Todd Nief's Show

Paul Bearer is the vocalist for one of the most influential and underrated New York Hardcore bands of all time: Sheer Terror. Sheer Terror came out of the very strange New York Hardcore scene of the 80s — before the music became codified into the metallic, bouncy mosh parts we think of as NYHC today. While Sheer Terror is certainly no stranger to blending metal and punk, their sound is much more Tom G. Warrior plus Oi! rather than syncopated, single-string riffs. Nothing against bouncy mosh parts, but Sheer Terror is much more my cup of tea, personally. Paul and I talk not only about the weird world of punk and hardcore in New York in the 80s, but also about Paul's cooking and his aggressive and comical pet Russian tortoises. Learn more from Paul and Sheer Terror here: Instagram: @djdontlikeu | @officialsheerterror Facebook: @sheerterror | @joecoffeeband Merchandise: Dead City Merchandise | Socks at Omerta Mia If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Many of these interviews are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [02:36] Paul's DJing and the dangers of developing a habit collecting Northern Soul records [13:36] How to get into Northern Soul. And, artists finding out they're unexpectedly famous. [27:20] The difficulty of being creative during the pandemic. And, Paul burned all his old, unused lyrics notebooks. [37:42] Paul's specialty dishes [43:51] Obsessive music collecting and getting into punk. Plus a meditation on aging and hard living. [56:19] Paul's thoughts on fitness (Don't miss this…) [58:50] New York was a weird place during the 80s and New York Hardcore was a weird scene. Plus, the violent, sketchy world of skinheads and the evolution of anti-establishment politics. [1:15:51] New Sheer Terror music and how to buy Sheer Terror socks Links and Resources Mentioned: Northern soul The Jackson 5 Lee Charles Eunice Collins Northern Soul: An Oral History | Red Bull Music Academy Daily Throbbing Gristle Industrial Records Major Lance Keisha Lance Bottoms Searching for Sugar Man Russian tortoise Polish Hunter Stew The Sweet & Savory Spot Humble Pie Alice Cooper Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Mott The Hoople David Bowie Bruce Springsteen Nancy Spungen No Wave Compilation The Dickies The Stranglers “Bring On The Nubiles” The Plasmatics Red Hot Chili Peppers “One Hot Minute” Craig Setari Antidote Bad Brains MDC Crass Thin Lizzy “Baby Please Don't Go” Infanterie Sauvage Bowling For Soup

Monetary policy is confusing. What even is The Fed? How do they control interest rates? Is The Fed different than the Treasury? Why do different cities have different feds? And, most importantly, do people with laser eyes on Twitter actually know anything about inflation? These are all things that I've wondered about — fortunately, my friend Chris Russo is a post-graduate research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and an expert on monetary policy. And, he lifted some weights at South Loop Strength & Conditioning while pursuing his education at the University of Chicago. Chris does a great job of breaking down how monetary policy impacts our daily lives, and gives an enlightening explanation of some of the plumbing that keeps our monetary system functioning. Plus, we discuss a zoomed out perspective on how to think about the inflation numbers in the news. Learn more from Chris here: Website: www.russoecon.com | Mercatus Profile Twitter: @RussoEcon If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:06] What is the US Treasury? What is The Fed? What do the Treasury and the Fed have to do with inflation? [13:36] A history of the organization of The Fed including: why cities have their own Fed, how the fed regulates monetary policy, and what it means to “print money” [27:44] How does the money supply impact prices and inflation? And, the importance of the equation of exchange: MV = PQ [33:10] Paul Krugman's babysitter club analogy and how it explains monetary policy [45:40] Why does The Fed target 2% inflation? [51:02] Interest rates, full employment and the Fed's mechanisms for inflation targeting [01:02:11] How should people think about inflation numbers in the news? [01:12:11] Summary of key takeaways on monetary policy Links and Resources Mentioned: United States Department of the Treasury Federal Reserve United States Treasury security Full Employment Definition Federal Funds Rate Hamilton vs. Jefferson on Monetary Policy Why Does Missouri Have Two Federal Reserves? Federal Open Market Committee Why Does The Fed Buy Mortgage-Backed Securities? The Great Depression According to Milton Friedman The Equation of Exchange “Baby-Sitting the Economy” by Paul Krugman The Impact of Interest Rate Changes by the Federal Reserve Why Is Deflation Bad for the Economy? Helicopter money Neo-Fisherism vs. Conventional Central Banking Wisdom The Fisher Effect “Inside the Black Box: The Credit Channel of Monetary Policy Transmission” by Ben Bernanke The Taylor Rule: An Economic Model for Monetary Policy Consumer Price Index

I first encountered Spenser's work through his writing for the Morning Chalk Up, and at some point I clicked on enough links to realize that the majority of his work is on voting rights and election reform. I've been a subscriber to Spenser's voting rights newsletter, so I wanted to get his take on how things went with New York City's experiment in ranked choice voting in their Democratic mayoral primary. While election fraud and voter suppression are hot-button culture war issues, there are also a lot of low-hanging fruit for bipartisan election reforms. Spenser's understanding of the voting rights landscape is deep and nuanced, so I'm thrilled that he decided to indulge my questioning. We also discuss Spenser's forthcoming book with Mat Fraser, in which Mat finally spills the beans about his training, his injuries (that he didn't want competitors to know about), and more. You can pre-order Hard Work Pays Off here. Learn more from Spenser here: Substack: spensermestel.substack.com Website: www.spensermestel.com Book: “Hard Work Pays Off” by Mat Fraser and Spenser Mestel Twitter: @SpenserMestel Instagram: @spensermestel If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:35] How has ranked choice voting gone in the New York mayoral primary? And, what's the deal with the New York Board of Elections? [10:57] Did any of the theoretical benefits of ranked choice voting show up when it was tested in New York? [27:42] What is the “steelman” case for voting rights restrictions? What is the prevalence of voter fraud? [34:02] There is a history of political machines and electioneering. How concerned should we be with these kinds of manipulations? [39:32] What's the deal with voter ID requirements? And gerrymandering? [52:50] Writing a book with 5 time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser — and the mental challenges of being an elite athlete [1:05:55] Learn more from Spenser and subscribe to Spenser's Super Tuesday Links and Resources Mentioned: Ranked-choice voting (RCV) – Ballotpedia 2021 Georgia runoff election – Wikipedia Vote Tally Mistake Causes Confusion In New York City Mayoral Race : NPR First-past-the-post voting – Wikipedia Voter Fraud Map: Election Fraud Database | The Heritage Foundation Machine Politics Study: voter ID laws don't reduce voter fraud — or voter turnout – Vox Leaked Audio: Trump Adviser Says Republicans Rely on Voter Suppression Gerrymandering – Wikipedia Mathew Fraser (@mathewfras) • Instagram photos and videos How I Conquered ‘American Ninja Warrior' – Rolling Stone

Dave Bland is one of the most creative drummers currently playing extreme music. While technical wherewithal with blindingly fast blast beats is always appreciated, the ability to adapt to the varied styles present on Full of Hell records as well as the more straightforward death metal of Jarhead Fertilizer requires much more perspicacity. I first met Dave over 10 years ago when he was a high school student who left to go on tour with Full of Hell without his parents' permission. Since then, Full of Hell has grown into one of the best bands in extreme music, and Dave's drumming has become unbelievably impressive. Dave's death metal project Jarhead Fertilizer finally released their debut full length album this year on Closed Casket Activities after letting it marinate for several years. In this interview, Dave discusses his difficult upbringing as well as his late father's run ins with the law — and how those experiences shaped him as well as proving inspiration for Jarhead's music. Dave also discusses his best tips for smoking meats (he works as a chef while not touring) and whether he prefers small or big sunglasses. Learn more from Dave, Full of Hell, and Jarhead Fertilizer here: Bandcamp: Jarhead Fertilizer | Full of Hell Instagram: @davebland | @fullofhell | @jarhead_fertilizer If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:10] Dave's tips for smoking meats and wearing shades [10:54] The evolution of Jarhead Fertilizer [13:51] Dave's late father's wild life story — and how that comes out in Jarhead's lyrical content. [26:00] Lessons learned from Dave's upbringing [33:50] Meeting Spencer and joining Full of Hell as a child [41:40] Dave's skills as a guitar player and how he writes Jarhead Fertilizer songs [46:00] Dave's forthcoming solo record — and how he things about collaboration, improvisation, and writing songs with a focus on drums [56:20] Creating a cohesive vision from disparate influences [01:06:30] All of Dave's upcoming releases — and starting a YouTube channel Links and Resources Mentioned: Like Rats Kung Fu Necktie Louisiana State Penitentiary Globe Gastro Theatre Bolt Thrower Britney Spears's Python Do snakes have ears? Kool Keith Tony Williams Billy Cobham John Caution Machines with Magnets Seth Manchester The Body Daughters Lightning Bolt Kurt Ballou Developing Nations Recording Closed Casket Activities Sepultura “Inner Self” Eloy Casagrande Igor Cavalera

Humans have an intuitive sense for who is important and well-connected. We like knowing “movers and shakers,” and we regularly engage in complicated social machinations — conscious or otherwise — to position ourselves close to the seat of influence. But what about the formal study of the spread of information through human networks? Matthew O. Jackson is a professor of economics at Stanford, and his book “The Human Network” is a fantastic primer on the complex dynamics of human relationships. He’s also done fascinating work on the spread of microfinance in southern India with Arun Chandrasekhar and Nobel Laureates Abhijit Bahnerjee and Esther Duflo. In this podcast, we discuss the spread of microfinance in villages in rural India — as well as some unintended consequences that that came as a result of disrupting the social structures of these villages. And, as sometimes happens, we also had a brief detour to discuss Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” Learn more from Matthew here: Website: Stanford Homepage Books: The Human Network | Social and Economic Networks Twitter: @jacksonmmatt Coursera: Instructor Page If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:08] “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” [05:56] The spread of microfinance in southern India provides a natural experiment for tracking the flow of information through social networks — and the consequences of altering the social graph in communities. [20:17] How did companies try to spread loans in India? What types of people best spread information about microfinance in their communities? [26:30] Information spread “decays” the further out in the network it gets. What causes this? [38:00] A quick detour into Dune and Lord of the Rings [42:26] The consequences of microfinance on the social networks in villages — and externalities on those who already have week social ties [55:40] Does disrupting the social networks of rural villages cause any positive externalities like less caste segregation? [01:00:17] Using “policy cocktails” to help counteract the unintended consequences of interventions. [01:10:00] How to learn more from Matthew, follow his research, and purchase his books. Links and Resources Mentioned: Eigenvector centrality Centrality Abhijit Banerjee Esther Duflo Arun Chandrasekhar Microfinance Dune Twitter’s main character Def Leppard Dune (1984 film) J.R.R. Tolkien Marxism and the theory of “Long Waves” Sericulture Robert D. Putnam Bowling Alone WEIRD Psychology

Yautja plays lurching, uncomfortable music, so it is fitting that their new album is called “The Lurch.” I first met Kayhan back in approximately 2010 when I was on tour with Weekend Nachos and we stayed at Kayhan’s place in Birmingham, Alabama. At the time, Kayhan was in a band called Legion (funny enough), and since then has gone on to play in several excellent hardcore and metal projects like Coliseum, Die Young, and — of course — Yautja. Yautja’s most recent record is fantastic, so I wanted to get Kayhan on the podcast to discuss how they write such weird but catchy songs. The conversation also took a detour into some of Kayhan’s wild experiences working at his family’s convenience store during a pandemic, so stick around for that as well. Learn more from Kayhan and Yautja here: Bandcamp: yautja.bandcamp.com Instagram: @yautjagram Facebook: @YautjaTN If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:29] The power of naming things “Legion” [06:50] Being viewed as an off-the-rails weirdo due to an interest in extreme music — and the differences between music, sci-fi, and fantasy fandoms [15:04] Getting into hardcore and punk, and the benefits of a mid-sized scene on creativity in Birmingham, Alabama [20:28] Straddling genre lines with Yautja and being the misfit band on most concert bills [29:17] The impacts of the country music industry on the Nashville underground music scene [35:07] Yautja’s songwriting process — and the importance of rhythm, variations, and other subtleties in their compositions [47:17] Yautja plays difficult and weird riffs, but is not really a “technical” band [57:55] Yautja’s plans as the US emerges from the pandemic [01:03:29] Kayhan’s comical and frustrating experiences working in his family’s convenience store during a pandemic [01:14:14] How to purchase “The Lurch” and support Yautja Links and Resources Mentioned: Weekend Nachos Legion Deicide “Legion” Integrity “Dawn of a new Apocalypse” Legion in popular culture Birmingham Legion FC The Home Despot Wish Machine Head “Burn My Eyes” Keep Staring I Might Do a Trick T-Shirt Doctor Who The Lord of the Rings Robert Jordan George R. R. Martin Darkman Virus (1999 film) In Defence Revocation Exhumed Rivers of Nihil Voivod “Dimension Hatröss” Morbid Angel “Formulas Fatal to the Flesh” Morbid Angel “Gateways to Annihilation” Hella Gnarwhal Mutilation Rites Alraune Steve Cloutier and Luc Lemay of Gorguts guitar lesson Gorguts “Obscura”

I’ve often spoken on the Legion Strength & Conditioning podcast about the desire for “simple solutions to complex problems.” I figured I’d reframe and refine that discussion for a solocast based upon the cynefin decision-making framework, Julia Galef’s great new book “The Scout Mindset,” and some marketing intuition from years of running a small business. Over years of creating content for a fitness audience, I’ve learned that the things that resonate with people are often not the things that are actually correct. Understanding the difference between a “complicated” environment and a “complex” environment has helped me clarify what’s going on here. People tend to listen to podcasts, read articles, and buy coaching products to solve problems that they know they have. Most people intuitively frame things as “complicated” problems — meaning that there is established expertise out in the world that, messy as it may be, can come up with a flow chart or system that will guarantee an outcome if followed correctly. Instead, most real-life things are complex — meaning that outcomes are only loosely coupled with the “correctness” of inputs, nonlinearities, emergent phenomena, and threshold effects dominate, and it’s really hard to extract signal from noise. So, if I were being more parsimonious in my statement, I could rephrase it as “people want complicated solutions to complex problems.” Here’s why the best way to market yourself as a coach is not the best way to actually coach. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [00:13] Introduction to the cynefin framework — Obvious | Complicated | Complex | Chaotic [05:14] Moving from the realm of the complicated to the complex in real life environments like training, coaching, and business [11:40] The Scout Mindset — and the weakness of epistemic humility when marketing to people thinking in a “complicated” not a “complex” way [16:10] The prestige trap — and the desire to copy what successful people do under the misconception that there is a linear path to accomplish what they’ve accomplished (like people complaining that Mat Fraser’s new programming doesn’t show exactly what he did leading into his final CrossFit Games championship) Links and Resources Mentioned: Cynefin framework “A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making” from the Harvard Business Review Emergence Threshold Effects Insulin resistance Julia Galef “The Scout Mindset” by Julia Galef Philip E. Tetlock ‎Hybrid Unlimited: Ep.83 Putting a strength coach in your pocket ft Mat Fraser and Ian Kaplan Dr. Ian Kaplan Hayden Bowe

At some point in the last year or so, I started listening to the Epidemiology Counts podcast. I was thrilled to learn that the host, Bryan James, is a Chicago local at Rush University — and he’s a CrossFitter at Goose Island CrossFit. Bryan and I recently collaborated on an article for BarBend about controlling the spread of Covid in gym, as well: COVID In Gyms: What The Research Says About Mitigating Spread. In his day job, Bryan’s research focuses on the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease, so I wanted to get his take on some common misconceptions about Alzheimer’s. Most of us have a family member who has been touched by Alzheimer’s or dementia, and my family is no different. Bryan’s work focuses on population-level analysis of some of the things that give us “buffering capacity” to delay the onset of dementia, as well as some of the hidden costs of Alzheimer’s and dementia that don’t always show up in our statistics. In Bryan’s role as a podcast host, he is also an expert communicator about nuanced epidemiological topics and public health. There’s a lot to talk about with the litany of public health communication catastrophes we’ve seen through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the descent into epistemic nihilism playing out daily on our social media feeds. Bryan has been wrestling with some of these problems in his own work, so his insight here is invaluable. Learn more from Bryan here: Podcast: Epidemiology Counts | Episode 1: Why should I trust that new health study? Website: Rush Profile Twitter: @bryandjames | @rushalzheimers Selected Publications: Late-Life Social Activity and Cognitive Decline in Old Age | Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:51] The difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — and the role of cognitive reserve capacity in preventing dementia [13:36] How to determine causality in a multifactorial complex system — and the changes in “prevalence” and “incidence” of Alzheimer’s over time [24:50] What does epidemiology tell us about developing cognitive reserve capacity? [33:29] Bryan’s paper on the correlation between social activity and Alzheimer’s [41:47] Controlling for reverse causality and potential outside causes in epidemiological research [50:04] The challenges in public health communication and the flaws in the way epidemiology research is presented in the media. [01:03:24] Misinformation, publicly communicating nuanced topics, combatting epistemic nihilism, and restoring trust in institutions that have made public mistakes [01:10:10] The Epidemiology Counts podcast and properly weighting the information from observational studies Links and Resources Mentioned: Grandpa Simpson walking in and out Lewy body dementias TDP-43 Pathology, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia in Old Age Amyloid plaques Neurofibrillary tangle Cognitive reserve in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease Epidemiology, Prevalence and Incidence Image of Alzheimer’s Brain vs Normal Brain Reverse Causality U.S. POINTER Study Person, woman, man, camera, TV “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV” Video MoCA Montreal – Cognitive Assessment Assessment of memory complaint in age-associated memory impairment: the MAC-Q Controlling for a variable Effect of purpose in life on the relation between Alzheimer disease pathologic changes on cognitive function in advanced age “SARS-CoV-2 and Potential Airborne Transmission” from the CDC “FAQs on Protecting Yourself from Aerosol Transmission” from Jose-Luis Jimenez “Still Alive” Astral Codex Ten Gell-Mann Amnesia Malleus Maleficarum Prior probability

James Pligge is back by popular demand. This time, we talk about some of the many misconceptions that people have about James and Harm’s Way — as well as James’s ill-fated attempt to make a protein shake with Coca-Cola. To be honest, talking about making a protein shake from Coca-Cola probably doesn’t do a lot to correct any of those popular misconceptions about James… Either way, this is a hilarious conversation. James explains why Harm’s Way is more influenced by The Jesus Lizard than by Madball and also ridicules contemporary powerlifting culture. Learn more from James and Harm's Way here: Website: www.harmsway13.com | Bandcamp Twitter: @harmsxway Facebook: @harmsxway Instagram: @harmsway13 These interviews are also posted on YouTube with video. Check out my channel here. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:19] The challenges of remote learning (and teaching) [10:25] James’s hatred of metalheads in high school [15:20] The tribalism of adjacent subcultures [22:20] James’s tough guy reputation [28:23] Misconceptions that people have about Harm’s Way — and the challenges of making your art legible to an audience that doesn’t share the same background [37:33] Powerlifting has become embarrassing [47:40] James’s Coca-Cola protein shake [52:15] Writing music in quarantine for the next Harm’s Way album [01:06:40] The artistic direction of new Harm’s Way material [01:16:45] How to follow Harm’s Way online. And the importance of Interpunk and No Idea Records mailorder on our development years. Links and Resources Mentioned: Zoombombing Dimmu Borgir Youth Of Today Throwdown Madball The Legendary Study That Embarrassed Wine Experts Across the Globe Terror Cannibal Corpse Ghostemane Godflesh Sepultura – Chaos AD The Jesus Lizard Suffocation “Liege of Inveracity” Suffocation “Funeral Inception” Larry Wheels James Harden Jay Cutler’s Coca-Cola Post-workout Shake Save Our Stages The Locust Saetia Circle Takes The Square Planes Mistaken for Stars Beneath the Wheel Five Fingers Half a Hand Interpunk.com No Idea Records Vitamin X Combatwoundedveteran

I feel like I say this about a lot of my friends that I have on the podcast, but John Caution is one of the weirdest and funniest people I know. I’m happy to talk to John endlessly about funny things that people we both know did 15 years ago, but, in this interview, we talk about the legacy of Weekend Nachos. We talk about the trolling instinct, the impulse to create — either in riff form or otherwise, and being in a band that defined the identity of a lot of angry but funny social misfits. I laughed pretty hard during this interview, and I laughed even harder while relistening to it. John’s instinct for saying hilarious things and pushing people’s buttons remains as strong as ever, even as a suburban father. John is currently working on a book detailing the history of Weekend Nachos, so wish him happy and painless writing on that endeavor. Learn more from John here: Bandcamp: Weekend Nachos | Sawblade | Ledge Twitter: @weakenednachos If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:03] Spontaneous experimental trolling — and how the trolling instinct helped create Weekend Nachos [13:57] How Weekend Nachos incorporated both anger and humor into their music [19:30] Creating a blend of different styles of music that sounds cohesive [23:58] Having a brain that is constantly full of riffs — and the social consequences thereof [35:20] John is a suburban dad now and will call the cops on any local punk shows. [44:17] Does John want his daughter to get into punk? And how extreme music helps people channel aggressive emotions. [50:20] John’s experiences with therapy, marriage counseling, and dealing with negative emotions as an adult with a family [01:05:10] The forthcoming book on the history of Weekend Nachos Links and Resources Mentioned: Born from Pain Pele Circle Takes the Square Orchid Portraits of Past Slayer “Altar Of Sacrifice” Slayer Demos Slayer “Disciple” Slayer “Jesus Saves” Trap Them Black Breath Bad Luck 13 Blood for Blood First Blood Hoodie Jacob Bannon Kid Dynamite

Speaking with Matt is like being blasted with a firehose of information. He is entwined in the worlds of politics, database engineering, and 3D printing, and he speaks in dense, reference-laden paragraphs. This is thrilling to me, since I love information. I also feel empathy for folks who have been subject to my own tendencies to speak in dense, reference-laden paragraphs, since it’s not always easy to keep up. While infrastructure isn’t exactly a sexy topic, we’ve seen a lot of institutional failings over the last few years, so I wanted to get Matt’s take on why we see so much bureaucratic rot and ineptitude — and what we can do about it. I also wanted to get his significantly more optimistic take on the future of small-scale manufacturing, since he is starting a new company with plans to democratize 3D printing. The costs and infrastructure required to make small runs of products in your own home are plummeting, and we will likely see a revolution in direct-to-consumer businesses because of it. Enjoy this conversation with the always fascinating, always reference-laden Matt Parlmer. Learn more from Matt here: Website: Substack | General Fabrication Twitter: @mattparlmer Enjoy this conversation with the always fascinating, always reference-laden Matt Parlmer. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:45] Is it “time to build”? And, why have we seen so many institutional and infrastructural failures since the 1970s? [10:47] Matt’s take on the Texas power grid failure [19:24] The engineering parable of the construction of the London sewers [27:10] Why are we better at digital infrastructure than physical infrastructure? [34:34] Lessons from the iterative development practices of technical infrastructure that can be applied to physical infrastructure [41:54] Matt’s nuclear power pitch — and how the regulatory state has failed on nuclear [56:53] The coming transition from “needing a warehouse full of equipment” to “at home manufacturing” [01:06:45] What is changing that will cause massive cost reductions in small-scale manufacturing and electrochemical machining [01:16:17] General Fabrication, 3D printing farms, and the “direct from producer” business model [01:28:30] How to learn more from Matt and why you should really reach out to him about manufacturing and 3D printing Links and Resources Mentioned: 2021 Texas power crisis Nassim Taleb’s Black Swan Thanksgiving Turkey Isambard Kingdom Brunel “How London got its Victorian sewers” from OpenLearn Square–cube law Howard Hughes 2020 United States federal government data breach “MySpace admits losing 12 years’ worth of music uploads” from BBC News Version control Idaho National Laboratory Hydraulic empire “Loan program that funded Solyndra finds success in Tesla and many others” from The Mercury News Nuclear Regulatory Commission West Africa Squadron Mainframe computer Blackpill Electrochemical machining “How Switzerland Came to Dominate Watchmaking” from The New York Times “Neuromancer” by William Gibson Red Hat’s Business Model China Using Anal Swabs for COVID Testing

Andy is one of the most talented musicians I know. Some people think of musical talent as a preternatural gift for shredding through neoclassical riffs on guitar or ripping through Chopin concertos as a pre-teen. In Andy’s case, this talent manifests itself as incredible taste and intuition for songwriting and audio production. When you hear a song written by Andy — whether it’s the, uh, powerviolence of Weekend Nachos or the alt rock throwback of Sourmouth — you know it’s an Andy song. Fortunately, Andy gets to share his gift with others not just with his own music but through his work as a producer and audio engineer at Bricktop Recording. I didn’t expect to make ill-founded quantum mechanics analogies with Andy in this conversation about songwriting, but that’s what happened. Learn more from Andy here: Website: Bricktop Recording Instagram: @bricktoprecording | @andyheybro Twitter: @andyheybro Bandcamp/Spotify: Like Rats | Weekend Nachos | Belonger | Sourmouth | 2*Sweet Selected Production: Never Ending Game | 156/Silence | Bather | Kharma | Lurk If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:27] How Andy writes an album’s worth of songs every few months — across different genres [11:46] The difference between “idea generation” and “idea editing” in songwriting [23:19] How does Andy facilitate creativity in the studio while still keeping sessions on track? [31:13] The difference between “producing” and “engineering” [40:27] The value of a skilled editor in any creative endeavor. And, why it’s easier to edit other people’s work than your own. [48:45] How to avoid getting too precious with your own creative ideas. [54:29] Getting spacey with some theoretical physics analogies to songwriting [01:07:54] How to learn more from Andy Links and Resources Mentioned: Daniel Higgs Killing Joke Killing Joke “What’s THIS For…!” Preston Weippert (Of Feather and Bone | Volunteer Coroner) Interview Wristmeetrazor Isaac Hale Polyptych Guitar Pro Lurk Mike Watts Oasis) Attractor Wave function collapse Morrissey Robert Smith Jaz Coleman Jeff Tweedy Noel Gallagher Double-slit experiment Spelling Bee – The New York Times

Jeff edits many of these podcasts…and now it is time for him to speak! Jeff is a prolific musician and artist — creating in a variety of genres and formats. His works appear as stand-alone albums, as complements to performance art, and on pirate radio stations. I’ve long been a fan of Jeff’s music, and, in 2020, he released two of my favorite albums of his: Ditch and Scale with Zeena Parkins. I wanted to talk to Jeff about the differences between creating for “the art world” vs creating as a musician, as well as the role of improvisation in his process. Jeff also has some wild and hilarious stories about the variety of things that can go wrong when making art. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list.

Of Feather and Bone put out one of the best records of 2020 with Sulfuric Disintegration, so I was really excited to speak with drummer Preston Weippert. Like Rats played with Of Feather and Bone in Baltimore a few years back, and I was very impressed with them. Since then, they’ve released two albums and dropped any pretense of being anything other than a death metal band. Fascinatingly, they compose most of their music through improvisation and jamming, which is not typical for most death metal bands. Of course, I wanted to get into the weeds with Preston and really understand their creative process, and how they hold their output to such a high standard while creating music through improvisation. Hint: they’re willing to scrap an entire album’s worth of material if they think it isn’t up to snuff. Learn more from Preston here: Bandcamp: Of Feather and Bone | Volunteer Coroner | Trust Collective Instagram: @v_coroner | @offeatherandbone If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:54] Is it cheating to do a two foot blast? [04:30] Of Feather and Bone writes their songs by jamming together—which is somewhat unusual for a death metal band. How much is pure improvisation? [12:29] Of Feather and Bone’s most recent record “Sulfuric Disintegration” is a rewrite of an entire album that was scrapped. [19:37] Many bands start strong and get worse over time, but Of Feather and Bone has had the opposite trajectory. And, the interplay between hardcore, death metal, and other extreme genres. [29:10] More on improvisational composition and developing the skill of improvising. [39:28] Denver has an excellent scene for extreme music. Where did this come from? How are bands handling Covid? [48:28] Preston’s electronic project Volunteer Coroner—and learning to appreciate ambient and noise music [01:00:49] Learn more from Of Feather and Bone, Volunteer Coroner, and Trust Collective Links and Resources Mentioned: Morbid Angel Immolation Incantation Celtic Frost A389 Anniversary Bash His Hero Is Gone Tragedy Urko Battalion of Saints Discharge Dead Congregation Drum Cam Funeral doom Primitive Man Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man | Many Blessings) Interview Spectral Voice Suffering Hour Profound Lore Records Blood Incantation Casket Huffer Vermin Womb Mayhem “Silvester Anfang” I said that the Mayhem intro was composed by Morton Subotnick but it was actually Conrad Schnitzler Skin Crime Dada Posh Isolation Vanity Productions Total Black Prurient Outsider Art

Like many, I am deeply concerned with the impact social media has had on our brains, our attention, and our society. I have a slightly different take on what the root of the problem is, though. While those worried about distraction, polarization, algorithms, and censorship all have a right to be concerned, I think the real issue is deeper and more fundamental. By creating a hyperconnected network for information flow, we seem to have kicked off a negative ratchet that leans on several compounding forces to fundamentally change the identities of those who carelessly venture onto the modern internet. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list.

This episode with James from Harm's Way is one of the most consistently downloaded episodes of the podcast, so figured this would be a good time to revisit it. If you haven't seen the Harm's Way Running Man memes that offered a much needed moment of levity this summer, then spend some time giggling right here. And, the original show that sparked the memes from hate5six's YouTube channel is absolutely fantastic as well. Check that out here. New shows will return in January 2021. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list.

This conversation is a repost from the From Coach to Business podcast that I did with my friend Brandon last year. With the recent announcement that San Francisco CrossFit is closing their doors, I wanted to revisit this conversation since there were several key takeaways on operational excellence. In the best of times, running a functional fitness gym in a major urban environment is already a grueling, low-margin business. When a global pandemic devastates the entire fitness industry while simultaneously causing huge swaths of the population to vacate major urban environments like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, welll...that's 2020 for ya. While San Francisco CrossFit rests in peace, the Starretts are still going strong with The Ready State so be sure to check them out there. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list.

This is a holiday repost, which pairs very nicely with the recent episode with Cedric Chin discussing tacit knowledge, expert intuition, and deliberate practice. If you enjoyed that episode, you will hopefully also find Scott Young's work fascinating—since he distills research-based best practices in learning and skill acquisition into highly actionable strategies and tactics. Here's the original episode post: I’ve long been a Scott Young fan from my early days of reading blogs (miss you, Google Reader), so I was thrilled to get the chance to interview him about his new book Ultralearning. As a relentless consumer of information and a sometimes autodidact, I’ve found Scott’s blog to be very insightful in terms of approaching new projects and learning skills like coaching and coding without going through a formal educational process. With the current ubiquity of information – including entire college curriculums, endless video interviews with world-class experts, and entire industries of online courses – we should be able to learn just about anything we want. However, as anyone who has either attempted to learn a new skill or, God forbid, teach someone else a skill has experienced, learning is really, really hard. How can we actually transfer what we learn from theoretical lectures and books to real-life application? How can we practice skills in a way that makes us better at the skill itself – not just at random drills? If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Check out more from Scott here: Website: www.scotthyoung.com Book: Ultralearning Show Notes: [1:50] Scott seems to understand that learning is most successful in an environment of doing and not in one of reading, lecture attendance, and video watching. However, he’s published a book about learning – so what exactly is its purpose and why did he choose to write it? [4:21] There’s a lot more to learning than simply practicing, as certain skills seem to involve endless amounts of practice while others have more apparent, speedy transfer. Learning becomes more difficult when the type of practice performed deviates from how the skill is used in a real-life setting. Scott gives some examples of when these transfer problems arise and how transfer problems can arise even in learning about theoretical ideas. [8:46] Directness and actual application are significant in order to learn all skills, but the order in which they’re performed matters. A learning strategy is likely transferring effectively when exposure to a skill is direct prior to performing any sort of drill and, once drills are introduced, it becomes important to return back to those situations of direct exposure regularly. [13:01] Skills can be built up individually while lacking functionality outside of largely abstract situations, meaning that drills must be specific and relative to real performance of the skill. Feedback on those drills (and, generally, on performance of the skill being learned) shows to be a nonessential piece of the learning process. [20:12] We can get knowledge into our heads, but accessing a learned skill isn’t done by pulling out a ‘saved’ memory from the brain and feedback is self-generated through realization of what is not able to be recalled – that aspect of retrieval is vital to performance of any skill, making the sophistication of recall more effective than repeated exposure. [24:38] Studies may not be representative of all populations since skills vary so greatly in context – amount of acquired knowledge and ease of retrieval positively correlate, and sample sizes tend to be small. Giving learners opportunities to apply what they’ve learned can be a step toward bridging the gap in education where people review and ‘understand’ concepts but cannot seem to make any real change behaviorally. [25:54] Experience is one of the many reasons experts perform better than novices at almost any skill – an expert’s experience in a particular skill allows them to chunk things together and to see prior patterns, obvious mistakes, and recognition of solutions to problems more readily than a novice, who likely attempts to piece together a multitude of individual parts of a larger concept. [33:13] Learning a skill in order to solve problems rather than to simply know the information and to have it ‘stored’ can improve one’s ability to transfer. Autonomy is a necessity though: being able to apply a skill that you don’t really want to use is unlikely, no matter what super effective strategies or level of established intelligence or personality traits are present. Anyone can learn almost anything if they want to. [43:04] Many people have negative experiences with learning and associate learning struggles with failure. Once you know how to put together a puzzle, it isn’t a puzzle anymore, but confidence and persistent engagement are keys to keep trying at that puzzle. [53:10] Knowledge decay isn’t as serious as many believe because large ideas are retained – making a habit of performing physics problems or speaking in a particular language can help in maintaining those learned skills, but even more abstractly reminding yourself of formulas that exist can be helpful. [57:38] Attitudes surrounding learning are the difference between either merely knowing about many concepts and drowning in self-doubt or having the confidence to succeed in complicated areas of work such as ultra learning. Can we make it prestigious to be a motivated self-educating person? [1:04.35] Being able to copy someone else’s behavior or learn how someone else performs well at a particular skill by being able to watch and communicate with them about the subject can enhance and expedite the learning process. However, it’s possible that this is true in skills with more clearly defined ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs.’ [1:14.10] How to get Scott’s book if you want it. And you probably want it. And you probably also want to check out some more Scott content. So here’s how to get all of that. Links and Resources Mentioned Duolingo “The Classical Theory of Fields: Volume 2” by L D Landau and E.M. Lifshitz

Certain clusters of nerds on the internet can find it very frustrating when successful people say a lot of incorrect stuff ("Just focus on your passion and be yourself!") about how they found success in their field. To be clear, I am such a nerd. Cedric Chin has researched and written extensively about the academic literature on skill acquisition and expertise—and has made these concepts extremely practical for knowledge workers looking to improve their career skills at his Commonplace blog. Through Cedric's writing, we can build a better model of how experts build their models, which should help us develop our own skills, especially in areas of complexity and uncertainty like management, building a business, or growing an audience. If you are interested in developing practical expertise, check this episode out and follow Cedric's work for more great info. Learn more from Cedric here: Website: www.commoncog.com | Commonplace Blog Twitter: @ejames_c Selected Articles & Series: The Tacit Knowledge Series The Chinese Businessman Paradox A Framework for Putting Mental Models to Practice If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:55] A disagreement on tacit knowledge vs deliberate practice—and establishing some definitions [14:00] Why “purposeful practice” is useful to almost everyone—and why “deliberate practice” has a much more narrow application [22:10] The necessary conditions for expertise—and why most of the skills that people want in their lives aren’t easy to research [25:50] “Tacit knowledge” is knowledge that can’t easily be put into words. Experts aren’t very good at explaining what they’re doing, but naturalistic decision-making researchers are able to extract what’s actually going on. [32:27] How athletes make quick decisions—with examples from judo, racquet sports, and Cristiano Ronaldo [40:48] Experts are able to prioritize the most important things in complex environments and are able to easily recognize different “prototypes”—plus a practical management example [49:51] How should someone create an environment that helps people learn and recognize prototypes? [56:25] Having an accurate model of the world doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to be more successful [01:06:10] Sometimes having an inaccurate model of the world is beneficial and makes people more successful in marketing and in sport [01:19:50] How to develop the skill of trial and error [01:25:00] How to learn more from Cedric Links and Resources Mentioned “The Making of an Expert” by K. Anders Ericcson “Deliberate Practice and Proposed Limits on the Effects of Practice on the Acquisition of Expert Performance: Why the Original Definition Matters and Recommendations for Future Research” by K. Anders Ericcson and Kyle W. Harwell “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” by K. Anders Ericcson Manager Tools Todd Nief’s Show: Sarah Sentes (Manager Tools) on managing in industries that resist management Naturalistic decision-making “The Two Settings of Kind and Wicked Learning Environments” by Robin Hogarth and Tomás Lejarraga “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized world” by David Epstein “Superior self-paced memorization of digits in spite of a normal digit span: The structure of a memorist’s skill.” by Yi Hu and K. Anders Ericcson The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance “The relationship between expertise and visual search strategy in a racquet sport” by Bruce Abernethy and David G. Russell “Conditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree” by Gary Klein and Daniel Kahneman Recognition primed decision “Developing cognitive task analysis and the importance of socio-cognitive competence/insight for professional practice” by Julie Gore and Adrian P. Banks “Friendly casualty outcomes: choice of counter Improvised Explosive Device tactics matters on the asymmetric battlefield” by Larry D Baca and Michael D Proctor Cristiano Ronaldo scores in complete darkness Jimmy Pedro “Sources of Power” by Gary Klein “The Power of Intuition: How to Use Your Gut Feelings to Make Better Decisions at Work” by Gary Klein “A New Model of Scheduling in Manufacturing: Tasks, Roles, and Monitoring” by Sarah Jackson and John R. Wilson Explicit and tacit rationality Expected utility hypothesis Bayesian inference Lean startup “Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction” by Philip Tetlock “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It” by Chris Voss “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman “Psychobiology of Fatigue During Endurance Exercise” by Samuele Marcora Predictive coding “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport

Leonard Suryajaya creates lush, harrowing, and hilarious images in his photography, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of his process for his recent work with The New York Times. While I initially wanted to talk to Leonard about his creative process, I couldn’t help but indulge and take a detour into the history of Indonesia. Leonard’s story of immigrating from a repressive culture in Indonesia to a theater department in California is fascinating, as are his insights about American and Indonesian society. He also has an enlightening perspective on how people can use fitness to “punish themselves,” and his own learning about being gentler on himself in training. If you haven’t seen Leonard’s photographs, please spend some time on his website at www.leonardsuryajaya.com. Learn more from Leonard here: Website: www.leonardsuryajaya.com Instagram: @leonardsuryajaya The New York Times: “The Comforts of Clutter” If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:22] How God initially disapproved of and then finally approved of Leonard’s name [08:47] The history of conflict in Indonesia—and how it impacted Leonard’s ethnically Chinese family [13:26] Leonard’s drive to leave Indonesia, and what surprised him about moving to America. [25:59] How the repression of the Indonesian government created tension in Leonard’s family [41:09] Getting your family to do absurd things in the name of creating art [49:47] How Leonard incorporates humor and confrontation in his photos [01:00:30] How does one improve at photography? What skills are necessary? [01:04:44] How did Leonard create his photographs for his recent New York Times piece? [01:14:10] What are the challenges of being into both art and fitness [01:20:19] Learning not to always push through and punish yourself in the gym [01:35:54] How to learn more from Leonard and check out his photos Links and Resources Mentioned Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 Chinese Indonesians The Act of Killing The Look of Silence List of islands of Indonesia Dutch East Indies What is ISO? (And Why ISO Matters in Photography!) Bulldog Rubber Mat Scrubber

John Nerst, in some sort of bizarre ascetic practice, enjoys studying people disagreeing online. While online discourse is a cesspool of bad intentions, bad faith, and, of course, bad arguments, John is able to divine some deep insights about the fundamental nature of human disagreement. In this interview, we discuss how the abstractions we use let us down when we are trying to be precise in moral arguments, how the “decoupling vs contextualizing” axis explains how smart people with good intentions can endlessly talk past each other, and why the “tilted political compass” gives many folks who are alienated by contemporary political discourse a home. Learn more from John here: Website: www.everythingstudies.com Twitter: @everytstudiesr If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Suggested Posts from John: “Erisology: The Science of Arguing About Everything” from The Atlantic The Tilted Political Compass, Part 1: Left and Right The Tilted Political Compass, Part 2: Up and Down The Nerd as the Norm Case Study: The War on Christmas Science, the Constructionists, and Reality A Deep Dive into the Harris-Klein Controversy 30 Fundamentals Show Notes: [01:38] The anxiety associated with the overwhelming amount of interesting things there are out there to learn—and how John focuses on things outside of his comfort zone in order to keep learning. [06:44] John’s mental model for piecing together arguments that he doesn’t agree with. And, a primer on postmodern philosophy and contextualization. [14:01] Many arguments result from a disagreement on the definitions of abstractions. It’s easy to pick apart the vagaries of arguments that aren’t on “our side,” while simultaneously giving the benefit of the doubt to conclusions that we like. [25:55] Abstractions are “leaky,” and are often the root of disagreements. [37:50] An argument intended to correct for a worldview that has “swung too far” can seem totally out of touch to someone who doesn’t have the same shared context. [44:17] Contextualizers vs decouplers: should information be interpreted in abstractions and toy problems, or should the social context in which arguments exist always be paramount? [53:28] Certain arguments and pieces of information are mimetically fit and can jump outside of their original context—sometimes to the chagrin of the original author [01:03:39] How contextualizing vs decoupling helps create the tilted political compass—and how the tilted political compass helps several people alienated by contemporary political discourse find their home [01:13:01] The dopamine hit from finding a validation of your identity online [01:16:38] Where to get started with John’s blog Everything Studies Links and Resources Mentioned Postmodernism Post-structuralism Universal grammar Noam Chomsky The Social Construction of Scientific Knowledge Eric Weinstein String theory Michel Foucault “Nobody: ” from Know Your Meme Richard Dawkins’s controversial Tweet “The ‘10,000-hour rule’ about becoming an expert is wrong — here’s why” from Business Insider “The Wisdom of Crowds” by James Surowiecki Condorcet’s jury theorem “Albert Kao, PhD on the Wisdom of Crowds and Hyperconnected Networks” from Todd Nief “The cognitive decoupling elite” from Dross Bucket Wittgenstein’s “family resemblance” Black Sabbath Iron Maiden Suffocation “A Thrive/Survive Theory Of The Political Spectrum” from Slate Star Codex WEIRD psychology Jonah Peretti “Negations: Capitalism and Schizophrenia” by Jonah Peretti

Albert Kao of the Santa Fe Institute has been researching collective behavior in animals — including really crazy things like using their own bodies as a bridge to invade a wasp nest. As we mention in the podcast, this absolutely needs to be made into a horror movie if it hasn't already. In addition to animal behavior, Albert has also created some really insightful models that find that smaller groups do a better job of converging on accurate information in complex environments — contrary to the well-known "wisdom of crowds" model, where more information entering the system is better. While the math in these models can be a little bit tricky, there is deep insight here into how our world is organized — from schools of fish to optimal team sizes in organizations to, of course, our current engagement with social media. Albert, along with several other scholars, has started thinking about how to apply some of the knowledge that folks studying complex systems have about network design and dynamics in order to help guide policy decisions in regulating companies like Twitter and Facebook. I think this is some of the most important work of our time, since the easy potshots on social media (distraction, vanity metrics, privacy invasion) may not be what we are grappling with — we may instead be grappling with fundamental aspects of hyperconnected networks. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list.

I’m often asked “how I handle it all,” and — while I think the true answer may have something to do with several deep flaws in my fundamental personality, I do think I have a framework that helps me get a good amount of stuff done. I tend to manage too many projects at once pretty much all of the time — which is actually probably not very good for my mental health nor my overall effectiveness. Still, I’ve developed some systems that enable me to keep things moving along. The biggest update from my previous soliloquy on productivity is the introduction of “daily buckets.” I organize my projects into three categories: High cognitive load work projects Content creation/Creative work Admin Every day, I pick one project from each category to move forward. This has been the biggest win for me, and I hope it’s helpful for someone else. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [0:10] An analysis of the flaws in my personality that also result in high productivity [04:21] The Jane Jacobs model of productivity — creating systems with optimal opportunities for self-organization [08:10] A tangible example of splitting a large priority into discrete projects — and how to organize those projects into different buckets throughout the week [13:56] Creating weekly project priorities and then converting those into daily priority projects [19:52] Finding the optimal balance of structure and flexibility in any system — and the flaws of being too structured in your planning Links and Resources Mentioned Palu app ‎Asana Getting Things Done

It doesn’t always work well to try to corner artists who you like and make them explain how they do the thing that you enjoy about their work. Sort of like getting a comedian to explain their jokes. Maybe not the best thing for your ongoing enjoyment of humor. Still, I will not be deterred, and I wanted to get Ethan from Primitive Man on the podcast to pressure him into explaining how he thinks about the dissonant soundscapes he creates not just for Primitive Man, but for all of the musical projects that he’s involved with like Many Blessings and Vermin Womb. Ethan — like many creatives — cannot be contained and also has his fingers in visual art (including designing the cover art for the Hate Force record we put out somewhat recently) and booking all kinds of shows. Check out more from Ethan, Primitive Man, and Many Blessings here: Website: www.hellsimulation.com Bandcamp: Primitive Man | Many Blessings | Vermin Womb Instagram: @primitivemandoom If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:12] How does Ethan use dissonance as a tool in his creativity? [08:44] How Ethan uses influences from other genres to spark creativity in Primitive Man — although passed through a “horrifying” filter, of course. [17:21] Are there unexplored avenues of “heaviness” in heavy music? [25:59] How Ethan’s visual art differs from his musical art. [32:50] How distrust, disinformation, and the getting implanted with a microchip fall create a dystopian environment. [48:50] Denver’s extreme music scene and the necessity of new bands taking the reins. How will shows bounce back after COVID? [56:32] What is Ethan’s role in booking shows and what opportunities will there be for people to get involved when live music returns? [01:08:10] Check out Primitive Man, Ethan’s Art & Many Blessings Links and Resources Mentioned Hate Force album cover ‎Recode Decode: with Boots Riley “Sorry to Bother You” film “Aimen Dean | Nine Lives of a Spy Inside Al-Qaeda Part One” from The Jordan Harbinger Show NIVA | National Independent Venue Association Save Our Stages David Blaine and Ricky Gervais Bands and Artists Mentioned Incantation Immolation Today Is The Day Godflesh Neurosis Crowbar Disembowelment The Haxan Cloak Lawrence English SUNN O))) Revenge Impetuous Ritual U.S. Maple Portal The Coup Cephalic Carnage

As I mention in the intro to this podcast, I know John Murphy as the pilot of a 90s era Pontiac Trans Sport — aka the “Egg Van.” The world, however, knows John as co-founder and gameplay designer at Young Horses, the indie games collective responsible for the much beloved hit Octodad. As a lad, I was an obsessive and nerdy player of role-playing games for the Super Nintendo. Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Chrono Trigger…as well as “also rans” like Breath of Fire and Illusion of Gaia. Since then, I haven’t kept up much with video games, so I was excited to pry into John’s creative process in a medium that I think is often underrated by outsiders in terms of its potential for expressiveness and imagination. John was also part of a team that — despite all the odds — turned a school project into an international video-gaming hit. I can tell you that none of my school projects ever approached anything that anyone would possibly care about, so we also discussed the dynamics of building a real business from an unlikely beginning. Check out more from John, Young Horses, and Bugsnax here: Twitter: @johmmmmmm | @YoungHorses Website: www.younghorsesgames.com | www.octodad.com | www.bugsnax.com If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:30] Is it ethical to leverage the powers of technology and understanding of human psychology to lock people into fantasy worlds? [15:18] How did Young Horses turn a school project into Octodad — a game with international success and renown? [24:22] How do different “scenes” work in the video game industry? How do these scenes lead to innovation and creativity? [33:51] The process of developing a video game involves a certain amount of “lock in.” How do developers get user feedback and iterate? How does this impact the creative process? [43:35] How do “influences” impact the creative process of game design? What games and developers influence John and Young Horses? [58:06] Existing between “genres” in the video game space — how does Young Horses balance the strangeness of their games with the playfulness? [01:08:45] Is finding the right genre necessary for success in marketing a video game? [01:21:12] How to play Young Horses’ games — including Bugsnax holiday 2020 Links and Resources Mentioned DePaul MFA in Game Design The Fireside Bowl Revealed preference The Last Dance “Loot boxes in online games and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers” from Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies | European Parliament Opportunity cost Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn “Lumosity to Pay $2 Million to Settle FTC Deceptive Advertising Charges for Its “Brain Training” Program” from Federal Trade Commission Independent Games Festival Andy Nelson Danny Polak Three 6 Mafia Ayn Rand Marty Friedman Megadeth Square Rare Like Rats Weekend Nachos James Brown Pixar Kero Kero Bonito “The 7 Romantic Comedy Movie Poster Clichés” from Empire Being John Malkovich “I build a world with fantasy master N.K. Jemisin” from The Ezra Klein Show Jonathan Blow Devon Scott-Tunkin Games Mentioned World of Warcraft Fortnite Acid Couch SimTower Battletoads BioShock The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild GoldenEye 007 Donkey Kong Pokémon Snap Ape Escape Call of Duty Ooblets

Dirk Verbeuren has played drums on more extreme metal releases than is reasonable or appropriate for any single human. He took over for Chris Adler as the drummer for Megadeth in 2016, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to release underground release after underground release — including material with the recently revived Cadaver. Dirk not only has freakish technical skill, but he also has the ability to deploy that skill as an improvisational master, an incredible mimic, or a deliberate and exacting architect of complex drumming. Dirk is not just a musician, but is also a drum teacher. His analytical side allows him to be self-reflective and discuss what his thought process looks like while composing and playing. And, this conversation took some unexpected turns into the dangers of conspiracy theories and why even folks with a “dark side” who gravitate toward extreme metal should still work on being more present. Check out more from Dirk here: Website: www.dirkverbeuren.com | www.megadeth.com Instagram: @dirkverbeuren | @megadeth | @bentsea_ Bandcamp: Bent Sea Radio Show: Dirk’s Extreme Blast airs on Gimme Radio Dig into Dirk’s impressive discography and a few of his recommended releases here: Encyclopedia Metallum Sybreed “Antares” Obsydians “Psychodynamics” Tronos “Celestial Mechanics” Scarve “Irradiant” If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:34] Improvisation vs having specific instructions when doing drum session work [07:00] Mimicry vs creativity while filling in — including for Megadeth. Dave Mustaine’s desire for everyone in the band to have creative freedom. [17:46] Growing up with parents supportive of Dirk’s interest in musice — including buying Cannibal Corpse and NWA records with “concerning” cover art [21:55] The balance between being analytical and creative — including Dirk’s interest in science as a kid and the dangers of science denialism and conspiracy theories. [33:20] Touring internationally and being exposed to different cultures [37:05] What is the difference between the ability to mimic and the ability to be creative? How can musicians learn to “turn off” their analytical side in order to be creative? [50:00] Learning to be more present and the dangers of overwork and burnout. [57:33] People into extreme music often have a “darkness,” but that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from cultivating the skill of presence. [01:05:00] Dirk’s various projects: recording the new Megadeth album, Bent Sea’s new releases, starting a recording studio, running a radio show for Gimme Radio, and underappreciated gems from his discography Links and Resources Mentioned Aborted “Meticulous invagination” drum part Megadeth “Wake Up Dead” opening groove Megadeth “The Conjuring” heavy part Wind of Change Podcast Jon Stewart Control (2007 film) Herzog on the obscenity of the jungle from “The Burden of Dreams” Bands and Musicians Mentioned Aborted Soilwork Slayer Dave Lombardo Paul Bostaph Gar Samuelson Carmine Appice Vinnie Colaiuta Chris Poland The New Yorkers (Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson’s jazz fusion group) Scorpions Mikkey Dee Joy Division Hypocrisy Cannibal Corpse N.W.A. Red Hot Chili Peppers “One Hot Minute” Busta Rhymes Wu-Tang Clan Beastie Boys Sean Reinert Morbid Angel Repulsion Napalm Death Imperial Triumphant Dodecahedron Shane Embury Midnight Feastem Nasum Godflesh Justin K Broadrick

Figuring out how to prioritize in any sort of complex system is really, really difficult. We see this all the time in working with athletes. A simple, linear mindset results in athletes trying to do more, more, more training — and expecting to get more, more, more results. In reality, there are trade-offs involved in any sort of training plan. These are not just the trade-offs between the zero sum competition between training time and ability to adapt, but fundamental trade-offs between constraints being imposed on the system. If only there were some sort of lens through which we could view the process of making trade-offs between competing priorities in complex systems… Fortunately, Courtney Kelly is a coach and a copywriter, and she has a background in psycholinguistics. In linguistics, there is an understanding of the way that humans generate grammar and speech based upon trade-offs between different constraints. This theory is called “optimality theory,” and Courtney wrote a fantastic article on its application to training here. Check out more from Courtney, Ethos Alchemy, and Strength Ratio here: Article: Performance optimization? How ’bout optimality theory? Website: www.strengthratiohq.com | www.ethosalchemy.co Instagram: @strengthratio | @ethos_alchemy If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:01] A background on psycholinguistics and universal grammar — and why grammar is a lot more interesting than “just punctuation” [14:24] So, what is optimality theory? What does the way that humans generate speech have to tell us about trade-offs in complex systems — particularly in fitness? [28:10] A tangible example of the trade-offs involved in training for a triathlon vs building muscle for aesthetics [34:00] Optimality theory treats constraints as “binary” — not on a sliding scale [40:15] An grammatical example of optimality theory in action [49:02] The importance of having a robust theory of mind for effective communication [59:09] The practical applications of understanding theory of mind for copywriting and sales — how to understand clients’ hopes, fears, and dreasm [01:13:32] How to know when it’s ok to “exclude” someone with your copy who isn’t a good fit for your business [01:18:02] Learn more from Courtney, Ethos Alchemy, and Strength Ratio Links and Resources Mentioned Slipknot “Psychosocial” Generative grammar Noam Chomsky B. F. Skinner Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization “Let’s face it: reading acquisition, face and word processing” from Frontiers in Psychology Reading Rehabilitation | American Stroke Association Optimality Theory “Optimality Theory – Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar” by Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky Zach Greenwald Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns Markedness and Faithfulness Constraints Ruble sign Géraldine Legendre Theory of mind Kurt Vonnegut James Joyce

In this episode of "Between Two Todds," Todd Jones discusses his songwriting process for Nails and why he thinks of himself more as a "music fan" than a "musician." Todd has a public perception that is often totally out of alignment with his actual personality. Some of this is likely a side effect of being the front man of one of the most aggressive bands currently playing in metal and hardcore. However, we get to see Todd as an introspective and curious fan of music on his new podcast called Unsilent Death. He interviews other musicians and producers, and digs into all of the aspects of the craft of making music - from songwriting, to production, to touring. After you listen to this episode, check out a few episodes of Unsilent Death as well. Check out more from Todd, Nails, and the Unsilent Death podcast here: Website: www.unsilentdeathpodcast.com Podcast: Unsilent Death Instagram: @nailstyrrany | @unsilentdeathpodcast If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [00:57] The dynamics of first discovering subcultures — and why Todd resonated so much with hardcore [11:15] Music as a vehicle for delivering emotion to listeners — and why Todd thinks of himself more as a "music fan" than a "musician" [17:14] The different roles that a musician needs to play in order to bring music into the world: actually composing the music, doing promotion in the press or in music videos, and project managing behind-the-scenes. [28:30] Using the The Unsilent Death podcast as an opportunity to dig into the craft of creating music with other musicians — rather than just asking the same standard interview questions [41:14] Todd’s songwriting process: playing punk and hardcore with tight musicianship, obsessing over the finished product, and finding ways to be creative with the framework that Nails has established [51:24] Writing songs based upon specific riffs — or writing songs based upon a big picture "idea" or theoretical song structure [01:03:07] Learn more about The Unsilent Death podcast and Nails Links and Resources Mentioned Brendan Kelly Road to the Skeleton Coast podcast with Brendan Kelly Mastering (audio) Joe Rogan Feedly Google Reader Sepultura (Cavalera's Return To Roots) - Ambush & Drum Jam Solo Deicide "Dead by Dawn" live - with the Hoffman brothers looking jacked Music Mentioned The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Someday I Suppose" The Offspring "Smash" Minor Threat "In My Eyes" Youth Of Today "No More" The Lawrence Arms "Quincentuple Your Money" Slapstick "Cheat to Win" The Broadways "15 Minutes" Mother Love Bone "Stargazer" Operation Ivy "Sound System" Less Than Jake "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts" The Honor System "Nails" Alkaline Trio "Bleeder" Converge "Concubine" The Dillinger Escape Plan "43% Burnt" Iron Maiden "The Trooper" Blink-182 "First Date" New Found Glory "Hit Or Miss" Slint "Spiderland" Rancid "Ruby Soho" NOFX "Linoleum" Good Riddance "One for the Braves" Black Flag "My War" Ulthar "Providence" Averse Sefira "Deathymn" Deathspell Omega "Paracletus" Deicide "Once Upon the Cross" Deicide "Legion" The Damned "Love Song" Antidote "Real Deal" Urban Waste "Ignorant" Chain of Strength "True Till Death" Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today" Jerry's Kids "Is This My World" Sepultura "Roots Bloody Roots" Deicide "Lunatic Of God's Creation" Obituary "Slowly We Rot" Cannibal Corpse "Hammer Smashed Face" Morbid Angel "Rapture" Deicide "Insineratehymn"

Every small business that has any level of success hits a tipping point where the fact that business is going "kind of well" becomes the most stressful thing to the founders. I vividly remember hitting this point with South Loop Strength & Conditioning several years ago. The gnawing worry that we were missing something or doing something wrong with our business was replaced with a constant feeling of suffocating in emails, meetings, coaching, and duct taping together the cracks splitting apart in seemingly every area of the business. Every business book says that all you have to do is "systemize and delegate." Well, what happens when none of the tasks that you delegate get done properly, you find out your employees are doing crazy things when you’re not in the building, and it seems like everyone hates each other? In the fitness industry, "management" is seen as something for stuffy suits in office jobs. But, a lack of management results in something much worse taking its place. Sarah Sentes taught the Manager Tools conference that Paul and I attended several years back - and that was a game changer for operations at SLSC. I wanted to have Sarah on the podcast to talk about practical takeaways in management for people who hate the idea of managing - particularly those in the start-up scene or involved in the fitness industry. Check out more from Sarah and Manager Tools here: Website: Manager Tools Podcast: Manager Tools | Career Tools | Manager Tools Basics If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:11] Sarah’s background in managing IT professionals – without a technical background. How should managers deal with impostor syndrome? [08:58] People often bristle at management – especially in start-ups or in the fitness industry. What are the costs of not having management structure in place? [16:30] How do organizations know when they are at the tipping point where they should start implementing formal management? [23:59] If you don’t have management structure, something more nefarious and toxic – aka “politics” and “clicqueiness” – will take its place. [28:50] Relationships are the foundation of good management. Without solid relationships, people find negative explanations for decisions. [33:10] Why even people who “hate meetings” should do regular one-on-ones [41:20] What management principles can coaches apply to working with their clients? How can coaches deliver helpful feedback to clients? [48:23] How to prioritize when and where to give feedback. Feedback is for the future, not the past. [54:46] Should people give use the “shit sandwich” to give feedbacK? [59:00] What are the most actionable starting points for people looking to implement management structure? [01:02:57] Where should people start with Manager Tools? Links and Resources Mentioned Impostor syndrome Goodhart’s law “Role Power Revisited” from Manager Tools “Assume Positive Intent” from Manager Tools

Wayne is the principal in residence at KIPP Team Academy in Newark, New Jersey. I’ve wanted to have Wayne on the show for awhile to talk about education since I’m endlessly fascinated with learning, learning about learning, teaching, teaching others to teach, and basically every other possible recursion and iteration of the words "teach" and "learn." Given the climate in the world right now, we discuss Wayne’s expertise through the lens of suddenly transitioning into remote learning due to COVID-19. We also discuss the climate of race in 2020 and Wayne’s experiences as a black, gay man. We also dig into the pending "cancellation" of Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, and we work through how to reconcile someone’s contributions with their toxic personal behavior. There’s a lot of hot button and potentially dangerous issues in this conversation, so I appreciate Wayne being vulnerable. Hopefully we were able to touch these topics in a nuanced and helpful way. Check out more from Wayne and KIPP here: Website: KIPP TEAM Academy Instagram: @banksylifts If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [02:42] Wayne’s experience suddenly transitioning into online learning - and also likely having COVID-19 in February. Also, the importance of access to resources in education to facilitate moving to online education. [14:20] How can children engage in self-guided learning? How can educators? Facilitate self-guided learning? [22:15] What is the role of motivation in learning? How is Wayne preparing for a likely "middle ground" in the future with some online learning and some in-person learning? [28:45] What transfers over from an in-person learning environment into an online learning environment? [36:04] How to have high expectations and "hold someone’s feet to the fire" - both in managing teachers and in educating children. [47:30] What have we seen exposed as far as systemic inequalities through both COVID-19 and the protests in response to the killing of George Floyd? [58:52] What are Wayne’s recommendations for self-educating regarding social justice issues? How should we think about racism in our current society? [01:11:10] How should we think about "cancel culture" - and what are some unintended consequences of online shaming? [01:23:23] How do we reconcile the contributions of people who are unethical in their personal lives but who have made important contributions to their field? This is especially timely in the context of Greg Glassman, the founder and former CEO of CrossFit. [01:30:55] How to learn more from Wayne Links and Resources Mentioned "The Results Are In for Remote Learning: It Didn’t Work" from the Wall Street Journal Khan Academy "Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott Stonewall riots "The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson" "13th" Jane Elliott Video of Jane Elliott's brown eyes and blue eyes experiement "Counting Prison Inmates Differently Could Shift Political Power to Cities" from The Pew Charitable Trusts 'Head Of CrossFit Retires After Telling Staff On A Zoom Call, “We're Not Mourning For George Floyd”' from Buzzfeed "James Watson Had a Chance to Salvage His Reputation on Race. He Made Things Worse." from The New York Times "In Defense of Greg Glassman" from Dale Saran

I recently wrote a controversial oped for the Morning Chalk Up on why my CrossFit gym isn’t an essential business. John Wooley, from the regularly hysterical CrossFit satire account @makewodsgreatagain, wrote a thoughtful response disagreeing with my claim that CrossFit gyms are not essential. I figured it would be interesting to have a recorded conversation where we hash out where we agree and where we disagree. While John and I don’t completely agree on everything, I think this is a complicated, nuanced issue, and working it out in public is hopefully helpful to some people. You can check out the full conversation here. Check out more from John, Make WODs Great Again and Make Pods Great Again here: Website: www.makewodsgreatagain.com Instagram: @makewodsgreatagain | @makepodsgreatagain Podcast: Make Pods Great Again If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [0:47] Quick summary of Todd’s op ed – and the ensuing controversy [3:29] John’s take on my article: What should and shouldn’t be considered an essential business? Also, John’s family’s background with CrossFit. [15:50] How are we defining “essential?” What are regulators thinking about when deciding what should and shouldn’t be considered “essential?” [27:30] How should we think about the trade-offs between the negative impacts of chronic disease vs the negative impacts of a spreading pandemic? [35:50] What do gym owners need to be thinking about as different states start to reopen? What is the potential downside risk of opening early? How can we prevent a second wave of infections and economic shutdowns? [45:49] What will be the role of ongoing government regulations? What will the regulatory burden be on smaller gyms? [54:20] How will members be thinking about getting back into the gym? [01:05:40] The social dynamics of getting roasted online Links and Resources Mentioned Morning Chalk Up OpEd: One Box Owner’s Opinion, “My CrossFit Gym is Not an Essential Business” from the Morning Chalk Up At-Home Workout: Hops, Bent-Over Rows, Planks, Chair Dips from CrossFit Saxon Panchik Spencer Panchik CrossFit Cliffside Big Five personality traits Moral hazard “Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19” from The Lancet Rethinking Our Assumptions During the COVID-19 Crisis with David Krakauer from the Santa Fe Institute “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam

When people think of the culture of a country or a city, food is one of the first things that comes to mind. But, with the economic disruption caused by COVID-19, a lot of folks - myself included - have serious concerns about the ability of restaurants to make it through to the other side of an extended shutdown. As a fan of regional ethnic cuisine, I’m concerned that a big chunk of my “to try” list is going to be wiped out - and for the implications on the families that run these restaurants. I think there’s a lot of parallels between the fitness industry and the restaurant industry, and I’ve spoked with Jeff multiple times about these similarities. So, I wanted to get Jeff’s take on how COVID-19 is impacting both his food truck business and his brick and mortar restaurant business. Check out more from Jeff, Yum Dum Truck and Modern Asian Kitchen here: Website: www.makrestaurant.com | www.yumdumtruck.com Instagram: @yumdumtruck If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:11] What is the difference in business model between the food truck and the brick and mortar restaurant? [05:42] What has the impact of COVID-19 been on both businesses? [11:14] How can restaurants – with already thin margins – survive in an environment with reduced dining room capacity? [18:56] How does Jeff react to negative reviews? And what are some of the more ridiculous things people have said on Yelp? is any negative feedback from review sites actionable? [23:59] Are apps like Grubhub and DoorDash a net positive or a net negative for the restaurant industry? [32:49] How do the fees for delivery apps actually work? What do the agreements look like between restaurants and delivery apps? [38:12] Why hasn’t there been a white label online ordering option that competes with delivery platforms? [49:15] What did Jeff’s upbringing in a restaurant family look like? And, how robust are small ethnic restaurants to the disruption presented by COVID-19? [55:45] How to follow – and order from – Jeff’s restaurants Links and Resources Mentioned “SF Michelin star restaurants put their unique spin on takeout during shelter in place” from SFGate Fat Rice “Fat Rice, Chicago’s acclaimed fusion restaurant, has closed” from Eater Chicago “Aggregation Theory” from Stratechery by Ben Thompson Shopify Toast Cashdrop Sweetgreen Alinea “Nick Kokonas on Resurrecting Restaurants, Skin in the Game, and Investing” from Tim Ferriss

Brad Stulberg has a list of accomplishments that would make most authors drip with envy. Hundreds of thousands of books sold. A regular column in Outside Magazine. Contributions to publications like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Wired. A blue checkmark on Twitter and tens of thousands of followers. A lot of Brad’s message is about avoiding the trappings of chasing external validation - yet, he remains acutely aware of the necessity of playing the status game in order to create the opportunity to do the work that he loves and spread the message that he cares about. Check out the full conversation with Brad to learn how to chase lofty goals without burning out, how to properly balance chasing status with focusing on the internal process, and how to mitigate the damage of burning the candle at both ends when it’s necessary. Check out more from Brad and The Growth Equation here: Website: www.thegrowtheq.com Podcast: The Growth Equation Podcast Twitter: @bstulberg Amazon: Peak Performance | The Passion Paradox If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:05] What’s the deal with burnout? Is this a millennial thing or what? [06:13] What are the costs of the performative culture of social media? What are the differences between online environments that encourage performative behavior and “real life” environments that encourage performative behavior? Is this type of performing a net positive for certain personality types? [16:00] When are external signals of your social status the actual limiting factor in achieving your goals? And, why are humans wired to endlessly strive for “more” and “better” rather than being content? [24:41] Most people understand that they should “focus on the process,” but having an environment in which you can focus on the process is often dependent on achieving some level of external success. [29:10] The marketplace of ideas related to performance and self-development is full of opinions that aren’t actually helpful for people because extreme views sell. How do you get attention for your ideas in a noisy marketplace without becoming the thing you hate in order to get attention? [42:00] How do you decide when it’s appropriate to burn the candle at both ends working or to “see God” in a workout? And, when it’s time to go to extremes, how do you minimize the long-term consequences to yourself? [51:15] More about The Growth Equation and Brad and Steve’s weekly newsletter and podcast. Links and Resources Mentioned The Last Dance (TV series) Michael Jordan Dennis Rodman Grant Hill Kim Jong-un The Arrival Fallacy Jocko Willink Whole Foods Market Tony Robbins Barack Obama Phil Jackson “Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me)” by Carol Tavris & Elliot Aronson Lance Armstrong Joe Rogan David Foster Wallace

Cal spent a long time chasing money, social status, and all kinds of external validation. And he didn’t just chase it. He was good at getting it. As an interest rate trader in Chicago, he had checked a lot of the boxes that people think will make them happy. (Including playing golf with Michael Jordan - crazy, right?) Cal was in the audience at the Route 91 Festival shooting in Las Vegas, and - since then - his priorities have changed. Through his podcast, The Great Unlearn, Cal hopes to share his message with other hard-charging, successful people. The happiness and validation you’re looking for isn’t on the other side of whatever mountain you’re climbing. Check out more from Cal and The Great Unlearn here: Website: www.thegreatunlearn.com Instagram: @bunkercal Podcast: The Great Unlearn If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:36] Cal transitioned from interest rate trading into fitness and was an owner of the Phoenix Rise in the National Pro Grid League – but only recently has he been able to view the failure of the NPGL through a positive light. Learn how. [07:03] So, what even was the NPGL anyway? [12:33] Why was Cal so hard on himself for losing money in the NPGL if he knew going into it that it was a very risky investment? [20:35] Reframing a loss – and not just engaging in sanitized corporate doublespeak [24:34] Cal’s personal experience as a trader in the 2008 financial crisis [34:33] Did the 2008 financial crisis offer any opportunities for individuals or systems to shift out of of any negative patterns? Were we able to learn anything from the crisis? [39:23] How being present at the Route 91 festival shooting in Las Vegas made Cal realize that he had been optimizing his life for the wrong things. [52:14] Why is external validation so appealing? And, why doesn’t leave us actually fulfilled? [58:14] How to “play the game” of building an audience – which requires chasing certain kinds of external validation – with the inner work of not needing external markers of success in order to be fulfilled. [01:12:42] The writing process for Cal’s forthcoming book – and how he hopes to share his message with people who are not just chasing external rewards, but are good at it as well. Links and Resources Mentioned OPEX Fitness National Pro Grid League James FitzGerald Tony Budding Dave Castro Larry King Eliezer S. Yudkowsky “Inadequate Equilibria” by Eliezer Yudkowsky 2017 Las Vegas shooting Jordan Spieth Rickie Fowler Justin Thomas Michael Jordan Peyton Callahan Inception Dr. Shefali

So, what’s the deal with chiropractors? Are they all just full of it? Ian Kaplan is the COO of Hybrid Performance Method (Stefi Cohen’s training company) and soon to be doctor of chiropractic, and he’s also one of the most thoughtful and skeptical people in the fitness space. In this conversation, Ian breaks down how he thinks about uncertainty and providing treatment options when a lot of the research shows that most things that we talk about in the fitness and rehab space - well - don’t actually work. He also lays into some of the most common issues he sees with other chiros. And, of course, we spend awhile getting into the weeds and discussing pain science, Bayesian reasoning, and the future of artificial intelligence in guiding treatment protocols. Check out the full conversation with Ian if you want to hear two dorks talk about things like "epistemic humility" - or if you want to hear one of the smartest fellas in fitness explain how he thinks about pain. Check out more from Ian and Hybrid Performance Method here: Website: www.hybridperformancemethod.com Instagram: @kaplanfitness.hybrid | @hybridperformancemethod | @hybridperformancemethod | @steficohen Podcast: Hybrid Unlimited If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:04] Ian’s beefs with the field of chiropractic – and what it means to be “evidence-based” in a field with so much uncertainty. [11:50] How should someone actually think about treatment given the inherent uncertainty in dealing with complex systems? How does Ian weigh the costs and benefits of a potential treatment? [18:46] Why are clinicians so easy to fool: regression toward the mean and threshold effects. And, how to give patients hope without lying to them. [25:46] Is it better to try to treat pain with targeted tissue interventions or is it better to focus on the brain? [33:31] The role of artificial intelligence in developing precision medicine models for treating pain patients [39:51] What are the barriers to effectively analyzing treatment data from chiropractors and physical therapists? [44:50] A brief summary of Bayesian inference and its value for treatments, pain science and making business decisions [56:56] How does Ian think about Bayesian inference as a unifying principle for weird stuff we see in pain science like placebo effects and extreme pain sensitivity [01:07:54] How to check out more from Ian Links and Resources Mentioned Humorism What’s the Difference Between a “Straight” Chiropractor and a “Mixer”? from Gutierrez Chiropractic Sensitivity and specificity Threshold effect Opportunity cost Regression toward the mean Bean machine “Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative Meniscal Tear” from the New England Journal of Medicine “Null hypothesis significance testing: A short tutorial” from F1000 Research Confidence interval “Learn About Lookalike Audiences” from Facebook Tempus Externality Introduction to Bayesian networks Information theory “The Bayesian brain: the role of uncertainty in neural coding and computation” from CellPress Frequentist probability “Frequentist And Bayesian Approaches In Statistics” from Probabilistic World “How to take the ‘outside view’” from McKinsey “The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect” by Judea Pearl Neural network “To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future” from Quanta Magazine Greg Lehman

People are predictably irrational, right? We have a poor intuitive understanding of statistics, we leap to drawing cause and effect relationships where none exist, we don’t understand exponential growth very well, and we gorge ourselves on junk food and junk television. We’re broken! While there are all kinds of quirks to our built-in reasoning hardware, some of those quirks might not be as irrational as they seem. Jason Collins has a PhD in economics and evolutionary biology, and he’s long been writing about they ways in which our "cognitive biases" may - in some cases - actually be adaptive decision-making strategies. In this episode, we dig into some of Jason’s recent posts on ergodicity, and how that may inform the "loss averse" ways that humans make decisions. While this episode does get pretty technical, anyone who is interested should take a look at Jason’s blog posts on the topic. [Note: In this episode I talk about logarithmic functions as asymptotic functions. This is incorrect, and I apologize in advance to anyone who I may offend with such foolishness.] Check out more from Jason here: Website: www.jasoncollins.blog Twitter: @jasonacollins If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:50] What is “cognitive bias?” What kinds of systematic judgment errors do humans make – and why do some people think that these errors are actually adaptive heuristics? [06:50] What are the ethics of “nudges”? What are the actual effect sizes of “nudges”? How do the actual results of interventions in things like organ donation and retirement account opt-ins actually play out? [12:40] What heuristics should someone use to evaluate whether a social science claim is worth paying attention too? Is the effect size too large? Why would humans have evolved a certain type of “bias”? And, what is the piranha problem and what is the garden of forking paths? [22:53] How context dependent are social psychology effects? What do we typically see in attempts to replicate studies? [28:53] What actually is “loss aversion”? How do we differentiate loss aversion from risk aversion and negativity bias? [36:07] “Loss aversion” may actually be a rational response to certain types of systems where people have a risk of having their wealth wiped out. [43:01] What is the variance across individuals in terms of psychological effects and different strategies relative to risk taking? [46:32] What is “ergodicity”? What are real-life examples of ergodic and non-ergodic systems? [58:14] What is the optimal strategy for trying to maximize your wealth in a non-ergodic system where gains and losses are potentially compounded? [01:05:20] Would we expect people to have evolved some sort of intuitive understanding of non-ergodic systems based upon the real-life dynamics of things like wealth and prestige? [01:16:16] How can the rules of an experimental game impact the ways that people strategize? Do people have an intuitive sense that they are likely to be iteratively playing the same game over and over again with the same people? Links and Resources Mentioned “Nudge” by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein Freakonomics NPR Dan Ariely “‘Opt Out’ Policies Increase Organ Donation” from SPARQ “Comparison of organ donation and transplantation rates between opt-out and opt-in systems” from Kidney International Default effect “Judges are more lenient after taking a break, study finds” from The Guardian “Impossibly Hungry Judges” from Nautilus “Overlooked factors in the analysis of parole decisions” from PNAS “Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action.” PsycNET “Priming Effects Replicate Just Fine, Thanks” from Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science “Walking Fast and Slow” from Marginal Revolution Andrew Gelman “The piranha problem in social psychology / behavioral economics” from Andrew Gelman “The garden of forking paths” from Andrew Gelman “The WEIRDest people in the world?” from Behavioral and Brain Sciences Loss aversion Risk aversion Negativity bias St. Petersburg paradox Kelly criterion Gerd Gigerenzer “Gigerenzer versus Kahneman and Tversky” from Jason Collins

Joshua Becker studies computational social science - particularly collective intelligence and tipping points. Joshua has recently published some papers on polarization showing that the grim headlines about an increasingly fractured society unable to agree on basic facts about the world might not be quite right. Joshua also discusses the way that societies hit "tipping points" and how the networked relationships of human beings interact to create change. Check out the full episode to find out how polarization impacts our ability to learn from each other and why "be the change you wish to see in the world" isn’t just a corny platitude. Check out more from Joshua here: Website: www.joshua-becker.com | Research Twitter: @joshua_a_becker If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:14] Are echo chambers a real thing? [12:47] Is the backfire effect real? Or, do people still learn from sharing information with each other – even in highly polarized environments? [21:38] Different studies show different effects depending on exactly what is being measured as an effect of “polarization.” [30:10] Both academics and journalists are motivated to provide “compelling narratives,” “counterintuitive ideas,” and “difficult problems that must be solved!” [39:39] How do people organize to solve collective action problems? [45:12] What types of organization emerge in complex social systems? [49:30] Is there such a thing as a “collective consciousness”? How do people coordinate conventions like which side of the road to drive on? [01:00:58] “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” – this isn’t just a platitude, the mathematics of network dynamics and social tipping points show that this is how you can actually change the world. [01:05:14] How can we create a sense of community – and what actions does Joshua take to create community in his own life? [01:14:32] How to connect with Joshua online Links and Resources Mentioned Backfire effect Wisdom of the crowd Multimodal distribution The Polarization Lab at Duke University Chris Bail Ross Douthat Ezra Klein “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam Social capital Collective action problem Complex systems Coherent Systems Why army ants get trapped in ‘death circles’ Albert Kao at the Santa Fe Institute Karl Marx Lumpenproletariat (Spooky) Action at a distance Quantum entanglement Andrea Baronchelli “God is dead” Opportunity Cost Transaction Costs “Inadequate Equilibria” by Eliezer Yudkowsky

Jason Crawford studies the history of innovation on his blog The Roots of Progress with detailed case studies on things like the invention of the bicycle, the invention of steel, and how we decided between alternating and direct current. In this conversation, we discuss why my skeptical and argumentative 16-year-old self was misguided about the nature of progress and what Jason has learned through his studies of historical progress. We also discuss possible causes of stagnation in economic growth and scientific discovery, as well as the differences between studying history from a top down vs a bottom up approach. Check out more from Jason and The Roots of Progress here: Website: www.rootsofprogress.org | www.jasoncrawford.org Twitter: @jasoncrawford | @rootsofprogress If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:04] Disabusing my 16-year-old self of some misguided assumptions about the nature of progress – and all the ways in which life is better now for just about everyone than it was in 1700. [10:10] Common arguments against “progress”: zero-sum thinking and Malthusian concerns about population. And, the unexpected developments that change the population calculus. [17:16] Why Jason is skeptical of arguments about “relative happiness” and increasing inequality. [19:27] Behaviorally modern humans have been around for a long time, so why wasn’t there “progress”? What changed that caused us to start inventing things much more quickly? [28:13] Are there broad sociological trends that kickstart progress (like WEIRD psychology and the Catholic Church)? [34:27] Jason prefers to take a bottom-up approach to understanding progress through specific examples of inventions like bicycles, steel, vaccines, etc. [41:02] What about ideas that potentially require several things to go correctly at a time? Do these kinds of ideas resist “tinkering” or are do they have tangible intermediate steps? [45:40] Are we really in a period of scientific and economic stagnation – as argued by Tyler Cowen, Patrick Collison, Peter Thiel and others? Or, are we just waiting for the next “S Curve” of progress to take off? [53:14] Why hasn’t the increased accessibility to information facilitated by the internet resulted in more progress? What are the negative impacts of things like bureaucratic calcification and institutions that optimize for things like prestige and politics over progress? [01:06:42] Coming soon on The Roots of Progress: Mortality rates and public health improvements, agriculture and the economics of food, and how to build a bridge that doesn’t collapse. Links and Resources Mentioned Adbusters Malthusianism “Mouse Utopia” from Gwern “The Population Bomb” by Paul Ehrlich Our World in Data “A Culture of Growth” by Joel Mokyr “How the Catholic Church Created Our Liberal World” by Tanner Greer “The Origins of WEIRD Psychology” by Jonathan Schulz, Duman Bahrami-Rad, Jonathan Beauchamp, Joseph Henrich “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress” by Steven Pinker Alex Tabarrok “Ideas Behind Their Time” from Marginal Revolution “Isaac Newton, World’s Most Famous Alchemist” from Discover Magazine Peter Thiel Patrick Collison Tyler Cowen “Is Science Stagnant?” by Patrick Collison & Michael Nielsen “Is the rate of scientific progress slowing down?” by Tyler Cowen & Ben Southwood The Large Hadron Collider Khan Academy Marc Andreessen Reid Hoffman “The circular flow and GDP” from Khan Academy Y Combinator “The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge” by David McCullough

Brian Speronello is a copywriter who runs a boutique copywriting shop called Accelerated Conversions. He works closely with a handful of clients - including The Ready State (formerly MobilityWOD). Brian was recently involved in the rebranding of MobilityWOD to The Ready State, so he shares some of the copywriting lessons that he’s learned over the years of writing high-converting sales pages - as well as how he applied those lessons to a tangible project like working with the Kelly and Juliet Starrett on changing the name of their company. Check out the full interview with Brian to learn how to write persuasively. If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Check out more from Brian and Accelerated Conversions here: Website: www.acceleratedconversions.com Show Notes: [01:22] Why Brian chooses to only work with a select group of clients – and why turning your craft into a “business” can pull you away from doing the work that you love [15:03] Why would someone pay thousands of dollars per month to put words on a website? [19:47] How Brian gets people’s attention – without compromising his ethics or resorting to clickbait [24:02] How does Brian figure out what people actually want and will pay for – as opposed to just what they say they want [30:23] Dissecting one of the most famous examples in copywriting (Schlitz Beer) – and understanding how to prove claims in your copy so your clients find them believable [48:03] The value of constant feedback from clients – and how Brian uses feedback to better understand his market [55:46] The ultimate test to find out if your sales pitch is ethical [57:10] The rebranding and relaunch of The Ready State – and how Brian applied the principles from this conversation to this real life example [01:09:30] The power of a guarantee to further build trust and credibility [01:14:10] How to connect with Brian Links and Resources Mentioned “What is difference between maxima (or minima) and global maxima (or minima)?” from Mathematics Stack Exchange Jay Abraham “Jay Abraham, Claude Hopkins, Schlitz Beer And Preeminence” from Copywriting Secrets “How to Write a Good Advertisement” by Victor O. Schwab “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath “Entrepreneurs, Credibility and The Sinatra Test” by JP Solano “Three Ways To Grow A Business” from Jay Abraham The Ready State Kelly Starrett Juliet Starrett Free Trial – The Ready State | Example of Headline Copywriting Organifi

Jessica Danger is a creative writing professor, an editor at the Morning Chalk Up, and a co-host of the "A Fresh Cup of Fitness" podcast. I’ve been writing #content for well over a decade now - starting with a polemical high school zine - and I haven’t put too much thought into my writing other than just vomiting ideas out. I was eager to get the perspective of an actual writer, editor and professor on how to improve writing, and I found many of her tips to be both super insightful and actionable. We also discuss balancing the incentives of clicks and engagement with maintaining an editorial standard when curating content for the Morning Chalk Up, as well as Jessica’s own creative projects like her new podcast "A Fresh Cup of Fitness" and her renewed focus on publishing her memoir. Check out more from Jessica, the Morning Chalk Up & A Fresh Cup of Fitness here: Website: www.jlynndanger.com | Morning Chalk Up Podcast: A Fresh Cup of Fitness Instagram: @mamadanger | @morningchalkup If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:15] Writing is a skill that is learned through constant practice and iteration - just like skills in fitness. It's less magical than people think. [07:05] There's one consistent stumbling block that shows up for beginning, intermediate and advanced writers - it just presents itself differently. [14:52] Does reading actually translate into making people better writers? Or is there some other mysterious skill that makes people good at writing? What other drills can people use to improve their writing? [26:15] Most people make this mistake when trying to write and edit their work. And - what are other drills that people can use to become better editors? [35:00] What is worth sharing with the large audience of the Morning Chalk Up? What different types of people read the newsletter, and how does Jessica develop an intuition for what they are interested in? [42:00] No click bait and no "iceberg lettuce" in the Morning Chalk Up [49:40] What should a potential contributor think about when pitching an editor? And what drives editors crazy about bad pitches? [59:13] "A Fresh Cup of Fitness" podcast - and the difference between written content and a more conversational podcast [01:11:11] Jessica's memoir - and her plans to prioritize getting published after focusing on different aspects of her career Links and Resources Mentioned Romantic poetry "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott Fan fiction John Updike John Irving Raymond Chandler Ogden Nash "The Fourth State of Matter" by Jo Ann Beard Brittany Marsh Pocket Leo Tolstoy "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson "Neuromancer" by William Gibson "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

I’ve put a lot of thought into learning over the last year or two - both in terms of learning things myself (like coding, improvisation on guitar, and assorted wide reading into too many different interests) and in terms of teaching coaches who I work with. Learning is a super power, since acquiring new skills allows you to quickly level up. In the case of an organization, if you can learn effectively and then teach effectively, you can compound your gains in skills. I don’t feel great about my understanding of the "transfer problem" (the ability to apply learning from one scenario into another), and I’d love to learn more about how to overcome this barrier. Anyway, check out what I’ve learned about learning and level up! If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [00:09] Learning and teaching are superpowers. Not only can you level up your own skills - if you can pass that information on, you can level up everyone in the organization. [03:33] Understanding one thing has dramatically improved my ability to teach and pass along skills: People need to be solving a problem in order to learn effectively [10:41] What is the optimal blend of theory and practice? Some people end up doing a bunch of "drills" and "skill transfer" exercises that result in little real progress. Others spend a lot of time on "book learnin" that doesn't have practical application. How do the best blend the two? [17:40] Transfer from practice scenarios into real life application is extremely difficult. How can we create practice scenarios that recreate the chaos and unpredictability of real life? [24:44] Pattern matching and "chunking" facilitates creativity and understanding of nuance - and also creates the illusion of "genius" or "talent." [30:55] Better improving the transfer problem is probably the highest leverage activity we can focus on in learning and teaching Links and Resources Mentioned Scott H Young Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young Scott Young (Author of Ultralearning) Interview on Todd Nief’s Show Socratic Questioning on Todd Nief’s Show Transfer of learning Cristiano Ronaldo - Tested To The Limit! - YouTube Shopify Magnus Carlsen Magnus Carlsen: ‘You need to be very fortunate to be No 1 in fantasy football’ Leo Messi 33 Alien Goals by Lionel Messi

This is a cross-post from the From Coach to Business podcast. My friend Brandon and I both often get questions about starting and growing a coaching business - either online or in the brick and mortar space - so we put together a season with answers to some of the most common questions we get as well as some insight on the mistakes that we made while we were starting out. This episode is with Will Hoekenga from Copygrad. A few years ago, Will was pumping out some great content on copywriting on his blog that I found super valuable. Since then, he's gone on to work with some bigwigs selling some pretty impressive products. I found this to be the most personally helpful episode of the From Coach to Business podcast. Even if you don't think of yourself as "a copywriter," developing the basic skills of writing persuasively and understanding how to communicate to people makes just about everything in life easier. Highly recommended! If you're in the fitness industry and you want to check out the full season, head over to www.fromcoachtobusiness.com/season-1 or search "From Coach to Business" in your podcast player of choice.

Gretchen Leslie is the Director of Operations for GrowthLab and I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I recently attended a live event that Gretchen and the GrowthLab team put on in New York, and I wanted to talk with Gretchen about her management philosophy and how she manages an entirely remote team. Gretchen has an extensive background in Six Sigma and large organizations, so - between that and her work with GrowthLab - she has deep insights from a wide variety of organizational scenarios. Anyone who works with people will get some excellent takeaways from this episode, particularly if you have to hold people accountable, coordinate the work of multiple folks into a cohesive vision, and create a culture where employees are bought in and actively trying to make things better. Check out more from Gretchen, GrowthLab and I Will Teach You To Be Rich: Website: GrowthLab | I Will Teach You To Be Rich If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:07] “The Venice of the South” – where you can take your boat to the casino and pick up a daquiri on the way [06:46] Tips and tricks for running operations on a distributed team – and what to look for in order to hire people who are a good fit for remote work [14:09] Gretchen’s key management framework: “What does done look like?” And why just having a hyper-detailed spec sheet doesn’t mean that everyone is aligned on a project. [21:15] A real life example of successful project management coordination across teams: The “Founding Class” event that GrowthLab recently put on in New York. [27:29] How to find the balance between bottoms-up idea generation and top-down decision-making in an organization. And, how to effectively challenge employees so that they are able to vet their own ideas. [35:20] The two types of mistakes that organizations make when tracking data. And, how Gretchen uses psychology to create compliance to process. [45:50] How to make meetings not suck – and why GrowthLab has a “No Meeting Wednesday” policy. [53:45] Music, subcultures, and the trajectory of “excitement” to “jadedness” within a subculture. Links and Resources Mentioned Kanban board “The Beginners’ Guide to Agile Project Management Methodology” from Workfront PMP Certification Six Sigma Jira Asana Jimmy Buffett Stephanie Lee Coachella Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Rhythm & Roots Festival Old Crow Medicine Show Gene Simmons Kiss Debbie Harry “Face It” by Debbie Harry New York Dolls The Stooges Beat Generation CrossFit Dungeons & Dragons Magic: The Gathering Stranger Things Furby “Inside the Bizarre World of ‘Bronies,’ Adult Male Fans of ‘My Little Pony’” from The Daily Beast Ramit Sethi Straight edge

Anyone who has coached or competed in CrossFit for awhile sees things that kind of don’t make sense. Athletes with 15+ unbroken ring muscle-ups and a 6:30 2k row who are surprisingly bad at “metcons.” Athletes who can only do 5-10 unbroken strict handstand push-ups who are able to quickly chip away at a set of 50 and beat athletes who can do 20+ unbroken reps. Evan Peikon from Training Think Tank has done a lot of work with the Moxy unit on measuring muscle oxygen saturation and blood flow, and he’s developed a model that is able to explain a lot of these seemingly confusing contradictions in performance. While this conversation gets a bit into the weeds, a lot of these details are necessary to understand the complexity of fatigue in CrossFit as a sport. If you’ve ever seen something that doesn’t make any sense in CrossFit, Evan’s framework may give some insight into what’s actually going on with different “types” of athletes. Check out more from Evan and Training Think Tank here: Instagram: @evan_peikon | @trainingthinktank Website: Evan’s Interviews and Articles | www.trainingthinktank.com YouTube: @trainingthinktank If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:10] Evan’s opinions on metalcore [10:55] The basic physiology of oxygen delivery and what different measures like VO2 max, muscle oxygen saturation and heart rate can tell us about performance [16:58] What are different types of fatigue that can occur at the muscle level? And – the 3 different types of limiters in CrossFit athletes. [23:35] What is the difference between Evan’s model of fatigue based upon his work with muscle oxygen saturation and more traditional models of fatigue based upon acidosis? [31:45] What is happening when athletes feel “burning” in the muscle vs when athletes feel a “pump” in the muscle? How do these sensations in the muscle create global feelings of fatigue? What role does the “mind” play in governing our effort? [41:44] Psychological gamesmanship in racing – particularly in track athletes [45:00] What role do occlusions play in creating fatigue for athletes in CrossFit? And – the 2 different types of occlusion and what those mean for your ability to “push through.” [01:03:40] Why do some people always have one specific muscle group “blow up” – like their grip, their shoulders, their low back, their calves, etc. [01:09:23] How can athletes who tend to get muscle pumps improve their ability in CrossFit? What would an ideal training session look like for this athlete – and why do some common training protocols potentially make this kind of athlete worse? [01:17:25] What does Evan think the most common limiting factor is for athletes who do not tend to occlude in their muscles? These athletes often struggle to build strength – how should they structure their strength training protocols so they can actually get stronger? Links and Resources Mentioned Norma Jean Josh Scogin Cory Brandan Norma Jean – Redeemer The Chariot CTP Underoath Slipknot Pound Classes What is muscle oxygen saturation? NIRS(Near-infrared spectroscopy) Moxy Monitor VO2 max The Phosphocreatine System Anaerobic glycolysis Cellular respiration Energy system utilization chart Bicarbonate buffer system 5-1-5 Step Test Improvements in Cycling Time Trial Performance Are Not Sustained Following the Acute Provision of Challenging and Deceptive Feedback Max El Hag Travis Mayer James Jowsey

This is a cross-post from the From Coach to Business podcast that we just launched. My friend Brandon and I both often get questions about starting and growing a coaching business - either online or in the brick and mortar space - so we put together a season with answers to some of the most common questions we get as well as some insight on the mistakes that we made while we were starting out. This episode is with Juliet Starrett, the co-founder of San Francisco CrossFit and The Ready State (formerly known as MobilityWOD). Juliet has tons of insightful takeaways on client retention and crafting an excellent onboarding experience - as well as how to actually dial in operations so that your business is able to consistently execute on giving clients a great experience. If you're in the fitness industry and you want to check out the full season, head over to www.fromcoachtobusiness.com/season-1 or search "From Coach to Business" in your podcast player of choice.

This is a cross-post from the From Coach to Business podcast that we just launched. My friend Brandon and I both often get questions about starting and growing a coaching business - either online or in the brick and mortar space - so we put together a season with answers to some of the most common questions we get as well as some insight on the mistakes that we made while we were starting out. I think this episode with productivity and digital organization expert Tiago Forte is applicable to people outside of the fitness industry as well, since we get into some pretty insightful stuff about how to organize your digital life and how to think about using software as your "second brain." If you're in the fitness industry and you want to check out the full season, head over to www.fromcoachtobusiness.com/season-1 or search "From Coach to Business" in your podcast player of choice.

We're going back in the archives this week to last year with a repost of an interview with Adrian Bozman - the Head Judge of the CrossFit Games. You can check out the full show notes from the episode here. I've been hard at work finishing up the first season of From Coach to Business, which will be released in the next week or two. I'll be releasing an episode on this feed when the podcast goes live, so stay tuned.

Chris Mills is the drummer for Harm’s Way - and he’s also a clinical social worker for an addiction and mental health residential program. Many folks who are touring most of the year piece together random part-time jobs or have their hands in a few different pieces of the music industry (management, booking, merchandise, etc.). Chris, however, is a highly trained professional in an extremely difficult field. We dig into music nerd stuff about how Harm’s Way writes songs - and how they think about the roll of “heaviness” and “rhythm” in their songs. And Chris also explains why he thinks that many of the models that we use to think about addiction are outdated - and what he prefers instead. Check out more from Chris and Harm’s Way here: Instagram: @harmsway13 Bandcamp: Harm’s Way If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:08] Getting into nu-metal as an adult – and how that influenced the process of writing music [08:31] Harms Way’s change in sound was more “organic” in that the new riffs that they were writing started to sound different. And, how songs can be “heavy” without just focusing on the “breakdown.” [15:15] The album writing process: trying to create a cohesive work – and writing through jamming, building songs in practice, and grinding it out. [26:02] The crappy practice space that Like Rats and Harm’s way share. [29:08] Working as a social worker in a residential program in the field of addiction and mental health. How does Chris prioritize what clients work on in terms of their biggest priorities in treatment? [37:44] What’s the difference between the 12 step model, the disease model of addiction, and a more behavior-based model? What framework does Chris prefer for treating his patients? [45:42] Differentiating psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers – and understanding what is usually the biggest obstacle to creating lasting behavioral change? [54:14] Harm’s Way’s history as a straight edge band, and how Chris thinks about playing in a band that often focuses on negative emotion in its art through the lens of a social worker. [58:14] Harms Way’s upcoming touring plans Links and Resources Mentioned Nu metal Slipknot Korn Max Cavalera Sepultura – Chaos A.D. Sepultura – Roots Sepultura The Dillinger Escape Plan Cryptopsy Andy Nelson Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone New York hardcore Biohazard Cro-Mags Snapcase Vision of Disorder Like Rats Hate Force Bob Marley Bob Marley Posters Gateway Foundation Twelve-step program Cognitive behavioral therapy Ghostemane The Devil Wears Prada Every Time I Die

Fundraising for your business is often a stressful, opaque and time-consuming process. I’ve gone through it on a minor scale in order to take on a lease and build out a building for South Loop Strength & Conditioning - but my good friend John Friel is currently in the process of attempting to raise venture capital for his start-up Art in Res. Venture capital is a whole different animal, so we discussed the process of applying to Y Combinator, understanding the various incentives of different investors, the obstacles to the hypergrowth that the venture capital model demands and - my favorite part - the distinction and overlap between fans, nerds and utilitarians when it comes to art, musical equipment, sports, and coffee. Check out more from John and Art In Res here: Instagram: @johnfriel | @art_in_res Website: www.artinres.com If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [01:21] Going through the Y Combinator application process required “stepping back” and looking at the entire structure of Art in Res – rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day, in-the-weeds aspects of operating the business. It also required understanding how to “storytell” to investors – which seems to require different skillsets for finance people and venture capitalists. [12:30] Why play the venture capital game rather than bootstrapping and attempting to create a “lifestyle business?” What will it take for Art in Res to grow to a scale that would justify venture capital investment? [24:15] How much money should you actually raise during the fundraising process? There seems to be conflicting advice regarding being frugal – but also raising more money than you think you’ll need. And – the cognitive biases that make it necessary to game the system so that you can signal a constant and impressive upward trajectory. [37:31] Thinking about the incentives of venture capitalists and why they want to invest in companies – and going down a rabbit hole to parse out the difference between nerds, fans and utilitarians. And how art collectors, coffee snobs, music gear heads and sports fans all probably follow a similar archetypal structure in terms of their enthusiasm for esoteric knowledge. [53:45] How to potentially tap a latent market for art collectors – and understanding the psychology of potential consumers in order to create a marketplace on which commerce actually takes place. Links and Resources Mentioned Y Combinator xhbtr “WeWork I.P.O. Is Withdrawn as Investors Grow Wary” from The New York Times Pets.com Gumroad “Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company” by Sahil Lavingia Blue Bottle Coffee Containers Podcast

Jason Leydon is an elite-level CrossFit coach - and, much like myself, a continuing education junkie. I’d been looking forward to this conversation, since Jason is not just very successful in his ability to develop athletes, but also very self-aware about his process and how he’s developed his knowledge and his methods. Jason is the real deal, and he can articulate exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. In this conversation, we don’t just hit the nitty gritty details of developing athletes (although there is some of that). We spend a lot of time on Jason’s process for continuing to learn - and how he actually turns the things that he learns through books, seminars and courses into tangible results for his athletes and his coaches. Check out more from Jason, Conquer Athlete & CrossFit Milford here: Instagram: @jasonleydon | @conquerathlete | @crossfit_milford Website: www.conquerathlete.com | www.crossfitmilford.com Podcast: Conquer Athlete Podcast If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes: [1:08] What’s up with Jason’s accent? Is this how people from Milford speak? And – the sudden and shocking end to Jason’s basketball career. [11:17] How to handle the sudden change in identity as an athlete who can no longer compete. And – the transition from athlete to coach, as well as the coinciding dedication to continuing education. [20:21] How does Jason actually apply the things that he learns from seminars, books and courses? How does Jason think about solving tangible problems with the material that he learns – and how does he go about asking for help when something isn’t clicking for him. [25:36] Connecting the practical, in-the-gym application of concepts with the theoretical learning that occurs in books or courses. Outcomes are often messy, so how does Jason figure out what’s actually working and what is just happenstance and chaos? [31:14] How does Jason teach coaches who work with him to hold the same standard of coaching? Not everyone is able to learn from courses in the same way, so how does Jason pass knowledge on? [37:00] How does Jason decide what his coaches need to prioritize in their coaching development? And, what lessons from learning to manage rowdy teens in a gym class are applicable to coaching adults? [44:24] How does Jason manage the sport-specific needs of his competitive CrossFit athletes with their long-term development? How does a coach prioritize what an athlete needs to work on – and how does a coach create sustainability for an athlete in the sport? [52:40] How to find out more about Conquer Athlete and the Conquer Athlete Podcast Links and Resources Mentioned Michael Phelps on the Tony Robbins Podcast Jumpsoles Dan John James FitzGerald FRC (Functional Range Conditioning) Louie Simmons Juggernaut Training Systems “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey & Jim Huling The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant Brett Bartholomew “Conscious Coaching” by Brett Bartholomew

Shelby Lermo plays guitar for Vasum and Ulthar, and used to oversee the tangled web of death metal, interviews and conspiracy theories that was Illogical Contraption. This conversation was a real pleasure for me, since I’ve known Shelby as an “online friend” for probably close to a decade, and have long admired his work from afar. For those concerned with the stagnation of the extreme metal underground, we discuss possible iterations on the form of death metal outside of the contemporary postmodern juxtaposition of seemingly disparate genres or the rehashing of the past through “old school death metal.” For those concerned with conspiracy thinking, we discuss the allure and the dangers of conspiracy theories, as well as the mechanisms that have pushed conspiracy into the mainstream. Check out more from Shelby, Illogical Contraption, Vastum & Ulthar here: Bandcamp: Vastum | Ulthar Illogical Contraption Archives: Blog | Podcast If you're enjoying the show, the best way to support it is by sharing with your friends. If you don't have any friends, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show. You can also subscribe to receive my e-mail newsletter at www.toddnief.com. Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that list. Show Notes:Show Notes: [01:12] The process of making internet friends before social media, and the tangled web of content that was Illogical Contraption. [09:17] The evolution of music discovery and communication in the underground from tape-trading to music blogs to Spotify - and how Shelby thinks about consuming music vs listening to music. [19:58] The stagnation of the death metal genre, and how to think about composing outside of the standard idioms of the form.” [24:21] Shelby’s creative process for multiple different projects, and the differing levels of collaboration between different projects. [29:35] Where can death metal go next? Do the popular styles of metal in the underground follow cyclical patterns (ie thrash -> old school death metal -> technical death metal)? Will anyone create a new form for underground metal that isn’t just a postmodern hodgepodge of varied styles and instrumentation? [40:48] Being disciplined regarding creativity: scheduling time to create, not waiting for inspiration, and separating the process of creating from the process of editing [48:10] The allure of conspiracy theories - and why you shouldn’t believe them, as well as the surprising “mainstreamification” of conspiracy thinking. [59:00] Implausible beliefs are a signaling mechanism for in-group loyalty, which can create feedback loops that increase the strangeness of conspiracy theories. [1:05:05] Shelby’s favorite interviews from the Illogical Contraption podcast Links and Resources Mentioned Mediafire RapidShare Megaupload Spotify Pavor Incantation 20 Buck Spin Suffocation Cryptopsy Destruction "The Least Successful Human Cannonball" by Destruction Red Hot Chili Peppers "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" by Primus "Pork Soda" by Primus Melvins Devourment Defeated Sanity "Storm Of The Light's Bane" by Dissection ByoNoiseGenerator The Dillinger Escape Plan Naked City "Graves of the Archangels" by Dead Congregation Brian May Queen Alpha Draconis "Stop Falling For This Facebook Scam" from Forbes QAnon WALL-E Bill Zebub Dave Attell Dave Attell on Illogical Contraption Radio Dave Brockie Dave Brockie on Illogical Contraption Radio Longmont Potion Castle Longmont Potion Castle on Illogical Contraption Radio Alex Trebek Where In The Hell is The Lavender House? The Longmont Potion Castle Story Killtown Death Fest