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The Impact of Alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Some of us may have overindulged during the holidays, and some of us may be trying a Dry January — or at least rethinking our relationship with booze. This is the time of year when we might notice how much alcohol has woven itself into our social lives, our stress management, our celebrations. Charles Knowles is a Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Chief Academic Officer at the Cleveland Clinic London, and his new book is called Why We Drink Too Much: The Impact of Alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture. He joins us today to explain why problematic drinking isn't defined by how much we consume, and what we really need to know if we want to change our relationship with alcohol. And then in the second half of the show, we’ll hear from philosophy professor Edward Slingerland, who will share ideas from his 2021 book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.

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Forget Self-Improvement. Try This Instead in 2026. Jan 07, 2026

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Maybe you’ve already set some resolutions for 2026 — exercise more, eat better, be more patient. But here’s the problem: We make these promises to improve ourselves as if our selves are solid, fixed entities that just need a little tweaking. But there might be a wiser approach. J. Eric Oliver is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and his new book is called How To Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are. He joins us today to explain why seeing yourself as a process rather than a fixed thing might be the most powerful resolution you could make this year — and how that shift opens up possibilities you didn’t know you had. Then, in the second half of the show, we'll hear some big ideas from Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way by philosophy professor Kieran Setiya.

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Why a Tough Childhood Might Help Some Kids Survive Jan 06, 2026

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An evolutionary perspective reveals how early adversity can sometimes accelerate development.

The Nature of Nurture by Jay Belsky
The Social Genome by Dalton Conley

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New Year, Same Patterns? Here’s Why That’s OK. Jan 05, 2026

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Now that we’re in early January, a lot of us are thinking about what we want to change this year. But here’s the thing — we often focus on adding new habits when the real question might be, Why do we keep repeating the old ones?

Why Do I Keep Doing This? by Kati Morton
Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There by Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein

A Spy's Guide to Parenting Jan 02, 2026

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Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of the 2021 book The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years. She makes a fascinating case: well-run companies have a clear mission, they make decisions deliberately, and they have processes that keep things running smoothly. So why don't we apply that same intentionality to our family lives? Then we’ll hear from Christina and Ryan Hillsberg, a husband-and-wife team of former CIA officers. They share how lessons from intelligence work can help us raise resourceful, self-sufficient children.

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What Is Capitalism? Dec 31, 2025

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Capitalism shapes everything about our lives — the way we work, the cities we live in, the goods we consume. But where did it come from, and where is it headed?

Capitalism: A Global History by Sven Beckert
The Problem of Twelve by John Coates

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Are You Smarter Than a Plant? Dec 30, 2025

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Max Telford is a leading evolutionary biologist who's spent his career tracing the deepest roots of life itself. His new book is called The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle, and he joins us today to share some of his big ideas in just a moment. In the second half of the show, we'll hear big ideas from the 2023 book Planta Sapiens, exploring the surprising intelligence hidden in the plants all around us.

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The Heart of Entrepreneurship Dec 29, 2025

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Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of the beloved toy company Melissa & Doug, has spent decades discovering what it means to build a business that's true to who you are. Her new book is called The Heart of Entrepreneurship: Crafting Your Authentic Recipe for Success, and she'll join us to share some of her big ideas in the first half of today's show. After that, we'll hear from Catalina Daniels and James Sherman. They went inside eighteen companies founded by Harvard Business School graduates to uncover the lessons that actually lead to success.

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How to Navigate Life's Transitions Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

First up, Ann Tashi shares key insights from her book Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World. And later in the show, we'll hear from Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling author of 2023’s Soul Shift, who'll show us how small, incremental changes can help us rediscover what truly brings us joy.

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What Kind of American Are You? Dec 24, 2025

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First, Colin Woodard argues that where you are in the country determines how you live and how you'll die. Then Luke Shaefer tells us how America's most disadvantaged communities aren't where we think they are, and what their shared history reveals about inequality in this country.

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