The Better Show

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Better Microbiome Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

While scientists are only scratching the surface of the microbiome it's already clear that the 39 trillion micro-organisms living in your body have a profound affect on your health, your emotions and even your relationships. This week we explore the fascinating ecosystem that exists inside our bodies.

Show Notes

2:27— Why does the microbiome matter?
11:56— Examples of the impact of the microbiome
21:38— The HMP
24:41—The 10:1 myth
27:50—Measuring the microbiome
43:07— Fermented foods and the power of diversity in the microbiome
47:22— Tips & tricks for improving your microbiome
1:05:10— Babies and microbiomes
1:08:02— Watch this space, we're at the infancy of our microbiome understanding
1:09:02— Future microbiome technology
1:18:52— Better Next Step and our experiments we'll try & report back on in a future episode

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Rhonda Patrick on breastfeeding: Dr Rhonda Patrick on the Amazing Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Better Budgeting: Part 2 Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

In part two of our Better Budgeting series, we discuss the types of budget goals you can have, and plans you can make, to take control of your money.

Show Notes

2:01 - March breaks down the topic of budgeting into three parts: setting your goals, making a plan, and executing your plan
2:39 - Ian, Darren, and March share where they are in terms of setting financial goals.
7:25 - March shares a pro-tip for how his relocation to Ireland has saved him a lot of money on his kid's college tuition.
9:59 - Darren compares high-interest debt to running on a treadmill.
11:02 - We discuss how paying off high-interest debt (like credit card debt) is one of the first goals to set for yourself.
11: 28 - Darren shares a book recommendation: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason and introduces the concept of "pay yourself first."
16:53 - Different ways to think about your retirement goals: the "bounce your last check" method or the lump sum method.
19:54 - Ian shares that one of his near-term goals is to buy a home and we discuss the different perspectives on home ownership versus renting.
25:14 - The cultural aspect of home ownership, the utilitarian aspect of home ownership, and the financial aspect of home ownership.
33:20 - Trading hours for dollars and how to define financial freedom.
37:09 - How to think about budgeting using some practical budgeting models.
40: 21 - The 50/20/30 budgeting rule.
43:19 - March offers a tip for making saving easier by using the "boil the frog" method.
50:50 - Different financial vehicles for saving money including Traditional and ROTH IRSs.
59:45 - How to use positive goal setting techniques to make it easier to save money.
1:06:10 - After realizing how rich this topic is (no pun intended) we decide that it deserves a part 3 where we can dedicate more time on tips for executing a budget plan.
1:07:00 - The role of debt in your financial picture and how to tell the difference between "good debt" and "bad debt."
1:14:35 - The different types of insurance you can purchase and how insurance works.
1:17:40 - Why people buy insurance if the odds are against ever collecting it.
1:22:50 - Darren offers to sell Ian volcano insurance.

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Better Budgeting: Part 1 Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

We kick off part one of our series on finance with a discussion on better budgeting. We talk strategies, mindset and tools to help you take control of money in your life.

Show Notes

2:06— What exactly is money and why is it important to understand how to manage money.
4:03— Ian channels his inner Biggie Smalls. 😀
4:39— The effect that money (or worrying about money) can have on one’s health and well-being.
8:02— The difference between guilt and shame and how that difference matters when it comes to money.
24:30— March and Darren talk about the peace of mind that comes with putting one’s finances on auto-pilot.
24:54— Darren shares story about how he was introduced to the concept of time value of money and how that has helped him understand how money works and how to better manage his own finances.
28:57— The Life Values Quiz as a tool to discover your own relationship with money.
41:15— Methods for beginning to budget including “the envelope system” and the 50/20/30 budget rule.
46:48— Some technology solutions for helping gain visibility on one’s finances including Mint, PocketGuard, and a simple Excel spreadsheet.

Mentions

📰 Article: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
💻 Blog: The Life Values Quiz
💻 Blog: ClarkHoward.com
💻 Blog: SmartAboutMoney.org
👍 Product: Kiva.org
📱 App: PocketGuard

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How to Have a Better Brunch Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

We constantly hear stories about how the most successful and productive people have morning routines that include getting up very early in the morning to get a jump start on their day. But is rising early REALLY the right solution for everyone? On this week's episode of The Better Show, we aim to find out by diving into the research.

Show Notes

1:20 - 💂‍♀️ Where does the word "brunch" come from? (Featuring March's ridiculous British accent)
3:50 - 😍 Ian tells us how he fell in love with brunch
6:00 - 👩‍🍳 Darren shares his perspective on brunch as part of the slow food movement
8:25 - 💏 Ian introduces us to the concept of a 'brunch bunch' - the perfect way to knit friend groups together
10:50 - 🤯 March admits he's never heard of chicken and waffles
12:20 - 🤑 Ian hatches a plan to open his own brunch place called 'The Brunch Boss'
13:10 - 💯 Ian outlines how to create your own brunch bunch
17:55 - 🥓 Ian tests the guys to find out if they know the correct way to cook bacon (hint Darren isn't invited to join the brunch bunch)
24:30 - 🏡 March suggests the idea of a potluck home based brunch
26:40 - 💂‍♀️March & Ian roll out their awful British accents again to close out the show

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Should You Get Up Early? Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

Show Notes

3:11— March shares examples of some notable personalities that are early risers and reflects on the conventional wisdom about the benefits of getting up early.
5:47— Darren notes that the trend of preferring to start one’s day early has more to do with productivity than it does with health.
10:32— Ian reflects on some valuable advice from an older gentlemen he met years ago.
12:44 —Some of the mistakes that people make when they start adopting an early morning routine.
16:50— What is a person’s chronotype.
23:08 —The differences between men and women when it comes to sleep and the relationship between personality type and chronotype.
26:07— How to figure out what sleep cycle works best for you.
29:54— How Ian figured out what his natural sleep cycle is and what he learned from the experiment.
32:11— Darren’s experience in figuring out his individual sleep patterns.
38:43— Tips for how to start finding your own sleep rhythm and maintaining your quality of sleep.

Mentions

💻 Ryan Carson 4:45am Club
📰 Cool infographic on morning or evening people

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Better Learning with Ryan Carson Redux Mar 04, 2019

Show notes

We discuss ways to strengthen your memory - everything from remembering names to learning more effectively.

Show Notes

1:59— We welcome our first guest on The Better Show, Ryan Carson, CEO of Treehouse.
3:12— “I think learning is the largest single determining factor of your success in life.” — Ryan Carson
4:50— We learn a little bit about Treehouse, what it does and why Ryan started it.
7:39— Ryan discusses the huge gap between the number of new jobs requiring coding skills and the number of traditional Computer Science graduates.
10:36— Ryan compares how learning a skill like coding is similar to learning a skill like carpentry or other trades.
12:36— We talk about the changing environment for learning and how today it is possible to get a degree from Harvard for free online.
15:06— Ryan describes the changes that are happening in the workforce that are motivating companies to invest in trade skill-style training.
19:50— Ryan shares how he has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs to introduce Treehouse’s learning opportunities to under-served communities.
24:30— We discuss the importance of mentorship in the learning process.
27:41— We discuss how to initiate a request for mentorship and how to be a good mentee.
30:35— March asks Ryan what he looks for when deciding whether or not a mentorship request will be a good fit.
31:28— Ryan shares a tip about the value of sharing experiences versus trying to give advice.
35:17— Darren shares a tactic that his mom used to keep him constantly creating with Lego.
36:35— We discuss the role of artificial intelligence and how it will affect the types of things we need learn in the future.
42:07— We do some rapid-fire Q&A with Ryan on topics ranging from the craziest experiment Ryan ever tried on himself to areas he’s currently working to improve.
47:01— Darren, March, and Ian each adopt one thing from the conversation that they will experiment with going forward.
51:11— We wrap up the show with a reflection on our conversation with Ryan, what we learned from the discussion, and give a quick shout to our moms for all that they do to help us learn throughout our lives.

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Better Bite - Charity Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

Thanks to a listener suggestion, we discuss strategies for better charitable giving. We focus on why and how to give to charity. We discuss how to make a giving plan that can maximize the impact of your donations while allowing you to express your personal values and support your passions.

Show Notes

01:30— Our listener Jakub wants to know how to make the most of his charitable giving
05:10— Can I make an impact? What are my few dollars going to do?
07:30— How we could eliminate extreme poverty by the middle of the century.
11:50— Charity is about expressing your personal values.
12:37— The guys try the ‘How rich am I?’ wealth calculator
18:00— Where do you craft a charity strategy?
20:00— What is effective altruism?
30:00— How to evaluate charities?
33:50— The guys discuss the pros & cons of volunteering
38:30— How to make a charity plan for this year.

Mentions

www.givewell.org
www.effectivealtruism.org
www.givingwhatwecan.org
charitynavigator.org
💰 How Rich Am I?
📖 The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty by Peter Singer

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Paring Down Plastics Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

This week we explore how to pare down the amount of plastics in your life. We talk about how using fewer plastics is better for the environment and your health. We share tips on how you can easily reduce the amount of single-use plastic you consume.

Show Notes

1:32 - We kick off the show with a question from Ian's mom about how to pair down single use plastics and finding a replacement for plastic trash bags.
7:55 - Ian re-frames the conversation by asking "how do plastics affect us individually?"
10:05 - What is meant by "single use plastics" and what is the journey of a piece of single use plastic from its origin as raw materials to the trash.
17:17- What are micro-plastics? Where do they come from and, more importantly, where do they go?
**18:56 **- The floating island of plastic trash that's formed between California and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. It actually contains an estimated 1.8 trillion individual pieces of plastic.
23:30 - The impact of China no longer accepting plastic garbage from foreign countries.
26:30 - The "recycle-ability" of different types of materials.
28:08 - The impact of plastic on human and animal health.
33:45 - The bright spots on the horizon and the reasons to be optimistic about some recent efforts from private companies and governments to reduce plastics.
37:33 - The startup companies that are building businesses to help reduce the consumption of single-use plastics.
39:25 - Darren describes how he became aware of the health issues related to plastics and credits his wife, Mardee, with introducing him to BPA-free drink-ware.
42:40 - Ian reflects on how he first learned about the dangers of plastic containers 10 years ago.
45:02 - March sings the praises of the Soda Stream.
51:35 - Darren shares the reasons for his optimism about this topic - and we clarify that he's not an advocate of eating elephants. 🐘😄
54:45 - Tips for reducing the consumption of plastic in your own life. 💡 Tip 💡
1:00:45 - Darren gets inspired with an idea for an augmented reality app that gives visibility into the environmental impact of the products around us.
1:09:01 - How you can support charities whose work contributes to lowering the need for single-use plastics.
1:14:30 - How to read the numbers on recyclable plastics. 💡 Tip 💡

Mentions

👍 Product: the SodaStream
📰 Article: NYT article on the origin of the plastic straw ban
📰 Article: 2018 U.N. Environment report on single-use plastics
📰 Article: New enzyme that breaks down plastics
📰 Article: IBM - A radical new recycling process will breathe new life into old plastic.
💦 Water For People
💦 Lifewater
💦 Global H2O
💦 Water.org

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Emergency Preparedness Redux Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

We discuss preparing for emergencies and why you’ll be glad you did. We’ll explore how to know what kind of emergencies are likely, the importance of making a plan, and what sort of equipment you’ll want to have on hand.

Show Notes

2:11 - The guys discuss what qualifies as an emergency
6:46 - March talks about why you should trust your gut if you think someone is sick
8:59 - Darren talks about the FAST method of detecting a stroke
15:07 - The guys discuss advancements in fire fighting technology and why it's so hard to control forest fires
20:11 - Darren talks about his experience being in a flash-over situation
29:26 - Darren shares his experience of dealing with the 2001 earthquake in Seattle
31:30 - Darren shares a tip about planning to coordinate via long distance calling
32:10 - Quiz time: How many earthquakes happen every day?
37:25 - How not to become a doomsday prepper
37:52 - Which is better? A doomsday bunker or a fast car and a bag of diamonds?
41:14 - Why Ian doesn't have the habit of being prepared for emergencies
44:44 - Darren talks about how an earthquake in 2001 changed his perspective on preparedness
51:22 - Ian talks about the importance of having an emergency kit in your car
54:52 - Ian proposes we put a nanotech water filter to the test with raw sewage
55:56 - March emphasizes the importance of making an emergency plan & building an emergency kit
1:07:23 - What to do if North Korea decides to nuke LA

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Beating Cognitive Biases Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

We discuss how you can beat cognitive bias. Learn common biases and strategies for identifying and overcoming them.

Show Notes

4:52— What exactly is cognitive bias, what research led to the discovery of it, and why should we pay attention to it.
7:50— The different types of cognitive bias and how they affect our decisions in everyday life.
9:18— The parallels between how we establish unconscious biases and how we form habits.
11:25— Is it even possible to remove all cognitive bias and if we could would we even want to?
12:40— The summary of different biases as categorized by Buster Benson.
19:05— The problems caused by cognitive bias, including missed details, and incorrect conclusions.
20:18— Why humans are predisposed to see faces in inanimate objects.
22:27— March quizzes Ian and Darren about some common cognitive biases.
34:14— The Ben Franklin effect and how you can use it to strengthen your relationships.
36:28— The IKEA effect and how it affects many of the products you buy.
38:30— The Google effect and what it has to do with Darren’s ability to accurately spell words.
45:33— What cognitive bias has to do with one’s base level of happiness.
47:55— Tips for making better decisions to counteract cognitive bias.
50:20— Using decision making frameworks to counteract cognitive bias.
54:40— The value of making decisions slowly.
56:00— Ian, Darren, and March each pick one of the methods discussed in the show improve their individual decision making.