Skip to content
Melo Podcasts Home
CategoriesLanguagesFollowing

Episode notes

When leadership researcher Jim Collins was choosing a career, he used an unusual method: he studied himself like a scientist. In this episode, Adam and Jim dive into the techniques for self-study and how self-comparison can be more effective than comparison to others. Jim shares takeaways from his investigation of people who have found their callings, and highlights how he’s learned to stop being disappointed by others. They also rethink the relationship between freedom and responsibility. Featured guest Follow Jim Collins at jimcollins.com/ Buy Jim's book, What to Make of a Life Connect…

ReThinking

by TED · English · Society & Culture

As an organizational psychologist, Adam Grant believes that great minds don't think alike; they challenge each other to think differently. In Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, he has lively discussions and debates with some of the world's most interesting thinkers, creators, achievers, and leaders—fr

More from ReThinking

  1. 19 May 2026 · 48 min

    The antidote to injustice with Bryan Stevenson

    Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer, the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the author of Just Mercy. Bryan and his staff have rescued over 140 wrongfully condemned prisoners from death row. In this episode, Adam asks about the histories of injustice that drove Bryan to his work as a lawyer, the sources of hope when systems are broken, and three key flaws that allow 1 in 8 executions to be carried out against an innocent person. Bryan also shares wisdom on how to craft a persuasive argument and deliver a great speech. Featured guest Learn about the Equal…

  2. 12 May 2026 · 37 min

    The science of effective parenting with Aliza Pressman

    Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist who hosts the Raising Good Humans podcast. In this episode, Aliza and Adam dive into the evidence on effective parenting strategies, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of different styles and approaches from “gentle parenting” to “authoritative parenting.” They also reflect on ways that they have each faltered as parents, and suggest guidelines for parents to balance support and autonomy. And they identify which parenting skills are also hallmarks of good management and leadership. Featured guest Follow Aliza Pressman on Instagram ,…

  3. 5 May 2026 · 38 min

    The power of constraints with David Epstein

    Freedom is revered Western culture, but it turns out that we do our most creative thinking within constraints and boundaries. David Epstein is a journalist who specializes in the science of success, and he joins Adam to talk about his new book, Inside the Box, and what he learned by setting his own constraints while writing it. They break down how innovators use limitations to drive breakthroughs, take a closer look at why a lack of restrictions can actually limit potential, and riff on how our favorite sports could harness new rules to make the games more interesting. Featured guest Follow…

  4. 21 Apr 2026 · 41 min

    Kristen Bell on delivering honesty with empathy

    You probably know Kristen Bell as the star behind characters like Veronica Mars, Princess Anna from Frozen, and Eleanor from The Good Place. In this episode, Adam sits down with Kristen live at BetterUp’s Uplift leadership summit to examine how she’s learning to overcome her people pleasing tendencies and stop internalizing other people’s emotions. Kristen gets in character to demonstrate how to be honest without being unkind. She also makes the case that compliments are underrated, opens up about her strategies for dealing with envy, and offers a surprising theory of why we overexplain.…

  5. 14 Apr 2026 · 28 min

    Creative collaboration with Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad

    Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste and Emmy-winning writer Suleika Jaouad have a unique creative partnership, and it’s not just because they’re married. In this episode, Adam sits down with the dynamic duo at the World Economic Forum in Davos to discuss the lessons they’ve learned from watching each other live and work. Suleika gives advice on overcoming writer’s block, Jon reframes music as a restorative practice, and Adam challenges each of them to describe the other’s creative process. Featured guest Follow Suleika Jaouad on Instagram , Substack , Facebook , and suleikajaouad.com/ Follow…

  6. 7 Apr 2026 · 38 min

    Can you trust your gut? with GI doctor Trisha Pasricha

    You’ve probably experienced a “gut feeling” before—that sense of uneasiness in your stomach that tells you something is off, but your brain hasn’t quite worked out what it is yet. But can you really trust what your gut tells you? In this episode, Adam is joined by Harvard gastroenterologist Trisha Pasricha to decode what’s really going on between your mind and your stomach. Trisha breaks down the science behind brain-gut communication and offers tips for when and how to listen to your gut when making decisions or assessing a new environment. She also seeks Adam’s advice on helping doctors…

  7. 6 Oct 2026 · 47 minNew

    How to sustain a vibe with Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

    To celebrate the launch of his new book, Vibe, Adam is doing a special series on how to build strong connections. First up are Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history, who teamed up before they were ten and won three golds and two silvers over 22 years together. In this episode, Tessa and Scott share how stark differences in their personalities helped and hindered their work together, demonstrate how they learned to have difficult conversations, and explain why you don’t need to be alike to be aligned around a common goal. Adam introduces the three…

  8. 29 Sep 2026 · 47 min

    The case for male vulnerability with Luke Bateman

    Women are frequently disenfranchised and discriminated against by systems that favor men, but these same systems hurt men, too. Luke Bateman is a former professional rugby player who has gained a following online making videos about his love of fantasy novels and the hidden costs of patriarchy for men and boys. In this episode, Luke opens up about how narrow ideals of masculinity led him into a cycle of addiction, and how he pulled himself out by deconstructing his beliefs about what it means to be a man. Luke and Adam discuss the psychology of “precarious manhood,” the power of…

  9. 22 Sep 2026 · 45 min

    Why you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike with Harlan Coben

    Harlan Coben has written 35 bestsellers in the past three decades, selling over 90 million novels and spawning some of the most popular miniseries on Netflix– including I Will Find You. He recently published his first nonfiction book, Plot Twist: a writing guide packaged inside a memoir. In this episode, Adam and Harlan take a closer look at the routines and habits that help Harlan stay so prolific with his writing, and Harlan emphasises the importance of being comfortable with boredom and treating writing like a job. Harlan also reflects on what he learned while collaborating with Reese…

  10. 15 Sep 2026 · 49 min

    Rethinking your career identity with Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan

    You probably know Ke Huy Quan as the Academy Award-winning actor who played Waymond Wang in the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he was just 12 years old. But for a long stretch of his career, Ke wasn’t acting at all. In this episode, Adam sits down with Ke to reflect on the winding story arc of his life, from his early childhood as a Vietnamese refugee to being thrust into Hollywood, only to be forced into a new career path before finding his way back to acting in his 50s. Ke shares the lessons he learned about…

Every episode of ReThinking →

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.

Get it on Google Play