PODCAST · business
A Bit of Optimism
by baset
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism! Let’s grow together.
Episodes
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Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis
Hello from Team Simon! Brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism are back next Tuesday, October 27. Before then, we're revisiting one last favorite: the company Simon names whenever someone asks which business actually lives the ideas he writes about. It's Gymshark, and its founder, Ben Francis....
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Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations, including this one with a longtime friend of Simon’s: Esther Perel. For most of history, we...
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Revisited: Your Instincts Know What You Want with Happiness Expert Arthur Brooks
Team Simon here! A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, and brand-new episodes return October 27. Until then, we're revisiting a few conversations we keep coming back to. This week it's Arthur Brooks, a longtime friend of Simon's and one of his favorite people to talk to. Have you ever felt like...
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Revisited: The Power of Saying "Screw It" with Rob Lowe
Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations, starting with one of the most fun we've ever had: Rob Lowe. Maybe you know the feeling: you've...
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What Mentally Strong People Do on Their Worst Days with Psychotherapist Amy Morin
Be honest: you've taken a mental health day that made you feel worse. You stayed in bed, you avoided the thing, and by evening it was still waiting for you—with less of the day left to face it. Amy Morin thinks the problem starts with the word. We treat mental health as something you either have…
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The Dating Advice Making Us Worse at Love with Relationship Expert Amy Chan
The internet is flooded with advice for dating in the smartphone age: know your type, trust the spark, watch for red flags, protect your peace, never settle. It sounds like self-respect, but relationship expert Amy Chan thinks it’s a big reason dating feels impossible right now. Her argument: we...
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Why Trying to “Sound Smart” is Losing You the Room with Strategic Story Producer Rob Willis
Have you ever sat through a presentation and felt your attention just start to…drift? Chances are, it wasn't the content. It was the delivery. A year ago, Rob Willis was a corporate trainer with years of experience and a sharp eye for what makes people listen. He wondered if what he taught in...
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Your Limits Are Learned (And They Can Be Unlearned) with Brain Coach Jim Kwik
This might sound familiar: you read a full page, get to the bottom, and realize you absorbed none of it. There's a stack of books beside your bed you fully intend to finish. And the only phone number you can remember is your own. Jim Kwik says none of that means something is wrong with our…
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How to Trust Yourself When Everyone Has an Opinion with Love Thy Nader's Mary Holland Nader
Maybe this sounds familiar: you finally get the opportunity you've been waiting for, and the voice in your head says, "I'm not ready, I don't belong here." Now imagine hearing that voice with millions of people watching. Mary Holland Nader has lived it. She never dreamed of fame, but when Hulu's...
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What Happens When You Bet on Yourself with Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt
Maybe you know the feeling: everyone around you seems to be getting ahead, and every hour you spend on something "frivolous" — the hobby, the detour, the game on a Sunday afternoon — feels like falling behind. Brendan Hunt's career is proof those hours are never wasted. The detour turned out to…
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How to Say the Hard Thing and Keep the Relationship | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 5
Every lasting relationship has survived at least a few hard conversations. But most of us would still rather not have them... So we put them off and tell ourselves the tension will fade on its own. Instead it goes underground: into the stories we build about people, the resentments we quietly...
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Why Being Right Is Costing You Trust | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 4
Everyone says they want more accountability at work… yet few of us think we're the ones who need to learn how to be more accountable. Most of us believe we already know how to own a mistake. We've all said sorry and truly meant it. But meaning it and doing it well are two very different things.…
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What Is Your Team Afraid to Tell You? | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 3
Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it. But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's just sitting in your blind spot. Your colleagues can see it. Your boss can see it. And nobody…
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The Secret to Better Conversations Isn't Talking | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 2
The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening. Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard. Feelings at Work is a special five-part series from A Bit of Optimism, where Simon Sinek and Alex Simon, founder of LifeShop, explore...
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The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1
Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek. Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement, trust, anxiety, belonging, conflict, and joy. If we want to build healthier teams and...
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Why We Fall for the Wrong Person with Couples Therapist Dr. Harville Hendrix
Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person who felt so right suddenly feels so wrong. Dr. Harville Hendrix has spent 50 years studying love.…
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How to Tell If Fear Is Protecting You or Holding You Back with Extreme Athlete Nelly Attar
We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail. Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them anyway. Nelly is a psychologist turned extreme athlete and mountaineer. She built Saudi Arabia's first…
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Remembering Bob Chapman: The Mentor Who Changed My Life
Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a one-hour lunch turned into three, then four days touring factories together across the Midwest, and an...
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The AI Skills Nobody is Teaching (And Everyone Needs) with AI Expert Ethan Mollick
Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous. Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're just quietly hoping it'll all slow down. Ethan Mollick says we're underestimating our own agency in the...
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How to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck with Dr. Ellen Langer
Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen Langer, that certainty is making us miserable… and possibly making us sick. Dr. Langer…
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What Happens When You Stop Optimizing and Start Committing with Former LA Lakers President Tim Harris
In a world of job-hopping, side hustles, and an endless LinkedIn feed, Tim Harris did something almost no one does anymore. He stayed put. Few executives spend an entire career helping build a dynasty. Tim Harris spent 35 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, rising to President of Business…
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Revisited: Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely with Author Fredrik Backman
Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a quick break this week and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism next Tuesday. Until then, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes — when bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman joined the show to talk about the thing he's spent his…
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How to Stop Being Socially Awkward (According to Science) with Behavioral Scientist Vanessa Van Edwards
Maybe this sounds familiar: you leave a party and spend the rest of the night convinced everyone was upset with you. Or you replay something you said in a meeting for days and second-guess every last word. Vanessa Van Edwards has been there. As a self-proclaimed "recovering awkward person," she’s...
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Stop Telling Us Everything Happens for a Reason with Anti-Victim Tom Nash
We often comfort ourselves with the idea that things happen for a reason, or define our struggles as a test of strength. Tom Nash might ask you to reconsider. Tom is a speaker, former DJ, and globe-trotting advocate for agency, anti-fragility, and the radical idea that your worst moment might be...
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The Real Reason You Feel Empty (Even When Life Looks Good) with Musician Mike Posner
If at some point, you've looked at your life—your job, your relationships, your achievements—and thought: “is this it?” This episode is for you. Mike Posner had that moment at 30. His life, by every external measure, was extraordinary: he had hit songs, Grammy nominations, millions in the bank.…
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The Real Reason Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work (And What Leaders Need to Hear) with Generations Expert Dr. Eliza Filby
Admit it, you've complained about at least one other generation. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—somehow, they all end up with reputations built around what's wrong with them. Dr. Eliza Filby has a different suggestion: stop asking what's wrong with them. And start questioning what world they...
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The Leadership Advice Nobody Follows (But Everyone Should) with Top Leadership Expert Don Yaeger
The most successful leaders, coaches, and teams in history share one counterintuitive secret: their main focus wasn’t winning. And yet… they won more than everyone else. My guest, Don Yaeger, learned this lesson from his mentor: legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. Don is one of my...
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Why This Baseball Team Has a 4.2 Million Person Waitlist With Savannah Bananas Founder Jesse Cole
We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love? Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League. They’re a viral sensation, selling out stadiums across the country, and have...
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Ken Burns and the Art of Telling the Whole Story
We live in a world that pushes us to simplify everything: right or wrong, good or bad, this or that. It makes things and our place in the world easier to understand. But the truth is rarely simple… in fact, it’s often messy and deeply human. For 50 years, Ken Burns has mastered his craft…
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What Happens When You’re Naive Enough to Try with KIND Founder Daniel Lubetzky
Naiveté is one of the most powerful assets an entrepreneur can have. In fact, I think some of the most meaningful things in the world only exist because someone was naive enough to try. Daniel Lubetzky would know. In a crowded category and cutthroat industry, Daniel dared to build a company…
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AI Can Do Everything… Except This (Why Humans Still Win) With Restaurateur Will Guidara
As businesses race toward faster systems, smarter tools, and total automation, something critical is getting lost: human connection. And ironically, the rise of AI is making that gap impossible to ignore. In this episode, I sit down with returning guest and close friend Will Guidara, former...
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Revisited: What Dying Teaches Us About Living with Death Doula Alua Arthur
Team Simon here! While A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, we’re revisiting a few episodes you helped make some of our favorites. We’ll be back with brand-new conversations next week, on March 24th, 2026. In the meantime, we’re bringing back an episode that explores a word most people like to...
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Revisited: The Kennedy Family and the Search for Self with Journalist Maria Shriver
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, we’re bringing…
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Revisited: How to Turn Stress Into Creativity With Grammy-Winner Jacob Collier
Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simon’s conversation...
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The Confidence Conversation We Need to Have with Scott Galloway
Scott Galloway and I don’t always see the world the same way, but our friendly debates almost always lead us back to common ground. It’s probably why we enjoy talking to each other as much as we do. If you haven’t heard my friend Scott’s name before, he’s known for being brilliant, provocative…
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28 Years on the Force: Chief Angela Averiett on What It Really Takes to Change Police Culture
It’s often true that the most challenging conversations are often the ones most worth having. Conversations that bring up strong feelings, different experiences, and questions without easy answers. Policing, and how we can make it better, is one of those conversations. San Leandro Police Chief...
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When Pop Fandom Becomes a Force for Good with AJR’s Adam Met
Fanbases are some of the most powerful forces on the planet. They show up. They buy the tickets. They travel across countries and time zones. They memorize lyrics, study interviews, hunt for Easter eggs, and turn the smallest detail into an entire universe of meaning. They collaborate, they...
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What Grit Really Teaches Us About Happiness with Professor Angela Duckworth
We’re often told that the secret to success is grit - more discipline, more perseverance, more individual effort. And grit does matter. But what if it’s only half the story? In today’s world, we’ve become experts at tracking achievement, yet novices at nurturing belonging - and the cost of that...
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Matthew McConaughey on How to Fall Back in Love with Your Life
In a world defined by constant change, reinvention isn’t optional - it’s essential. We often assume reinvention comes from bold leaps or lucky breaks, but actor and author Matthew McConaughey’s story suggests a quieter approach can be far more powerful. In this episode, Matthew joins me to…
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Revisited: Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt
Hello from Team Simon! We’ll be back next week—January 27, 2026—with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism. We’re excited to bring you new guests, conversations, and opportunities to learn. Until then, we’re diving back into the archives to revisit one of our favorite episodes from 2024, when...
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Revisited: Kids (And Employees) Know More Than You Think with Dr. Becky Kennedy
Team Simon here! We’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from 2025. But we'll be back in just two weeks with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on January 27, 2026. We think you’re going to love them! Today, we’re going back to January of last year when Dr. Becky Kennedy joined us to...
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Revisited: The First Steps To Reducing Your Anxiety with Author Mel Robbins
Happy New Year from Team Simon! We’re so excited to bring you more new episodes of A Bit of Optimism when we return on January 27, 2026. With your support, we’ll make 2026 an incredible year together. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from last year. We kicked off…
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Revisited: The Beautiful Brilliance of Boredom with Creative Polymath Elle Cordova
Team Simon is revisiting some of the episodes you helped make our favorites of the year until A Bit of Optimism returns on January 27, 2026, with brand-new episodes. We’re rewinding back to August, when talented polymath Elle Cordova joined the show and unpacked how we’re all wired to chase the...
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Revisited: Your Unhappy Brain Needs Some Assistance with Happiness Expert Mo Gawdat
Team Simon here! Thank you for being part of such an incredible year—and for helping us grow the podcast through your support, sharing it with others, and showing up week after week. We love seeing your comments and hearing what resonates with you. A Bit of Optimism returns on January 27, 2026,...
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A Bit of Optimism Will Return in the New Year
Team Simon here! As the year comes to a close, A Bit of Optimism is pressing pause for a short winter break. The show will return on January 27, 2026 and we can’t wait to be back with you. But before we go, we want to say thank you. Truly. This show exists because of you—the listeners who show up...
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Prepare for the Life You’re Meant to Live With Chaplain John Fox
Often the biggest transformations we undergo don’t arrive as lightning bolts, but as quiet shifts we’ve been preparing for all along. For John Fox, the transformation from a 25-year career in high finance to becoming a chaplain wasn’t sudden at all. It was a slow burn—shaped by loss, reflection,...
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How Losing Everything Taught Her to Help Everyone: Joan Howard’s Story
Life can change in an instant. One day you’re shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, and the next you’re sitting in your car with everything you own, and everyone you love, wondering what happens now. Joan Howard grew up in Beverly Hills with every advantage until a series of crises left her homeless and...
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A Rebel With a Cause (and a Cone) with Jeni’s Ice Cream Founder Jeni Britton
What if a great business was built like a handmade mixtape? A lovingly crafted experience that is as much a love letter from its founder as it is custom-tailored to its audience. Before Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams became a household name, Jeni Britton was a 22-year-old art school dropout scooping...
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The Culture That Converts Even the Biggest Cynics with former WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge
Who would’ve guessed that one of the world’s best company cultures was hiding behind a can of WD-40? Of all the places to find a leadership masterclass, the blue-and-yellow can in your garage probably wasn’t on your list - but it’s time to put it there. Garry Ridge - an Australian who brought his...
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Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely with author Fredrik Backman
What if great friendships aren’t found by luck but built through effort? Bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman, the mind behind A Man Called Ove (adapted into the Tom Hanks film A Man Called Otto), Anxious People, and the beloved Beartown series, has spent his career writing about the quiet power…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism! Let’s grow together.
HOSTED BY
baset
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does A Bit of Optimism have?
A Bit of Optimism currently has 245 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is A Bit of Optimism about?
My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in...
How often does A Bit of Optimism release new episodes?
A Bit of Optimism publishes regularly with 245 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to A Bit of Optimism?
You can listen to A Bit of Optimism on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts A Bit of Optimism?
A Bit of Optimism is created and hosted by baset.
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