound bundles of  boring (yay for alliteration) was because they didn't draw us in, there was no fun, and no play.  In steps this week's guest, Phil Edwards.  Phil, as he puts it, is a "writer of mysteries and humor. Sometimes mysterious humor as well." He had an idea to mesh together a passion of his, comedy, with an annoyance of his, boring text books.  The result of this idea is his brand new book, Fake Science 101, a witty, funny, easy read that takes the structure of a text book and turns it into laughs.  Our personal favorite part of this interview is the way Phil takes us through the writing process, how to turn your idea into reality, get a literary agent, market your work, and make some money! You can find out more about Phil and his other creative creations at philedwardsinc.com.

This week we cover some seriously heavy topics.  What plays a bigger role in who you are, your experiences or your genetics? Are emotions strictly a biological response to an event, easily defined by the chemical that they are related to?  Are we born as moral beings, or is even morality subject to circumstances? What flavor of ice cream is better, vanilla or chocolate? Wait, sorry - that was a separate argument that Jon and I had.  Anyway, it takes some serious smarts to even attempt to answer these questions (especially the ice cream debate), good thing this week's guest is basically a genius.  Join us as we chat with Dr. Jesse Prinz. Dr. Prinz is a Distinguished Professor of philosophy at the City University of New York, Graduate Center where he is also the director of the Committee for Interdisciplinary Science Studies. He works primarily in the philosophy of psychology and has authored several books and over 100 articles, addressing such topics as emotion, moral psychology, aesthetics and consciousness. Some of Dr. Prinz's most notable books include, Beyond Human Nature, Gut Reactions, and The Emotional Construction of Morals.

It's not the first time we've talked about it, and it won't be the last.  The human brain is plain ol' amazing.  For example, have you ever thought about where a memory is stored? Give it a real long ponder.  Somewhere in your 3 pound ball of spongy tissue, memories from decades past are filed just to be recalled in a moments notice. Then you know what else it will do? It will take that memory, analyze it, and use the information it gathered to help you navigate the world ahead.  It even does a fairly decent job of predicting the future! But, as we will talk about in this week's episode, even the best computers have their bugs.  I mean, the human computer was created a heck of a long time ago and I'm pretty sure there haven't been many updates (and if so, please let me know because I haven't had a chance to download them).  So sometimes, our brain might be acting in a way that is, frankly, outdated.  In fact, much of what makes our brains “happy” leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which make getting out of our own way extremely difficult.  Grrrrrreat, now what am I supposed to do? (Answer: Listen to this podcast, it will make your brain really happy.) Let's learn more about our brain by speaking with author David DiSalvo.  David is a science writer and public education specialist who writes about the intersection of science, technology and culture. His work has appeared in Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Mental Floss, Salon, Esquire and other publications, and he is the writer behind the widely read blogs, Neuropsyched, Neuronarrative and The Daily Brain. He is frequently interviewed about science and technology topics, including appearances on NBC Nightly News and CNN Headline News. David has also served as a consulting research analyst and communications specialist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several public and private organizations in the U.S. and abroad. His first non-fiction book, What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite, has been translated into 10 languages and is available worldwide. He is currently working on his second book, due out in Fall 2013.  

2. Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. 3. Write the book you want to read. 4. Use your hands These are just 3 of the 10 pieces of wisdom that this week's guest, Austin Kleon, wants to pass along.  But wait...where is #1? Ahhh, good question.  The first piece of advice is also the title of his most recent, New York Times best seller, Steal Like an Artist. So what does THAT mean? Well literally it means that all art has already been created in some fashion; therefore, anything that is now created is partly stolen from someone, somewhere.  But more figuratively, it means a lot of things.  It is an idea, a mantra if you will.  It means how to be creative, how to generate ideas, how to use what HAS been done as a way to figure out what CAN be done.  Nothing is new.  Personally, this book jumped out to me for one reason.  Every day of my life I come up with some new idea or invention (I know, I know - I'm not alone here) and I get all excited until I type it into google just to realize it has already been done in some fashion.  But what Steal Like an Artist says, is that just because it's been done doesn't mean it can't be done BETTER.  It's time to get creative with Austin Kleon. Austin is a writer, artist, speaker, and New York Times best-selling author. He’s written two books: Steal Like An Artist, and Newspaper Blackout.  His art has been called “brilliant” by New York Magazine and The New Yorker said his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everyone else is declaring it dead.” His work has been featured on 20×200.com, NPR’s Morning Edition, and PBSNewshour, and in Time, The Atlantic, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. He’s spoken about creativity, visual thinking, and being an artist online for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, andThe Economist.  Visit him online at www.austinkleon.com. *Remember to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Do you know what astrophysics is? I'm not going to lie, I had to wikipedia it.  This week we speak with the guy who Invented Astrophysics! ....Ok, not really, that guy has been dead for like centuries, BUT we basically get to talk to the next best thing in Dr. Charles Pellerin.  Dr. Pellerin is the former director of astrophysics at NASA where he led the team that built the hobbled Hubble Space Telescope and then redeemed himself by leading the mission to fix it - so he's kind of a big deal in a lot of ways.  Actually, let's discuss how big of a deal he is: Charlie received Goddard Space Flight Center's highest patent related award for inventing a "Two-axis Fluxgate Magnetometer". His design then flew on missions to the planets. He earned a PhD in Astrophysics publishing in Solar Physics and the Astrophysical Journal. Catholic University awarded him their Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science. After the Harvard Business School's "Program for Management Development," NASA appointed Charlie Director, Astrophysics. He led this program for a decade launching 12 satellites. NASA awarded him an Outstanding Leadership Medal and the American Astronautical Society gave him their highest award, the Space Flight Award. So I'll say it again....he's kind of a big deal and we're pumped to have him on the show.  We start off with some really nerdy questions about inhabiting Mars, which we WILL do sometime soon according to Dr. P.  Then we dive into the Hubble disaster and how Charlie was able to take that life lesson in a fantastic direction as he outlines in his AMAZING book How NASA Builds Teams.   You will learn all about Dr. Pellerin's new 4-D approach that is being used by some of the largest companies in the world such as Texas Instruments and Raytheon Co, just to name a few.  The systems and ideas are all outlined for free at http://www.nasateambuilding.com/ or http://www.4-dsystems.com/ . He has a LOT of free information available on there that can help ANYONE from small business to large corporations and especially to the individual employee.  In today's business environment you really have to be a team player, why not take some advice from one of the smartest guys to ever give it!  

Welcome back everyone to our first official episode of Season 2!.  We are glad to see you back and we look forward to another year of awesomeness. Our twenties are supposed to be the time of our lives, right?  A time where you can do whatever you want and use the excuse, "I'm just trying to find myself."  You can backpack through Europe for as long as you want and finance it all on your 3 new credit cards!  You can date anyone and everyone that will wink at you on match.com or buy you a drink at a bar.  And you can jump from job to job every 3 months because loyalty is dead and that's what young adults do these days.  The craziest part of it all is that your parents are not only OK with this, but they encourage it!  They explain to you that they wish they traveled more when they were your age and took advantage of all that youth has to offer.  But you know what's funny...they didn't do any of that.  Yes I'm generalizing, but for most of modern history, your twenties were a time to find the best job you can with your skill set, work hard, start your family and begin to take on responsibility. Nearly 80% of life's most significant events take place by age thirty-five whether you want them to or not - so it's kind of important that you are making good decisions.  The career path you choose, or at least the experience you gain, is going to impact your future earnings in an extremely skewed fashion.   The people you meet in your twenties are going to have a more profound effect on who you become than at any point in the future. And, not to scare you too much, but if you are thinking about having a family at some point, these years are the time to start planning.  At age 30 a woman is 1/2 as fertile as she was just 5 years prior and by age 35, she is just 1/4 as fertile.  So what do you do? With all of these things happening in such a short period of time, it's extremely easy to become anxious, scared and confused.  Well you're in luck, because Smart People Podcast is here to help you on your way. This week we speak with Dr. Meg Jay.  Dr. Jay (www.drmegjay.com) is a clinical psychologist who specializes in adult development, and twenty-somethings in particular.  She is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Virginia, and maintains a private practice in Charlottesville, VA.  Dr. Jay earned a doctorate in clinical psychology, and in gender studies, from the University of California, Berkeley.  In this conversation with Meg we cover everything from dating and relationships to what your career path is and who you want to become and much more.  We dive into Meg's AMAZING brand new book, The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter - and how to make the most of them now.  If you're still lucky enough to have all or part of your twenties ahead of you, this is simply a MUST read.  However, if you're twenties have come and gone, there is still much to be learned and perhaps you can help pass on these words of wisdom to your own children.  Whatever your reasoning is, we can promise you that this is one episode you really can't afford to miss.  Do it for yourself, do it for our youth!

If you're anything like me (Chris) and nothing like the other host (Jon) you absolutely hate surfing the internet to find the next big thing. I mean, by the time I learned about Myspace, there was a movie being made about Facebook. But let's face it, the web is where it's at people.  Not understanding the inner workings of the interwebs is the equivalent of being the last caveman to discover fire...you're dead.  And with all of the URL's, HTML's, WWW.'s and HTTP's the majority of us struggle to keep up.   That's why you need to be a lot like me (Chris) and become really good friends with a computer nerd (Jon) to ensure that you are kept up to speed.  But just in case you are unable to make friends, we have brought the best of the internet to you in this week's episode. This week we call upon the only man to have reached the end of the internet, David-Michel Davies (DMD for short - coolest nickname ever BTW).  DMD is the Executive Director of the Webby Awards, a leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.  Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an Executive 1,000-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities. Just listening to DMD makes you feel like you have your finger on the pulse of the internet.   And if you do ONE thing after listening to this week's episode, go to netted.net, you can thank us later. This week we tackle: The Best of SXSW Where is the internet heading? App culture Netted.net - the email you seriously shouldn't miss Internet influence on various types of media (when is the last time you bought a CD?)

Craig Koslofsky, author, Associate Professor of History at the University of Illinois . Can you imagine a time without electricity and modern technology? First of all, HOW would you download this podcast? In Craig Koslofsky's book, Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe, Craig discusses "the history of night" and what it meant to people during those times. During this period of history, the night was changed when it came to religion, literature, socialization, and art. Check out this week's podcast to learn more!

Dr. Srini Pillay - Neuroscientist, Psychiatrist, Executive Coach...amazing. The human brain is a miracle, no one can question that.  The brain is the source of all of our cognition.  It stores our memories, it creates our identity and it interprets the world in which we live.  It's also a mechanism that can be exercised and fine tuned to help us reach our greatest potential.  But how the heck does it work? I mean, thinking about thinking is damn near impossible. That's why we leave it up to experts such as this week's guest Dr. Srini Pillay. After graduating as the top medical student in his class, Dr. Pillay trained in Psychology at McLean Hospital (the nations top psychiatric hospital) and Harvard Medical Institute.  He graduated as the resident with the most number of awards at any training program at Harvard Medical School and one of the top three award winners in the US.  He was also the Founder and Director of the Outpatient Anxiety Disorders Program at McLean Hospital.  He has also authored numerous books including, Your Brain and Business and, Life Unlocked: 7 Revolutionary Lessons to Overcome Fear.  So needless to say, he's got a little bit of experience on his side. Join us as we blow your mind...er...brain. Please check out his website! http://srinipillay.com/ Tackled this week: What motivates people to be more productive? Harmonious Passion vs. Obsessive Passion How do you use the science behind the brain to improve leadership skills? AND MORE!

Drew Dudley takes a few minutes after his interview to speak on bipolar disorder. He discusses how it helped him become who he is today. It was very enlightening and we thank Drew for discussing such matters!

Drew Dudley - Leadership and Motivation Expert: Be prepared to look at leadership in a new light after this one.  According to this week's guest Drew Dudley, leadership is no longer a description reserved for kings, presidents, and executives. It's something we all possess and we need to use it to change the world. Drew believes we've made leadership into something bigger than us, something beyond us.  And Jon and I think he's on to something.  We all find times in our lives when leadership of some sort is necessary and we don't realize that we willingly jump to the challenge.  Whether it comes when you're lost on a long road trip, or put in charge of that project at work or even when you notice other's around you not recycling, there are things that happen every day that force us into a leadership role and most of the time we succeed.  So why are we so hesitant to consider ourselves leaders? Perhaps we are thinking of leadership in the wrong context....and that's exactly what Drew Dudley is going to explain. Drew Dudley is a leadership and motivation expert and founder and chief catalyst of Nuance Leadership. He can also be found on Twitter: @nuancedrew. Please take a look at one of his TED talks below.

Dr. Richard Alley - Geologist & Climate Change Specialist: It is no longer a matter of if, how or how long...it's real & it's happening.  The amount of greenhouse gasses within Earth's atmosphere are increasing at an alarming rate which is causing a continuous and unsustainable rise in the Earth's climate. This is not alarmist, I'm not preaching, it's just true.  When Al Gore released released the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" it was a wake up call for many and we began to realize the effect that our industrialization, specifically regarding our food supply, is having on our world. So what exactly is happening? How do we KNOW about global warming? And most importantly, what can we do about it? Funny you should ask, it just so happens these are the exact questions we answer this week when we interview American geologist and Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at the Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Richard Alley.  He has authored more than 170 refereed scientific publications and is recognized by the Institute for Scientific Information as a "highly cited researcher." AND, Dr. Alley was a contributor to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Prize with Al Gore so add a Nobel Laureat to the SPP resume!

Josh Klein - Technologist & Computer/Life Hacker: Many of today's systems and organizations still operate on the same processes that became popular during the industrial revolution, but no longer prove relevant. Think about it, a company decides they want to be innovative and productive. They need their employees to be creative and forward thinking. So what do they do? They make you sit in a make-shift jail cell that inhibits any type of creativity and brainstorming and they tell you to work within the confines of your role. How does that help? Plain and simple...it doesn't. This is when they hire Josh Klein (this week's guest) to come in and basically tell them to get with the times and stop following the norm. But in this episode we don't stop at making fun of companies - we cover it all. Can the music industry stop complaining that file sharing is killing the industry and just realized that it IS the industry? How about the fact that students in India are getting a perfectly good education for FREE using Khan Academy  There are endless opportunities to use technology and the new virtual network to better our lives for cheaper, if we would just accept a change. Josh Klein is a technologist who uses systems thinking to create alternative methods of succeeding in divergent fields. Basically, in common speak, that means he uses his love for technology and his lifelong affinity for how things work and how they can work even better to solve problems across many areas. Josh has written two books, his most recent titled Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results tells employees how to break the rules at work to be more productive. In addition, Josh has participated in numerous start ups, he works for the US Intelligence Community and has done speaking engagements at many forums including Davos and TED. Now he can add SPP to that list. Enjoy!

We got the chance to sit down with Debra Benfield to discuss nutrition and  the concept of mindful and intuitive eating around healthy food choices. You'll also get a look into some of our weird eating habits! Debra is a Master’s Level Nutritionist (M.Ed.), a (Registered Dietitian (R.D.) AND a Licensed Dietitian/ Nutritionist (L.D.N.) with over 25 years of experience. So as you can see, she definitely fits the mold of who we seek out to talk to on Smart People Podcast! Head over to Debra's page, Body in Mind Nutrition to read up on what she has to offer! For those of you that didn't recognize the voice at the beginning of the podcast, that is Vanessa Ragland of the Pop My Culture podcast. She is running for California Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Woman of the Year. In support of her campaign, all donations that come through our donation button will be sent to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Hit that donate button and help in any way you can!