My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now.

If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves?


I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow.

So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism!

Let’s grow together.

A Bit of Optimism

This might sound familiar: you read a full page, get to the bottom, and realize you absorbed none of it. There's a stack of books beside your bed you fully intend to finish. And the only phone number you can remember is your own.



Jim Kwik says none of that means something is wrong with our brains. It’s that we were taught what to learn, but rarely ever taught how to learn.



Jim would know. A well-meaning teacher called him "the boy with the broken brain" when he was nine, and for years he believed it. He's spent the three decades since proving otherwise — as a top brain coach, a leading expert on memory and accelerated learning, and the bestselling author of Limitless. His new book, Limitless Daily, offers 366 daily upgrades to help you focus, remember, and think better.



In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why reading faster can actually improve comprehension
➡️ The free technique that stops your mind wandering mid-page
➡️ How to prompt your own brain the way you prompt AI
➡️ What your "dominant question" reveals about your personality
➡️ Why school teaches us what to learn but never how to learn
➡️ What digital dementia is + how to spot it in yourself
➡️ Why focus is a muscle, not a personality trait
➡️ The one thing AI will never be able to do for you



I asked Jim an entirely selfish question about how to actually get through the unread books next to my bed, and got an answer that goes far beyond discipline. Jim explains why the technology making us more capable is quietly making us less able. 



And by the end, we landed somewhere neither of us expected: AI could have given Jim every piece of advice that changed his life, word for word. But it wasn't the advice that changed him. It was that a living, breathing person cared enough to give it.



This… is A Bit of Optimism.



+ + +



This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW



+ + +


If you want to buy Jim’s new book, Limitless Daily, head to: https://limitlessdaily.com 



Want to check out Jim’s other work like his best-selling book Limitless? Go to: https://jimkwik.com 



+ + +

Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 The Boy With the Broken Brain: When Labels Become Limits
00:00:25 The Power of Adult Words on Children
00:06:51 The Freshman English Failure: Rock Bottom Before the Breakthrough
00:09:54 The Breaking Point: Collapsing in the Library
00:14:26 The Intervention: A Mentor Who Saw Potential, Not Limits
00:15:16 Accidental Careers: When Your Work Becomes Service to Others
00:20:48 110 People Showed Up: The Accidental Beginning of a Career
00:25:02 30 Books in 30 Days: The Student Who Saved Her Mother's Life
00:26:19 Service Over Success: Why Purpose Matters More Than Profit
00:31:31 Grow Givers vs Go Getters: Growing So You Have More to Give
00:32:23 Why Smart People Can't Finish Books
00:34:24 Your Brain Is Bored, Not Broken
00:38:49 The Visual Pacer Hack That Changes Everything
00:40:23 Ask Better Questions: How to Prime Your Brain for Learning
00:44:55 Focus Is a Muscle: Training Attention in the Age of AI
00:46:00 Why AI Will Never Replace Bedside Manner
00:49:11 It Was Never About the Information, It Was The Power of Being Seen



+ + +



Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.



Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.



Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.



+ + +



Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek



+ + +

Your Limits Are Learned (And They Can Be Unlearned) with Brain Coach Jim Kwik

Maybe this sounds familiar: you finally get the opportunity you've been waiting for, and the voice in your head says, "I'm not ready, I don't belong here." 



Now imagine hearing that voice with millions of people watching.



Mary Holland Nader has lived it. She never dreamed of fame, but when Hulu's reality series Love Thy Nader came knocking, she traded her secure Wall Street job for the spotlight and put her new platform to work. It allowed her to launch Mary & Pip, a purpose-driven fintech company that takes a wellness approach to money, demystifying finance for those of us it usually makes feel dumb. She also brings that expertise to her new podcast, Growing Interest (where I was lucky to be among her first guests).


On the show, Mary Holland lets us join every step of her founder’s journey… even when it’s messy. Because she never wanted to be famous, but now that she is, she’s realized fame is leverage. And Mary Holland's committed to using hers to help and inspire others.


In this episode you'll learn:

➡️ How to survive a 180-degree life pivot

➡️ Why your gut doesn't tell you what to do — it checks your values
➡️ The "corny" morning ritual that transformed Mary Holland's confidence
➡️ How to stop making your doubts your identity (with one simple grammar change)
➡️ The difference between being nice and being kind — and why feedback is kind
➡️ The 2 questions every founder should ask before raising money 

➡️ Why Simon gives his time to supporters instead of critics
➡️ The "reluctant sellout" + how financial stability protects your values
➡️ How to introduce yourself when you're more than one job title



Mary Holland is a new breed of entrepreneur — proof of what happens when you use your platform for something bigger than yourself. She stopped waiting for confidence to arrive and decided to build it… in front of everyone.


This… is A Bit of Optimism.



+ + +



This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW



+ + +



Tune in to Mary Holland’s new podcast, Growing Interest, and you might just see Simon as a guest.



Improve your financial wellness with Mary & Pip. Head to: https://www.maryandpip.com


Want to keep up with Mary Holland and her sisters? Check out Love Thy Nader on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/love-thy-nader 



+ + +

Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 From Wall Street to Reality TV: Using Fame as a Tool for Good
00:02:57 Growing Up in the Bayou: Four Sisters and a Pet Alligator
00:07:19 Why Finance? Growing Up With Money Anxiety
00:08:25 Meeting Jimmy Kimmel's Agent: The Accidental Origin Story
00:10:29 Quitting Wall Street for Reality TV
00:12:58 Why Finance Makes Everyone Feel Stupid
00:14:14 Mary and Pip: Translating Finance for Real People
00:17:23 Becoming Confident on Camera: From Mortified to Vulnerable
00:25:22 The Power of Positive Self-Talk: Mirror Affirmations That Actually Work
00:28:31 Trust Your Gut: When Smart People Give You Bad Advice
00:30:09 What Does A Mentor Actually Look Like? 
00:33:27 Gazelles Get Eaten: Why Hypergrowth Isn't Always Good
00:42:24 Spears: The Feedback Technique That Changed Everything
00:45:32 Correcting Language That Creates False Narratives
00:54:02 The Reluctant Sellout: When Freelancers Are Forced to Compromise
00:56:02 You're Not a Founder, You're an Inviter: Finding Your True Identity



+ + +



Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.



Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.



Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.


+ + +



Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

How to Trust Yourself When Everyone Has an Opinion with Love Thy Nader's Mary Holland Nader

Maybe you know the feeling: everyone around you seems to be getting ahead, and every hour you spend on something "frivolous" — the hobby, the detour, the game on a Sunday afternoon — feels like falling behind. 


Brendan Hunt's career is proof those hours are never wasted. The detour turned out to be the path all along.


Most of us know Brendan as Coach Beard and as the Emmy Award-winning co-creator of Ted Lasso. But before any of that, he was an unknown Chicago improv actor when the Amsterdam comedy institution Boom Chicago offered him something different. He moved to Amsterdam for a year… that turned into five… and he joined an alumni roster that now includes comedians like Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, and Jason Sudeikis. 


Brendan performed every night, fell head over heels for soccer ("a soccer missionary for all Americans," as he puts it), and struck up a friendship with Jason Sudeikis. Years later, all of it collided into one of the most beloved shows on television, Ted Lasso, which is back for Season 4 on Apple TV+. Brendan has also returned to his first love, the stage, with his solo show The Movement You Need.



In this conversation, Brendan and I trace the wildly unplanned path from Chicago to Amsterdam to AFC Richmond… and land on a different way to think about ambition: master the craft in front of you, and let the plan catch up later.



In this episode you'll learn:

➡️ The real origin story of Ted Lasso (it began as a YouTube-only commercial written by a pool) 

➡️ Why Coach Beard barely talks + the improv rule that explains everything he does 

➡️ The "Beatles in Hamburg" secret to mastering any craft 

➡️ Why stepping away won't put you behind (everything will be exactly where you left it) 

➡️ How "wasting" Sundays watching Dutch soccer created the Lasso–Beard dynamic 

➡️ The surprising origin of the BELIEVE sign + who it was designed to annoy 

➡️ Why the flip side of belief is trust + and how it shapes Season 4



We spend so much of our lives protecting the plan. Brendan's story is a reminder that the things worth protecting are usually the ones we never planned for at all.


This… is A Bit of Optimism.



+ + +



This episode is brought to you by SAP. Bring it with SAP GROW. The AI Cloud ERP for any size business. Learn more at https://SAP.com/GROW


+ + +


Check out Brendan as Coach Beard on season 4 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso 


If you want to learn more about Brendan’s solo show, The Movement You Need, head to: https://themovementyouneed.com 



+ + +



Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 Plans vs. Imagination: The Risk of Staying Safe
00:02:43 From Chicago to Amsterdam: The Audition That Changed Everything
00:07:02 The Boom Chicago Pitch: When Amsterdam Became Irresistible
00:11:58 The Beatles in Hamburg: Getting Your 10,000 Hours
00:16:18 The Joy of the Thing: Why Not Thinking About Your Career Makes You Better
00:20:01 Real Opportunity vs. Your Imagination: Why People Stay Put
00:20:58 Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: The Art of the Flexible Plan
00:21:28 Curiosity as Currency: The Jack of All Trades Philosophy
00:22:51 The Ted Lasso Origin Story: A Pool, Some Bits, and a Name
00:25:45 The Soccer Missionary: How Amsterdam Made Brendan the Beard to Ted's Lasso
00:27:31 Everything Contributes to Everything: The Payoff of Wasted Time
00:30:31 Midwestern Chipperness Meets British Stiff Upper Lip: The Culture Clash of Ted Lasso
00:32:57 Diagnosed as Ted Lasso: When Your Company Is the Character
00:33:46 Bringing Yourself to the Character: Acting as Being, Not Becoming
00:37:23 Coach Beard Was a Placeholder: How a Play Gave Him a Name
00:44:06 The Art Couple: The Play Brendan Wishes He Could Do Forever
00:46:33 The 1986 NFC Championship: A Pure Childhood Memory
00:54:07 When Comedy Became a Need: Making Mom Laugh
00:55:59 Season Four: Belief, Trust, and Starting Over
00:57:28 Don't Pick Sides: The Gift of Knowing Your Own Mistakes
00:59:04 The Purity of Art: Why Brendan Keeps Writing



+ + +



Website: http://simonsinek.com

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek



+ + +

What Happens When You Bet on Yourself with Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt

Every lasting relationship has survived at least a few hard conversations. 



But most of us would still rather not have them... So we put them off and tell ourselves the tension will fade on its own. Instead it goes underground: into the stories we build about people, the resentments we quietly collect, and the side-texts we send about a colleague we won't talk to directly.



But a hard conversation is a short burst of discomfort in exchange for something better on the other side: trust, collaboration, and a relationship strong enough to survive the next one. 



Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.



In this final episode, Simon and Alex take on hard conversations: why tension is telling us something useful, why the story we build about someone gets harder to undo the longer we wait, and what to actually say when it's time to have the hard conversation.



Simon and Alex share tools like how to know when to bring something up so you don't show up hot, how to break the fourth wall and reset a conversation that's already going sideways, and the practice of “Watering Someone’s Flowers.” 



In this episode you'll learn:

➡️ Why tension is a smoke signal telling you to address something 

➡️ How conflict is a team sport for mutual understanding

➡️ How to move from "you're the problem" to both of you facing it together 

➡️ The "resentment gremlin" + why feeding it feels so satisfying 

➡️ When to initiate a hard conversation 

➡️ Why it’s important to start with a request for grace

➡️ “Watering someone's flowers”: the practice that softens any tension

➡️ What to do instead of “feedback sandwiches”

➡️ How to interrupt, reset, and take something back during a conversation 



Whether you're leading a team, dreading a review, or rehearsing the same speech in your car for the third week running, learning how to have hard conversations is an essential skill to build. 



And remember: a hard conversation isn't a sign that something has gone wrong. It's a sign that something matters enough to fix.



This... is A Bit of Optimism.



+ + +



CHAPTERS

Chapters

00:00:00 When Conflict Turns People Into Monsters
00:02:16 Reframing Tension: It's a Sign, Not a Problem
00:02:43 The Resentment Gremlin: How Waiting Makes It Worse
00:03:50 Oh No, Let's Just Skip It: Why Hard Conversations Feel Impossible
00:08:01 The Passive Aggressive Company: When Tens of Thousands Avoid Feedback
00:10:02 When Passive Aggression Is The Solution to Conflict
00:11:15 What Actually Stops Us: Fear, Narrative Building, and Self-Righteousness
00:20:38 Conflict Is a Team Sport for Mutual Understanding
00:23:04 You're Not the Problem, I'm Not the Problem: The Problem Is the Problem
00:25:21 The Interruption Technique That Stops Character Assassination
00:26:27 Timing Matters: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold
00:28:31 Setting a Goal: What Do You Actually Want From This?
00:29:44 Asking for Grace Grace: "I'm Going to Get This Wrong"
00:33:07 How to "Water Someone's Flowers"
00:38:02 Try This Instead of Feedback Sandwiches
00:40:25 Breaking the Fourth Wall: Pause, Reset, and Start Again
00:43:41 The Scaffolding Philosophy: Messy Humans Need Support Structures




+ + +


Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek


+ + +



About Alex Simon

Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

How to Say the Hard Thing and Keep the Relationship | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 5

Everyone says they want more accountability at work… yet few of us think we're the ones who need to learn how to be more accountable.



Most of us believe we already know how to own a mistake. We've all said sorry and truly meant it. But meaning it and doing it well are two very different things. And when we’re the first to apologize, we model to everyone around us how cathartic accountability can be.



Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.



In this episode, Simon and Alex take on accountability: why owning a mistake can feel like losing, why taking credit and dodging blame come from the same place, and what a real repair actually looks like.


You'll discover why owning your part doesn't mean admitting you were wrong, why the confidence to say, "I got that wrong," is what actually makes people follow you, and how to repair something in a way that genuinely clears a pathway forward. Simon and Alex share practical tools like the "wheelie bag" rule for separating intent from impact, the two-part formula that turns an empty gesture into apologies people can actually feel, Alex's practice of "micro-accountability" for owning small things before they accumulate, and the one word that quietly cancels everything you said before it.


In this episode you'll learn:

➡️ Why saying you're sorry doesn't mean you're wrong

➡️ The two-part apology formula: what you actually did + the impact it had
➡️ How to name someone's hurt + leave room to be corrected
➡️ "Micro-accountability": owning the small stuff before it turns into the big stuff
➡️ Why people who take too much credit are the same people who dodge blame
➡️ What real confidence actually looks like
➡️ How to receive an apology and why refusing it is its own kind of failure
➡️ Why being uncoachable is the biggest problem at work

➡️ How to ask people to build the fix with you



Whether you're leading a team, rebuilding trust with a colleague, or still quietly replaying an argument from three years ago, accountability is one of the most healing skills you can develop.


And remember: owning your part is a gift you give the other person AND you give yourself.



This... is A Bit of Optimism.



+ + +



CHAPTERS

Chapters

00:00:00 Why Nobody Thinks They Need to Learn How to Apologize
00:05:49 The Wheelie Bag Philosophy: What Saying Sorry Actually Means
00:08:52 Why People Who Take Too Much Credit Can't Handle Blame
00:10:15 Blame Culture: Why Our First Instinct Is Always to Point Fingers
00:13:37 The Difference Between Being Wrong and Taking Accountability
00:17:34 The Catharsis of Apologizing: Relief for Both Sides
00:24:04 The Leader Who Gives All Credit and Takes All Blame
00:27:55 The Anatomy of a Real Apology: Recognition Plus Impact
00:30:19 When Guessing the Impact Goes Wrong
00:33:46 Repair In Real-Time With Micro-Accountability 
00:35:17 The Three-Part Apology That Finally Landed
00:41:06 How to Receive an Apology Without Twisting the Knife
00:43:18 When Sorry Isn't Enough Without Behavioral Change
00:46:16 When You Can't Just Fix It: Asking for Help With Repair
00:49:57 Why We All Think We Already Know How to Apologize
00:51:10 Accountability Is the Gateway to Trust




+ + +



Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek



+ + +


About Alex Simon

Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

Why Being Right Is Costing You Trust | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 4

Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it.
But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's just sitting in your blind spot. Your colleagues can see it. Your boss can see it. And nobody will tell you, unless you learn to ask.
Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations. 
In this episode, Alex and Simon take on feedback: how to give it, how to take it, and how to ask for it. 
You’ll discover ways to give feedback people can actually hear, receive criticism without taking it personally, and build a feedback culture on any team. Alex and Simon share practical techniques like the one-word ritual Simon borrowed from the Air Force that made his whole company crave critiques, the “FBI” method for delivering hard feedback without blowing up relationships, and questions Alex asks her team to surface everything left unsaid, like "What are you afraid to tell me?"
In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why we avoid giving feedback + what that avoidance quietly costs our teams 
➡️ "Spears": the Air Force ritual that turns criticism into something people actually want 
➡️ The “FBI” (Feelings, Behavior, Impact) method for giving feedback people can actually hear 
➡️ The Army Rangers' peer assessment’s "foxhole question" + what it reveals about character 
➡️ How to think of feedback as preventative care and build that muscle
➡️ Why everyone receives feedback differently (+ how to give people what they need)
➡️ When to give feedback (hint: never the moment you think of it) 
➡️ The four-word habit that builds a thick skin: "What can I do better?"
Whether you're leading a team, managing up, or just tired of side-texting about a problem no one will name out loud, feedback is one of the most valuable skills you can build. 
And remember: feedback is kind, even when it’s not nice.
This... is A Bit of Optimism.
+ + +
Chapters

00:00:00 The Spinach in Your Teeth Problem: Why Nobody Tells You
00:03:48 The Story of Two Failed Feedback Sessions
00:06:37 Why Feedback Obsession Changes Everything
00:08:05 The Company That Was Too Nice to Give Feedback
00:10:35 Army Rangers and the Three-Level Evaluation System
00:14:24 Why Giving Feedback Feels So Hard 
00:17:16 Spears: The Air Force Technique That Changed Everything
00:20:08 All the Information You Need Is in Your Blind Spot
00:22:28 FBI: The Three-Part Formula for Feedback That Lands
00:25:37 Why Vague Praise Doesn't Help Anyone
00:27:16 Credit Is Free: Recognition Languages at Work
00:31:05 The Collaboration Meeting: Preventing Problems Before They Start
00:42:34 The Air Force Commander Who Cried Every Night for Six Months
00:45:08 When to Give Feedback: Not When You Think of It
00:47:24 The Virtuous Cycle: What Happens When You Get Feedback Right
00:49:08 How to Build the Muscle of Receiving Feedback
00:51:43 Generational Difference For Feedback 
00:52:57 One Simple Question: What Can I Do Better?
00:55:49 Feedback Is Kind Even When It's Not Nice

+ + +
Website: http://simonsinek.com/
Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
+ + +
About Alex Simon
Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.
She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.
When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.
In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.
Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

What Is Your Team Afraid to Tell You? | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 3

The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening.

Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard.

Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore the human skills that shape how we work, lead, and build relationships. Together, they unpack the emotional challenges most of us face every day—from people pleasing and listening to giving feedback, taking accountability, and having difficult conversations.

In this episode, they explore one of the most important communication skills we can develop: listening.

Together, they share practical techniques to improve your listening skills, build trust, navigate difficult conversations, and create better outcomes at work and at home. You'll learn why people often ask for one thing but actually need another, how to stop jumping into fix-it mode, and Alex's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener.

When people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflicts become easier to navigate, and conversations become more meaningful.

Because better conversations don't require everyone to be a great listener.

They only require one.



In this episode you'll learn:

➡️ Why hearing someone isn't the same as making them feel heard

➡️ How to stop jumping into "fix-it mode" and start listening with curiosity

➡️ Alex Simon's simple Four-Second Rule for becoming a better listener

➡️ Why people often ask for one thing but actually need something else

➡️ How better listening builds trust, strengthens relationships, and improves teamwork

➡️ How to navigate conversations when power dynamics are involved



Whether you're leading a team, supporting a friend, or navigating a difficult conversation, listening is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.

Because when people feel heard, relationships grow stronger, conflict becomes easier to navigate, and better conversations follow.

This... is A Bit of Optimism.


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Chapters

00:00:00 Listening to Understand vs Listening to Be Right
00:00:38 Why Most of Us Are Bad Listeners
00:02:08 What People Ask For vs What They Actually Want
00:02:53 The Four-Second Rule for Better Listening
00:04:05 Defining What Listening Is NOT
00:05:42 Listening Beyond Words: Tone, Volume, and Subtext
00:06:33 The Problem With Knee-Jerk Problem Solving
00:07:14 The Real Story: When We Failed to Listen and Lost an Employee
00:10:56 Needs vs Strategies: Understanding What's Really Being Asked
00:12:28 Being Present: The Social Benefit of Meditation
00:15:48 Body Language: Squaring Up and Putting Phones Away
00:18:26 Listening With Warm Eyes That Believe in Them
00:21:50 When Defensiveness Gets in the Way
00:26:46 The Four-Second Rule in Action
00:29:28 Is There More? The Buddhist Question That Peels Back Layers
00:31:11 Creating Self-Reliance Through Listening
00:34:26 Listening and Power Dynamics at Work
00:35:16 Creating Safety So People Don't Withhold Information
00:36:08 Why People Repeat Themselves Over and Over
00:37:45 Reflective Listening: When to Mirror Back What You Hear
00:40:11 Be As You Wish to Seem: Authenticity in Listening
00:41:42 Listening Up: Understanding What Your Boss Actually Needs
00:42:49 The One Degree Off Problem
00:45:18 Asking Questions Depersonalizes Criticism
00:47:02 Listening Is a Muscle You Can Build




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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.


Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.


Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.



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Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek


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About Alex Simon

Alex Simon is the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education and teaches emotional intelligence at Yale University. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.

She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.

When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.

In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.

Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

The Secret to Better Conversations Isn't Talking | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 2

Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek. 
Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement, trust, anxiety, belonging, conflict, and joy. If we want to build healthier teams and better workplaces, we have to get better at understanding the emotions that shape how we work together.
That's what this series is about.
In each episode, Simon Sinek sits down with Yale professor and Lifeshop founder Alex Simon to explore one emotional challenge that affects how we work, lead, and relate to one another. Together, they unpack the emotional skills most of us were never taught—but use every single day.
This episode is about saying yes.
Have you ever agreed to something... and immediately regretted it?
Maybe you didn't want to disappoint someone. Maybe you thought, I'll figure it out somehow. Maybe your calendar is packed, your to-do list never gets shorter, and somehow you're still worried you're letting people down.
Most of us don't think of ourselves as "people pleasers."
We just want to be helpful. We want to be dependable. We want to be someone others can count on.
But what if constantly saying yes is actually making things harder—for you and everyone around you?
Together, Simon and Alex explore why so many thoughtful, capable people take on more than they can realistically handle. They unpack the hidden patterns that lead to overwhelm, resentment, and burnout—and why trying to keep everyone happy can quietly make us less reliable.
The good news? This is a skill we can learn.
In this conversation, you'll discover practical ways to communicate more honestly, set healthier boundaries, and build stronger relationships—without feeling selfish or letting people down.
In this episode you'll learn: 
➡️ Why saying yes too often can actually make you less reliable
➡️ The hidden connection between overwhelm, burnout, and self-betrayal
➡️ The simple phrase that creates space before committing 
➡️ A better alternative to saying yes or no: how to "share the dilemma"
➡️ What leaders can do to create teams where people feel safe telling the truth
➡️ Why healthy boundaries strengthen relationships instead of hurting them
Whether you call it people pleasing or simply trying to keep up with everyone else's expectations, this conversation is a reminder that taking care of yourself isn't selfish.
It's one of the best ways to show up for the people who matter.
This... is A Bit of Optimism.
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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 Why We Need to Talk About Feelings at Work
00:02:00 What People Pleasing Actually Looks Like
00:04:20 Why People Pleasing Hurts You and Your Team
00:07:00 Why We Say Yes When We Mean No
00:10:00 Different Types of People Pleasing
00:13:00 Why Approval Can Become Addictive
00:15:00 How People Pleasing Leads to Burnout
00:18:00 The Hidden Cost of Being "Hyper Competent"
00:21:00 Why People Pleasing Doesn't Actually Help People
00:27:30 Simon's Experience With Saying Yes to Too Much
00:31:00 How Leaders Can Help People Pleasers
00:38:20 The Power of "Let Me Get Back to You"
00:40:00 How to "Share the Dilemma"
00:44:00 The Difference Between Being Reliable and Being Available
00:47:00 Building Healthier Boundaries at Work

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Website: http://simonsinek.com/
Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
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About Alex Simon
Alex Simon is a Yale professor and the founder of Lifeshop, a school for adult emotional education. She teaches the emotional and communication skills we all should've learned in school—but didn't.
She facilitates experiential workshops on how to have hard conversations, stop people pleasing, listen better, navigate major life transitions, and build healthier relationships. Her sessions are practical, deeply connective, and somehow shockingly fun.
When she was 27, Alex created The Self & Other: In Theory and Practice, one of Yale's most sought-after courses.
In 2025, she founded Lifeshop in New York to bring emotional education beyond the classroom and into everyday life. She also launched The School of Life in New York and leads workshops for organizations around the world.
Before dedicating her career to emotional education, Alex worked as a management consultant at Bain and held strategy and operations roles across industries. She has also lived and trained at Plum Village and Esalen and completed dozens of programs in mindfulness, communication, and personal development.

The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1

Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person who felt so right suddenly feels so wrong.
Dr. Harville Hendrix has spent 50 years studying love. And he’s also lived through its hardest challenges: one divorce, two near-misses in his current marriage, and a couple’s therapist who fired him and his wife, calling them "the couple from hell." That marriage is now 45 years strong.
Harville is a couples therapist, and alongside his wife and creative partner Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt, they creator Imago Relationship Therapy. They’ve also written 10 books, including the bestseller Getting the Love You Want, the book that made him a fixture on Oprah for nearly two decades. Harville’s theory is this: we don't consciously choose who we fall for, rather our unconscious does. And it has an agenda.
In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why you keep falling for the same person
➡️ What your childhood has to do with who you swipe right on
➡️ Why the "power struggle" phase might mean you picked the right person
➡️ The shift that saved Harville's own marriage after divorce papers were filed
➡️ Why some of us can't receive love (even when we ask for it)
➡️ What arranged marriages understood about commitment that we forgot
➡️ The difference between equal relationships and egalitarian ones
➡️ How to reach the stage where you have no needs left… only wants
In this conversation, Harville makes the case that real romantic love is what gets built after the fantasy collapses, when two people commit to the work of meeting each other's needs instead of demanding their own. And the engine of that transformation goes beyond compatibility and chemistry—it's gratitude and service.
This… is A Bit of Optimism.
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Want to keep up with Harville’s work? Check out: https://harvilleandhelen.com/
If you’d like to buy Harville & Helen’s latest book, How to Talk with Anyone about Anything, head to: https://harvilleandhelen.com/books/how-to-talk-with-anyone-about-anything/
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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 Nature's Agenda: Why We Fall for the Wrong Person
00:02:02 From Sharecropper's Farm to Oprah: Harville's Unexpected Journey
00:06:07 The 30-Second Encounters That Changed Everything
00:10:17 We Almost Divorced Twice: The Couple From Hell
00:13:21 Child Consciousness vs Adult Consciousness: The Critical Shift
00:15:57 The Gratitude That Ends the Yearning
00:18:45 Why Both People Don't Need to Change at Once
00:20:28 The Unconscious Imago: Your Brain Picks Who You Fall For
00:26:34 The 18-Month Fantasy: When the Real Person Shows Up
00:30:40 Arranged Marriages vs Choice: The Paradox of Commitment
00:34:47 The No Exit Decision: Why You'll Want to Quit When It's Working
00:36:34 The Transparency Trap: Afraid of Losing What You Found
00:38:35 Receiving Love: The Dinner Story That Changes Everything
00:45:49 Equal vs Egalitarian: The Recipe for Partnership
00:47:23 Dating IRL: Why Technology Can't Replace Face-to-Face
00:50:54 When Needs Become Wants: Life After Gratitude

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
+ + +
Website: http://simonsinek.com/
Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

Why We Fall for the Wrong Person with Couples Therapist Dr. Harville Hendrix

We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail.



Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them anyway.



Nelly is a psychologist turned extreme athlete and mountaineer. She built Saudi Arabia's first dance studio, MOVE, at a time when women couldn't train publicly by sneaking classes into a warehouse and office building after hours. She's the first Lebanese person to climb the five highest peaks in the world, like Everest. And she also became the first Arab to summit K2, the world’s second highest peak that’s so dangerous that one in four people who attempt it survive.


But what makes Nelly remarkable aren’t the summits and heights she reaches. It's that she's found a way to turn individual acts of accomplishment into acts of service: for the women she shows what's possible and for the team that climbs beside her.



In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ The difference between fear that protects you and fear that holds you back
➡️ How preparing and working hard can lighten the load for others
➡️ What small, daily kindness practices become the best investment you can make
➡️ Why there's no such thing as "self-made" and what actually de-risks courage
➡️ The art of “strategic retreat” + why quitting and retreating aren't the same thing
➡️ Why your title and achievements aren’t your identity (and what is)
➡️ How movement is medicine, and why the mind leads the body
➡️ What it really means to live a life of service to the people right in front of you


In this conversation, Nelly shows that the size of what you accomplish matters far less than the spirit you bring to it. She faces her fear for herself, but she does the hard work for everyone else. 


This… is A Bit of Optimism.


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Want to keep up with Nelly’s adventures? Check out: https://www.nellyattar.com/ 



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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 If You Don't Try, You'll Never Know: Nellie's Philosophy on Fear
00:02:20 Building Saudi Arabia's First Dance Studio
00:07:45 The Real Risk Worth Taking: Purpose Over Fear
00:12:07 The Support System Behind Every Bold Move
00:14:11 From Dance Floor to Everest: Training in the Desert for Sub-Zero Summits
00:20:13 Climbing for Others: The Service Mindset on the Mountain
00:21:19 Preparing So You Don't Burden Your Team
00:26:11 The Practice of Kindness: Small Acts That Change Everything
00:33:02 Leading Hikes to Help Others Climb Their Mountains
00:36:17 K2: Climbing Through Grief After Losing Her Father
00:39:24 One in Four Don't Come Back: The Reality of K2
00:41:00 Strategic Retreat: Knowing When to Turn Around
00:43:59 The Infinite Mindset: You Are Not Your Accomplishments
00:45:44 Creating Safe Spaces for Others to Discover Their Boundaries
00:48:39 Fear That Protects vs Fear That Holds You Back



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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.



Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.



Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.



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Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek