unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

631. A Physicist’s View on the Inherent Risks of Financial Modeling with Emanuel Derman

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do particle physicists and Wall Street traders have in common? How did finance become more like physics, and how is physics now becoming more lik...

630. What Evolutionary Psychology Gets Wrong About Dating and Attraction with Paul Eastwick

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Romantic relationships are something uniquely human — we form attachments and perceive compatibility in ways no other species does. So what explains...

629. Beyond Happiness: The Deep Longing to Matter with Rebecca Goldstein

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the tale of Genesis were reframed as a story of humanity’s ascent into awareness of mortality and entropy? How are both connectedness and a ...

628. The Civic Bargain: Democracy, Knowledge, and the Challenge of Scale with Josiah Ober

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A key precondition for democracy is civic trust and commitment to common goods; polarization and party identity undermine this, worsened by modern com...

627. Unlocking the Secrets of Love and Happiness with Sonja Lyubomirsky

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How important are relationships and the feeling of being loved to human happiness? How have the fields of happiness studies and relationship studies c...

626. Connective Labor: The Art of Human Connection in a Disconnected World with Allison J. Pugh

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How could AI shift medical value toward primary care relationships if pattern-recognition specialties are more automatable? What would people prefer i...

625. How to Not Just Face Uncertainty, But Thrive In It feat. Nathan and Susannah Furr

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We live in an age where uncertainty lurks around every corner, but what if uncertainty didn’t have to be an anxiety-inducing, uncomfortable part of ...

624. Time, Distraction, and Investing in What Matters with Cassie Holmes

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you start thinking of time as a scarce resource? What practical strategies can you use to protect it from being passively spent or h...

623. From Classroom to Boardroom: Unstoppable Entrepreneurs with Lori Rosenkopf

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What makes for a good entrepreneur in today’s start-up landscape? How do you work to scale and when is it right to go from bootstrapping to seeking ...

622. The Critical Art of Manufacturing & Why We Can’t Lose It with Tim Minshall

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s world where every imaginable product can appear at your doorstep with the click of a button, the art that goes into manufacturing those p...

621. Land, Loans, and Legacy: Real Estate's Global Influence with Mike Bird

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What is the impact of land reform on economic development? What are the implications of property law when a financial crisis hits? This episode offers...

620. The Secret to Creating ‘Good Jobs’ Where Everyone Wins with Zeynep Ton

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if a company could deliver high quality products at low cost, improving the value for customers and giving it a competitive edge, all while offer...

619. Fatherhood, Power, and History: Unpacking the Male Role in Society with Augustine Sedgewick

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When did society change from matriarchal to patriarchal, and why? What was the advice on fatherhood from Plato and Aristotle, and how did other writer...

618. Brand Global, Adapt Local: Insights with Katherine Melchior Ray

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What challenges come with taking a marketing strategy global, and what strategies can be created to account for and even take advantage of differences...

617. Navigating Leadership Challenges: Analyzing Systems with Barbara Kellerman

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do bad leaders persist in current-day environments, and how do they use factors like fear, rewards, and the natural difficulty of uprooting entren...

616. Leading Through Learning: Lessons from Life as a CEO with Jeff Immelt

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no instruction manual for how to be a CEO, and that role has undergone massive change in recent decades. So how do the leaders of great corp...

615. Reclaim Your Life from Digital Overload with Paul Leonardi

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What are practical strategies to avoid overload and exhaustion in today’s digital world? What norms can organizations create for tool usage, and how...

614. Understanding the Great Divergence: Europe vs China from 1000 to 2000 feat. Guido Tabellini

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What changes happened in the histories of Europe and China to create two economies that developed so differently? How did different forms of local coo...

613. Challenging Bureaucracy: Management Insights with Gary Hamel

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Where did the concept of management as a profession come from, and how did it develop? Why do bureaucratic practices persist? How can companies break ...

612. Cracking the Code of Effective Meetings with Rebecca Hinds

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When are meetings the best way to coordinate and make decisions and when do they make things worse?? How do you use the two-pizza rule to hold effecti...

611. Finding a Strategy for Life, Business, and Everything in Between feat. Geoffrey A. Moore

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Whether in markets, organizations, or the universe itself, today’s guest is a master at navigating complex systems where existing models have stoppe...

610. Shaping Spaces: Architecture, Design, and Urban Planning with Witold Rybczynski

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What is the real importance of understanding architectural history, and how is its teaching different from the histories of other disciplines? How can...

609. The Evolution of Science: From Natural Philosophy to Modern Understanding feat. Peter Dear

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What was the role of experimentation in early science? How did past scientific paradigms continue to influence current scientific discourse? What is t...

608. Why Imperfection Is Core to Being Human feat. Laurence D. Hurst

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While evolution is often thought to be conducive to perfect adaptation, there are plenty of reasons why we never get there. Laurence D. Hurst is a pr...

607. Navigating Gender Equality and Patriarchy in the Modern Workplace feat. Cordelia Fine

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can organizations make more equitable changes to their internal norms and structures, to promote fairness over merely seeking profit? What are alt...

606. The Great Myth of The New Deal & Its Lingering Economic Impact feat. George Selgin

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its long-held place in history as the lynchpin of America’s recovery from the Great Depression, what if the New Deal did more to hinder the ...

605. The Intersection of Children’s Rights and Our Legal System’s Flaws feat. Adam Benforado

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does our legal system treat children today, and how do policies affecting their parents and communities cascade down to shape their lives? What fo...

604. The Intersection of Philosophy and Suffering: From the Stoics to Modernity feat. Scott Samuelson

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is the point of life to minimize suffering, or to understand and embrace it on some level? How do different belief structures view the ideal human res...

603.  How to Engineer Serendipity in Your Life, Your Organization and Your Community feat. David Cleevely

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What are the nuances of organizational design and risk-taking? What are the roles of both curiosity and trust in fostering an environment ripe for inn...

602. Books: The Original Hardware for Knowledge feat. Joel J. Miller

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If ideas and knowledge are the software, then books have always been the longest-running hardware.Author and former publishing executive Joel J. Mille...

601. King Dollar: The Enduring Dominance of the US Currency feat. Paul Blustein

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did the US Dollar become the dominant currency internationally? What keeps other currencies, fiat or crypto, from displacing the dollar's role? Do...

600. The Intersection of Business Theory and Practice feat. Jay Barney

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Unlike some other academic fields, the study of business has always had the challenging task of striking a balance between theory and practice. How ca...

599. Why Authenticity Might Not Be the Answer feat. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why might ‘bring your whole self to work’ be terrible professional advice, and what should we be thinking about instead? Why does authenticity com...

598. Becoming an Evangelist feat. Guy Kawasaki

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do evangelism and business go hand in hand? Well, for today’s guest, evangelism is the purest form of sales. Guy Kawasaki is the Chief Evangeli...

597. Transforming Work Culture: From Firefighting to Strategic Flow feat. Donald C. Kieffer

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What practical advice could leaders and managers implement right now in their organizations to increase productivity and decrease friction between dis...

596. The Rules of Life’s Everyday Markets & How to Get Them to Work in Your Favor feat. Judd Kessler

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could find a strategy for gaming the systems all around to work more in your favor? If you did, then things like coveted restaurant reserv...

595. Beyond Logic: Unlocking Human Potential Through Story Science feat. Angus Fletcher

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What strange thing happens when a neuron is left alone? Are there ways to moderate stress and anxiety, and even channel them into productive and helpf...

594. Rational Choice Theory and Practical Wisdom: Analyzing Decision Making with Barry Schwartz

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How has rational choice theory come to dominate both our understanding of the world and our view of good judgment, and why is that a problem? What are...

593. The Myth of the Bossless Company feat. Nicolai J. Foss

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For organizations that are tempted to throw out the classic organizational management handbook in favor of a structure with no managers – think agai...

592. Deconstructing the Left: Social Justice and Political Realities feat. Fredrik deBoer

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How have politics changed from the  Bill Clinton era to that of  Donald Trump? How have identity politics diverted attention from economic issues, a...

591. From Platforms to Engines: Harnessing AI's Transformational Power feat. Sangeet Paul Choudary

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How will AI change the size, shape, and structure of companies? Where will we see new leverage points in the AI economy? How does AI move beyond task ...

590. Bridging Humanities and Technology: The Evolution of Code and Knowledge feat. Samuel Arbesman

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does code, like language, shape the way we see the world? How can we rediscover enchantment in our technology?? How can we determine the half-life...

589. Reenvisioning The Study of Ancient History feat. Walter Scheidel

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it time to overhaul the way we study and teach ancient history? Are we limiting our ability to understand fully how the past informs the present in...

588. The Evolution of the West and Western Identity feat. Georgios Varouxakis

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to the concept of The West, its scope and principles have been criticized both contemporarily and historically. How did the West emerge ...

587. History's Long Arc: Equality, Genius, and Happiness Explored feat. Darrin M. McMahon

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is historical context so important when looking at topics from the past? What role does a broader appreciation of the humanities play in understan...

586. Living Liberalism: Ethics, Society, and Personal Virtue feat. Alexandre Lefebvre

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a misconception that liberalism lacks a vision of ‘the good life,’ but liberalism is more ingrained in society than often recognized. It ...

585. Epic Disruptions and the Evolution of Business Strategies feat. Scott D. Anthony

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Business leaders need to be versatile, critical thinkers capable of questioning the status quo while integrating actionable frameworks to drive innova...

584. Examining School Closure Policies During the Pandemic: Untested Models vs. Empirical Evidence feat. David Zweig

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did political and social pressures affect public health decisions during the pandemic, and how did media reporting amplify those effects? What is ...

583. Reflections on Literature's Enduring Role in Human Experience feat. Arnold Weinstein

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does literature enrich our understanding of ourselves and of others, in ways that STEM fields and other forms of knowledge cannot? What is contain...

582. Our Ancestral Eves: How the Female Body Shaped Human Evolution feat. Cat Bohannon

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does the female body itself contribute to the story of human survival and development, and how does it differ from other animals and specifically...

581. The Power of Status: Examining the Matthew Effect feat. Toby E. Stuart

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does status infiltrate all of our decisions, and how is status allocated in a networked society?Toby E. Stuart is a professor at the Haas School a...

580. Creating Masterpieces: A New Vision of Leadership feat. Charles Spinosa

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many business leaders craft successful companies but only a few elevate that to the level of a masterpiece. What is it about some companies and leader...

579. Dissecting Capitalism's Critics From the Industrial Revolution to AI feat. John Cassidy

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not hard to find critics of capitalism in the current moment but this has always been true: as long as we have had capitalism we have had criti...

578. Rethinking Government Digital Transformation feat. Jennifer Pahlka

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can lawmakers and public servants design policies which benefit from continuous learning?? How will government offices that learn and adopt agile ...

577. Debunking the Myths: What Science Is and Isn't feat. James C. Zimring

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to ‘know’ something, and what does it mean specifically when stated by a scientist? What is the role of debate in driving scient...

576. The Cost of Staying Put: America’s Mobility Crisis with Yoni Appelbaum

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For much of America’s history, the promise of greater economic opportunities in new places was an intrinsic idea to the country’s identity. But in...

575. The Rise and Repair of the Intangible Economy feat. Jonathan Haskel

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The evolving economic landscape makes institutional reforms in areas like finance, planning, and public infrastructure, a necessity. AI is capable of ...

574. In COVID's Wake: Analyzing the Efficacy and Consequences of Pandemic Policies feat. Stephen Macedo

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can be gained from looking back now at the pandemic response during COVID? What would a “postmortem” tell us about how policies were designed...

573. Exploring Populism and Demagoguery in Politics feat. Eric A. Posner

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What historical forces have led to the rise of demagogues in the past and how to they compare to the increasing power of populism today? What are the ...

572. The Court of Public Opinion: Cancel Culture and Legal Education feat. Ilya L. Shapiro

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How has the landscape of legal education shifted, and what ramifications has that already started having? How do politics factor into judicial appoint...

571. The Power of Diverse Models in Decision Making feat. Scott E. Page

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if there was a system that could decide who to consult for a decision in real time? How would the diversity of the available sources affect the i...

570. Exploring the History of Liberalism as a Word and Concept feat. Helena Rosenblatt

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Liberalism is a term that has been adopted and adapted in different ways over the centuries of its use. How do we need to rethink and communicate the ...

569. Exploring Tech as the Modern Religion feat. Greg M. Epstein

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Technology is now involved in all industries, and there is a need for a critical and ethical approach to technology's development and integration into...

568. Accessing Your Socrates Within feat. Ward Farnsworth

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the relationship between philosophy, rhetoric and law? What can we still learn from ancient Greek and Roman philosophers like Socrates and the...

567. The Making of Timeless, Classic Art feat. Rochelle Gurstein

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before the Mona Lisa became one of the most famous and beloved paintings in the world, it sat in obscurity for hundreds of years away from the public ...

566. Why We Got Hooked On ‘Like’ feat. Martin Reeves and Bob Goodson

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a button most people these days don’t think twice about before clicking online: the like button. But there's no argument that the button has ...

565. Hacking Life Through Economics feat. Daryl Fairweather

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It makes sense that economic principles could be a useful guide in deciding what career to pursue, but what if they’re also the key to deciding whet...

564. Philosophy Beyond Books: Food For Thought feat. Julian Baggini

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can you make philosophy accessible to everyone without stripping it of essential depth and complexity? Where can philosophy take hold in diet and ...

563. How the Container Changed the World feat. Marc Levinson

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It may be not much to look at, but the unassuming shipping container has had a massive impact on the global economy since its invention in the 1950s. ...

562. Decoding Digital Transformation Then and Now feat. David Rogers

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It might sound counterintuitive but digital transformation is not about technology. So, what does it mean for companies to keep up in an ever-evolving...

561. Exploring The Human Drive to Explore feat. Alex Hutchinson

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What drives humans to seek and discover the previously unknown? Does the wanderlust that so many of us share in common have a scientific explanation? ...

560. Mastering Distraction at Work and in Life with Nir Eyal

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being easily distracted by the latest technologies has been a consistent feature of the human race since the time of Plato. But is the technology to b...

559. Modeling Persuasion and Connectivity: From Pandemics to Finance feat. Adam Kucharski

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a shift happening in the complex world of proof. Simulation and probabilistic approaches are increasingly accepted as ‘good enough’ in ar...

558. The Psychology Behind Morality and Empathy feat. Kurt Gray

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do individuals navigate moral typecasting? What is the dual nature of empathy in the context of human pain and suffering? When is there a disconne...

557. Beyond The Myth of Silicon Valley’s Origins feat. Margaret O’Mara

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know what they say — Silicon Valley wasn’t built in a day, nor was it built by just a small group of tech gurus. In fact, the origin story of ...

556. Rewriting Your Personality and Overcoming Anxiety feat. Olga Khazan

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are there ways to change your personality? What traits are easier to change than others? How does environment and life events tend to influence the Bi...

555. Happiness As Evolution’s Best Tool feat. William Von Hippel

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Could the key to a happier life be found with our most ancient ancestors and the way they depended on community over autonomy? In a modern world built...

554. Trading at Light Speed: The Impact of Ultra-Fast Algorithms on Financial Markets feat. Donald MacKenzie

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens to the speed of trading as technology advances? How do we move from automated button pressing machines to ultra-fast algorithms? What sur...

553. Systems Leadership: Balancing the Cross Pressures in Modern Business feat. Robert Siegel

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How are effective leadership practices evolving to keep up in a continually changing world? What can be learned from the leaders of companies like Sti...

552. Memory: The Perfectly Imperfect Archive of Our Lives feat. Ciara M. Greene

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What are the effects of stress on memory? How does age change the nature of this vital piece of human cognition? What are the limitations of memory, a...

551. The Math Mindset and How to be Math-ish feat. Jo Boaler

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the role of active versus passive learning for math? How would data science become an avenue of math study for high school students and why is...

550. The Power of Uncertainty: Embracing the Unknown for Growth and Success feat. Maggie Jackson

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is ‘good stress’ and what are the benefits of it? How does an upbringing in uncertainty prepare you in some ways better for the world than ot...

549. Leadership Dynamics: Perspectives on Power and Ethics feat. Adam Galinsky

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can the leadership power be wielded for both good and ill? How can leaders use their influence more ethically and effectively, and why is that imp...

548. The Language of Painting with Martin Gayford

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There have been periods throughout history when cultural aficionados of the time proclaimed that painting was dead! Yet, the artform has risen over an...

547. Exploring Midlife and Living Well Through Philosophy feat. Kieran Setiya

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the intrinsic link between philosophical inquiry and personal development? How can academic thought and theory be applied well to practical li...

546. The Intersection of Historical Consciousness and Strategic Thinking feat. John Lewis Gaddis

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does strategy factor into the mindsets of presidents like Lincoln and Reagan on both a micro and macro level? What parts of grand strategy are at ...

545. The Psychological Impact of Living With Social Inequality with Keith Payne

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contrary to popular belief – making more money doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be happier in life. The same can be said for societies as a whole...

544. A Philosophical Approach to the Question of Childbearing with Anastasia Berg

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When did the idea of parenthood become less of a certainty and more of a choice? How have anxieties about the modern world impacted our desire to proc...

543. The Freedom of an Uncertain World with Margaret Heffernan

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How is our fear of uncertainty holding us back? Could an acceptance and willingness to embrace the unknown unlock new potential and innovation?  Mar...

542. The Modern Challenges of Aerospace, Automation, and Enlightenment feat. David A. Mindell

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is there a need for a cultural and educational shift towards appreciating, building, and maintaining industrial systems? What would a rebirth of m...

541. The Ingredients That Make Up Human and Artificial Educability with Leslie Valiant

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to learn something? While many living things have the capacity for learning, humans have taken this ability to unmatched levels. Our...

540. How Originalism and Libertarianism Changed the Legal Landscape with Randy E. Barnett

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to go from a criminal prosecutor to a pioneer of the “originalism” movement and one of the top constitutional law scholars in Am...

539. Contemporary Culture and the Battle with the Past feat. Frank Furedi

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is historical awareness so important in order to form a strong personal identity? What are the risks of a culture overly centered on safety and fr...

538. Bankruptcy, Inequality, and the Quest for Fairness feat. Melissa B. Jacoby

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What are the broader implications of specialized bankruptcy courts on the U.S. legal system? How are bankruptcies being used and misused by debtors an...

537. Breaking Down Feminism: A Critique of The Movement's Impact on Women feat. Carrie Gress

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What are the consequences of feminist ideals on modern women? How have they affected the work-life balance, the denigration of motherhood, and the que...

536. The Role of Judgment in Literature and Aesthetic Education feat. Michael W. Clune

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What have we lost when the expert aesthetic judgement of professors and literary critics is replaced by the marketplace and bestseller lists? How can ...

535. How Evolutionary Psychology Can Inform Marketing, the Social Sciences, and the Denial of Science with Dr. Gad Saad

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to today’s guest, “ You can't study anything involving any creature, let alone human beings, let alone human beings in a business sett...

534. The Evolving Role of Christianity in American Democracy feat. Jonathan Rauch

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why would religion be necessary for a liberal democracy to function fully as intended? What benefits does Christianity provide to society in tandem wi...

533. A Behind-the-Curtain Peek at the AI Revolution with Gary Rivlin

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The AI transformation of our world has already begun, and Silicon Valley has positioned itself to be home base. But how did the AI takeover happen so ...

532. Beyond Happiness: Delving into Psychological Richness feat. Shigehiro Oishi

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the benefit of adventure, the role of adversity, and the importance of narrative in shaping one’s experience of happiness? What are the larg...