Episode notes
Why is it so hard to build positive habits like exercising and studying regularly? Behavioral scientist Katie Milkman, PhD ’09, breaks down internal obstacles, motivation, and strategies to reach your goals.
Podcast
Colloquy
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences · Tech & Science · English
Conversations with visionary scholars and thinkers from the Harvard PhD community
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E81 · 2 Oct 2026 · 30 min
Why Are We (Still) So Angry About Inflation?
University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers, PhD '01, explains the psychology of inflation; the high cost of housing, healthcare, and childcare; and how AI could potentially stabilize prices and make us more productive—but also create massive economic inequality.
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E80 · 4 Sep 2026 · 34 min
The Trauma of Terrorism: How the Attacks of 9/11 Changed Us
On the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, Boston University professor Jessica Stern, PhD ’92, reflects on terrorism, national trauma, domestic extremism, and preventing violence.
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E79 · 21 Aug 2026 · 34 min
Is the US Economy “Fair Enough”?
Economic inequality has skyrocketed in the West since the 1970s, especially in the United States. So why have US politicians been unable to build sustained support for policies of redistribution?
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E77 · 3 Jul 2026 · 30 min
The Radicalism of the American Revolution
In one of the last interviews of his life, the Brown University historian Gordon Wood, known as the "dean of historians of the American Revolution," spoke with Harvard Griffin GSAS about the creation of the American republic, the social and cultural transformations that accompanied those in politics, and why an understanding of the country's early history can provide perspective in our own tumultuous times.
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E76 · 19 Jun 2026 · 32 min
Was the American Revolution a War Against or for Empire?
In his forthcoming book, University of California, Berkeley historian Brian DeLay, PhD ’04, argues that the great paradox of the Revolution was that the Patriots were fighting not only for their independence, but also for an empire of their own—and that their surprising ability to access guns and ammunition enabled their success.
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E75 · 5 Jun 2026 · 27 min
Has the Supreme Court Become Too Powerful?
Harvard Law School Professor Nikolas Bowie, PhD ’18, discusses how the Supreme Court seized the power to define what the Constitution means, and how Congress could reclaim that authority.
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E74 · 22 May 2026 · 30 min
Can We Learn to Have Courage?
Harvard Business School Professor Ranjay Gulati, PhD ’93, an expert on leadership strategy and organizational growth, says that bravery is a learned behavior. His new book leverages social science research to put readers on the path to a more courageous mindset.
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E73 · 1 May 2026 · 29 min
More Rules for Aging with Roger Rosenblatt
A generation after the bestselling "Rules for Aging," author Roger Rosenblatt, PhD ’68, is back with "More Rules for Aging," a new book of wry maxims and hard-won wisdom. He reflects on life’s "October," the reality of loss, and finding the beauty in recalling old friends and cherished memories.
