Derek Sivers is a TED speaker, an essayist, a businessman, a musician, one of my favorite thinkers on the planet, and the author of many books including his most recent, Useful Not True: Whatever Works For You.

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(00:00) Intro

(01:00) Your actions reveal your values

(03:25) Obvious to you, amazing to someone else

(05:19) How Derek thinks about money

(13:03) Deep happy vs. shallow happy

(21:00) Following an innate drive and desire

(24:07) 18 months of feeling adrift

(30:04) To find direction: read a lot and wait for energy

(31:18) The power of heroes and anti-heroes

(36:05) Egotists and hedonists

(40:00) Changing your mind and keeping your identity small

(44:37) Think of yourself as a student, not a preacher

(47:42) Personal growth over wealth growth

(53:00) Prioritizing openness

(56:59) What lifestyles or beliefs is Derek against?

(01:04:50) The downside of optimism in Derek's personal life

(01:14:24) Dating, marriage, and the role of women in Derek's life

(01:23:55) How to save a life with $2,000

(01:27:50) Derek's thoughts on philanthropy

(01:33:54) "Useful Not True"

(01:38:39) A prequel to "How To Live"

(01:41:13) "Useful Not True": the truth of many answers and perspectives

Anna Lembke is a psychiatrist, Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, and the author of "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence."

This is a rebroadcast of episode 35, from 2022.

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(00:00) Intro

(00:57) Anna Lembke’s interest in studying addiction

(04:34) Defining addiction and the "gremlin theory" of addiction

(15:19) Characteristics of an addict

(23:48) The stigma around addictions

(26:46) Characteristics of a healthy person living today

(33:50) The importance and role of struggle in a good life

(41:04) The impact of modern addictions on society today

(46:54) Habit change ideas and the role of struggle in a good life

(52:11) How to know if you're becoming an addict

(58:45) The effective and ethical way to address addiction

(01:03:58) Workaholism as an addiction

(01:20:13) The connection between shame and a “never enough” attitude towards work

Russell Foster is a sleep expert, a professor of circadian neuroscience, a fellow of the Royal Society, and the author of Life Time.

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(00:00) Intro

(00:55) Views on sleep through time

(03:34) Why we have de-prioritized sleep

(05:39) Where should sleep rank in our health priorities?

(08:22) How do we know we're getting enough sleep?

(11:59) The historic and current cost of sleep deprivation

(17:44) Why does sleep exist?

(21:53) What is happening biologically while people sleep?

(27:59) Sleep and mental illness

(38:09) What those with mental illness can do to stabilize their sleep

(01:00:25) Sleep for new parents

(01:03:35) How would a healthy society approach sleep?