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Curiosity Chronicle

Delivering curiosity-inducing content every single week. This is the audio version of my newsletter. Sign up at the bottom of the page!

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 8 min
Latest: 7 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026 · 8 minNew

The Stories You Tell Yourself

When I was 13 years old, a single story changed the course of my life. But to understand it, I need to take you back in time to a strange experiment from decades ago. Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga was studying patients who had their corpus callosum surgically severed. His experiments led him to hypothesize that the left hemisphere has a specialized system he called The Interpreter, whose responsibility is to find clear cause and effect. Its job is simple: To take scattered, seemingly random data and facts about the world in front of you and stitch them into a coherent story that feels…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E478 · 2 Oct 2026 · 8 min

My 90 -10 Rule for Routines

Confession: I'm a routine guy. I thrive on structure. I think of routines as a way to ensure execution against the daily action that contributes to long-term, compounding progress. But there's a dark side to routines that nobody talks about. When your routines become too rigid and complicated, they become a source of stress rather than strength. The routines meant to serve you can start to own you. This is where my 90-10 Rule comes in: 90% disciplined compliance. 10% open flexibility. 90% of the time, I'm locked in with my structure, but 10% of the time, I give myself the space to let life…
E477 · 30 Sep 2026 · 8 min

The Middle Path to Happiness

In the 3rd century BCE, King Pyrrhus was preparing for an aggressive military campaign in Italy when a trusted advisor named Cineas asked him a simple question: After conquering Italy, what would they do next? Then Sicily. Then Libya and Carthage. And then? King Pyrrhus replied, "Then we will live a life of ease. Drink all day and have pleasant conversation with our friends." Cineas paused and spoke: "But what's stopping us from doing that today?" The story is one of the oldest documented cases of the Arrival Fallacy: the false assumption that reaching some achievement or goal will create…
E476 · 25 Sep 2026 · 8 min

The Protégé Effect: A Powerful Model for the AI Era

AI is quite clearly the biggest buzzword of the year. But one thing I don't see anyone talking about is just how much AI is shifting how rewards are earned. Things are changing so rapidly that the frontier of accurate prediction has been pulled closer and closer to the present. In this new world, the rewards will be earned by those who are willing to be beginners over and over again. The value seems likely to accrue to those who can combine curiosity and a beginner's mindset with bias for action. This means that learning has become a core meta-skill. Perhaps even THE core meta-skill. On…
E475 · 23 Sep 2026 · 12 min

7 Lessons From My 2:49 Marathon (That Have Nothing To Do With Running)

Last week I wrote about failing a marathon. Six days later, at 5am, I drove back to the course alone and ran 26.25 miles in 2:48:47. Not because I needed the official result. Because when I say I'm going to do something, I do it. In this piece, I talk about seven lessons from that solo marathon that have nothing to do with running — how to stack slow progress, how to stay in the long game, and why showing up through the valley is the whole game... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial -…
E474 · 18 Sep 2026 · 8 min

Jevons Paradox: The Perils of Efficiency

In 1865, English economist William Stanley Jevons studied the impact of the increased efficiency of coal use. The common economic intuition said that as efficiency improved, people would use less coal. Jevons argued that the economic reality was different: As technology improved the efficiency of coal use, demand for coal would increase as people created and justified new uses. It became known as Jevons Paradox: technological improvements that increase the efficiency of a given resource lead to a rise in the consumption of that resource. I think the most interesting application of Jevons…
E473 · 16 Sep 2026 · 11 min

I Think I Need to Talk About Failure

Last Sunday, I was scheduled to run a marathon with a goal of completing the race in 2:49:59. I trained all summer for the race, building up to 70+ mile weeks. I tapered. I carb loaded. I meticulously prepared for every detail. And honestly, I was certain I’d do it. But…I failed. After 21.45 miles at a 6:24 average pace, I stopped and walked off the course. I didn’t finish. DNF. That’s not something you read in newsletters or see on social media every day. It’s all about wins. Successes. Achievements. On Wednesday, I wrote about why failure is a good thing. It means you had the courage to go…
E472 · 11 Sep 2026 · 9 min

Be a Ford, Then a Sloan

The engineer took out an axe and slammed it into the brick wall. It was June 1896. The young man had spent months working in a small brick shed behind his rented house, only to realize, at 4am, that the door wasn't big enough for what he'd built. His name was Henry Ford. His creation, the Ford Quadricycle. His atomic insight was simple: He began viewing the factory itself as the product. While others obsessed over the car, he obsessed over the factory. By the early 1920s, Ford owned an extraordinary 60% of the U.S. automobile market. But around 1921, the ground began to shift. And while Ford…
E471 · 9 Sep 2026 · 7 min

It Was Just a Game of Catch

Last weekend, my family and I made our annual pilgrimage to a small community in northwest Connecticut. When I was 18 months old, my parents had rented a house there for the summer, seeking an escape from the New York City heat. The next year, we went back. The following, we went again. Soon, the tiny enclave became like a second home. I met my two best friends there. I caught my first fish there. I had my first crush there. But perhaps most importantly, I played my first game of catch there. As I remember it, I was probably about five years old. My dad had a softball and a couple of old…
E470 · 4 Sep 2026 · 6 min

A Lesson From a Mentor I'll Never Forget

I first met Tim Cook in 2014. I was just starting my career in finance and had signed up for a local gym that opened at 5:00am. I started arriving at 4:45am so I could get to the office by 6:30. Each morning, there was a small handful of others who would congregate outside the doors at that time. Tim happened to be one of the people in that group. For the first six months, I talked to him almost every day and had exactly zero idea who he was. As our friendship grew and I came to consider him a mentor, I realized something deeper was going on. A few years later, he was still there. Doing the…
E469 · 2 Sep 2026 · 11 min

9 Harsh Truths Nobody Told You About Success

I'm convinced that the market for telling people what they want to hear is much larger than the market for telling people what they need to hear . That one fact explains a lot of what you see in the world. But my goal has always been to be real. Even if it's unpopular. Because everything I write is something I hope my son reads someday, and I owe him the truth. Today, that truth is a few things nobody told you about success. It may not be what you want to hear . But it's definitely what you need to hear ... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and…
E468 · 28 Aug 2026 · 8 min

The Focusing Illusion: A Science-Backed Life Trap

Imagine two different people on the same mid-January day. One lives in California. He walks outside in shorts and a t-shirt. The warm sun beams down on his face. He puts on his sunglasses, unlocks his car, and turns the AC on full blast. One lives in New York. He walks outside in a heavy jacket. He grimaces as the cold wind hits his uncovered face. He opens the trunk of his car, takes out a brush, and starts cleaning the snow and ice off his windshield. Which one do you assume is happier? You just picked one in your mind. And I probably would have picked the same. Right up until I lived…
E467 · 26 Aug 2026 · 9 min

The Hidden Debt of Convenience

A few weeks ago, I came across a podcast clip of Conan O'Brien talking about why he doesn't pay to fly private. He likes going through the airport, chatting with people at TSA, and "being in the world with other people that are traveling." It got me thinking about the obsessive pursuit of convenience and the hidden debt it creates in your life. Money has the ability to reduce the simple stresses, burdens, and inconveniences of adult life. But there's a certain level of inconvenience that's an important part of the human experience. When you seek convenience, you get a benefit now in the form…
E466 · 21 Aug 2026 · 8 min

Why You Need to Subtract: The Vasa Effect

In 1628, Sweden's mightiest warship sank less than a mile into its maiden voyage -- not because of an enemy attack, but because a king couldn't stop adding to it. I call it the Vasa Effect: the addition of individual positives can eventually create a catastrophic negative. In this week's piece, I break down why our bias for addition is holding us back and how creative subtraction might be the fastest way to improve. ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor.…
E465 · 19 Aug 2026 · 11 min

Why You Need a Side Quest in Life

The seat you randomly chose on day one is the seat you'll sit in for the rest of the term. My college professor said that, and he was right -- not just about lecture halls, but about life. Your life has gravity, and most people never even feel it building. This week, I break down the two types of gravity keeping you stuck and the simple answer to making sure you can always escape. ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments,…
E464 · 14 Aug 2026 · 7 min

The Scarlet Robe Effect

A fancy robe nearly destroyed a philosopher's life. In 1765, Denis Diderot's financial means went from meager to extravagant. Soon thereafter, he came to own a fancy scarlet dressing robe. Diderot liked the status that the fancy robe conferred on him but quickly felt the remainder of his possessions could not compare. So, in quick succession, he purchased a new leather chair. New shoes. An elaborate wooden desk. All of which seemed appropriately matched to his lovely scarlet robe. Or, perhaps more important, appropriately matched to the type of person who wore such a robe. I call this…
E463 · 12 Aug 2026 · 16 min

The Traffic Jam Theory of Success

Everyone's asking: how do I stand out in the AI era? A 1968 German mathematician's traffic paradox holds the answer. When everyone floods the new shortcut, the fast lane becomes the slow lane. Here's how to find the open road... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place. Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed. Lemon…
E462 · 7 Aug 2026 · 6 min

A Japanese Ritual to Improve Your Habits

In the early 1900s, an aging Japanese steam train engineer named Yasoichi Hori was growing increasingly concerned about his deteriorating eyesight. Hori's job relied on his ability to quickly read small track signals at a distance while moving at a high rate of speed. The cab he worked in was at the back of the locomotive, behind a large boiler, which meant that he often had to lean out a side window to catch the signals coming up on the track ahead. In the small, cramped cab, it was just Hori and his fireman, who was responsible for shoveling coal into the firebox while also keeping an eye…
E461 · 5 Aug 2026 · 9 min

I Think I'm Having a Reverse Midlife Crisis

I think I'm having a midlife crisis." That's what my friend, who I'll call Joe, said to me at dinner a few weeks ago. Joe is in his early-40s. He's had a good career on a steady rising track in the world of finance. He's married with two kids, ages 7 and 4. He lives in the suburbs outside New York and commutes into the city for work. In many respects, I think of Joe as something of an archetype of the dream. Good job. Good family. Good life. So, naturally, his words caught me off guard... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your…
E460 · 31 Jul 2026 · 8 min

The IKEA Effect: Why Effort Still Counts

Why do you value the things you build yourself so much more than anything you can buy? In this episode, I share a personal story from my first apartment and break down the fascinating science behind why effort is the secret ingredient to a meaningful life. ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place. Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built…
E459 · 29 Jul 2026 · 10 min

Stop Making a 5-Year Plan (Do This Instead)

"So, what's your 5-year plan?" That was the question posed to me by a mentor in January 2021. At the time, I was about seven years into my career, on the "track" in finance. Climbing slowly up the mountain, I had started to wonder if it was the wrong one. I just didn't seem to have the same energy for the work as most of my colleagues. All of the future mountains I envisioned were (at most) one degree of separation from the mountain I'd been climbing. As I reflect back on that moment now, in July 2026, at the endpoint of that five year plan my mentor asked about, I have an interesting…
E458 · 24 Jul 2026 · 6 min

How to Avoid Catastrophe: The Normalization of Deviance

On January 27, 1986, just 16 hours before the Space Shuttle Challenger was set to launch, an engineer named Roger Boisjoly presented data showing a catastrophic risk with the shuttle's O-rings in cold temperatures. His warnings were overruled. The next morning, 73 seconds into its flight, the Challenger exploded, killing all seven crew aboard. Sociologist Diane Vaughn coined the term Normalization of Deviance to describe what had happened—not a single moment of negligence, but a slow, systemic drift where unacceptable practices became accepted because they were repeated without immediate…
E457 · 22 Jul 2026 · 11 min

A Few Things I've Changed My Mind On

I’m increasingly convinced that the willingness to change your mind is the ultimate sign of intelligence. The most impressive people I know change their minds often in response to new information or evidence. It's not that they lack conviction in their beliefs, but more so that they've developed enough self-awareness to understand what it would take to change them. The world will pressure you to stubbornly resist such change. To cling to every belief as though it might be your last. But there's immense power in resisting that pressure. I like to think of it as a software update. The update…
E456 · 17 Jul 2026 · 6 min

How Old Will You Be If You Don’t?

Last week, I wrote a piece about reinvention. Specifically, the myth of too late and how to reinvent your life at any age or life stage. It clearly struck a chord. I received thousands of replies in the days following the piece. One reader reply referenced a two-decade-old newspaper advice column segment that had resonated on the subject. Me being me, I decided to try to find the column. After all, if something was still etched into my reader's memory 20+ years later, it must have been good. I did , and it was even better than advertised... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe -…
E455 · 15 Jul 2026 · 9 min

The Cobra Effects of Life

In colonial India, a bounty on cobras was supposed to reduce the snake population. Instead, people started breeding cobras for profit — and when the policy ended, they released thousands into the streets. The result? More cobras than ever. This is Goodhart's Law: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. And it's not just a business problem — it's happening in your life right now. From sleep scores to morning routines to money, the things we measure can quietly start to own us. Here's how to spot it and fix it... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe…
E454 · 10 Jul 2026 · 7 min

The Life-Changing Magic of Active Optimism

There’s an old children’s fable I recently retold to my son about a farmer whose wagon wheel gets stuck in the mud. He calls on Hercules to come to his aid. Hercules appears, but rather than lifting the wagon, he speaks: "Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it? Put your shoulder to the wheel." The farmer did so, and the wagon lurched forward as the wheel easily came unstuck. The simple read says this is a story about effort. But it’s also a story that frames one of the most important traits in life: It’s what I call Active Optimism : A belief that things will work out…
E453 · 8 Jul 2026 · 15 min

How to Reinvent Your Life in 30 Days

Every single week, I invariably get a handful of emails from readers around the world with a similar general message. Stuck on a path. Living a life they didn’t really choose. Scared it’s too late to make a change. Given the frequency of these messages, I decided it warranted a deeper, more tactical guide. Here’s exactly how I would approach reinvention (at any age or life stage): ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments,…
E452 · 3 Jul 2026 · 3 min

The Frog Pond Effect

Have you ever noticed that growth feels like destruction? That getting better feels like getting worse? You're not doing something wrong. You're just experiencing something nobody told you about... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place. Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed. Lemon - The Al agent that turns your…
E451 · 1 Jul 2026 · 8 min

Why Are You In Such A Rush?

There’s a beautiful Zen parable that goes something like this: A man is walking across a field when a tiger leaps out from the trees and runs toward him. Fearing for his life, the man sprints away but quickly halts at a steep cliff. Facing a terrifying drop, with the tiger bearing down on him, he grabs hold of a single vine and lowers himself over the cliff’s edge. Looking up, he sees the tiger above. Looking down, he notices another tiger pacing on the ground below. And to make matters worse, a small mouse begins gnawing at the vine that holds him in place. Beginning to feel hopeless, with…
E450 · 26 Jun 2026 · 6 min

The Zipper Test: How to Stop Fooling Yourself

My son just turned four. One of the things I love most about the age is the unbridled curiosity with which he explores the world. He's deep in the classic "why" phase, taking me down explanatory rabbit holes that go long past my point of comfort. But one of the most interesting prompts he asked recently was this one: "Tell me all about zippers." On any given day, zipper is replaced by some basic thing that we interact with. It might be tell me all about our car , or trees , or cooking pans , or the microwave . I have a rule that I always engage with him on these little curiosity quests, even…

About Curiosity Chronicle

Delivering curiosity-inducing content every single week. This is the audio version of my newsletter. Sign up at the bottom of the page!

Curiosity Chronicle is a English business podcast from Sahil Bloom. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Sahil Bloom
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 8 min
Latest episode: 7 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1618515146
Rights: Sahil Bloom

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