Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks

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EP.39: CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: JAMES ALTUCHER, BOUNCE BACK PREDICTIONS May 09, 2020

Show notes

I'm never sure how to introduce James Altucher to anyone who might not have heard of him. He's a best selling author with a hugely successful podcast, investor, serial entrepreneur, former VC & hedge fund manager, computer programmer, and chess master. I'm sure I've left some out but just Google him, he's everywhere.

Returning for his second appearance on the podcast (see more of his story here), James is one of the most interesting people I know. But his superpower and what I admire about him most is his vulnerability. He's an open book and not afraid to lean into controversy.

To the point of this show, on his podcast, he's been talking with a wide variety of experts about the Coronavirus, everyone from an immunologist, physicians, geneticist, economist to policy experts and super forecasters in the form of regular updates starting in February. He also lives in Manhattan, which is ground zero for the epidemic here in the states, which gives him another perspective I don't have.

Well, I thought I'd short cut my research and just call him for a distillation of what he's finding out; what after all these conversations has he concluded about what is happening now?

So here are just some of the topics we cover

Political risks for any opinion on what to do next
The math used for Coronavirus spread / who got what wrong?
Issues with flattening the curve
Dividing the certain from the uncertain
He view on when this will it effectively "end"
Possible shape of the recovery - L,U,V,W?
Economic impact and when he thinks the country should open up or could open
How the future has been pulled forward
Businesses that may never return to normal
How to be an idea machine
Business ideas that are favorable in this environment
His personal practices for recovering from setback - as he's been through many

Enjoy

Seem more at larryweeks.com

EP.38: HOW STOICS KEEP CALM: WILLIAM B. IRVINE ON PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMING May 07, 2020

Show notes

William B. Irvine is a professor of philosophy at Wright State University. The author of seven books, including The Stoic Challenge and A Guide to the Good Life, he has also written for the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Salon, Time, and the BBC. He lives in Dayton, Ohio

For the context of the show I refer you to his latest, The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer and More Resilient

Philosophy for William is not just an academic career; he actually lives it, having adopted Stoicism many years ago, making him an outlier in the academic community.

In many ways, this ancient school of thought preempted many aspects of modern psychology and how to use some of its tenants to deal with setbacks.

The Stoics' realized that even though you have limited control over what setbacks you experience, you can develop considerable control over how you respond to them. One of the 1st century Stoics Seneca wrote about the differences between experiencing a setback and suffering from it, by changing the perspective of how one thinks of setbacks.

You've probably read or heard of some form of this quote attributed to another Stoic, Epictetus

"We suffer not from the events in our lives but from our judgment about them." On this show, we explore that precept - with some helpful thought experiments that I encourage you to try

Topics covered

How he came to Stoicism
Comparisons with Buddhism
Psychology of a setback
Stoic framing (the test frame, hero frame, target frame)
Negative visualization
"The last time" exercise and premature nostalgia
Resetting hedonic standards
The power of perspective

Enjoy!

For show notes and more see larryweeks.com

EP. 37: THE WEDGE, SCOTT CARNEY ON STRESS AND HACKING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM May 03, 2020

Show notes

This episode is about trying to understand our true capacity to cope with stress and how to arouse the dormant resilience in all of us.

My guest on this show seems to be proof there are benefits from extreme physical challenges. In his case, actually seeking out stressors and using them to hack the nervous system - reprogramming it's response to those stressors.

Scott Carney is an investigative journalist who has worked in some of the most dangerous and unlikely corners of the world. His work has been the subject of a variety of radio and television programs, including NPR and National Geographic TV.

Before writing what eventually became the New York Times bestseller, "What Doesn't Kill Us," Scott set out to prove that the now-famous "iceman" Wim Hoff was a charlatan and his workshop retreats destined to kill people. Instead, Scott winds up climbing Mount Kilimanjaro half-naked, submerging himself in ice water learning radical breathing techniques (see Episode 6 of this podcast). The experience gave Scott almost superhuman levels of endurance, and he says it quieted a persistent autoimmune illness.

At the core of these methods is a technique Scott outlines in detail with his new book "The Wedge." In this episode, we talk about how it works, what he found on his search for other people who understood the language of the body's response to the environment. What other "wedges" did he discover?

This chat with Scott helped me think of stress as something to use. Specific stressors can be opportunities to build a form of strength in the area where the stress is met, whether physical or mental. During the interview, Scott talks about the brain's ability to build "libraries of emotional experiences" tied to stressful events. He thinks you can hack the libraries by various means of exposure and or wedges dealing with the stress to change how you experience it, thus increasing your ability to cope.

This chat will push you to reconsider how far out your limits may be.

Some interesting sections of the conversation...

What he learned from Wim Hoff
The two way communication between the mind-body and body-mind
Relationships between physiological and psychological stress
Possibilities in reprogramming the nervous system
Placebos
How to use environment to increase resilience
A new game of catch - with iron weights
Confronting fear in a laboratory

Enjoy!

For show notes and more visit larryweeks.com

EP. 36: CORONAVIRUS QA WITH DR. ALEX LICKERMAN, M.D. Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

At the moment as I publish this, there are 340,000 cases of the Coronavirus and over 9,700 deaths from it in the U.S. Over 70,000 deaths world wide.

The amount and velocity of information on the pandemic is overwhelming and much of it conflicts. Do this - don't do that. I need help parsing all of it.

Enter Dr. Alex Lickerman, M.D.

Alex is a direct primary care physician at ImagineMD, spending the first 20 years of his career as a leader at the University of Chicago, where he ran primary care for seven years and taught generations of today's leaders in medicine. There he enjoyed a reputation as "a doctor's doctor," caring for many physicians who are themselves today considered leaders in their fields.

I wanted to talk with Alex about the Coronavirus because of his unique qualifications as a physician and his work in resilience. Alex is the author of, The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self that formed the basis of the landmark Resilience Project, which he began while at the University of Chicago.

Short show (36 mins) but I get to ask a lot of questions that he kindly answers in detail

Comparisons New York vs Chicago
What's unique about the Coronavirus
Current best treatments
Separating fact from the news
Symptoms and timeframes
What should I do if I get sick?
How long will this last?
Tylenol, Advil - which ?
The problem with hydroxychloroquine
Percentages - sick or very sick
Hospital capacity in the US
On face masks
How long will this last?
Why and how we can be calm

EP. 35: STRESS INOCULATION: STEVEN SOUTHWICK ON THE SCIENCE OF RESILIENCE AND COPING WITH EXTREMES Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

As I publish this (April 2020) the current Coronavirus pandemic has been a setback for all of us in various degrees, some worse than others. Hence, I would encourage you to listen to this episode and share with someone who could use it.

My guest is Dr. Steven M. Southwick, who along with Dennis Charney are the co-authors of Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life's Greatest Challenges. The book summarizes research into the psychological, biological, and social impact of trauma, and it combines the latest scientific findings in the area of resilience drawing on two decades of work with trauma survivors

"Resilient individuals resemble a twig with a fresh, green living core. When twisted out of shape, such a twig bends, but it does not break; instead, it springs back and continues growing" - George Vaillant

Steven completed his psychiatry residency at Yale University School of Medicine. He is the Glenn H. Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry, PTSD and Resilience at Yale University Medical School and Yale Child Study Center. He is also the Medical Director of the Clinical Neuroscience of the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD.

Steven has worked with a wide range of trauma survivors including combat veterans, civilian children and adults with PTSD, and very high functioning, former prisoners of war.

There is a bit of irony in this episode based on the times we are living through in 2020. One, is my warning to those who were having an easy time of life that challenge would come so prepare now. The other is Steven's admonition for social connection. Harder now as we are all social distancing but even more important due to the stress many are going through. Hello Zoom.

We also cover these topics on this episode

His research into resilience and PTSD
What led him to write the book
How the brain may work against you in traumatic or challenging circumstances.
Why and how each of us differ in our responses to stress
The resilience factors
Passive and active "toughening"
Trauma and growth
What survivors do to successfully cope with extreme circumstances.
Active toughening and the importance of recovery
Social pain and the importance of social networks.
The "bleed" effect of exercise on emotion
The power of "squads"
What he asks someone who is suffering when they first come to him for help

Much more here so please listen

I write about all my shows, visit www.larryweeks.com

EP. 34: THE MOTIVATION EQUATION: PIERS STEEL ON HOW TO STOP PUTTING THINGS OFF Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

Depending on the research, there are anywhere from 40% - 60% percent of us admitting we make New Year's resolutions, A study from the University of Scranton found that 23% of people quit their resolution after one week. And only 19% of individuals actually stick to the goals longer term.

We put off starting a project we planned, or once started, we never finish. We swear to eat healthily, lose weight, or you name it, only to see ourselves defeated by what seems to be a lack of will.

If we really want to do these things, why don't we do them?

My guest on the show is Dr. Piers Steel.

Piers is a Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Calgary, where he teaches human resources and organizational dynamics at the Haskayne School of Business.

Piers is one of the world's leading researchers on the science of motivation and procrastination.

He's also the inventor of the procrastination equation – an equation that can explain every scientific finding on procrastination ever and is laid out in his oft-cited book The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done.

You're about to find out not only why you procrastinate, but the science around what works to overcome it, i.e., how to increase motivation.

When you learn the equation, you can use it to diagnose where your lack of motivation might be coming from. And from there, you can increase your motivation on-command.

Piers lays it out for us.

On this show, some of the topics we cover include …

Long-held myths on why people procrastinate
The truth about why we procrastinate
He breaks down each part of the motivation equation and talks through how to work with them
The power of context
The real problem with impulsiveness and some tricks to thwart temptation
Sort ranking the motivation variables by impact
THE #1 Reason people procrastinate
What elevates motivation and what depresses it
The problem with smart goals

Enjoy!

For resources, show notes and more visit larryweeks.com

Home Feb 15, 2020

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EP. 33: LIVING LIVES WE WANT: NIR EYAL ON ATTENTION AND BEING INDISTRACTABLE Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir Eyal, "The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology" as he is the author of the bestselling book on building habit forming products (Hooked). So who better to help us understand the neuroscience of distraction. Nir's new book, "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life" is the topic of this podcast.

"In the future, there will be two kinds of people in the world: those who let their attention and lives be controlled and coerced by others and those who proudly call themselves 'indistractable." - Nir Eyal

Saying this show is about distraction doesn't do it justice. This is probably just me, but distraction is so universal I think we minimize its impact in our lives. I think we hear about it all the time of late due to the onset of the smartphone. And if we don't have that problem, well, we think we have no problem.

This is about your time and attention, why you lose control of it and how to get it back. It's about valuing your attention and we only have so much time left and we're not guaranteed whatever amount we think we have left.

This episode is very quick listen in a sense that Nir gets right into it, I had to be very fast with my note taking.

Some of the topics we cover include ...

Technology and addiction
On habit forming products
Differences between addiction and distraction
The psychology of distraction, causes etc.
The psychology of email
A 4-step framework for becoming indistractable
The problem with to-do lists
Time boxing and values
On hyperbolic discounting

There is a lot under these topic umbrellas and much of the episode is tactical. I took a ton of notes and have already seen the benefits of applying much of it. Fit this in, you should hear it.

Nir's resources, show notes and more at larryweeks.com

EP. 32: A FRAMEWORK FOR HUMAN EFFORT: J.J. SUTHERLAND Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

This is a podcast about results, getting things done. How to move past uncertainty and define the future.

In this episode I talk with J.J. Sutherland. He is the CEO of Scrum Inc and is also the co-author of Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, written with his father, Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of Scrum. His newest book The Scrum Fieldbook, A Master Class on Accelerating Performance, Getting Results, and Defining the Future, is the topic of this show.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term Scrum, it's a framework originally used as a faster, more effective way to create software in the tech industry. The Scrum process is now being used successfully in general business practice all over the world in companies of all types, outside of pure tech.

This chat is in part a discovery process as to why that is.

J.J. says Scrum is the art of changing the possible or what is possible. And I think after listening to this episode, you might join him in that belief.

Some great advice here on not only what Scrum really is or how it works but J.J offers some great insights on teamwork, why projects fail, how to use failure and fear as catalysts and how Scrum can be applied anywhere.

Be prepared to be motivated to get stuff done after listening.

Enjoy!

I blog about all episodes, for more info visit larryweeks.com

EP. 31: THE TECH FALLACY: GERALD KANE ON WHY PEOPLE ARE THE KEY TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION May 10, 2019

Show notes

"…What it takes to keep up isn't as much about coding, AI, algorithms… it's about being change oriented, it's about being forward thinking, and it's about being willing to develop skills in this new world." --Gerald Kane

What allows some organizations and individuals to thrive in new world of rapid technology innovation and disruption while others fall behind or get stuck in obsolescence?

Exploring these questions and more is an expert on digital disruption and my guest on the podcast, Gerald Kane, professor of Information Systems at Boston College, Carroll School of Management.

After a major six-year study into how digital technologies have disrupted companies of all sizes, Kane talks with me about some of the key findings from his newly released book, "The Technology Fallacy: How People Are The Real Key To Digital Transformation."

Thousands of interviews with employers and employees went into his research, revealing some interesting findings outlined in the book.

If your an executive running a company or a CDO or just in charge of digital transformation, listen up. And if you're just an employee who wants to keep pace with change and stay relevant in the workplace, I would listen to this show.

On the show we talk about

Why adapting to technological disruptions isn't actually all about the technology - and why thinking it is could lead to failure
What type of mindset makes a difference in the companies that succeed at dramatic change vs those that fail to adapt
Defining will over skill
The similar characteristics companies have that thrive in disruption
The importance of culture and what that means really
How to stay relevant in the modern workplace
The age factor, why succeeding in the digital era is not about age - and what attribute IS important
How to develop employees for long-term success through change and tech disruption with examples of how companies are doing that
The digital maturity scorecard, what industries lead or lag

Jerry was a great interview and not only generous with his findings but passionate about them. Enjoy!

I write about all my shows at larryweeks.com

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