Episodes

James talks with Ron Johnson, the retail executive who created the Apple Store with Steve Jobs and helped transform Target through design. Ron shares the thinking behind the Genius Bar, Apple’s radically simple stores, its hospitality-first hiring strategy, Steve Jobs’ leadership style, why physical...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with Jon Morrow about spinal muscular atrophy, disability, expectations, technology, writing, entrepreneurship, Smart Blogger, Unstoppable, and how to build a life when the usual rules do not work for you. Jon explains how he escaped the Medicaid income ...

James talks with theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli about On the Equality of All Things, quantum mechanics, time, free will, consciousness, uncertainty, and why reality may be made less of objects than relationships. Carlo explains why there is no view from outside the universe, why science grows b...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about Becoming Kareem, identity, race, religion, mentorship, basketball, writing, and the long process of figuring out who you are. Kareem reflects on John Wooden, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, the skyhook, Sherlock Holmes,...

James talks with historian, investor, and author Joseph Moore about How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked (& Didn’t). They cover Benjamin Franklin’s debt, George Washington’s marriage, debtor’s prison, real estate myths, stock-market concentration, FIRE, pass...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with Seth Godin about Akimbo, hits, marketing, criticism, fear, status, audience selection, and why the best creative work is generous because it might not work. Seth explains why creators should stop chasing platforms, rankings, and mass approval—and st...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with Arianna Huffington about The Sleep Revolution, burnout, reinvention, failure, The Huffington Post, and why sleep is not a luxury. Arianna explains how her collapse from exhaustion changed her life, why achievement and sleep are not enemies, and how ...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with Nancy Cartwright about Bart Simpson, The Simpsons, voice acting, mentorship, instinct, and her film In Search of Fellini. Nancy explains how a trip to Italy, a love of La Strada, and years of creative persistence became a movie about art, identity, ...

In this From the Archive episode, James talks with astronaut Mike Massimino about Spaceman, his unlikely path from a kid watching the moon landing to repairing the Hubble Space Telescope. They discuss failure, persistence, imposter syndrome, teamwork, fear, public service, the view of Earth from spa...