Freedom Matters

Latest Episodes:

The Power of Fun – Catherine Price Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

This week, we welcome back Catherine Price, founder of ScreenLifeBalance.com and author of How to Break Up With Your Phone and The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.

In this light-hearted episode, we explore what exactly 'fun' is and talk about how to make space for more of it in our lives! We cover:

Why you may well feel dead inside, and how fun can make you feel alive
How technology can get in the way of fun
What Catherine defines as 'fun'
The enormous health and productivity benefits of fun
How to structure your life to encourage fun magnets
How to have more fun this holiday season!

For more fun you can also sign up for Catherine's newsletter at HowToHaveFun.com https://howtohavefun.com/, where you can access:

- ”What’s Your Fun Personality Type?” quiz
- ”Are We Fun Compatible?” quiz
- Bookclub and Discussion Guide
- Pre-order links (and pre-order incentives, including pre-launch access to a special “Fun Toolkit”)
- A global #Funtervention challenge in January and February taking place via Catherine’s newsletter and social media feeds (30 days of helping people create better screen/life balance and have more fun)

You can also follow Catherine on Twitter (@Catherine_Price) and Instagram (@_CatherinePrice)

Catherine Price: https://www.screenlifebalance.com/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music and audio production: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Digital Dopamine 24/7 – Dr. Anna Lembke Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

This week, we talk with with Anna Lembke, a clinician scholar and leading global expert in addiction. Anna recently appeared in the Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma, and in August 2021, released the book Dopamine Nation, exploring how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

Her view is that, for many of us, our technology use is contributing to our pleasure-seeking habits, tipping our neurological balance and making us miserable. This is an episode rooted in science, which is too important to ignore. We discuss:

Why it is fair and important to use the term 'digital addiction'
The role of dopamine on our brains and why it gets us hooked
How our 'tolerance' to using technology will naturally increase overtime, leaving us wanting more quantity or potency in our digital experiences
The mechanisms within technology that keep us hooked
Why it is easier than ever before to get distracted
Why digital detoxes are necessary
How to use technology in a more balanced way
And why, for the sake of our brains, we should ignore distraction and turn towards pain

Anna Lembke is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries. She sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations, has testified before various committees in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, keeps an active speaking calendar, and maintains a thriving clinical practice.

In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016). Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021), an instant New York Times Bestseller, explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

To learn more about Anna: https://www.annalembke.com/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music and audio production: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

This week, we talk with with Oliver Burkeman. He is the author of "Four Thousand Weeks", a book about making the most of our radically finite lives in a world of impossible demands, relentless distraction and 'productivity techniques' that mainly just make everyone feel busier.

It’s a longer episode than usual because it is packed with wisdom. We discuss:

- Oliver’s understanding of ‘productivity’ and the challenges of productivity culture
- The finity of time and how to understand it
- Why we turn towards unimportant tasks and leave the meaningful work undone
- How technology makes us feel limitless, even though we are not
- How to serialise your life
- Why patience is a superpower

And so much more….

Oliver is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. He wrote a long-running column for the Guardian, This Column Will Change Your Life, and has a devoted following for his writing on productivity, mortality and the power of limits.

To buy Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/books

To follow Oliver & his thoughts: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist

Host and Producer: Georgie Powellhttps://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music and audio production: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Is Your Smartphone Irresistible? – Adam Alter Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Do you sometimes feel like you are not in control of your day? Before you realise it, your plans and time have been hijacked by a diversion and you don't know why. If so, you are not alone.

This week, we speak with Adam Alter, author of Irresistible and Drunk Tank Pink. He is a social psychologist and expert in the effects of subtle environmental cues on human cognition and decision making.

In this episode, we discuss:
- factors which shape our behaviour and decision-making, like names and colours
- why the technology we use is so influential
- how addicted we are to technology
- how technology companies are removing friction to hold our attention
- why our struggles with smartphones are just the beginning
- some top tips to resist the Irresistible.

Adam is a Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow, with an affiliated appointment in the New York University Psychology Department.

He is the New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible, which considers why so many people today are addicted to behaviours including incessant smartphone use, video game playing and online shopping; and Drunk Tank Pink, which investigates how hidden forces in the world shape our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

More on Adam: http://adamalterauthor.com/

To purchase Irresistible: http://adamalterauthor.com/irresistible

To purchase Drunk Tank Pink: http://adamalterauthor.com/drunk-tank-pink

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Habits, Hooks, and How to be Indistractable – Nir Eyal Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

If habits are meant to be useful, why then do we form bad ones? And just how can we resist the hook of technology, to be indistractable?

This week we're in conversation with Nir Eyal. Nir is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003 and was dubbed by The M.I.T. Technology Review as, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.”

In this episode we discuss:
- Why we form good (and bad) habits
- The underlying roots of distraction
- How to become indistractable

Nir Eyal:https://www.nirandfar.com/

To purchase Indistractable: https://www.amazon.com/Indistractable-Nir-Eyal/dp/194883653X?tag=thekerne-20&geniuslink=true

For a summary of Indistractable: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/

Distraction guide: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/

This episode is part of of a new mini-series, which explores 'who's in control - the tech, or us?'. Look out for episodes with Nicholas Carr, Adam Alter and Anna Lembke, when they will be sharing their own views.

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Information, Attention, the Internet, and Our Brains – Nicholas Carr Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Is the internet making us stupid? What is the difference between information and knowledge, and just why is attention so important?

This week we're in conversation with Nicholas Carr. Nick is an acclaimed writer whose work focuses on the intersection of technology, economics, and culture. In 2008, he wrote an article for The Atlantic entitled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" His subsequent book, The Shallows – What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, was the first of its kind, calling on us to question the value of the internet and the impact that it was having on our brains.

A New York times bestseller when it was first published and now hailed as a modern classic, The Shallows won the Pulitzer Prize and has been translated into 25 languages. It remains a touchstone for debates on technology's effects on our thoughts and perceptions. And a second edition of the shallows was published in 2020.

In this episode we discuss:
- what led Nicholas to write the book and why it was so important
- the relationship between the internet, information, knowledge, memory and our brains
- just why attention is so important

This episode is part of of a new mini-series, which explores 'who's in control - the tech, or us?' Look out for subsequent episodes with Nir Eyal and Anna Lembke, when they will be sharing their own views.

Nicholas Carr: http://www.nicholascarr.com/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Music, Games, and Keeping Track of Time – Jack Wall Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

What can an award-winning Hollywood composer teach us about productivity?

In this episode, we welcome Jack Wall. Jack is known for his epic scores for dozens of leading video games including Mass Effect, Myst, and most notably, Call of Duty - the largest interactive entertainment property in the world. A multi-time BAFTA and ASCAP award nominee, he writes for the supernatural drama TV series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments on Disney/Freeform, and for numerous other series.

In this episode we discuss:

the process of composing music for games
how he manages large projects to deadline
trusting your skills to let the work flow

The music throughout this episode is courtesy of Jack Wall and Activision. It features excerpts from Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, which Jack composed and recorded in the midst of the pandemic in 2020.

Jack Wall: https://www.jackwall.net/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Theme Music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Sprints, Breaks & Async Work Done Well – John Zeratsky Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

What if we didn't just treat work as a series of sprints, but our whole life? What if we applied the same process of reflection that we do at the end of our projects, to our whole life?

In this episode, we welcome John Zeratsky, a co-founder and general partner at Character, where he supports technology startups with capital and sprints. He is the bestselling author of Sprint, Make Time, and former design partner at GV. Previously, John was a design leader for YouTube, Google Ads, and FeedBurner, which was acquired by Google in 2007.

In this episode we discuss:

how the principles of 'Sprint' are applicable across life
other steps to 'Make Time'
his views on the future of work - and of asynchronous work done well

For more from John: John Zeratskyhttps://johnzeratsky.com/

For more on Sprint: The Sprint Bookhttps://www.thesprintbook.com/

For more on Make Time: Make Timehttps://maketime.blog/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powell https://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Curiosity, Fear & 'Match Fit' Leadership – Holly Ransom Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

What if we did something that scared us every single day? How would that reset our perspective on life? What could we achieve?

In this episode, we welcome Holly Ransom, an expert in disruption and future leadership. As the founder and CEO of Emergent, she helps individuals and teams formulate the questions to find their strategy for making effective change.

Named one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women by the Australian Financial Review, Holly is also widely recognised as one of the world’s top female keynote speakers. She has delivered a Peace Charter to the Dalai Lama, interviewed Barack Obama on stage, was Sir Richard Branson’s nominee for Wired Magazine’s ‘Smart List’ of Future Game Changers to watch in 2017, and was awarded the U.S. Embassy’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Leadership Excellence in 2019.

Her new book, The Leading Edge, brings the real-world leadership lessons of so many diverse thinkers and pioneers she’s met to the fore.

In this episode we discuss:

- why fear is a game-changer
- the power of curiosity
- why leadership is not 'match-fit' to manage the future of technology

For more from Holly:

- Her book: The Leading Edge https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/holly-ransom
- Some of Holly's content: Holly Ransom | Portfolio https://hollyransom.com/portfolio/
- Holly’s long-running podcast series Coffee Pods: https://hollyransom.com/podcast/

Host and Producer: Georgie Powellhttps://www.sentientdigitalconsulting.com/

Theme music: Toccare https://spoti.fi/3bN4eqO

Laziness Does Not Exist – Devon Price Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

What if laziness doesn't exist? What if it is just a social construct, that is getting in the way of us all living our best lives?

In this episode, we welcome Devon Price, the author of the books Laziness Does Not Exist (with Simon & Schuster) and the forthcoming Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity (with Penguin Random House, out next year).

They are a social psychologist and clinical assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago. Devon's work has appeared on CNBC, Huffpo, the Financial Times, Lithub, Jacobin Magazine, and on NPR. They write regularly at devonprice.medium.com.

In this episode we discuss: