Hey Team,

Whether you love or hate math, this episode with author and educator Ben Orlin is for you! We talk about problem solving, the purpose and process for getting stuck, and how to support yourself when faced with challenges. You will love Ben's humor and outlook!

All my love to you, team,

Sarah

Get Ben's Book

Additional article links: What It Feels Like to Be Bad at Math, The Math Ceiling: Where’s Your Cognitive Breaking Point?, The State of Being Stuck

More about our guest: Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can't draw. His books include Math with Bad Drawings (2018), Change is the Only Constant (2019), Math Games with Bad Drawings (2022), and most recently, Math for English Majors (Sept 2024). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Slate, Vox, and The Los Angeles Times; he himself has appeared in the lines to ice cream stores everywhere. BBC star and leading mathematician Hannah Fry once described him as "terribly bad at drawing" before kindly adding “he’s also fantastically clever and charming.”

Join us at Brain Tools School

Hey team!

You know how sometimes it takes about 1000 steps before you actually start on the intended task? That's work to do work! On this week's show, learn how to recognize and reduce work to do work. It will be a game changer!

Pep talk at 15:52

All my love,

Sarah

Read my Psychology Today articles!

Join us in Brain Tools School

Team,

You know that excited feeling you get when you get new tools or make a new plan that you hope will make things all easy? Yeah, I do, too. And then, sometimes that excitement goes away and we kind of lose steam for doing the plan?

Join me today to learn how to plan for and overcome the challenges that stop us from using strategies. You're sure to find something that really helps!

All my love,

Sarah

Hey Human Pep Talk at 14:06 <3

Want to join Brain Tools School? We'd love to have you!