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Behind the Brilliance

by Lisa Nicole Bell

Behind the Brilliance is the go to podcast for the intellectually curious and relentlessly ambitious. The show features weekly long form interviews with innovative and culture-shaping leaders in art, culture, technology, business, lifestyle, and personal development along with Lisa's inspiring and funny advice on life, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

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Episodes

  1. 268 The Best of Season 16

    This recap episode distills the core ideas from this season of Behind the Brilliance with fresh perspective on building a meaningful life and career without burning out, numbing out, or deferring fulfillment to "someday." Lisa recaps key conversations with hospice physician and author Jordan...

  2. 267 Eric Nehrlich on How to Shape the Next Chapter of Your Career (When You're Already Successful)

    In this expansive conversation, Lisa talks with executive coach and author Eric Nehrlich. His career path reads like a masterclass in strategic pivoting: physics PhD dropout turned software engineer, product manager, Google finance analyst, and eventually Chief of Staff in Google's C suite before...

  3. 266 How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life, According to Science

    Board-certified sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus returns to Behind the Brilliance for a wide-ranging and deeply practical masterclass on the three biological essentials that keep most people from thriving: sleep, hydration, and breathing. He reveals how to improve sleep, energy, and long-term...

  4. 265 Kate O'Neill on Navigating the Future of Technology Without Losing Our Humanity

    SUMMARY Kate O'Neill is a strategist, futurist, and author who helps leaders navigate the intersection of technology and humanity. After building her career in Silicon Valley—including as one of Netflix's early employees—Kate has become one of the most thoughtful voices on how we can harness...

  5. 264 Tina Lifford on Achieving Inner Fitness in a Shifting World

    SUMMARY Actress, author, and Inner Fitness Project founder Tina Lifford returns to Behind the Brilliance for a follow up years after her crowd-pleasing interview in episode 115. Fresh off the release of her new book The Inner Fitness Revolution, Tina brings decades of wisdom about building...

  6. 263 Jordan Grumet on Having More Than Enough

    SUMMARY Physician and author Jordan Grumet joins Lisa for a wide-ranging, deeply reflective conversation about what happens when the life you worked toward no longer defines who you are. Jordan shares his personal journey through medicine, financial independence, and hospice care, including the...

  7. 262 Beyond Goals and Resolutions: 6 Strategies for a Better Year

    In this special year-end episode of Behind the Brilliance, Lisa presents six evidence-based strategies for designing a year that feels good while you're living it. Moving beyond traditional goal-setting advice, this episode explores the psychological architecture behind sustainable achievement…

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  8. 261 The Best of Season 15

    Season 15 of Behind the Brilliance delivered a mix of leading voices in psychology, entrepreneurship, and life design. This special recap distills the most powerful insights into one place highlighting big ideas and useful tools on happiness, resilience, and building a life and business on your…

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  9. 260 Chris Guillebeau on Escaping Time Anxiety and Building a Self-Directed Life

    Chris Guillebeau, bestselling author and creator of The Art of Nonconformity, joins Lisa to explore what it really takes to build a self-directed life. He shares his unconventional path from high school dropout and aid worker in West Africa to global traveler, author of nine books, and...

  10. 259 Sieva Kozinsky on The Path from early failures to Enduring Ventures: lessons on fear, focus, and the long game

    THE SHOW In this episode of Behind the Brilliance, entrepreneur and investor Sieva Kozinsky joins the show to share his journey from first-generation immigrant beginnings to co-founding Enduring Ventures, a holding company that acquires and grows businesses for the long game. Sieva opens up about...

  11. 258 Rand Fishkin on Escaping Status Anxiety, Rebuilding Identity, and Building a Business That Doesn't Break You

    THE SHOW What happens when you build the company of your dreams, only to realize the dream came with tradeoffs you didn't see coming? In this candid conversation, Rand Fishkin — cofounder of Moz and SparkToro — shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career: turning a $39 side experiment into…

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  12. 257 Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant on Reinventing Yourself When the Life You Built Stops Working

    Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a wildlife ecologist, storyteller, and nature show host whose path to success defies every traditional metric of merit. In this candid conversation, Rae shares how she went from struggling in math and science classes to earning a PhD and becoming a leading voice in wildlife...

  13. 256 Jodi Wellman on the Mortality Math That Puts Your Life in Perspective

    THE SHOW Most of us are running on autopilot, checking boxes, chasing goals, and pushing toward some imagined finish line without stopping to ask if this is how we really want to spend our lives. In this conversation, Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once and founder of the 4,000 Mondays...

  14. 255 Elaine Pofeldt on Building Wealth Without a Team or a VC Check

    Elaine Pofeldt, former Fortune Small Business editor, uncovered a hidden economy of one-person businesses quietly earning 7 figures and spent years interviewing the entrepreneurs behind them. In this conversation, she reveals the surprising industries dominating this space, why professional...

  15. 254 Harvard Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar's Guide to Being Happy with an Imperfect Life

    THE SHOW Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard-trained psychologist and author of multiple bestsellers including Happier, joins Lisa to explore the psychology and habits that lead to happiness in modern times. He uncovers the myths that keep successful people miserable and why our pursuit of the next...

  16. 253 Anne-Laure Le Cunff on Using Brain Science to Design a Better Career

    SUMMARY Anne-Laure Le Cunff, founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, joins Lisa to reveal her unconventional career journey from Google engineer to startup founder to neuroscience student to successful entrepreneur with Ness Labs. Growing…

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  17. 252 Kajabi CEO Ahad Khan on Work-Life Integration, Values-Driven Leadership, and the Future of the Creator Economy

    THE SHOW Ahad Khan, CEO of Kajabi, shares how his Midwestern roots shaped his approach to building software for "regular people," his experiences navigating investment banking, startup acquisitions, and the creator economy. Ahad reveals his philosophy on people-first decision making, the power of...

  18. 251 Dr. Ellen Hendriksen on the Science-Backed Way to End Perfectionism Without Lowering Your Standards

    THE SHOW In this episode of Behind the Brilliance, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist and author of How to Be Enough, joins the show to explore the nuances of perfectionism—from its seductive productivity perks to its hidden emotional costs. She shares her own journey from high-achieving...

  19. 250 - Defying the Odds - Season 14 Recap

    Lisa summarizes Season 14, Defying the Odds, with reflections on the strategies shared and helpful recaps. 240 – Dr. Andrew Newberg 241 – Cin Fabre 242 – Tyler Denk 243 – Jim Fielding 244 – Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter 245 – Simone Stolzoff 246 – Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 247 – Andrew Barnes 248 –...

  20. 249 Kevin Kelly on Living and Working at the Intersection of Passion, Purpose, and Profitability

    THE SHOW Kevin Kelly is a modern creative pioneer. He was a polymath before it was cool. His career as a writer, founder, photographer, and editor extends across industries and continents. A world traveler and lifelong learner, Kevin's ideas such as 1000 True Fans have inspired a generation of...

  21. 248 Jamila Souffrant on Redefining and Achieving Financial Freedom

    THE SHOW Jamila Souffrant's expertise in personal finance is informed by her own experience turning financial uncertainty into financial freedom. She and her husband saved $169,000 in 2 years and redefined their future with smart money decisions. Now she's guiding people from diverse backgrounds…

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  22. 247 Andrew Barnes on why (and how) a 4 Day Work Week is the secret to success at work

    A dynamic and growing group of companies and organizations are moving to a 4 day work week. Andrew Barnes is the pioneer behind this movement. It all started with an experiment to see what would happen if his team worked 4 days instead of 5. The results were so breathtaking that he never looked...

  23. 246 Thomas Wedell-Wedellsbord on the Science of Effective Problem Solving

    Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is the author of 'What's Your Problem?' which was released by Harvard Business Press. He is also the co-author (with Paddy Miller) of Innovation as Usual, a Harvard Business Review Press book on the art of driving innovation in regular organizations. Thomas has worked…

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  24. 245 Simone Stolzoff on the better ways to integrate work, life, and identity for more success and satisfaction

    THE SHOW Simone Stolzoff is a designer, and workplace expert who is the former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He's the author of The Good Enough Job:...

  25. 244 Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter on how she turned a vision into reality with 100+ franchise locations

    THE SHOW Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter is founder and president of V&J Holdings, the largest female-owned franchise organization in the United States. As one of the best known fast-food operators in the United States with more than 130 units across multiple brands, Valerie has partnered with...

  26. 243 Executive and author Jim Fielding on the secrets to building world class teams in high stakes environments and how to build a values-aligned career

    THE SHOW Jim Fielding is casting the kind of light we all need to free us from the anxiety of being enough and doing enough. Throughout his illustrious career as an executive as the world's most recognizable companies, he found that authenticity and kindness were the secrets to achieving the kind...

  27. 242 Tyler Denk on the Serendipity of Startup Success

    Tyler Denk is making a name for himself as a CEO who building a modern company that brings fresh energy to an old space: e-mail. He's powering the world's most beloved newsletters through Beehiiv, the company he founded in 2021. beehiiv is an all-in-one product suite for newsletter. Tyler joined...

  28. 241 Cin Fabré on How She Conquered Wall Street

    Cin Fabré is the personification of grit. We hear that word used in personal and professional development circles, but her story, her mindset, and her confidence truly reflects it. Growing up, Cin Fabré didn't know anything about the stock market. But she learned how to hustle from her immigrant...

  29. 240 Dr. Andrew Newberg on The Science Behind Spirituality

    Dr. Andrew Newberg is the world's leading thinker on neurotheology. His work has been published in over 250 peer reviewed articles and chapters on brain function and the study of religious and mystical experiences. He has published 14 books including How God Changes Your Brain and Neurotheology:...

  30. 239 Achievement Hangover Recovery

    Lisa discusses how and why achievement hangovers happen and what to do about them.

  31. 238 Emotional First Aid Kits

    Lisa unpacks why we all need emotional first aid kits and how to customize them.

  32. 237 Clock & Coin

    Lisa shares a time and money audit approach to align values and actions.

  33. 236 Victory Boards

    Lisa offers a spin on the vision board concept and a new perspective on celebrating wins and creating personal success patterns.

  34. 235 On Risk and Reward

    Lisa explores the psychological aspects of modern risk and better ways to calculate real risk versus perceived risk.

  35. Season 12 Recap

    In this solo episode, Lisa recaps Season 12's episode line up and how the theme, Uncharted Territory, tracked throughout the episodes.

  36. 233 David Kessler on the Gifts of Grief

    This episode is one of the most important in the history of the show. We're talking about grief. It's one of those unsexy topics that doesn't get discussed enough, but it's something none of us can escape. Because of that, I invited grief expert David Kessler to the show. David is a six time…

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  37. 232 Alua Arthur on Dying with Dignity and Living Intentionally

    Alua Arthur has one of the world's most important jobs: she helps people die with dignity. After getting a law degree and starting a career in social work, she became a death doula. She helps individuals and families navigate end of life transitions. As a result, she has profound wisdom on how...

  38. 231 T.A. McCann on The Secrets to Making Calculated Business Bets

    T.A. McCann got the entrepreneurial bug as a teenager and never stopped building. His career has been a mix of corporate and startup ventures that have shaped his perspective on marketing and leadership. Now he's the managing director of Pioneer Square Labs, a startup studio and venture capital...

  39. 230 The Purpose and Power of Living Eulogies

    In this solo episode, Lisa describes the why, what and how of living eulogies - inspiring personal tributes offered to people who are still alive. Going beyond special occasions and milestones, Lisa inspires you to start creating living eulogies for the special people in your life.

  40. 229 Chris Hutchins on Creating an Interesting Career Fueled by Curiosity

    Chris Hutchins has lived many lives in his short time on earth. His adventures have been fueled by curiousity and acceptance of uncertainty. From startup experiments to traveling the world for 8 months to using hacks to optimize his life, Chris' open mind and willingness to learn has taken him to...

  41. 228 Nina Westbrook on Boundaries, Grief, and Redefining Self-Care

    Nina Westbrook is a trained marriage and family therapist and the founder of Bene, a digital platform offering wellness workshops and inspiration to help you embrace self-care, personal growth, and learning. Nina is also a mom of 3 and the wife of NBA all star Russell Westbrook. This conversation...

  42. 227 Justin Welsh on Designing A Values-Driven Career

    What would inspire you to reach the peak in your career then decide to scale a different mountain? Burnout. Justin Welsh went from making it rain at tech startups to going out on his own as a consultant. With the future unknown, he wrote his way to a 7 figure personal brand that allows him to…

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  43. 226 Kelly Edwards on Reinvention, Writing, and Recovering from Setbacks

    This is the ultimate reinvention story of a dynamic creative letting her passion guide her from the safety of her executive office to early mornings perfecting her craft as a screenwriter. After climbing the ranks as an executive in Hollywood, Kelly left it behind to return to her passion of...

  44. 225 The Pre and Post Mortems You Didn't Know You Needed

    Lisa offers frameworks and questions for conducting pre-mortems and post-mortems for personal and professional projects. Find the list of questions at BehindtheBrilliance.com/225preandpostmortems

  45. 224 Ryan Allis on How Personal Purpose Creates Professional Profit

    Ryan Allis is the founder and former CEO of iContact, the email marketing company that sold for $169 million. After a short-lived stint as an angel investor, Ryan started a social enterprise and then became the Managing Partner of HeartRithm, an algorithmic trading fund that's turning money into...

  46. 223 Jessie Inchauspé on the Simple Sustainable Ways to Be Well

    Jessie Inchauspé brings clarity and levity to the wellness space as a biochemist, researcher, and author. Her Instagram account, @GlucoseGoddess, exploded when she started sharing what she learned about glucose monitoring and managment. Her book, Glucose Revolution, has been called the best...

  47. 222 Why You Should Use First Principles Thinking + Second Order Consequences

    In this solo episode, Lisa outlines two mental models and discusses how they fit together to make decision making easier and more effective.

  48. 221 Jonah Berger on How to Be a More Persuasive Communicator

    Jonah Berger is an internationally recognized expert in persuasion and change. In addition to being a professor at Wharton, he's written three books that help leaders and innovators create change in their organizations and lives. In this conversation, we discuss Jonah's best advice and the...

  49. 220 Comcast Executive Steve White on Climbing the Right Corporate Ladder the Right Way

    Steve White went from humble beginnings in the midwest to the C suite of Comcast's West Division. The journey was littered with hard won lessons on leadership and the habits required to create massive success. After driving revenue of nearly $18 billion, he's learned what it takes to achieve...

  50. 219 Q+A: Creating and Sustaining Adult Friendships

    BTB listener Michelle asked Lisa's thoughts and personal journey to creating and sustaining healthy friendships. Lisa opens up about how and why she struggled in this area, what she learned, and the way she created new friendships. She offers thought exercises for evaluating friendships and…

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Behind the Brilliance is the go to podcast for the intellectually curious and relentlessly ambitious. The show features weekly long form interviews with innovative and culture-shaping leaders in art, culture, technology, business, lifestyle, and personal development along with Lisa's inspiring and funny advice on life, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

HOSTED BY

Lisa Nicole Bell

Produced by Behind the Brilliance

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Behind the Brilliance have?

Behind the Brilliance currently has 273 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Behind the Brilliance about?

Behind the Brilliance is the go to podcast for the intellectually curious and relentlessly ambitious. The show features weekly long form interviews with innovative and culture-shaping leaders in art, culture, technology, business, lifestyle, and personal development along with Lisa's inspiring and...

How often does Behind the Brilliance release new episodes?

Behind the Brilliance publishes regularly with 273 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

Where can I listen to Behind the Brilliance?

You can listen to Behind the Brilliance 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 Behind the Brilliance?

Behind the Brilliance is created and hosted by Lisa Nicole Bell.
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