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  • Are leaders born or made? Judging by the 50 billion dollar leadership development industry, the answer is definitely the latter. From schools to workplaces, everyone is seen as a potential leader and expected to become one by undergoing leadership training.

    My guest questions the assumptions underlying this phenomenon, which he calls "the leadership industrial complex," and says that the cult of leadership, and its idea that everyone can and should become a leader, can create burnout and unhappiness.

    Elias Aboujaoude is a Stanford professor of psychiatry and the author of A Leader's Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality, and Character Make All the Difference. Today on the show, Elias describes the state of the leadership industrial complex, the mathematical impossibility it forwards that everyone can be a leader and no one is a follower, and the primary presumption it makes that leadership can be taught. Elias argues that, in fact, a lot of what makes for good leadership is innate and potentially unchangeable. We discuss the implications of this fact, and why it's actually okay not to want to be a leader.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #838: Can Virtue Be Taught?AoM Article: Don’t Just Lead Well, Follow WellAoM Article: Are You a Strategist or an Operator? Connect With Elias AboujaoudeElias' websiteElias' Stanford profile page
  • When people think about living more fully and making better use of their time, they typically think of finding some new organizational system they can structure their lives with.

    Oliver Burkeman says that what you really need instead are perspective shifts — small, sustainable changes in how you view and approach your day-to-day life. He provides those mindset shifts in his new book, Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. And we talk about some of them today on the show, including why you should view life's tasks and problems like a river instead of a bucket, stop feeling guilt over your "productivity debt," make peace with your decisions by embracing an unconventional reading of the poem "The Road Not Taken," aim to do your habits "dailyish," be more welcoming of interruptions, and practice "scruffy hospitality."

    Resources Related to the PodcastOliver's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #748 — Time Management for MortalsAoM Article: Autofocus — The Productivity System That Treats Your To-Do List Like a RiverAoM Podcast #956: Feeling Depressed and Discombobulated? Social Acceleration May Be to BlameSunday Firesides: To-Dos, the Rent We Pay For LivingAoM Podcast #962: The Case for Minding Your Own BusinessAoM Podcast #821: Routines Are OverratedAoM Article: Routines Not Working For You? Try a Daily ChecklistSunday Firesides: Life Is for LivingResonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World by Hartmut Rosa"The Road Not Taken" by Robert FrostThe Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong by David Orr"The Road Less Traveled" — great, short podcast on the alternate interpretation of Frost's poemConnect With Oliver BurkemanOliver's website
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  • We often think of the difference between a boy and a man as a matter of age. But Brian Tome says that there can be 15-year-old men and 45-year-old boys, and that the real difference maker in being grown up isn't a matter of the number of years you accumulate but the qualities, behaviors, and mindset you possess.

    Brian is a pastor and the author of The Five Marks of a Man. Today on the show, Brian unpacks what he thinks are the marks of mature manhood. We talk about the need to have a vision and how life-giving hobbies can create that vision. Brian argues that manhood requires staking out a minority position, being part of a pack, and creating more than you consume. And we discuss the ways men can still be protectors in the 21st century.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #78: The Myth of Following Your PassionAoM Article: The Ultimate List of Hobbies for Men — 75+ Ideas For Your Free TimeAoM series on the 3 P's of Manhood: Protect, Procreate, Provide AoM Podcast #926: The 5 Shifts of ManhoodAoM Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a ManAoM Article: Why Are Female Friendships the Ideal? (‘Cause Dude Friendships Also Rock)AoM Article: Modern Maturity — Create More, Consume LessBrian's Man CampConnect With Brian TomeBrian's website
  • Imagination is the ability to form mental images and concepts that don't exist or haven’t happened yet, think outside of current realities, and form connections between existing ideas to create something new and original.

    If the number of movie sequels and the outsized popularity of music made decades ago is any measure, our current age is suffering from a deficit in imagination. And indeed, tests show that creativity, which takes the possibilities generated in the mind and produces something with them, has been in decline for many years now — a phenomenon that has repercussions for our personal edification, professional advancement, and societal flowering.

    But if our imagination has indeed atrophied, the good news is that it can be strengthened. So argues my guest, Albert Read, the former managing director of Condé Nast Britain and the author of The Imagination Muscle: Where Good Ideas Come From (And How to Have More of Them). Today on the show, Albert shares his ideas on how our imagination can be built back up. We discuss how to get better at observation and how to use a commonplace book and the way you structure your reading to cross-pollinate your thinking and generate more fruitful ideas. We also discuss how to overcome the unthinking habit, resist stagnation as you age, and embrace imaginative risk.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #432: How to Achieve Creative SuccessAoM Podcast #683: How to Think Like a Renaissance ManAoM Podcast #357: How to Be a Creative Genius Like da VinciAoM Podcast #874: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your LifeConnect With Albert ReadAlbert's website
  • In an age that doesn't think too much about history, you might be forgiven for thinking that a culture of exercise only emerged in the 20th century. But the idea of purposefully exercising to change one's body — what folks used to call "physical culture" — likely goes back to the very beginnings of time.

    Here to unpack the origins, evolution, and future of fitness is Dr. Conor Heffernan, a Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University and the author of The History of Physical Culture. Today on the show, Conor takes us on a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of physical culture, from the ancient Egyptians, who made their pharaohs run around a pyramid to test their fitness to rule, to the ancient Greeks who used their gymnasiums for both bodily training and intellectual philosophizing, to modern strongmen who became proto fitness influencers, and many periods and societies in between. We discuss how training practices changed over time, where they may be going next, and the evergreen principles from past eras that we could still learn from today.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #988: Of Strength and Soul — Exploring the Philosophy of Physical FitnessAoM Podcast #939: What Lifting Ancient Stones Can Teach You About Being a ManRogue documentaries on stone lifting in Scotland, Iceland, and SpainAoM Podcast #39: Eugen Sandow, Victorian StrongmanAoM Podcast #624: The Crazy, Forgotten Story of America’s First Fitness Influencer, Bernarr MacFaddenAoM Article: An Introduction to Indian Club TrainingAoM Video: Intro to Indian Club TrainingDe Arte GymnasticaJohann GutsMuthsFriedrich Ludwig JahnTurnvereine gymnastic system The Strongman Project Connect With Conor HeffernanPhysical Culture Study websiteConor's faculty page
  • Do you have trouble feeling comfortable when socializing? Maybe sometimes you do fine, but other times you feel nervous, shy, and awkward. Or maybe socializing always feels like a struggle. Either way, you know how frustrating and even debilitating social anxiety can be. It cannot only lead to avoiding potentially enriching experiences and a failure to make desired connections, it can sometimes be hard to understand.

    So what's going on when you socially misfire?

    Here to unpack that question is Thomas Smithyman, who is a clinical psychologist and the author of Dating Without Fear: Overcome Social Anxiety and Connect. Today on the show, we get into the dynamics of social anxiety in both romantic and platonic contexts. Thomas explains what defines social anxiety, how it exists on a spectrum from mild shyness to an outright disorder, and what causes it, from genetics to faulty thinking. We talk about the protection strategies people often use to avoid the pain of social judgement, and why they actually backfire. We then get into what you can do to be more socially comfortable and confident, including a key to effective flirting, why you should try to make a "mediocre first impression," and how to find your way into what Thomas calls the "warm social world."

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM series on overcoming shyness AoM Article: Introversion as an ExcuseAoM Article: How to Overcome Phone ShynessSunday Firesides: Want to Solve Your Social Problems? Get Over Your SelfConnect With Thomas SmithymanThomas' websiteThomas' YouTube channel
  • With over 300 million books sold, Louis L'Amour is one of the bestselling authors of all time. All 120 of his books remain in print. But the greatest story L'Amour ever penned was his own. He spent the early part of his life traveling in a circus, working as a lumberjack and miner, circling the world as a seaman, winning over 50 fights as a professional boxer, and serving in WWII.

    Today on the show, I talk about both the personal and professional aspects of Louis' life with his son, Beau L'Amour. We discuss some of Louis' adventures and the autodidactic education he gave himself by way of a voracious reading habit. We then turn to how Louis got started as a writer and how he cut his teeth writing for pulp magazines before breaking through as a Western novelist and becoming a blockbuster success in his sixties.

    Resources Related to the PodcastLouis L'Amour works mentioned in the show:Education of a Wandering Man: A MemoirHondoYonderingNo Traveller ReturnsThe Walking DrumLast of the BreedLouis L'Amour's Lost Treasures, Volume 1 and Volume 2"Holding Her Down" by Jack LondonAoM Article: How and Why to Become a Lifelong LearnerAoM Article: The Libraries of Famous Men — Louis L’AmourConnect With Beau L'AmourThe Louis L'Amour websiteBeau's website
  • What if there was a supplement that could build muscle, maintain bone health, fortify the brain against cognitive decline due to age and stress, and alleviate depression, has been proven safe, and comes with almost no side effects? Well, there is such a supplement, it's been around a long time, and it isn't even expensive. It's creatine.

    Here to unpack the myths, benefits, and recommended ways to use creatine is Darren Candow, a professor of exercise physiology and nutrition who supervises the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory at the University of Regina. Darren specializes in studying creatine and has published over 70 papers on the subject. Today on the show, Darren explains how a supplement often associated with bodybuilders may actually be beneficial for just about everyone — athletes and non-athletes and the young and old alike. He unpacks what creatine does in the body, and how its benefits extend beyond the body and into the brain. He offers recommendations on the formulation of creatine to use, a suggested dosage and whether it should increase with age, and how to avoid the bloating effect. He also shares what we know about creatine's safety, including its effects on the kidneys, and whether it can cause hair loss.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: Creatine — A Primer on Its Benefits and UseAoM Article: A Primer On Muscle-Building Supplements — Which Work and Which Don’t?AoM Podcast #878: The Fitness Supplements That Actually WorkAoM Podcast #585: Inflammation, Saunas, and the New Science of DepressionAoM Podcast #852: The Brain Energy Theory of Mental IllnessDarren's studiesConnect With Darren CandowDarren's faculty pageDarren on IG
  • Self-control, the ability to resolve a conflict between two competing desires, is frequently touted as the golden key to success. But many of the most popular ideas about self-control are actually at odds with how it really operates.

    Here to unpack some of the lesser-understood and counterintuitive ideas around discipline and willpower is Michael Inzlicht, a professor of psychology who has studied the nature of self-regulation in depth. In the first part of our conversation, Michael unpacks the popular ego depletion model of willpower and how it hasn't held up to scientific scrutiny. We then turn to the surprising fact that the people who seem to exhibit a lot of self-control don't actually exercise a lot of discipline and restraint in their lives, that the achievement of goals is more a function of having virtuous desires, and what contributes to having those desires.

    Resources Related to the PodcastRelated studies:Perceived Mental Fatigue and Self-ControlA Multilab Preregistered Replication of the Ego-Depletion EffectEveryday Temptations: An Experience Sampling Study of Desire, Conflict, and Self-ControlNew Zealand Study on Trait Self-ControlThe Moralization of EffortThe Mundanity of ExcellenceThe Identity Model of Self-RegulationThe Effort Paradox: Effort Is Both Costly and ValuedAoM Podcast #961: The Mundanity of ExcellenceAoM Article: Motivation Over DisciplineAoM Article: ÂżTienes Ganas?Sunday Firesides: What Looks Like Grit, Is Often FitAoM Article: What Do You Want to Want?Connect With Michael InzlichtMichael's websiteMichael's faculty pageMichael on X
  • For decades, some researchers have argued that the notable human capacity for endurance evolved from the hunting practices of our ancestors, which produced physiological adaptations that make us uniquely well suited for running.

    But this theory has always had its detractors.

    As my guest explains, a new study addresses these long-standing criticisms and adds evidence that, indeed, we were all born to run.

    Alex Hutchinson is a journalist who covers the science of endurance and fitness, and today on the show, he explains what those criticisms were and how this new research counters them. We talk about the role running held amongst peoples of the past, how running is not only primal but cultural and even spiritual, and why we continue to run today, even though we’re not hunting for food. And we discuss how, even if we are born to run, that doesn’t mean everyone will always enjoy running all of the time, and how to get into running if you’re someone who doesn’t feel an innate desire for it.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAlex’s previous appearances on the AoM podcast:Episode #382: How to Lift More, Run Faster, and Endure LongerEpisode #538: Research-Backed Answers to All Your Fitness FAQs“Why You (Yes, You) Were Born to Run” by Alex Hutchinson“Ethnography and Ethnohistory Support the Efficiency of Hunting Through Endurance Running in Humans”Indian Running: Native American History and Tradition by Peter NabokovThe Hunting Hypothesis by Robert Ardrey“The Energetic Paradox of Human Running and Hominid Evolution” — 1984 paper by David CarrierWhy We Run by Bernd HeinrichAoM Podcast #691: What You Can (Really) Learn About Exercise from Your Human Ancestors With Daniel LiebermanBorn to Run by Christopher McDougall“Reexamining the Mythology of the Tarahumara Runners” by Alex HutchinsonTo the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas by Michael CrawleyConnect With Alex HutchinsonAlex’s websiteAlex at Outside
  • In a family, a lot of the dynamics around devices and screens are reactive in nature. Kids bug for their own smartphones, parents worry they'll be left out without one, and without weighing the pros and cons, give in to their kids' requests. Parents let children have a ton of screen time because it lets the parents do what they want; then, they reach a moment where they feel disturbed about how much time their kids are on screens, berate their children for this habit, which they've facilitated, and vow that things are going to abruptly turn around.

    Rather than basing your policies about kids and screens on mood, fear, and impulse, it would be better to do so based on reason and reflection. Emily Cherkin has some ideas on how to get there. Emily is a former teacher, a screentime consultant who helps parents and educators balance the role of devices in kids' lives, and the author of The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family. Today on the show, Emily unpacks the state of screentime amongst kids today, how the "displacement hypothesis" explains how its impact extends beyond a decline in mental health, and why parents give their kids smartphones even when they're not sure it's good for them. We then turn to how families can become more tech intentional, and how that starts with parents taking a look at their own behavior. We discuss why putting parental controls on devices isn't the ultimate solution, why a better one is based on your relationship with your kids, why you need to live your digital life out loud, and some considerations to think through before getting your kid their first smartphone.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #300: How to Raise Free Range Kids With Lenore SkenazyAoM Article: What’s the Right Age to Get a Kid Their First Smartphone? 3 Tech Thinkers Weigh InAoM Article: The Best Internet Filter for KidsThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtThe Light PhoneConnect With Emily CherkinEmily's website
  • Although they may call it different things and approach its attainment in different ways, many of the world’s religions and philosophies have a similar goal: achieving a life of virtue, peace, and flourishing.

    In his new book, Seriously Happy, Ben Aldrige explains how anyone can use the wisdom of ancient traditions to improve themselves and live the Good life. Today on the show, Ben offers a thumbnail sketch of Buddhism, Cynicism, Taoism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Aristotelianism, along with practices and challenges inspired by these philosophies, including walking a banana, listening to a music performance without music, and taking a Wu Wei adventure, that you can use to put ancient wisdom into action and become a better and happier man.

    Resources Related to the PodcastBen’s previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #640 — Weird and Wonderful Ways to Get Comfortable Being UncomfortableAoM Podcast #148: Trying Not to TryWhy Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert WrightJohn Cage’s 4’33”Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior TherapyConnect With Ben AldridgeBen’s website
  • Note: This is a rebroadcast.

    Over the last year, my 12-year-old son has been doing one challenge every week as a rite of passage and chance to earn a special trip. Some of these challenges have involved reading a book in a week, and the most recent book we gave him to read was How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. His review? He said it was the best book he's read so far.

    So a book written almost 90 years ago can still be a favorite of a kid in the 21st century. Talk about some staying power.

    The advice in How to Win Friends & Influence People, and Dale Carnegie's other classic, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, is timeless. But to help introduce it to a new audience, my guest, Joe Hart, has recently co-authored the book Take Command, which synthesizes, updates, and adds to the principles of Carnegie's two perennial bestsellers. Joe is the President and CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, which continues Carnegie's work in the present day, and we begin our conversation with some background on the guy who kicked off this work back in 1936. We then talk about what principles we can take from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living on developing a positive mindset. From there, we talk about the big overarching principle of How to Win Friends & Influence People, and how you can use it to improve your relationships. We end our conversation with advice on how to live life with more intentionality and meaning.

    Resources Related to the EpisodeHow to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale CarnegieHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale CarnegieThe Dale Carnegie Website, with links to the Take Command book page and the Dale Carnegie CourseAoM Article: The 8 Best Vintage Self-Improvement BooksAoM Podcast #818: The Philosophy of Self-ImprovementAoM Podcast #457: Leadership Lessons With Craig GroeschelAoM Podcast #527: The Journey to the Second Half of Life With Richard RohrAoM Podcast #518: The Second Mountain With David BrooksConnect With Joe HartJoe on TwitterJoe on LinkedIn
  • As you get older, you can start to feel like you'll never achieve your dream or receive recognition for your contributions to a field, or that your best work is behind you.

    Mo Rocca has compiled stories that demonstrate that you shouldn't give up hope, and that no matter your age, the best may yet be to come.

    Mo is a humorist, journalist, and the co-author of Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs. Today on the show, Mo shares the stories and lessons of entrepreneurs, artists, actors, and more who achieved greatness or adulation in their twilight years or had a new spurt of creativity when they thought the well had run dry, including KFC founder Colonel Sanders, the artist Matisse, a couple of guys who didn't receive their first war wounds until they were old enough to qualify for the senior citizen discount at Denny's, and even a virile 90-year-old tortoise.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #849: Live Life in CrescendoSamuel WhittemoreJohn L. BurnsFrank Lloyd Wright's FallingwaterFrank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim MuseumHenri Matisse's The Swimming PoolDocumentary about Tyrus WongMr. Pickles the TortoiseConnect With Mo RoccaMo on X
  • Your relationship with your mother is likely the first and most foundational connection in your life. At its best, this bond can be a source of comfort, strength, and love that lasts a lifetime and changes in healthy, appropriate, and adaptive ways as you mature into adulthood.

    But sometimes, the attachment between a mother and her son can become unhealthy, resulting in a phenomenon called mother-son enmeshment, in which a man can become a kind of surrogate husband to his mom.

    Here to unpack this complex issue is Dr. Kenneth Adams. Ken is a clinical psychologist who has spent much of his career working with what he calls "mother-enmeshed men" and is the author of When He's Married to Mom. Today on the show, Ken unpacks the characteristics of mother-enmeshed men and how to know if you are one, and he explains what can happen in childhood that would cause a mother to enmesh with her son. We discuss the problems enmeshment can create in men's relationships and other areas of life and how it can lead to things like compulsive porn use. And we unpack what it means for a man to become independent and emancipate from his mother, how it's different from cutting her off, and what it looks like to have a healthy relationship with your mom.

    Connect with Ken AdamsOvercoming Enmeshment website
  • You probably know your body follows a circadian rhythm, and probably think of it as primarily regulating your sleep/wake cycle, which it certainly does. But your body's internal clock also regulates many other physical, mental, and behavioral changes that occur every 24 hours, and working with your circadian rhythm, rather than against it, can boost your health and happiness.

    Here to unpack how to do so is Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neuroscience and the author of Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep. In the first part of our conversation, we discuss some science and background on circadian rhythm and its connection to light exposure. We then turn to the practical implications of having an internal clock, including whether you need to worry about viewing blue light at night, the significant mental and physical harms that can accrue from working the night shift and what can be done to mitigate them, what influences your chronotype and whether you're a morning lark or a night owl, whether you should be concerned if you're waking up in the middle of the night, why you wake up to pee in the night, the best times of day to exercise, and how the circadian rhythm can influence when you should take medication.

    Connect With Russell FosterRussell at the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute
  • A fair amount of gear is involved in making a camping or backpacking trip a success, and choosing that gear can be a little intimidating as there are lots of options, and it's expensive to boot.

    Here to offer some tips on selecting gear and getting the most out of it is Craig Caudill, an avid outdoorsman, the director and lead instructor of the Nature Reliance School, and the author of Ultimate Wilderness Gear: Everything You Need to Know to Choose and Use the Best Outdoor Equipment. Today on the show, Craig and I discuss some things to know when purchasing things like boots, tents, sleeping bags, and more, and we offer some specific recommendations as to the gear that's worked for us respectively. Craig also offers tips on using outdoor equipment, including how to dry wet boots without damaging them, whether you should put a tarp under your tent, what to do if you get hot and sweaty or cold in your sleeping bag, a hack for sleeping more comfortably on the ground, and the best kind of knife for an outdoorsman to carry.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Article: How to Filter and Purify Water for Traveling, Camping, and SurvivalAoM Article: The Benefits of Hammock CampingAoM Article: How to Pack a Backpack for BackpackingAoM Article: Two Things You Should Be Doing to Take Better Care of Your Camping GearAoM Article: Outdoor Hydration Showdown — Nalgene Bottle vs. Water BladderAoM Article: How to Choose the Perfect Survival KnifeCraig's booksNative Summit in Edmond, OKBrett's Tent: Hubba Hubba 2-Person Backpacking TentHennessy Hammock TentWarbonnet Hammock TentsMilitary Modular Sleep SystemBrett's Sleeping Pad: Big AgnesKate's Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest Trail Prolite ApexBackpacking CotBrett's Backpacking Pillow: Sea to Summit AerosBrett's Water Bladder: HydraPak Shape-ShiftCraig's Water Filter: Sawyer MiniBrett's Water Filter: Katadyn Hiker Pro Hand Pump Water FilterSawyer Squeeze Water FilterBrett's Backpacking Stove: Jetboil StoveFire-Maple Backpacking StoveMSR Backpacking StoveLT Wright Handcrafted KnivesFast Fire FirestartersHill People Gear BackpacksConnect With Craig CaudillNature Reliance SchoolCraig on IGCraig on LinkedIn
  • You may know Nate Silver as an election forecaster. But he’s a poker player as well. And his experiences operating in a world of competition and risk led him to explore what his fellow gamblers, as well as hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, and many other kinds of maverick types do differently than other people.

    Amongst the findings Nate shares in his new book, On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, are the “13 habits of highly effective risk-takers.” Nate and I discuss some of these habits today on the show, including exercising strategic empathy, avoiding the pitfalls of resulting, taking a raise or fold stance toward life, and more.

    Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #685: How to Decide With Annie DukeAoM Podcast #840: When to Quit With Annie DukeSunday Firesides: Careful KillsConnect With Nate SilverNate‘s SubstackNate on X
  • To train the body, strengthening its muscles, increasing its cardiovascular health, and improving its agility, you need to do exercises like stretching, running, and lifting weights.

    To train the soul, expanding its capacity, you likewise need to perform exercises, in this case, what are called "spiritual disciplines" — practices like fasting, silence, self-examination, study, and simplicity.

    As a pastor, John Mark Comer approaches the spiritual disciplines from a Christian perspective, as the habits and practices from "the way of Jesus" that allow individuals to make deeper layers of themselves available to grace and access the transforming power that's necessary to become what John Mark calls "a person of love."

    But the practices that are considered spiritual disciplines can be found across different religions, and even philosophies like Stoicism, and can be utilized by people from varied backgrounds to deepen their inner life and strength, center themselves in chaos, find greater purpose, and subdue baser desires to reach for higher ideals.

    Today on the show, John Mark offers an introduction to the spiritual disciplines, and the way they can be an act of resistance, a way for us to form our own values and rhythms in life, instead of allowing our lives to be formed by the defaults and external forces of our age.

    Resources Related to the PodcastThe Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark ComerPracticing the Way by John Mark ComerAoM's series on the spiritual disciplines:An Introduction to the Spiritual DisciplinesStudy and Self-ExaminationSolitude and SilenceSimplicityFastingGratitudeAoM Article: How and Why to Take a Tech SabbathAoM Podcast #503: The Case for the 24/6 LifestyleAoM Podcast #708: Overcome the Comfort CrisisConnect With John Mark ComerJohn Mark's website
  • If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or manager who lives, loves, and works with tweens, teens, and 20s-somethings, you know that young people sometimes act in seemingly head-scratching ways, that you don’t always feel like you’re being listened to, and that it can be frustrating to try to guide them in acting towards positive ends.

    The source of these challenges is often chalked up to the underdeveloped brains and hormones that tweens through young twenty-somethings possess. But my guest would say that what’s more to blame is the ineffective way mentors often approach young adults.

    David Yeager is a developmental psychologist and the author of 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier. Today on the show, David and I discuss the “mentor’s dilemma” — the idea that you either have to be a tough authoritarian who holds young adults to high standards or a softie push-over who doesn’t crush a kid’s spirit — and how to navigate through this unnecessary dichotomy. David explains the critical importance of understanding what really drives young adults, what approaches cause them to shut down and disengage, and the best practices that parents, teachers, and other mentors can take to leave young adults feeling inspired, enthusiastic, and ready to contribute.

    Connect With David YeagerTexas Behavioral Science and Policy InstituteDavid’s faculty page