The Best Podcast

Today's podcast is short and sweet, following the essence of its message. Sometimes life gets too complicated and we ask ourselves too many questions, spiraling out of control. Here, I offer a simple alternative for you to consider. I'm sure it will be useful to chew on. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Thank my wife for this episode! Our monthly check-in inspired some meaningful reflection about how I use this space, what it means to me, and how I can get better at prioritizing it. I share all of that and more here, which I hope you enjoy hearing. Thanks for tuning in. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on a fundamental practice and skill to which I wish more of us were exposed. Meditation makes such a difference in how we experience reality and ourselves, which I take time to describe here through some analogies and observations. I'm sure you'll find something useful here. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post and quarterly review, which you can see here: https://open.substack.com/pub/mbest/p/quarter-three-2025 . I share a set of 40 lessons I learned (and relearned), which I hope at least one will spark your interest and get your really thinking. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

I was stuck in the middle seat of coach on an airplane for over 6 hours yesterday. For many, this sounds like a nightmare. It is an experience they desperately seek to avoid. For me, it was quite alright, and in this episode I share why. I hope you find some value in it and consider what I share as something to try for yourself! As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack piece, which you can see at mbest.substack.com/p/28 . It's a reflection on what 28 laps around the sun has brought me, starting with some context for how this journey began, moving to what life was like for me in the early days, and what I have learned as I look back. I hope you enjoy it and find it valuable. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on a note I observed in my latest quarterly review. My sense of humor has evolved and changed over the years, ebbing and flowing in unique ways since my childhood. It has pivoted, shrunk, and now expanded, which I am grateful for. I share how it has evolved and how my time in Brazil expanded it for the better in this episode. I hope you find it interesting to listen to and that it may prompt some reflection of your own. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast expands upon my last episode, but in quite a different direction. I spend some time talking through the value of planting seeds in our subconscious and how we can do that effectively to allow our brains to make progress on problems we're trying to solve in the background. I hope you find it to be a valuable resource! Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is an exploration of a very small but significant situation I found myself in this morning. Simply put, I was offered a price and wanted to negotiate. It's seeming a very basic situation, but it's often in the most basic of situations that there is a lot to reflect on and consider if you look hard enough, so I share some of my reflections here in this episode. Thanks for listening. I hope you find it interesting and useful in some way. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on a recent conversation with colleagues of mine at work. We talked about some new ideas and movements in education, which sparked a dialogue where I noticed some things that I wanted to share here. I hope you find my perspective thoughtful and useful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on the bigger picture of physical exercise. I went for a nice 7 mile run today, and it sparked a meaningful discussion later in the day about why I invest so much into my fitness. I hope what I share here may inspire you to do the same. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a short reflection on the last week of my life. It brought quality time with such a dear friend, along with a lot of focus on a key transition I am going through with my wife. Life is moving, but it doesn't have to roll over you! I share a bit about my learnings that connect to that message here, which I hope you enjoy and find valuable. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, which you can see here: mbest.substack.com/p/quarter-two-review-2025 . It's my 18th quarterly review to date, which is once again filled with useful lessons and points to ponder. I hope you find it valuable and perhaps feel inspired to start engaging in a similar process of reflection yourself. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Despite how hard it is to see with our eyes on a day to day basis, our friendships play an immense role in our health and longevity. We must take care of them with the same, if not greater, intensity as we do our personal health and hygiene. Our social health is fundamental to a great life. I hope that what I share here inspires you to reflect and pay more attention to this. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

How easy it is to overlook all the little decisions we make in a day. Our choices our powerful, and those choices appear to us as tiny forks in the road throughout our days, which end up becoming our lives. I share how my day was today and a number of forks in the road that I face that make a difference, which I hope get you thinking and reflecting on how you manage your forks in the road. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Despite wanting to talk about other things today, my mind didn't allow that to happen. I reflect on that very thing in this episode, talking through how that happens and how consumed by what appears in our consciousness we become, as little of a choice as we may have in what appears there. We are truly so so fascinating. I hope this episode is insightful and valuable to you in some way. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Getting overwhelmed is such a common human experience. We feel the anxiety that overcomes us when the tasks of life add up and begin to shake us. But what do we do? How do we face this situation? I share my answer to these questions here, which I hope you find useful. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a meditation on how I've been over the last week with my family on vacation. It's such a curveball from how life has been over the last few months, which has its upsides and downsides. Importantly, it has given me an opportunity to see myself in a way that I haven't been used to given how relatively new this situation is for me. I share what I've noticed here, which I hope is thought provoking for you. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a deeper reflection on a recent conversation I had with a friend about some challenges she faces in her workplace. The title may seem like such a simple question, but once we really grapple with it, we see how impactful it can be. This drove me to elaborate more on it, sharing the details of what I mean by this question and how it applies in life, which I hope you find interesting and useful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on what goes beyond the words I share here. So much of what I say is about action. Getting the sleep and doing so consistently. Eating well. Hydrating well. Showing up to get the workouts in. Reflecting daily in a journal. Meditating consistently. These are all viral behaviors for me, and they offer a glimpse into the key way of being that comes from what I share, a foundation for living well during good times and bad. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

I've now been back in my hometown for just shy of two weeks. I've enjoyed this period where I've temporarily shifted my priorities, which has taught me a lot about myself. I take some time to talk through that a bit here, sharing my observations of myself over this transition. Thanks so much for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

These past few weeks have called for my attention and presence. Between work travel, preparing to move halfway across the world, making that move, and then spending time with family and friends from my hometown, so much has been happening in a point of meaningful transition. Instead of digging into my phone, I've decided to be in these moments and invest into them without distraction. I share more about this here, which I hope you find to be a valuable message to hear. Thanks for listening! As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is my last one recorded in Brazil for a while. It's a recording of my latest Substack post, which you can find at www.mbest.substack.com/p/growth . I share about the week I just spent in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso working on a project with the state's department of education and the world bank. It was such a cool experience, so I spent some time to reflect on it and share it with you here. I hope you find some value in it! Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reminder of a fundamental human process. We are all heroes in a way, which I hope you come to understand through this episode. I explain the process of the hero's journey and the ways it applies at large and small scales, which I had the pleasure of sharing with some educators this past week. I hope you see the value in what I share here as they did. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is long overdue, but here I am! I'm sharing today a bit of what I've been focused on over the last few weeks. I've found myself in the midst of quite a great professional opportunity that has brought me a lot of satisfaction and positive reflection. I talk more about it in this episode to give some more context, which I hope you enjoy and find interesting. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on last night's goodbye party with some great friends here in Rio. I wanted to take some time to reflect on the great relationships my wife and I have built here and what they mean to us as we take a new step in our adventure together. I hope you enjoy it and find some meaningful insights in what I share. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

It's a busy time in my life. Between work, an upcoming consulting project, and an international move on the near horizon, there are lots of plates to balance. I'm embracing it, striving to elevate my focus and testing my ability to stay centered. I share a bit about that here, which I hope you find valuable. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, which you can find at mbest.substack.com/p/how-to-read . I share my views on literacy education and the ways in which it sets us up to not continue learning, right at the point when it's most interesting and useful. I hope you find it an insightful and encouraging piece. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

In today's podcast, I spend some time exploring my past experiences with religion. It has frequently been a point of frustration and disagreement between me and others, even my family, since I turned away from Catholicism as a teenager. As I've grown, my relationship with and thinking about religion has evolved, leading me to a new understanding, which I share here in this episode. I hope you find it insightful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a recording of my latest Substack piece, titled A Cidade Maravilhosa, which you can read at mbest.substack.com/p/a-cidade-maravilhosa . I continue talking about my time living here in Rio de Janeiro, moving from talking about the sights of the city to its sounds. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a wandering reflection on how I've been thinking about my financial health and the broader economic landscape. I think back to some of my early episodes about this topic from years ago and connect them to where I am now. I hope you find it to be valuable during these uncertain times. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack piece, which you can find at mbest.substack.com/p/obrigado . I recommend checking it out there, as I include some photos of what I describe in today's episode. Rio is such a special place, and it merits a sincere reflection upon saying goodbye for now. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on relationships and how we approach conflict (or turn away from it). When others seemingly do us wrong, treat us poorly, of deceive us, how do we respond? What do we hope is the outcome of these interactions? I share my perspective here, which I hope you find insightful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on our current moment. With intense emotions, pain, and conflict unraveling around the world on the back of bombings between Israel and Iran, I take time today to search for a better way. I look for a lens to make the world better through our shared humanity, which I share in this episode. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack piece, titled “In the Zone” which you can find at https://mbest.substack.com/p/in-the-zone . I talk about presence and flow experiences, the ways I have accessed them, and how they are always available to us. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast wasn't an enjoyable one to record, but it was an important one for me in this moment. Taking stock of our negative emotions, allowing them in to contrast with the highs of life, helps us to know ourselves a lot more and to navigate these situations more effectively. I've repeatedly experienced this throughout my life, unsurprisingly leaving me here once again. I share a bit of what that's like for me and how I talk myself through it. I hope you find it useful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

The plane crash that took place in India on June 12th was such sad news to see. So many lives lost unexpectedly, far sooner than otherwise would have been imagined. Amidst the tragedy, there is a meaningful reflection waiting for us, which I discuss here. I hope the message inspires you as it has done to me. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

This week has been a busy one! Work has been full with some additional responsibilities in addition to my normal duties, so it has asked a lot of me to focus and manage myself. I've enjoyed the experience, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on that here. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on some takeaways from a dinner I had last night with some travelers. We were fortunate enough to dig into some of the deeper topics of our lives, which brought some meaningful takeaways that I wanted to share. I think you'll find them useful and insightful. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, which you can see here: https://www.mbest.substack.com/p/the-real-thing . I dig into the lavishness of proposals and marriages as a route to talking about quality relationships and what really matters in life. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Over the last two weekends, I've had some amazing runs here in Rio. The weather has been perfect, which combined perfectly with the immense beauty of this city. I describe what I experienced on these runs in today's episode, along with what it means to me. I hope you enjoy it and can feel some of the positive emotions I share along with me. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, which you can see here: https://mbest.substack.com/p/social-roles . I dig into my thoughts on my role in friendships, how that developed over time, and the value it brings to my life. I hope you find it to be a thought provoking and reflective piece. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast digs into a small change I've made in recent months that has had some significant consequences, but not in the most positive way. This change led me to see how the timing of my phone use can make a big difference in how my mind operates throughout the day, which I think you will appreciate hearing. As always, thank you for listening. Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on algorithms and their roles in our lives. It's hard to enter any space these days that isn't driven by an algorithm. Social media is the space where algorithms are taken to the max, totally usurping our agency with the force of catering to your unique desires and tastes. I argue here that we must be very thoughtful about the role algorithms play in our lives and offer some possible paths to manage them. I hope you enjoy it and find it insightful. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

What we consume consciously drives what our minds chew on in our subconscious. The “A-ha!” moment is not random. It is informed by what enters out minds, which we dictate through our choices of what to consume and how. I break this down further in this episode, which I hope you enjoy and learn from. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is another reflection on my recent dive into my autobiographical notes. I identify a few more meaningful takeaways I have gotten out of this experience and share them with you. Perhaps you can relate in some way, and if you cannot, then I still think there will be something useful to consider here. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a recording of my latest Substack post, titled “The False Pendulum” (https://mbest.substack.com/p/the-false-pendulum). I discuss my experiences maneuvering between confidence and humility and the important realization about that maneuvering that I came to over time. I hope you find value in this lesson of life. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Over the last few weeks, I've been working on a new personal project. I've reflected on my experiences in an effort to document my life to date. I've written down what I remember from my birth up through high school so far, and that process has left me with some meaningful lessons. I share some early takeaways with you here, in the hopes that you find them useful and insightful. As always, thanks for listening. Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a reflection on adulthood. As I've grown and interacted more with adults who are older than me, I've seen just how much age is not a proxy for maturity and rising up the self-actualization ladder. Of course, I hold quite high standards, and perhaps those standards are “unrealistic” to most, and yet that fact doesn't relieve this inner conflict. Perhaps you will resonate with what I'm feeling. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Over the weekend, I got to spend some quality time checking in on a lot of friends I haven't been in touch with in a while. In doing so, a lot came to mind, both through the exercise itself and in the responses I received from my friends. There was a lot to make sense of, so I'm sharing what I learned with you here, as I think it may serve you well. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today's podcast is a recording of my latest Substack post, titled Competence, which you can see here: https://mbest.substack.com/p/competence . I dig into what it means to be competent and how it is a fantastic antidote to worry and the psychological effects of uncertainty. I hope you find value in what I share here. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.