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3 Takeaways

Lynn Thoman

280 episodes

1 day ago

Nicholas Burns spent 2021 to 2025 in Beijing as US Ambassador to China, witnessing up close the forces shaping the world's most dangerous rivalry. Sitting across from Xi Jinping and living in China, he saw firsthand how dangerously close the world is to a crisis. Some of it genuinely terrified him. Our conventional wisdom about China? Outdated. And dangerously wrong. In this episode, he reveals the alarming "nightmare scenario" almost no one is talking about, why a single unanswered phone ...

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Nicholas Burns spent 2021 to 2025 in Beijing as US Ambassador to China, witnessing up close the forces shaping the world's most dangerous rivalry. Sitting across from Xi Jinping and living in China, he saw firsthand how dangerously close the world is to a crisis. Some of it genuinely terrified him. Our conventional wisdom about China? Outdated. And dangerously wrong. In this episode, he reveals the alarming "nightmare scenario" almost no one is talking about, why a single unanswered phone ...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/280)

3 Takeaways

What US Ambassador to China Nick Burns Saw That Terrified Him (#279)

Nicholas Burns spent 2021 to 2025 in Beijing as US Ambassador to China, witnessing up close the forces shaping the world's most dangerous rivalry. Sitting across from Xi Jinping and living in China, he saw firsthand how dangerously close the world is to a crisis. Some of it genuinely terrified him. Our conventional wisdom about China? Outdated. And dangerously wrong. In this episode, he reveals the alarming "nightmare scenario" almost no one is talking about, why a single unanswered phone ...

2 days ago

24 minutes

3 Takeaways

Three Science-Backed Changes That Will Help You Sleep Better - Starting Tonight (#278)

Sleep shapes your mood, memory, immune system, and long-term health, yet most of us aren’t getting enough. Harvard Medical School sleep scientist Dr. Elizabeth Klerman shares the three easiest science-backed changes proven to improve your sleep tonight, plus the myths that make things worse. If you’re struggling to fall asleep, waking at 3 a.m., or dragging through the day, this episode is for you.

1 week ago

17 minutes

3 Takeaways

What Happened When My Daughter Was Born Looking White - And I Wasn’t (#277)

In a Paris hospital delivery room, Thomas Chatterton Williams, writer for The Atlantic and author of Self-Portrait in Black and White, held his newborn daughter for the first time. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. And in that instant, everything he thought he knew about race shattered. Thomas lives the questions about race and identity that most of us only debate. The son of a Black father who grew up under Jim Crow and a white mother, he had accepted America's racial categories without question. Unt...

2 weeks ago

16 minutes

3 Takeaways

The Thermostat in Your Brain: Pushing Past Your Limits with Nick Thompson (#276)

What if fatigue, fear, and even failure aren’t real limits, but signals from the brain trying to protect us? Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former Editor-in-Chief of Wired reveals the surprising psychology behind fatigue, focus, and fear and how our biggest limits often come from within. Nick isn’t just one of the most thoughtful leaders in media, he’s also a record-breaking ultramarathoner who’s learned that endurance begins in the mind. This conversation will change how you think...

3 weeks ago

17 minutes

3 Takeaways

The Surprising Science of Why Life Gets Better with Age with Stanford’s Laura Carstensen (#275)

We’re told youth is life’s peak — but what if that story is wrong? Stanford psychologist Laura Carstensen reveals how time itself reshapes what we value and how we find meaning. Her research offers profound lessons for living well at every age — and for finding more meaning in the moments we have. It’s a conversation that will change how you think about time, happiness, and life itself.

1 month ago

16 minutes

3 Takeaways

The Genetic Revolution Has Begun - George Church on What Comes Next (#274)

We’ve entered a new age. Where nature once took a million years to make a few genetic changes, scientists can now make billions in an afternoon — and even imagine adapting humans for life beyond Earth. George Church, a Harvard geneticist, pioneer of the Human Genome Project, and founder of more than 50 biotech companies, helped lay the foundation for CRISPR, personal genomics, and even de-extinction. In this episode, he explains how biotechnology, AI, and materials science are converging to...

1 month ago

15 minutes

3 Takeaways

Your Brain, For Sale: The Hidden Ways AI Can Manipulate You with Cass Sunstein (#273)

AI doesn’t just predict our behavior — it can shape it. Cass Sunstein, Harvard professor and co-author of Nudge, reveals how artificial intelligence uses classic tools of manipulation — from scarcity and social proof to fear and pleasure — to steer what we buy, believe, and even feel. Its influence is so seamless, we may not even notice it. The battle for the future isn’t for our data — it’s for our minds. In a world this personalized, how do we keep control of our own minds?

1 month ago

23 minutes

3 Takeaways

What Putin Really Wants — with Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul (#272)

When Vladimir Putin first rose to power, few expected him to become the world’s most confrontational autocrat. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who has studied and worked with Putin for decades, explains what changed — and why. From paranoia about democracy to the drive to rebuild Russia’s sphere of influence, McFaul shows how personal power and national destiny became one and the same. His insights reveal not just who Putin is, but what he wants next.

1 month ago

19 minutes

3 Takeaways

Our Dollar, Your Problem: How U.S. Power Shapes — and Shakes — the World (#271)

The dollar has been one of America’s most powerful weapons and a major source of global influence, in ways few fully realize. It doesn’t just shape trade and finance; it also gives the U.S. a unique window into the world’s financial flows. But what if that power is beginning to slip? Harvard’s Ken Rogoff examines the mounting pressures that could threaten the dollar’s supremacy — and reveals how a cornerstone of U.S. power could also become its Achilles’ heel.

1 month ago

20 minutes

3 Takeaways

The Surprising Truth About Grief, Loss and Resilience (#270)

Grief and trauma are part of being human, yet most of us have little idea what to expect. We picture them as overwhelming, endless, and all-consuming. But what if that story is wrong? Columbia professor George Bonanno reveals a surprising truth about how people actually cope — and it may change the way you think about loss.

2 months ago

15 minutes

3 Takeaways

AI Will Transform the World—But Who Decides How? (#269)

Artificial intelligence isn’t just another invention — it may be humanity’s first non-biological species. Craig Mundie, former Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer and co-author of Genesis with Henry Kissinger and Eric Schmidt, explores what happens as AI begins to make decisions once made by humans. Who decides what AI should do? Who makes it obey? And what if it doesn’t? The stakes? Nothing less than the future of human civilization.

2 months ago

14 minutes

3 Takeaways

Why 199 of 200 Projects Fail: The Iron Law That Dooms Even the Smartest Ideas (#268)

What do kitchen renovations, Olympic Games, and nuclear power plants have in common? Most of them fail — spectacularly. World-renowned expert Bent Flyvbjerg explains why 199 out of 200 big projects go over budget, over time, and under expectations — and what the rare successful ones do differently. From Pixar films to the Empire State Building, learn the principles that separate disasters from triumphs.

2 months ago

18 minutes

3 Takeaways

David Brooks: Why America’s Decline Story Is 75% Bonkers (#267)

Populists on the right and left say globalization gutted America’s middle class. David Brooks says that story is “75% bonkers.” In this episode, he reveals what’s myth, what’s true, and the deeper crisis shaping our politics today.

2 months ago

21 minutes

3 Takeaways

3 Habits That Separate Great Communicators from Everyone Else (#266)

Why do some people seem to effortlessly connect — while the rest of us stumble through awkward small talk or tense conversations? The secret isn’t charisma or confidence — it’s a few learnable habits that anyone can practice. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Charles Duhigg explains what separates great communicators from everyone else — and how to start practicing those skills today.

3 months ago

19 minutes

3 Takeaways

America’s Edge: More Barriers or More Innovation? (#265)

Every country wants strong industries and good jobs. But do tariffs actually deliver? Few people have been closer to the frontlines of global trade, tariffs, and innovation than America’s former chief trade negotiator Mike Froman. He takes us inside the myths, the hidden costs, and the bigger choices ahead. The question: what will truly define America’s edge in the global economy?

3 months ago

20 minutes

3 Takeaways

Space: The Invisible Infrastructure Behind Modern Life — And Its Growing Risks (#264)

Space may look empty, but it’s crowded, fragile, and under threat. Former Congresswoman Jane Harman and Lieutenant General (Ret.) Nina Armagno — former U.S. Space Force Director of Staff who oversaw missile warning, satellite operations, and space launches — reveal how satellites quietly keep the world running, and how quickly it could all go dark. Imagine waking up to no internet, no GPS, and no air travel. They share what’s happening above our heads, and why we can’t afford to ignore...

3 months ago

20 minutes

3 Takeaways

Inside the Hook Model: Secrets Companies Use to Keep You Scrolling and How To Break Free (#263)

Variable rewards once powered slot machines; now they’re inside your pocket. Behavior-design expert Nir Eyal shows how modern apps turned casino psychology into daily routine. He unpacks the psychological levers hidden in everyday products. Hear the science and the clever design tricks that turn a few minutes into far more time than you intended. If knowledge is power, this episode hands you the switch.

3 months ago

17 minutes

3 Takeaways

Zanny Minton Beddoes on America, China, and a World in Flux (#262)

The global order that brought decades of peace and prosperity is coming apart. The Economist’s Editor-in-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes takes us inside the world’s power centers, where America is both admired and doubted — and China’s influence is on the rise. She reveals how shifting alliances and economic rivalries are rewriting the balance of power — with consequences that will touch us all.

4 months ago

20 minutes

3 Takeaways

No Way Out with Former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Greg Mankiw (#261)

The U.S. government now spends more on debt interest than on Medicare or defense. Former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Greg Mankiw explains why we’re on an unsustainable path—and why the math won’t fix itself. He walks through the five potential outcomes: from painful to unlikely to politically impossible. One thing is clear: The bill is coming due.

4 months ago

15 minutes

3 Takeaways

From Bits to Brains: How AI Sees, Talks, and Learns (#260)

How does AI go from predicting the next word to powering robots that navigate the real world? Princeton computer science professor Sanjeev Arora explains how today’s models learn, adapt, and even teach themselves.From chatbots to multimodal machines that process text, images, and video, you’ll learn how it all works—and where it’s headed next. This conversation will change how you think about intelligence, language, and the future of AI.

4 months ago

18 minutes