How to Be a Better Human

Latest Episodes:

How your brain predicts your reality (w/ Anil Seth) Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

What is the aspect of being you that you cling to most tightly? Why are you you and not somebody else? How do you understand and make sense of your experiences? These are questions studied by Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and the University of Sussex. Anil and Chris reflect on the limitations in describing the brain as a “supercomputer,” the ethical and morally grey areas of technological advancements and brain computer interfaces, and how hallucinogenic drugs affect consciousness.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Anil Seth (Instagram: @profanilseth | LinkedIn: @anilseth | Website: https://www.anilseth.com/)

Links

Being You: A New Science of Consciousness

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Why stealing other people’s ideas can be a good thing (w/ Austin Kleon) Jun 23, 2025

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Austin Kleon thinks stealing inspiration is a good thing — because it requires you to pay attention to the world. Austin is a self-proclaimed “creative kleptomaniac” and the author of five books, including Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. In his conversation with Chris, they discuss “scenius,” or the creative genius of a group, how children are invaluable creative teachers, and why he thrives in the tension between discipline and spontaneity.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Austin Kleon (Instagram: @austinkleon | Website: https://austinkleon.com/)

Links

Austin Kleon’s Substack

Steal Like an Artist (Book)

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Why you don't need a personal brand (w/ Debbie Millman) Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

“If you’re a good designer in five or ten years, you’re gonna want to look back on your portfolio with horror and nostalgia and somewhat amusement… because you want to be growing,” says illustrator Debbie Millman. Debbie is the host of the longest running podcast, Design Matters, and the author of the book, Love Letter to a Garden. In this episode, authenticity and growth are at the forefront. Debbie talks about the loss of humanity with the rise of personal branding, how her fascination with origin stories and the universe led her to gardening, and her advocacy with the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization working to help sexual assault victims heal and reclaim their lives.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Debbie Millman (Instagram: @debbiemillman | LinkedIn: @deborahmillman | Website: debbiemillman.com/)

Links

Love Letter to a Garden (Bookshop.org)

joyfulheartfoundation.org/

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Information Inoculation: Defending Against Medical Myths: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | from TED Health Jun 12, 2025

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Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth.

After the talk, Shoshana interviews Dr. Jennifer Reich, a sociologist, and asks the question, “Where has vaccine mistrust come from?” -- and how transparency in clinical trials and federal advisory boards are key in gaining community trust.

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How to love parts of yourself you may not like (w/ Heather Havrilesky) Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Heather Havrilesky is the author of the book Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage. She’s also the writer behind the advice columns “Ask Polly,” and “Ask Molly,” which is written by Polly’s mischievous alterego. In this episode, Heather and Chris navigate how to showcase your whole self – even if it means embracing the messy parts – and how leaning into contradictions can make you happier and healthier. They also discuss how most people’s twenties are a disaster, how to write in a way that feels true, and why it’s necessary to laugh at your own ridiculousness.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Heather Havrilesky (Instagram: @heatherhav)

Links

ask-polly.com

Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage

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How to learn from your failures (w/ Dawn Burrell) Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Dawn Burrell is a celebrated long jumper, an Olympic athlete, and a chef’s whose cooking made her a semifinalist for a James Beard Award — and these are just a sampling of her many accolades. In this episode, Dawn talks about how she navigated the career shift from athlete to chef, redefining success for herself, and finding joy and fulfillment in the kitchen cooking for others. She and Chris also discuss ways to grow from failure, build confidence, and the creative process of starting something new – whether it’s a career or a recipe.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Dawn Burrell (Instagram: @chefdawnburrell | Facebook: @chefdawnburrell | LinkedIn: @dawnburrell)

Links

chefdawnburrell.com/

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Re-release: How peace can persevere (w/ Aziz Abu Sarah) May 26, 2025

Show notes

It’s extremely difficult to move past anger and hurt driving you towards revenge. War, violence, and suffering are driven by that cycle of emotions. Palestinian author, peacemaker, and entrepreneur Aziz Abu Sarah knows the feelings well, but from his own life experiences, he shares his belief that peace is achievable and another way forward is possible. In this episode, Aziz tells his story and explains his work to bring even the most seemingly intractable conflicts to a resolution that allows for justice, reconciliation, and safety for all.

This episode originally aired September 9, 2024.

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How to be a better friend (w/ Rhaina Cohen) May 19, 2025

Show notes

What would it look like if we took friendship as seriously as we take romance? Rhaina Cohen, author of the book The Other Significant Others: Reimagine Life with Friendship at the Center, talks to Chris about the value of platonic relationships. They get into everything from offloading expectations from a romantic partner onto a friend can help improve relationships to how to cope with the loss of a friend to what to do when politics divide friendships. If you want to develop your friendships, Rhaina has tons of practical tips and advice.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Rhaina Cohen (Instagram: @rhainacohen | LinkedIn: @rhainacohen | Website: rhainacohen.com/)

Links

Bookshop.org: The Other Significant Others

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How to see the humanity in everyone — even people you don’t like (w/ Abigail Marsh) May 12, 2025

Show notes

Why is American culture so fascinated with psychopathic people and true crime stories? Why don’t billionaires give more? What makes some people so generous that they’d undergo surgery to donate an organ to a complete stranger? These are the kinds of questions that Abigail Marsh, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University, studies. Chris and Abigail discuss the brain differences between extreme altruists and psychopathic individuals, why psychopathic traits do not necessarily correlate with aggression, how parents can support children with behavioral issues, and what we can all do to train ourselves to be more altruistic.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Abigail Marsh PhD (LinkedIn: @abigail-marsh)

Links

abigailmarsh.com/

disordersofaggression.org

Bookshop.org: The Fear Factor

TED Talk: Why some people are more altruistic than others

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How to navigate changes in a relationship without fear (w/ Stephanie Yates-Anyabwile) May 05, 2025

Show notes

What is a romantic relationship “supposed” to look like? How do you feel when your relationship doesn’t check all the boxes? In this episode, licensed marriage and family therapist Stephanie Yates-Anyabwile talks about everything from how to get into couples counseling to navigating hard conversations to understanding the difference between relationship dynamics in reality and on reality TV (which she actually loves and thinks there’s a lot to learn from watching).

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Host: Chris Duffy (@chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Stephanie Yates-Anyabwile (Instagram: @_steph.anya | Youtube: @stephanya)

Links

whatsanyamind.com/

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