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A Bit of Optimism

A Bit of Optimism

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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.Copyright baset Economia Ricerca del lavoro Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • The Longevity Secret Nobody Can Sell You with Gerontologist Dr. Kerry Burnight

    The Longevity Secret Nobody Can Sell You with Gerontologist Dr. Kerry Burnight
    Oct 27 2026
    If you’ve ever dabbled in looking into how to extend your life, your social media feed might be inundated with the “hottest” longevity trends: from cold plunges to VO2 max tests to celebrity-endorsed supplements. As a society, we are obsessed with the idea of living longer. And longevity has become a multi-billion dollar industry where everyone’s trying to sell you their secret to a longer life. But if you meet the people leading that movement, you start to ask yourself “are they even happy?” If we’re all trying to live all these extra years, we should also make sure we genuinely enjoy them. That’s why I wanted to talk to Dr. Kerry Burnight about how we age. Known as “America’s Gerontologist”, she specializes in the mental, physical, and social aspects of aging. Kerry has spent two decades as a professor of geratric medicine, and co-founded the nation’s first elder abuse forensic center, where she saw older people isolated, exploited, and suffering. After years of arriving after the damage was done, she started asking a different question: what would prevent that suffering in the first place? Kerry’s answer is a concept she calls “Joyspan,” which is also the title of her New York Times bestseller Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half. Her work reframes how we think about our long lives: not as a problem to solve by suppressing the aging process, but as a chance to grow with age and build a life with intention and joy. In this episode you’ll learn: ➡️ Why the longevity movement lost its way (in a word: humility) ➡️ How Kerry’s mom changed her outlook on life in her late 70s, and is thriving at nearly 98 ➡️ Three questions you should ask yourself every birthday ➡️ Why we should stop “growing older” and start “growing with age” ➡️ The one sentence that helps you find something good even when things are hard ➡️ How to help someone who’s stuck, without just commiserating ➡️ Why friendship might be “the Ozempic of longevity” ➡️ The four practices of people who are still loving life at 100 This conversation isn’t about rejecting the gym or the green vegetables – you should take care of your body too! But the parts of life that make it worth living are often difficult to assign a metric. They take work too. And it’s never too early (or too late) to start. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To get a copy of Kerry’s book, Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life's Second Half, head to: https://www.drkerryburnight.com/#joyspan + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Dedicating Your Life to Helping Others Age 00:00:43 Beyond Lifespan and Healthspan: Introducing Joyspan 00:02:20 Why the Longevity Movement Lost Its Way 00:03:13 From Elder Abuse to Prevention: A Gerontologist's Journey 00:04:45 How the Longevity Movement Lost Its Way 00:10:40 Introducing JoySpan: The Missing Piece of Longevity 00:13:48 The Chocolate Cake Principle: When Worry Is Worse Than the Thing 00:16:59 What Funerals Teach Us About What Actually Matters 00:18:20 The AGE Framework: Three Questions to Ask Yourself Every Birthday 00:21:25 Why the Intangibles Matter More Than Metrics 00:26:42 Growing With Age, Not Growing Older 00:32:30 Pain Isn't a Mistake: Why We Need to Stop Vilifying Struggle 00:32:45 Finding the Gift in Every Hardship 00:47:20 The Third Leg of the Stool: Friendship as Longevity Medicine 00:52:30 How to Talk to Young People About Aging (And Why Quality of Life Is the Key) 00:57:08 Four Practices for a High-Quality Life at Any Age 00:57:56 Redefining What It Means to Be Old + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + #SimonSinek + + +
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    59 min
  • Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis

    Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis
    Oct 20 2026
    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. Maybe you know the pull: the bigger something gets, the more it feels like it should do more. More products, more markets, more people to please. It looks like growth. But it can quietly water down the very thing that made you special. Gymshark didn't start with a vision. It started with a website, a list of drop-shipped supplements, and months of waiting for anyone to buy anything. Then Ben spotted his nan's sewing machine on the dining room table and started making gym clothes for himself and his friends. Years later, with the business booming, Gymshark did what growing companies do and expanded into swimwear, hiking, and sportswear. The brand started to blur. So Ben pulled it all back to three words: We Do Gym. Ben is the founder and CEO of Gymshark, the gymwear brand he launched in 2012 while still working shifts at Pizza Hut. Today it's a billion-dollar global brand with a devoted community, a flagship store on London's Regent Street, and one ambition that shapes every decision Ben makes: to build a 100-year brand. I sat down with Ben at Gymshark HQ in the West Midlands, where the company values are painted on the walls in refreshingly blunt language. And I push him on the irony at the heart of the brand: how does a company built on humility make clothes designed for showing off? In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why the best businesses often start with ridiculously low ambitions ➡️ The "small menu" rule: why selling fewer things builds a better business ➡️ Why Ben stepped aside as CEO, and how it made him ready to take the job back ➡️ How a 100-year mindset changes who you hire (+ why "have they done it before?" is the wrong question) ➡️ His granddad's one-question test for a good year ➡️ Why even the most successful founders admit they're "just winging it" ➡️ Why the only competition worth winning is against yourself Ben's lesson is a freeing one: you don't have to be everything to everyone. Pick the thing you love, serve the people who love it too, and keep getting better at it. That's how you build something that lasts. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + Want to check out Gymshark? Head over to: https://www.gymshark.com/ + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Why Building a 100-Year Brand Changes Everything 00:01:55 The Accidental Birth of Gymshark: From Supplements to Sewing Machines 00:07:38 Setting the Bar Low: Why Small Ambitions Lead to Big Success 00:10:34 The Temptation to Expand: When Gymshark Lost Its Way 00:11:23 The Restaurant Menu Philosophy: Why Less Product Means Better Business 00:13:48 Stepping Down as CEO: The Hardest Decision That Saved the Company 00:20:43 What Cool Dads Build: The Personal Drive Behind a 100-Year Vision 00:24:27 The American Mistake: When Freedom Killed the Brand 00:27:45 The Onyx Launch: Selling to 1 Percent of Your Audience 00:34:46 Did You Make Any Money This Year: Lessons from Granddad 00:37:06 Give a Sh**: The Honest Values Written on the Walls 00:44:14 Winging It With Purpose: What Simon Learned in Fiji 00:47:56 Two Types of Winging It: Foundation vs Quicksand 00:53:21 The Head Nod Philosophy: Competition That Lifts Everyone Up 00:57:13 Family First: When Your Kid's Hug Beats Every Business Win + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
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    1 ora e 1 min
  • Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel

    Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel
    Oct 13 2026
    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 stayed in marriages and jobs because we had to. Happiness was a nice bonus. Today we get to choose who we love and where we work, so happiness has become the glue that holds it all together. Few people have watched that shift as closely as Esther Perel. For four decades, she’s seen how love, family and work have been reshaped by no-fault divorce, the internet, and now AI. Her conclusion hasn’t changed: the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. It’s a line she first said out loud years ago, in a WHY Discovery session with Simon. Esther is a psychotherapist, the bestselling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, and the host of the podcast Where Should We Begin? Her card game “Where Should We Begin? At Work,” is built to spark real conversations between colleagues. In this conversation, Esther and Simon talk about why one partner can’t be our whole village, what kids lose when they stop playing in the street, and why an entry-level job may be the last great playground. Simon also shares a personal update: how he made peace with the question, "Why haven’t you been married?" In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ Why happiness went from a perk to the glue, in love and at work ➡️ The “relationship CV” everyone brings to work (+ how it shapes the way you handle conflict and authority) ➡️ Why we’re asking one person to give us what a whole village used to ➡️ How frictionless apps are changing what we expect from each other ➡️ Why entry-level jobs are the best place to scrape your knees ➡️ The number one relationship skill Gen Z should master before their first job ➡️ Why play is just risk that feels fun, and how it builds trust And remember, every relationship you treasure started as a conversation with a stranger. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To learn more about Esther's work, visit: https://www.estherperel.com/ And check out "Where Should We Begin? At Work" here: https://game.estherperel.com/products/where-should-we-begin-at-work + + + Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Why the Quality of Our Relationships Determines the Quality of Our Lives 00:03:43 The Dual Revolution: How Work and Romance Transformed Together 00:09:40 From Duty to Desire: When Happiness Became the Glue 00:17:11 The Death of the Playground: Where We Lost Our Social Skills 00:19:24 Why Lion Cubs Fight: The Mammal Lesson We're Ignoring 00:25:46 The Harvard Study Secret: Relationships Are #1 Predictor of Happiness 00:28:10 The Kindergarten Separation: A Cultural Moment That Reveals Everything 00:30:17 The Two CVs: Your Work Resume and Your Relationship History 00:31:04 The Predictive Technology Problem: Why Apps Are Ruining Human Connection 00:38:56 The Three Models of Relationships: Romance, Scaffolding, and Friendship Networks 00:42:49 Belonging vs Fitting In: Why Forcing Relationships Fails 00:44:23 The Workplace Revolution: When Psychology Entered Business 00:45:26 Where Should We Begin at Work: Using Storytelling to Build Connection 00:46:20 The Entry-Level Crisis: Why Young Workers Are Most at Risk 00:49:39 Remote Work Reality: Flexibility Without Dogma 00:50:40 The Transactional Trap: Why We Skip the Coffee and Go Straight to Business 00:56:20 Talk to Strangers: The Number One Skill Gen Z Needs 00:57:48 The Discomfort Doctrine: Why Comfort Has Become Too Central to Life 00:58:45 The Third Space: Finding Five Minutes Away From All Responsibility 01:00:22 The Voice Matters: Why We Misinterpret Text and Need to Hear Each Other 01:01:15 The Trojan Horses: Teaching Human Skills Through Work and Romance + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
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    1 ora e 2 min
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