(Apple's Best of 2018) In-depth conversations with people at the top of their game. Jordan Harbinger unpacks guests' wisdom into practical nuggets you can use t...
1104: Rich Abuser Admits Crime But Won't Spare a Dime | Feedback Friday
Religious pressure to forgive meets decades-old family assault. When the perpetrator has wealth but won't aid healing, what's next? It's Feedback Friday!
And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now let's dive in!
On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:
Your cousin and her daughter were both sexually assaulted by members of the same family, decades apart. Now the perpetrator is wealthy, dismissive, and unwilling to help with therapy costs while flaunting his success. There's a complex web of family dynamics and religious pressure to "forgive and forget" — but should justice have an expiration date? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us answer this one!]
You're facing a performance review where you'll need to discuss a new company protocol that's making your work less efficient and more demanding. The change wasn't your supervisor's call, but you'll have to navigate this diplomatic minefield carefully. How do you voice concerns without burning bridges?
Your brother lives five minutes away but weaponizes access to your beloved niece, only allowing visits when it suits him. He claims you're "obsessed" with her and don't care about him — though your relationship was strained long before she arrived. Is there a solution you're not seeing, or are you destined to watch her grow up from a distance?
Recommendation of the Week: The Sun-a-Wear UV Tracker
Your tech startup is opening a new office in your hometown, presenting a golden opportunity for growth. But as you attend networking events filled with CTOs and investors, imposter syndrome is hitting hard. You want to make meaningful connections but feel you have nothing to offer these power players. Could you be more valuable than you think?
Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1104
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1:29:33
1103: Marcel Dirsus | How Tyrants Fall and Nations Survive
What can a country do to shake its pesky dictator problem? How Tyrants Fall author Marcel Dirsus is here to explain why it's difficult but not impossible!
What We Discuss with Dr. Marcel Dirsus:
Dictators are trapped on what Dr. Marcel Dirsus calls "the dictator's treadmill" — they can't safely step down because they've committed too many crimes to retire peacefully, but must keep running to survive. Statistics show 69% of dictators end up imprisoned, exiled, or killed.
Dictators weaken their own militaries through "coup-proofing" — creating multiple competing security forces and promoting based on loyalty rather than competence. While this helps prevent coups, it makes their forces less effective against external threats.
Natural resources like oil and diamonds help dictators maintain power because they can generate wealth without requiring an educated population or competent administrators. This allows them to focus on loyalty over capability in their government.
Most dictators who fall (about 80%) are replaced by new dictators rather than democracies. Simply removing a dictator often leads to civil war or another authoritarian regime rather than democratic reform.
There are effective, peaceful ways to gradually weaken dictatorships and empower democracy, such as supporting independent journalism, providing communication networks, and training civil society groups. These methods have historically helped create positive change without the catastrophic risks of violent intervention.
And much more...
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1103
And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals
Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!
Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!
Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!
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1:25:27
1102: College vs. Trades | Skeptical Sunday
Want to make bank without the bank breaking you? Anglo-Saxon poetry enthusiast Nick Pell weighs trades against degrees on this week's Skeptical Sunday!
On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:
While college graduates earn more on average ($77,000/year) compared to trade school graduates ($67,000/year) and high school graduates ($47,000/year), this comes with significant student loan debt — averaging $37,000 for a bachelor's degree.
There's a severe shortage of skilled trade workers in America, with examples like a deficit of 500,000 plumbers and an anticipated shortage of 1.9 million manufacturing jobs, suggesting strong job security and demand in these fields.
Advanced degrees show diminishing returns — a master's degree costs an average of $65,000 and only provides about a 16% salary increase, while a doctorate costs $127,000 for grad school alone with relatively modest income gains.
The college versus trade school decision isn't purely financial — it should factor in personal aptitudes, desired lifestyle, and how someone wants to spend roughly one-third of their adult life working.
There are multiple paths to success, and you can make informed choices by: taking a "gap year" to work and explore interests, completing general education requirements at more affordable community colleges, researching program costs versus expected salaries, and considering apprenticeships which have doubled since 2013 and offer paid training opportunities.
Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know!
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1102
And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals
Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!
Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!
Do you even Reddit, bro?
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1:00:28
1101: Church, Steeple, and the Trafficked People | Feedback Friday
That slick businessman who bought your local church? His "art gallery" promises are looking more like a front for something sinister. It's Feedback Friday!
And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now let's dive in!
On This Week's Feedback Friday:
You live next to a historic church that was recently sold to a charismatic businessman with grand plans for an art gallery. But whispers of human trafficking and suspicious activities are swirling through your small town like autumn leaves. What's really happening behind those hallowed walls?
You're locked out of your house, and the locksmith who finally shows up hits you with a bill that could buy a small yacht. But the real lock that needs picking? Your paralyzing fear of conflict. How do you build the backbone to stand up for yourself?
Your neurodivergent 12-year-old son has been running a thriving business from your condo lobby, delighting residents with his entrepreneurial spirit. But now the building board is throwing bureaucratic thunderbolts his way. Can creativity trump red tape?
You're crushing your career even on four hours of sleep with a six-month-old at home. But now you're caught in that classic new-parent paradox: how to keep climbing the corporate ladder while changing diapers? There's got to be a way to have it all, right?
Recommendation of the Week: On Call
A successful executive shares a story about dinner table epiphanies, early morning trains, and the cosmic calculus of how we spend our precious time. What he learned about the mathematics of moments will make you reconsider your own life's algorithm.
Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1101
And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider...
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1:28:20
1100: James Patterson | Building the Architecture of Addictive Fiction
From advertising exec to America's storyteller-in-chief: prolific author James Patterson shares his blueprint for turning creative chaos into literary gold.
What We Discuss with James Patterson:
Highly prolific author James Patterson maintains success through daily consistency — writing 350-365 days per year, getting up at 5:30 a.m., and viewing his work as "playing" rather than working. This dedication has led to over 400 million books sold.
James' creative process involves extensive outlining (60-80 pages) but staying flexible within that structure. He keeps multiple projects (around 30) going simultaneously and moves between them if he gets stuck on one.
James' breakthrough moment came when he realized he was "on the wrong side of the highway" — stuck in advertising traffic heading to a job he didn't want, while watching others freely driving in the opposite direction. This led him to leave his successful advertising career to write full-time.
James' writing philosophy focuses on respecting the reader's time by following Leonard Elmore's advice to "leave out the parts people skip" and ensuring each chapter compels readers to turn the page. He emphasizes storytelling over showing off literary prowess.
Anyone can improve their writing and creativity by breaking tasks into manageable pieces: if you're stuck, skip to another section and come back later; don't get too attached to any particular piece of writing; and remember that first drafts don't need to be perfect — you can always revise and refine your work as you go along.
And much more...
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1100
And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals
Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!
Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!
Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!
(Apple's Best of 2018) In-depth conversations with people at the top of their game. Jordan Harbinger unpacks guests' wisdom into practical nuggets you can use to impact your work, life, and relationships. Learn from leaders (Ray Dalio, Simon Sinek, Mark Cuban), entertainers (Moby, Tip "T.I." Harris, Dennis Quaid), scientists (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye), athletes (Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Tony Hawk) and an eclectic array of fascinating minds, from art forgers and arms traffickers to spies and psychologists.
USA