The Jordan Harbinger Show

By Jordan Harbinger

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Rate for this podcast

Subscribers: 8769
Reviews: 54
Episodes: 843


 Apr 18, 2023

great show, no politics
 Sep 13, 2021
Contrary to what the guy below says, this podcast doesn't involve politics at all. I think right-wing crazies just assume that anything that isn't flat-earth antivax Qanon shite is somehow "full of libtards". Great show.

po
 Aug 7, 2021
zc m .

Steve Cauthren
 Jul 6, 2021
One of the best shows out there, and my favorite! Feedback Friday might be the best Q&A ever!

A Podcast Republic user
 May 24, 2021

Description

(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.

Episode Date
842: Sleazy Dude's Stealing Stepdaughter's Nudes | Feedback Friday
01:10:54

You have evidence that your 17-year-old girlfriend's stepfather sent himself copies of her nude photos when he confiscated her phone. Knowing this, now she's got to spend time alone with him when her mother goes out of town. What should she do? We'll try to find answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Hey! Where the heck has David C. Smalley been?
  • An underage girl discovered her stepfather sent himself copies of her nude photos when he confiscated her phone, and now she's got to spend time alone with him when her mother goes out of town for a few weeks. What should she do?
  • Marrying into a family and its business — which you've been told your spouse will eventually take over — has you wondering how to ensure your own financial security if it turns out other relatives want a piece of the business somewhere down the line.
  • After suffering a brain injury in a terrible car accident, many aspects of your personality have changed — including a fresh perspective about how your dysfunctional family and the religious cult in which you were raised have been neglectful and abusive. How should the "new" you face the future?
  • You've been waiting for nearly a decade to exit an unhappy marriage until your youngest kid turns 18, which will happen soon. Unfortunately, you and your spouse work in a full-time religious ministry, and divorce will mean dismissal, loss of income, disappointing the family and community, and surfacing of past transgressions you'd rather not revisit. What's your least disastrous path forward?
  • How do you effectively network without feeling like some kind of manipulative phony?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • 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/842

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

Jun 02, 2023
841: Adam Bornstein | The Real Skinny on the Weight Loss Industry
01:22:41

Adam Bornstein (@BornFitness) is the founder of Born Fitness, an award-winning writer and editor in the fitness space, and a bestselling author. His latest book is You Can't Screw This Up: Why Eating Takeout, Enjoying Dessert, and Taking the Stress out of Dieting Leads to Weight Loss That Lasts.

What We Discuss with Adam Bornstein:

  • Why are more than 70 percent of Americans overweight or obese despite 40 percent of men and 60 percent of women observing multiple diets per year?
  • The common misbeliefs and flawed mindsets around fitness and weight loss perpetuated by a wellness industry that prioritizes its profits over the people it purports to help.
  • How the wellness industry inflates bogus "sciencey" claims in order to fool us into buying routines, diets, and supplements that, at best, do nothing for us.
  • What calorie restriction really does to the brain.
  • How extreme, all-or-none beliefs make us fail our fitness goals, and what we can do to actually move the progress needle forward.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/841

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 30, 2023
840: Stalked and Defamed by Unstable Ex-Flame | Feedback Friday
01:19:51

Being ghosted in the aftermath of a bad date might momentarily sting the ego, but it seems a better alternative to having your name smeared on social media by a vindictive stalker spurned. What can you do to reclaim your good standing if the social media admins ignore your requests to remove libelous accusations leveled against you? We'll try to find answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • When a bad-date-turned-libelous-stalker tarnishes your name online, how do you restore your reputation if admins keep ignoring your requests to remove the baseless slander that remains attached to a big picture of your face on their platform? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us with yet another humdinger!]
  • Should you prioritize staying in the town where you've established personal and professional roots, or make an effort to relocate so you can be near your daughter as she moves across the country with your ex?
  • How do you maintain your own patience, empathy, and mental well-being while providing support for your difficult, negative grandmother who isn't quite ready to accept an assisted-living situation?
  • How should you handle inappropriate comments from a mentor/friend that triggered past trauma related to your father? Should you give this person another chance, or was immediately blocking and ghosting him really the best course of action?
  • Should you honor your dying mother's request to donate her body to science, or heed a local funeral director's advice against it?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • 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/840

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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May 26, 2023
839: David Packouz | The Real-Life "War Dogs" Gun-Runner Part Two
01:28:20

David Packouz (@DavidPackouz) is an entrepreneur, inventor, musician, and CEO of Singular Sound. He's also a former arms dealer, whose story was portrayed in the movie War Dogs with Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, and Bradley Cooper. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Catch up with part one here!]

What We Discuss with David Packouz:

  • How does an Orthodox Jew with 10 siblings become an international arms dealer?
  • How federal government contracts work — and why some of them almost always go over budget.
  • How corruption at every level of the Russian government hamstrings its military and stifles innovation.
  • How David and his partner Efraim Diveroli got hooked up with lucrative government arms deals when they were barely adults.
  • The countless ways in which Efraim is not as charming as Jonah Hill made him out to be in War Dogs.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/839

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! 

May 25, 2023
838: David Packouz | The Real-Life "War Dogs" Gun-Runner Part One
01:36:45

David Packouz (@DavidPackouz) is an entrepreneur, inventor, musician, and CEO of Singular Sound. He's also a former arms dealer, whose story was portrayed in the movie War Dogs with Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, and Bradley Cooper. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Carry on to part two here!] 

What We Discuss with David Packouz:

  • How does an Orthodox Jew with 10 siblings become an international arms dealer?
  • How federal government contracts work — and why some of them almost always go over budget.
  • How corruption at every level of the Russian government hamstrings its military and stifles innovation.
  • How David and his partner Efraim Diveroli got hooked up with lucrative government arms deals when they were barely adults.
  • The countless ways in which Efraim is not as charming as Jonah Hill made him out to be in War Dogs.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/838 

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! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 23, 2023
837: Who's at Fault When You're a Magnet for Assault? | Feedback Friday
01:02:41

Ever since being sexually assaulted by someone you trusted as a friend in high school, it seems like you only wind up in relationships with people who will similarly hurt you. It's such a troubling pattern that it's got you wondering: are you somehow at fault when you're a magnet for assault? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • A pattern of troubling relationships after being sexually assaulted by a trusted friend in high school has you wondering: are you somehow at fault when you're a magnet for assault?
  • Are you obligated to honor the dying wish of a manipulative parent who's never really been there for you in your time of need?
  • The extreme poverty you experienced in childhood no doubt contributed to the mindset that got you where you are today: successful by most metrics and financially well-rewarded. But you also live in fear that one wrong move could take this all away and leave you destitute once again. How can you ever feel safe from the looming specter of poverty?
  • You're a science-rooted skeptic, and your otherwise perfect significant other has a career in alternative medicine. You can live with a difference in views, but you're afraid that important health decisions for your kids could cause major conflict in the future. Is there room enough here to find a middle ground?
  • You're doing work you feel is important, but you often find yourself struggling to get fired up and motivated about following through with it. Is there a way to stay more consistently connected to your purpose, or is this a sign that it's not really your purpose?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • 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/837

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

Sign up for

May 19, 2023
836: Scott Lyons | Overcoming an Addiction to Drama
00:00

Dr. Scott Lyons (@drscottlyons) is a neuroscientist focusing on cognitive psychology and the impact of mindfulness on mental well-being, founder of The Embody Lab, host of The Gently Used Human podcast, and author of Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others. [TW // Self-harm and suicide are discussed.] 

What We Discuss with Dr. Scott Lyons:

  • What drama addiction is, and why it's so much more than just seeking constant attention from others.
  • How to recognize drama addiction in yourself and others.
  • How to grasp the ways in which drama addiction affects your well-being.
  • How to build and uphold boundaries in our drama-ridden lives.
  • How to heal a drama addiction and live a more peaceful, less chaotic life.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/836 

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! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 16, 2023
835: E-Commerce Scams | Skeptical Sunday
00:54:46

While working for yourself can be fulfilling and financially rewarding, it's important to understand that it takes a lot of effort and sacrifice — especially when you're just starting out. Unfortunately, there are scammers aplenty who want to sell you on get-rich-quick schemes that only make them rich at your expense. So how can you tell the difference between legitimate business opportunities and shams perpetrated by shady shysters eager to drain your bank account? This week on Skeptical Sunday, we're joined by Steve Chou — e-commerce entrepreneur, host of The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast, and author of The Family-First Entrepreneur: How to Achieve Financial Freedom Without Sacrificing What Matters Most — to separate the wheat from the chaff.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

  • According to the FTC, Americans were scammed out of $249 million through fake business and job opportunities in just the first three quarters of 2022 — but get-rich-quick schemes really started gaining traction in 2020 as criminals took advantage of people who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
  • The real math it takes to build a fortune from creating YouTube videos — and why relying on AI to create content from the ether is an unsustainable "strategy."
  • Why buying an impressive-looking "done for you" e-commerce site pre-populated with dropshipping products will likely lose you money in the long run.
  • How the astronomical income promised by countless dropshipping automation companies pans out when real-world middlemen and unreliable sources are factored in.
  • Why it's essential to research and verify any business opportunity before investing time and money into it — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Real businesses require effort, time, and some sacrifice to gain the momentum needed to make them rewarding.
  • And much more!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you want us to tackle something here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with Steve at his website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and check out The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast and The Family-First Entrepreneur: How to Achieve Financial Freedom Without Sacrificing What Matters Most

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/835

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May 14, 2023
834: A Night So Wild, GF's Sister Carries Your Child | Feedback Friday
01:05:30

A one-night stand with your girlfriend's sister resulted in her pregnancy. You've agreed to keep quiet about it to avoid causing problems within the family, but you're wondering how to break the news to your girlfriend — or if you ever should. Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • That one-night stand with your girlfriend's sister resulted in her pregnancy. You've agreed to keep quiet about it to avoid causing problems within the family, but you're wondering how to break the news to your girlfriend — or if you ever should.
  • You love your job as a local news reporter, but struggle with low pay and lack of creative energy. You want to move out, travel, and pursue other interests, but you're not sure how to find a more fitting career path. Where should you begin?
  • You want to exit your relationship with a dishonest and uncooperative business partner who overcharges invoices and refuses to sell or buy out. Which of these four possible exit strategies seems to be your best bet: suing, starting a new business, paying dividends and leaving, or getting a job? [Thanks to attorney Neil Rombardo for giving us some direction with this one!]
  • Your 14-year-old sister is dating her 23-year-old camp leader. In spite of your concerns over this grossly inappropriate "relationship," you were shocked to discover that your parents like the guy and support their love as "pure." You feel it's your responsibility to put a stop to this, but you don't know how. What can you do?
  • As an elementary school teacher, you cut an imposing figure at 6'6" and 270 pounds. You want to be the caring but blunt teacher you needed during your adolescence, but your size — in addition to an admittedly "resting bitch face" — seems to make you less approachable than you'd like. How can you demonstrate a more welcoming stance to your students?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • 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:

May 12, 2023
833: Nathan Paul Southern and Lindsey Kennedy | Sourcing Cyber-Slavery
01:27:39

Nathan Paul Southern (@NathanPSouthern) and Lindsey Kennedy (@LindsAKennedy) are investigative journalists working to bring awareness to the growing issue of cyber-slavery in Southeast Asia facilitated by Chinese triads with links to local government and law enforcement agencies.

What We Discuss with Nathan Paul Southern and Lindsey Kennedy:

  • Aided by corrupt government and law enforcement agencies, organized criminals hold thousands of people in modern-day slavery in Southeast Asia, forcing them to run cyber-scams worldwide.
  • Victims are lured by promises of lucrative online trading jobs, and abducted against their will when they arrive — for a minimum of six months — to work as cyber-slaves.
  • These captives are beaten, electrocuted, and tortured if they try to escape or don't make enough money. Suicides, with victims jumping from balconies to their death, have become commonplace.
  • The Cambodian Prime Minister's nephew has been implicated in the human trafficking trade, which is why embassies have been ignored when they plead for intervention.
  • What those of us in the Western world can do to fight back against these organized crime groups and ensure their dirty deeds can no longer be done dirt cheap enough to turn a profit.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/833

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 09, 2023
832: The Wedding Industry | Skeptical Sunday
01:09:22

Why are weddings so expensive — and how does the wedding industry sucker us into thinking they have to be? This week on Skeptical Sunday, comedian Michael Regilio joins Jordan to propose the facts on what you’re really getting with a wedding and explore alternatives that won't test the durability of a new marriage with massive debt from day one.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

  • The pressure to have an extravagant wedding can sometimes lead to couples investing more in the one-day festivities than in the hard work that goes into the lifelong commitment of a successful marriage.
  • Weddings are becoming increasingly expensive, and the wedding industry is constantly churning out new ways to overcharge its clientele.
  • "Age-old" wedding traditions like diamond rings aren't rooted in history, but in clever marketing schemes that exploit couples' desires for a perfect wedding.
  • Evidence suggests that the more money a couple spends on a wedding, the less likely they are to stay together.
  • Weddings don't have to break the bank — eloping or planning a backyard ceremony are affordable and creative alternatives to traditional weddings.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with Michael at his website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and make sure to check out the Michael Regilio Plagues Well With Others podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/832 

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! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 07, 2023
831: The Harrowing Hunt for a Housecat Houdini | Feedback Friday
01:22:48

Gabe regales us with a tale of his disappearing housecat Drake, the frantic four days it took to find him, and the life-changing lessons learned along the way. Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • It was no trivial purr-suit when an unlicensed trapper named Gabe went on a confounding quest to rescue his missing cat. But what life-changing lessons did he learn along the way? (If cat stories are not your thing and you want to skip Gabe's gripping tale of woeful loss and profound recovery, you can fast forward to 29:04!) 
  • You've come to realize that many of your past professional and personal relationships were built on transactional and inauthentic pretenses. Now that you're committed to being genuine to others as well as yourself, is it possible to request a do-over?
  • You'd like to have a closer relationship with your grandchildren, but your daughter-in-law's anger issues and cultural differences seem to have landed you perpetually on her bad side. What can you do to smooth things over?
  • As a single lesbian fresh out of a 10-year relationship, you're not ready to become a young first-timer's one-and-only. Should you get over yourself and just go for it, or let her go before you break her heart?
  • A tech recruiter offers more detailed advice to our listener from episode 800 who is so frustrated with their job search that it's affecting their mental health.
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/831 

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! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter...

May 05, 2023
830: Terry Crews | On Hollywood, Harassment, and Healing
01:18:30

Terry Crews (@terrycrews) is a beloved cinema and television star, furniture designer, artist, philanthropist, activist, former NFL player, and author. His most recent book is Tough: My Journey to True Power.

What We Discuss with Terry Crews:

  • How Terry prioritizes mental and physical health through exercise, nutrition, and rest.
  • What Terry has learned about the power of forgiveness and how it can help to break cycles of anger and resentment — on an individual and societal level.
  • How staying true to ourselves and pursuing what we love — even in the face of risking failure or criticism — allows us to make a positive impact on ourselves as well as the world.
  • Terry's views on personal accountability as a crucial component of growth and change, and how taking responsibility for our actions allows us to become the best versions of ourselves.
  • The importance of empathy and understanding toward people with different perspectives and backgrounds, and the need to engage in respectful dialogue while seeking common values.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/830

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 02, 2023
829: Sportswashing | Skeptical Sunday
00:50:44

How might enjoying our favorite sports and supporting our most cherished teams and athletes make us accomplices in the world's most heinous atrocities ever committed? Award-winning journalist and podcaster Andrew Gold joins us for this Skeptical Sunday to explore the PR tactic of sportswashing, in which authoritarian regimes use sports to improve their image on the world stage. (And don't worry, David C. Smalley fans! David will return soon for future installments of Skeptical Sunday!)

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Sportswashing is a PR tactic used by countries with poor human rights records to improve their image and legitimize their atrocities through sports.
  • Western countries and their businesses are complicit in sportswashing due to the financial incentives they receive.
  • Despite the harm caused by sportswashing, it is difficult to stop due to the lack of accountability and the willingness of individuals and organizations to participate.
  • Golfers have been divided over whether to participate in Saudi Arabia's LIV golf invitation series, leading to a civil war in the sport.
  • Countries with questionable human rights records are increasingly buying sports clubs and sponsoring sports teams, making it important to be aware of where and how we consume sports.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with Andrew on Twitter and Instagram, and check out On the Edge with Andrew Gold here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/829

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 30, 2023
828: Time to Retire and Chase Closeted Desire? | Feedback Friday
01:07:50

After building a successful career and family, you've come to realize you'd rather spend your remaining days in the company of men half your age rather than with your wife of 25 years. Now that it's time to retire, should you stay tepidly wed or chase all the young dudes, instead? We'll explore this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • After building a successful career and family, you've come to realize you'd rather spend your remaining days in the company of men half your age rather than with your wife of 25 years. Now that it's time to retire, should you stay tepidly wed or chase all the young dudes, instead?
  • Every time you land a career, some global economic catastrophe seems to send you in search of a new one. How can you future-proof yourself against financial displacement if your next chosen field once again goes kaput?
  • How can you resolve a pet custody dispute with an unreasonable ex when your state doesn't have laws to definitively settle such matters?
  • Since being preemptively stigmatized as a potential child molester by your brother-in-law's vindictive ex-wife, you've gone from being an uncle who takes the kids to the zoo and plays board games to the man who leaves the room when your niece enters. How do you handle this situation without punishing your daughter and niece — or running the risk of being baselessly accused of the unthinkable?
  • You've discovered that your neighbors can hear your Zoom therapy sessions through the paper-thin wall between apartments. Should you talk to them about it?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/828

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

Apr 28, 2023
827: Paul Rosolie | Perusing and Protecting the Pristine Amazon
01:48:18

Paul Rosolie (@PaulRosolie) is a conservationist, a filmmaker, the director of JungleKeepers and Tamandua Expeditions, and the author of Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon.

What We Discuss with Paul Rosolie:

  • How Paul Rosolie and his JungleKeepers team showcase sustainable and profitable alternatives to illegal logging and mining for locals — and their descendants — to prosper.
  • Why many uncontacted tribes in the Amazon react to intrusion by outsiders with extreme violence — even when the outsiders demonstrate the best of intentions.
  • How invasive and inefficient gold mining by armed, organized criminals from places as far away as Russia is turning once lush rainforests into mercury-poisoned wastelands.
  • Efforts being made to harness medicinal compounds unique to the Amazon — and the knowledge to use them — and prevent them from disappearing for good.
  • Even if you need to slim down for beach season, Paul doesn't recommend getting lost in the unforgiving Amazon — where he shed a pound a day simply trying to survive before finding his way back to civilization.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/827

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 25, 2023
826: A Shoplifter's Craving for Felonious Savings | Feedback Friday
01:02:24

You've come to the conclusion that shoplifting is more than just a savvy life hack for fabulous savings — it also fills you with a rush that makes you feel truly alive. But are the thrill and the thrift of thievery worth their risks when (not if) you inevitably get caught? What can you do when produce pilfering has become an irresistible compulsion? We'll look into this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Are the thrill and the thrift of grocery thievery worth their risks when (not if) you inevitably get caught? And how can you stop when shoplifting has become an irresistible compulsion? [Thanks to clinical psychologist and addiction specialist Dr. Rubin Khoddam for helping us with this one!]
  • Is overemployment — simultaneously holding down more than one full-time job — somehow unethical even if you complete the work required and still have time for your family?
  • After an expensive divorce from a financially clueless ex, you wonder if the equally clueless but exponentially more kind, wonderful, and emotionally supportive handyman you're with now deserves a chance — even though it'll once again put a strain on the resources you've worked so hard to stabilize?
  • When you're already planning on shifting out of your current industry, is it worth trying to make the dynamic with your obnoxious direct manager more tolerable? Or should you just work on shifting out of your industry sooner than anticipated?
  • Why are we so harsh on the Chinese Communist Party when America and capitalism have problems worth investigating, too?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/826

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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Apr 21, 2023
825: Ozan Varol | How to Awaken Your Genius
01:23:28

Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned award-winning law professor and bestselling author of Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life. His latest book, Awaken Your Genius: Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary, is out now.

What We Discuss with Ozan Varol:

  • Just because you're recognized as being good at something doesn't mean you have to do it forever — or even ever.
  • The skills we build and the lessons we learn don't go away when we decide to change course — they get repurposed and built upon for the journey ahead.
  • Change doesn't have to be permanent. If a new path doesn't work as expected, consider it a failed experiment and keep experimenting until you find the right fit.
  • How to develop a curiosity over victory mindset in which exploring new perspectives and ways of thinking take priority over always being right.
  • How to discern between belonging to a supportive community and getting sucked into blind, cult-like tribalism.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/825

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 18, 2023
824: Is an Age Gap Scandalous If the Relationship's Fabulous? | Feedback Friday
01:05:01

Who defines the rules about what makes an age gap between two consenting adults "appropriate?" And if the relationship between you and someone nearly twice your age is fabulous, then who has any right to call your age gap scandalous? We'll investigate this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • If the relationship between you and someone nearly twice your age is fabulous, then who has any right to call your age gap scandalous?
  • Spanking as a form of discipline for developing kids: Yes or no?
  • Is there an "I made a job move but not sharing where to" status that works on LinkedIn?
  • What do you do when you're pro-union in spirit, but the union wants to assassinate the character of your wife who founded the non-profit said union is organizing against?
  • How can you maintain friendship with people for whom your wife doesn't much care?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/824

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 14, 2023
823: Daniella Mestyanek Young | How to Disengage from a Lifelong Cult
01:42:24

Daniella Mestyanek Young (@daniellamyoung) is a survivor of the religious Children of God cult, a US Army combat veteran, an extremely advanced knitter, and the author of Uncultured: A Memoir.

What We Discuss with Daniella Mestyanek Young:

  • How the seemingly wholesome Children of God (later known by variations of "The Family") religious group centered around love, faith, and Jesus — and packaged to appeal to impressionable countercultural hippie types of the day — veered into true cult territory under the direction of its leader, David Berg.
  • How female followers of Children of God were encouraged to use their bodies and sexuality to gain converts and money in a practice known as "flirty flashing."
  • How child sexual abuse became a commonplace Children of God practice in an effort to raise "sexually liberated" children.
  • What this cult and others do to cultivate credibility — and raise funds — among its followers and the outside world.
  • The toll that life in a cult takes on those who are lucky enough to exit.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/823

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 11, 2023
822: Is a Hefty Health Professional a Hippocratic Hypocrite? | Feedback Friday
01:08:20

At your new job in healthcare, you're surprised that so many of your colleagues — also well-educated with doctorate degrees — constantly complain about their desire to lose weight while simultaneously snacking on bear claws and eschewing basic exercise. Is there a delicate way to mention that they should be setting a better example for the people they've been tasked to keep healthy without being that annoying new person? We'll try to help you find an answer to this and much more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your peers in the healthcare profession complain about being overweight while scarfing down donuts and eschewing basic exercise. Is there a delicate way to mention to your colleagues that they should be setting a better example for the people they've been tasked to keep healthy?
  • How do you work with somebody you once intensely loved and thought was "the one" but now can't stand? Additionally, how can you trust in future relationships that seem to develop as intensely without worrying they'll similarly disintegrate?
  • As a woman who aspires to raise a family of your own someday, how do you ensure that your future partner is equally invested in taking care of the children — unlike your friends' useless husbands who can't survive a night without calling for backup?
  • You and your partner of over a decade used to do everything together, but now you sleep in separate rooms and haven't had sex in a year. How worried should you be about the person to whom they're frequently texting "I love you" and whose parents they've taken to referring as "Mom and Dad?"
  • When you're unhappy with the inauthentic version of yourself you've been presenting to the world for as long as you can remember, can you re-learn how to be?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/822

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Apr 07, 2023
821: John Nores | Reclaiming America's Wildlands from the Drug Cartels
01:51:21

Lt. John Nores is a retired 28-year special operations game warden, co-host of the Warden’s Watch podcast, and author of Hidden War: How Special Operations Game Wardens are Reclaiming America's Wildlands from the Drug Cartels.

What We Discuss with Lt. John Nores:

  • Even though cannabis is now legal in California, drug cartels operate massive, illegal trespass grow operations on public land across the state.
  • Trespass grow operations cause long-lasting environmental damage, generate pollution, steal water and other resources from the communities where they're raised.
  • 6,000-10,000 people are employed by the cartels to establish and maintain these sites.
  • Nearby residents who happen to cross paths with these criminals — even on their own property — are in danger of being assaulted or killed with little to no legal repercussions.
  • DEA and game wardens who monitor this activity have the highest risk of death in the line of duty among law enforcement.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/821

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 06, 2023
820: Bradley Hope | The Secret Mission to Overthrow North Korea
01:19:16

Bradley Hope (@bradleyhope) is the co-founder of journalism studio Project Brazen and the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil. His latest book is The Rebel and the Kingdom: The True Story of the Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime.

What We Discuss with Bradley Hope:

  • Was a 2019 incident at the North Korean Embassy in Madrid an intelligence-gathering raid by political dissidents, or a secret defection operation gone wrong?
  • Why the largest resistance groups committed to helping people defect from North Korea are in the United States.
  • How North Korea got away with the assassination of Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam without facing any real consequences on the international stage, and what this not-so-subtle message conveys to anyone thinking of acting against the regime — from anywhere in the world.
  • Will there ever come a day when China ceases tolerating North Korea's theatrics?
  • The illicit means by which Kim Jong-un's regime richly bankrolls itself in a starving, bankrupt country.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/820

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Apr 04, 2023
819: Faith over Flings: A Closeted Conundrum | Feedback Friday
01:08:41

As a gay man of faith, you've made the decision to remain closeted and celibate according to your personal beliefs. But attention from a younger, attractive colleague lured you down a temporary path of temptation from which you've mostly recovered — though a few lurid lapses leave doubts lingering that you can separate the friendship you value with this person from the physical urges you have when you're around him. What should you do? We'll tackle this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • As a gay man of faith who's chosen to remain closeted and celibate, can you maintain a platonic friendship with the young man who's tempted you toward physical intimacy on more than a few occasions?
  • The founders of your company regularly write shoddy, misspelled, grammatically primitive emails to clients. How can you address this diplomatically before they drive all business away to your more competent competitors?
  • You hoped that co-owning a cottage with your mother and sister would bring you closer together, but it seems to have only complicated your relationship with them. How can you exit the situation gracefully?
  • Your significant other is addicted to online gambling, and uses your debit and credit cards to fund this addiction. Is it possible to put a stop to this — and maybe salvage the relationship — before you go completely broke? [Thanks to Haesue Jo, Head of Clinical Support at BetterHelp, for helping us with this one!]
  • How do you handle public criticism on social media from a well-known person in your industry who dislikes you?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/819

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Mar 31, 2023
818: Matt Simon | How Microplastics Poison the Planet
01:23:01

Matt Simon (@mrmattsimon) is a science writer at Wired magazine and the author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies.

What We Discuss with Matt Simon:

  • Microplastics contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals, many of which are linked to diseases like diabetes and cancer.
  • Microplastics break even further into nanoplastics, which are small enough to move through human organs — including the brain — and enter our cells.
  • Nearly everything around you — carpets, curtains, coasters, cups, packaging, clothing, couches, beds — contains plastic, and it all sheds plastic particles.
  • Your home is one of the most polluted places – you could inhale as many as 7,000 microplastics a day.
  • What we can do to reduce our exposure to microplastics and decrease our reliance on overall plastic consumption.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/818

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 28, 2023
817: Acupuncture | Skeptical Sunday
00:58:49

10 to 15 million people per year turn to acupuncture — the insertion of thin needles through the skin at strategic points on the body — for relieving what ails them. But is there any evidence that it actually works?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • The origins of acupuncture are unclear, and the claim that it started in China approximately 3,000 years ago is debated.
  • Peer-reviewed journal Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health claims that acupuncture is one of the most utilized forms of complementary integrative medicine interventions in the US and can help strengthen the immune system and reduce side effects of chemotherapy.
  • Studies on acupuncture's effectiveness in reducing cancer pain have mixed results due to small sample sizes and design problems. One study showed acupuncture helps deactivate brain areas associated with processing pain, but it only involved 17 people.
  • Many doctors are privately skeptical about acupuncture and say there's no real science to support the practice, but they often do not speak out against it publicly as they do not see it as particularly harmful.
  • Acupuncture can actually be a risky treatment, and 86 people have died from improperly placed needles — with the most common cause of death being a condition called pneumothorax.
  • And much more...

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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!

Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/817

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Mar 26, 2023
816: Kids' Pedophile Stepdad Is No Minor Threat | Feedback Friday
01:13:01

Sharing child custody with an ex can be an exercise in trust, patience, and compromise. But what happens when that ex decides to remarry and now your kids have a stepdad who has pled guilty to two felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor? How can you ensure their safety when they're around their pedophile stepdad, and how do you explain what's going on without traumatizing them? We'll try to find answers to these questions and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • How do you protect your kids from their pedophile stepfather and explain the situation without traumatizing them? [Once again, clinical psychologist Dr. Erin Margolis saves the day!]
  • Your wife's Chinese family is immersed in CCP propaganda, despite living in the US for over 40 years. Now that your father-in-law has passed, your wife wants her mother to move in — but you're concerned about her influence on your children and the risk of being monitored by the CCP for listening to its media. What should you do?
  • You and your partner moved in together before really knowing each other's darker sides. Although you've turned your own life around, your partner is struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues and exhibits emotionally destructive behavior. You plan to move out and find a new place to live with a friend, but how do you delicately navigate the situation?
  • You're 28 years old, working for your 73-year-old father in the family business. You want to modernize the company's procedures and processes, but your father resists change and is beginning to display signs of cognitive decline. Can you find a way to take charge of the business while still showing your father you value his advice?
  • You've been running your own business as a side project for years, but you're ready to bring it to the forefront. Even though it's been demonstrated time and again that you know your stuff, imposter syndrome and a beginner's mindset keep you from being self-confident enough to charge clients an expert rate. How do you make the transition?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Mar 24, 2023

815: James Cantor | Exploring the Complexities of Sexual Orientation
01:40:15

Dr. James Cantor (@jamescantorphd) is a clinical psychologist and sexologist whose research centers on the development of sexual interests, including sexual orientation and paraphilias. He maintains the Sexology Today blog, which focuses on the current state of sex research.

What We Discuss with James Cantor:

  • What makes people gay?
  • The differences between gay men and gay women.
  • What should society do about pedophiles who choose to live lives of celibacy rather than act on their urges?
  • Is there a link between autism and gender dysphoria?
  • What's the deal with asexuality, paraphilia, vorarephilia, and that thing you think about when nobody else is around?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/815

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 23, 2023
814: Matt Frederick & Ben Bowlin | Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
01:31:14

Matt Frederick & Ben Bowlin (@ConspiracyStuff) are the conspiratorial masterminds behind the Stuff They Don't Want You to Know podcast and co-authors of a book that, to avoid any confusion, goes by the same name.

What We Discuss with Matt Frederick & Ben Bowlin:

  • Why people believe conspiracy theories.
  • Popular conspiracy theories and why they persist.
  • Conspiracy theories that turned out to be real.
  • Telling the difference between true believers and opportunistic grifters.
  • How we can avoid going down rabbit holes that foment conspiracy theories.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/814

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 21, 2023
813: The Oscars | Skeptical Sunday
00:49:18

What makes the annual pageantry of The Academy Awards (aka The Oscars) so alluring to millions of everyday folks? Are we transfixed by the film industry's recognition of its worthiest, or are we just voyeurs glimpsing a glamorous world a scant few of us will ever experience? Award-winning journalist and podcaster Andrew Gold joins us for this Skeptical Sunday to demystify the mystique and break the spell behind one of the world’s most celebrated events. (And don't worry, David C. Smalley fans! David will return soon for future installments of Skeptical Sunday!)

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Who decides who's worthy of winning an Oscar?
  • How does someone become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
  • Were Will Smith and Chris Rock paid big money to stage that infamous slap in 2022?
  • Why is the number of people tuning in to the annual ceremony dwindling compared to its heyday?
  • Why would anyone object to shortening the length of the ceremony to suit the attention span of a modern audience?
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with Andrew on Twitter and Instagram, and check out On the Edge with Andrew Gold here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts!
  • Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/813

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 19, 2023
812: Your Ex is Your Boss: Is Your Career Lost? | Feedback Friday
01:03:42

What comes next when your boss is also your ex? If you happen to grumble, will your career crumble? We'll try to find answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • What comes next when your boss is your ex? If you happen to grumble, will your career crumble?
  • Your beloved brother married the woman you once considered your best friend. You've since discovered she's a manipulative she-hag with questionable politics and now you want nothing to do with either of them. How do you deal with them when they reach out to reconnect?
  • Your lack of a current relationship makes your roommate's loudly vocal confirmation of the opposite awkward. How should you diplomatically handle this?
  • You worry that your physically fit nephew who wants to join the Navy SEALs might not be mentally fit enough to handle the violence of war. He wants to enlist because it would look good on his resume, but you doubt his commitment to killing strangers for his country. What should you do?
  • When you're a small-potatoes but sincere podcast host, how do you deal with disrespectful guests who feel like they're doing you a favor for giving you the time of day?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/812

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 17, 2023
811: Jan Broberg | The True Crime Story of a Young Girl Abducted
01:53:56

Jan Broberg (@janbroberg) is an actress, singer, dancer, host of The Jan Broberg Show, subject of the Netflix documentary Abducted In Plain Sight and Peacock's A Friend of the Family, and author of The Jan Broberg Story: The True Crime Story of a Young Girl Abducted.

What We Discuss with Jan Broberg:

  • One in four children will be molested, and 97 percent of the time, it's by a family member. In Jan Broberg's case, it was by a close "friend" of the family.
  • How this predator — himself a father of five — expertly infiltrated the trust of Jan's family when she was just a child and manipulated her, her siblings, and her parents into questioning their very reality.
  • How Jan was kidnapped by this family "friend" not once, but twice as a teenager, and what happened in the aftermath when she was finally recovered.
  • Why this story — and countless stories like it — should serve as a wake-up call to legislators that we need to update public policy and raise awareness of this all-too-common threat to our children.
  • How our children can be prepared to speak up when the adults in their lives violate their trust and abuse them — and what we as adults can do to ensure their claims are taken seriously and remove them from danger.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/811

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 16, 2023
810: Nita Farahany | Thinking Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology
01:31:48

Nita Farahany (@NitaFarahany) is a law professor at Duke University; a leading expert on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies; and the author of The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.

What We Discuss with Nita Farahany:

  • Consumer technology that can track, decode, and even manipulate what goes on in the brain is no longer just a plot device in some far-flung sci-fi novel — it's already beginning to come to market.
  • An ALS patient recently set a record for communicating through a brain implant at 62 words per minute (in comparison, ALS-afflicted physicist Stephen Hawking was only able to communicate at about 15 words per minute by the time of his death in 2018).
  • Though still in its infancy, consciously transmitted brain-to-brain communication has proven successful in the laboratory.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans can accurately sense political bias from subjects' unconscious thoughts.
  • Brain scans reveal that a significant percentage of coma patients who can't speak or move are aware of the world around them and can communicate through electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/810

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 14, 2023
809: Crystal Healing | Skeptical Sunday
01:00:40

The crystal industry generates over $1 billion per year. But what exactly do crystals do? Some have said they store energy. Others say they have healing powers. But what does the science say?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Over the last five years, the number of Google searches for "crystal healing" has more than doubled — fueled, in part, by celebrity endorsements from the likes of Katy Perry, Kate Hudson, and Adele, who has been known to clutch one during performances to combat stage fright.
  • A Himalayan pink salt lamp — marketed as having mood-boosting properties — was one of Amazon's best-selling home-improvement products over the 2017 holiday season among its Prime subscribers.
  • Different crystals are said to possess certain powers — from bloodstone (which purports to improve circulation) to citrine (for enthusiasm and creativity bolstering) to sapphire (to prompt prosperity).
  • According to Pew Research, whether you're the most staunch Christian or consider yourself "religiously unaffiliated," there’s a 62% chance that you believe in at least one New Age belief —including crystals storing energy. This probably accounts for the crystal industry raking in more than $1 billion per year.
  • Is this all a load of poppycock, or does science lend any credibility to claims that crystals are anything but pretty rocks imbued with perfectly normal rock powers?
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/809

This...

Mar 12, 2023
808: Felonious Fellow is Harshing Your Mellow | Feedback Friday
01:19:09

You sank your savings into a lovely house with a big yard to call your own, only to discover that the nearest neighbor who lives down the drive is a repeat violent offender who's done time for attempted murder. Now you feel unsafe on your own property because you're constantly stressing about the countless ways you might unintentionally set him off and turn yourself into a target. Where should you go from here? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • The felon down the drive makes it hard for you to thrive. Where should you go from here? [Thanks to executive security manager George Grant for helping us with this one!]
  • Your deadbeat friend won't kick in his fair share of the rent. Though you've known him forever, you can't foot the bill whenever he decides not to pay up. What should you do?
  • Are the concerns you have over your significant other's narcissistic tendencies valid, or should you trust their interpretation of your overreaction?
  • Your significant other has lost their chance at the dream job they've idealized almost since birth. Where should you go from here?
  • How does a teenage atheist find comfort in the uncertainty of life, the universe, and everything?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/808 

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! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 10, 2023
807: Siddharth Kara | How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
01:31:25

Siddharth Kara (@siddharthkara) is a British Academy Global Professor, an Associate Professor of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at Nottingham University, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the author of the New York Times bestseller Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.

What We Discuss with Siddharth Kara:

  • Cobalt is an essential component of every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today — the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles.
  • About 75 percent of the world's supply of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often by peasants and children in subhuman conditions who suffer and often die for their trouble.
  • The environmental impact of cobalt extraction, including deforestation and pollution, that leaves behind toxic pits and wasteland unfit for sustaining life.
  • The complex web of actors involved in the exploitation of Congo's mineral resources, including smugglers, traders, and corrupt government officials.
  • As consumers, what can we do to raise awareness and jolt ourselves out of the apathy that allows these atrocities to continue in our names while holding the multinational interests that perpetrate them accountable?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/807

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 09, 2023
806: Neil Woods | Undercover in the UK's Most Vicious Drug Gangs
01:41:08

Neil Woods (@wudzee0) spent 14 years as an undercover drugs operative, gaining the trust of some of the most violent, unpredictable criminals in Britain. Now he's an active member of the international drug policy reform movement, and author of Good Cop, Bad War and Drug Wars.

What We Discuss with Neil Woods:

  • The complex logistics of undercover law enforcement operations.
  • The skills of persuasion and manipulation an undercover operative relies on to get the job done and stay alive in the process.
  • Neil's close calls and epic failures while working undercover that he somehow managed to survive.
  • How the pressure placed on police departments to get results makes corruption almost inevitable — even among officers committed to doing the right thing.
  • Why, after spending 14 years trying to win the war on drugs, Neil now advocates an evidence-based drug policy and related criminal justice reforms.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/806

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 07, 2023
805: Diet Pills and Supplements | Skeptical Sunday
01:05:31

Are the diet pills and supplements you take to offset that midnight chalupa habit doing you any favors? You wouldn't be alone in wondering. All over the world, people buy pills or supplements in hopes of preventing disease, improving their health, and losing weight. But do any of them really work?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • With 40% of Americans being obese, 70% overweight, and 100% duped by corporate greed for an easy, instant solution, it's no wonder diet pills and supplements are pitched as the greatest thing since sliced bread (and the bread is probably how you got like that).
  • A self-administered injection of semaglutide (popularly branded as Wegovy or Ozempic) can provide up to 17% weight loss at a cost of over $1,300 per month. Side effects include possible thyroid tumors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, kidney damage, and stomach pain.
  • Fat blockers can reduce fat intake by 30%, but the weight loss is typically only around six pounds over two years.
  • The diet supplement industry is largely unregulated by the FDA, so there's a risk of potentially harmful, unlabeled ingredients sneaking past protective scrutiny.
  • Over-the-counter diet supplements are often BS, but green tea is a natural weight loss aid that can help block fat, suppress appetite, and help people lose weight.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/805

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

Mar 05, 2023
804: Beau's Bad Bets Bust Beloved's Bank | Feedback Friday
01:05:53

Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. While you're smart enough to know the house always wins when wagering, you have a sneaking suspicion that the girlfriend doesn't. Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. [Thanks to Corbin Payne for helping us with yet another doozy!]
  • You worry your good friend may be getting married before he's emotionally or financially ready — and the couple's frequent bickering just exacerbates your misgivings. Should you voice your concerns, or just let them go?
  • Recent layoffs at your company — of long-time and high-performing employees, many of your friends included — leave you feeling disheartened and insecure, even though you survived this round. Is preparing your resume the most logical next step?
  • Your 76-year-old mother has recently admitted to suffering serious health issues from the stress of caring for her dying husband and wondering how to take care of herself once he's gone. If you can't convince her to try therapy, how might you help her manage this stress that's tearing her apart?
  • Being a charismatic teenager who's always romantically approached might sound like a dream to most of your peers, but the truth is you hate hurting the ones you turn away. Aside from eschewing basic hygiene, is there a compassionate way to dial down the mojo?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/804

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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Mar 03, 2023
803: Martin Seligman | Flourishing in an Uncertain Future
01:17:30

Martin Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Positive Psychology Network. He is the author of 20+ books including Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child; his latest (co-authored with Gabriella Rosen Kellerman) is Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection ? Now and in an Uncertain Future.

What We Discuss with Martin Seligman:

  • Studies have shown that optimistic people with highly positive emotions live between six and eight years longer than their more pessimistic peers.
  • Personality traits, past experiences, and current circumstances can all play a role in shaping an individual's outlook on life — and their tendency to veer toward optimism or pessimism.
  • How Martin's five-year-old daughter inspired him to stop being a grouch and shift his professional priorities in a more positive direction — all because of her own commitment to stop whining.
  • How, by focusing on strengths, resilience, and positive psychological growth, military personnel can learn to better cope with the stresses of their duties and build a more positive and effective team culture.
  • How we can apply positive psychology strategies to overcome the crisis of purpose and find greater fulfillment in our lives by cultivating gratitude, setting meaningful goals, practicing mindfulness, and finding ways to serve others — even if we're predisposed (genetically or otherwise) toward pessimism.
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/803 

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Mar 02, 2023
802: Michael Santos | Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term
01:23:55

Michael Santos (@MichaelGSantos) survived 26 years as a federal prisoner, hosts the Prison Professors podcast, and is the author of Earning Freedom!: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term.

What We Discuss with Michael Santos:

  • How Michael Santos got sentenced to 45 years in federal prison when he was just 23 years old — not for committing a violent crime, but for establishing himself as a cocaine entrepreneur at the height of the War on Drugs (and committing perjury just made things worse).
  • What this conviction meant to Michael's relationship with his family — and his wife.
  • The three-prong plan Michael applied to the sudden wealth of time he had on his hands to find a way to reduce his sentence and hit the ground running when he finally got out.
  • How the system is designed to trip up attempts inmates make toward self-improvement and rehabilitation.
  • How Michael made his first million behind bars.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/802

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 28, 2023
801: Circumcision | Skeptical Sunday
00:46:39

While mandated by some religious and cultural traditions for thousands of years, and not without certain benefits to health, is circumcising newborns before they're old enough to consent wrong?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Male circumcision is the oldest known human surgical procedure, with historical records and archeological evidence dating the practice back to ancient Egyptians in the 23rd century BCE.
  • While circumcision is mandated by numerous cultural and religious traditions and enacted for health reasons in certain parts of the world, is the practice of altering someone's body before they're old enough to give consent wrong?
  • Some medical professionals believe the preventive health benefits of elective circumcision of male newborns outweigh the risks of the procedure.
  • What special interests are involved in recommending or not recommending circumcision as a standard procedure?
  • What's the deal with so-called female circumcision — or, as it's more accurately known, female genital mutilation (FGM)?
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/801

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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Feb 26, 2023
800: Can Therapy Wreck a Background Check? | Feedback Friday
01:08:56

Sexually abused by your own brother at a young age, and aware of your own proclivities to possibly abuse others younger than yourself, you wonder if seeking therapy to alleviate how you feel might get you in trouble if you ever sought security clearance for a government job. What should you do? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Will seeking therapy for your own issues related to being sexually abused as a child result in denial of security clearance for a government job?
  • Multiple rounds of job interviews — with zero results — have taken their toll on your mental health. How can you remain rageless when the machine treats you like a soulless cog? 
  • Is it wrong to cut off your dying, constantly complaining BPD dad when his apologies for being a terrible parent are conditional upon accepting that your mother wasn't a saint?
  • You've booked a one-way ticket abroad in hopes of finding respite from your relationship dry spell. Is there a better way to get past your insecurities and put yourself out there?
  • Is booking that childhood dream destination for your honeymoon worth the trouble, or should you just go somewhere safe and scenic?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/800

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! 

Feb 24, 2023
799: Marina Nemat | Surviving Inside an Iranian Prison
01:42:49

Marina Nemat (@marinanemat) is a human rights activist who survived torture and imprisonment in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution. She chronicled her ordeals in Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison.

What We Discuss with Marina Nemat:

  • How life for women in Iran prior to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution mirrored their contemporaries in the United States.
  • Why most of the populace optimistically thought the Islamic Revolution was ushering in much-needed changes over the first few months — and what happened when things started to quickly turn sour.
  • How 16-year-old Marina got on the regime's radar and wound up in Tehran's notoriously brutal Evin Prison.
  • The torture Marina endured while imprisoned, and the ultimatum she was forced to accept in lieu of execution.
  • Why Marina was eventually released from prison, and what she's done with her time since then.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/799

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 23, 2023
798: Forrest Galante | A Wild Life of Rediscovery
01:28:56

Forrest Galante (@ForrestGalante) is a wildlife biologist, conservationist, co-host of The Wild Times Podcast, and TV presenter for Extinct or Alive and Mysterious Creatures. He is also the author of Still Alive: A Wild Life of Rediscovery.

What We Discuss with Forrest Galante:

  • What happened when an Amazonian shaman insisted Forrest snort an unknown powder from a monkey bone to keep him safe on the journey ahead?
  • How growing up as an almost feral, shoeless child on a farm in Zimbabwe prepared Forrest to survive in the wilderness (and why he doesn't have an accent anymore).
  • How Forrest wound up as a successful contestant on Naked and Afraid, which led him to leave his job as an ant-counting biologist and continue his conservation efforts in a more visible medium: television.
  • How does Forrest go about finding animals in the wild that have been presumed extinct?
  • How did Forrest and his crew survive trudging around the mangrove jungle on Ramree Island where hundreds of Japanese soldiers had been eaten alive by saltwater crocodiles during WWII?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/798

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 21, 2023
797: Ouija Boards | Skeptical Sunday
00:40:55

Every year around Halloween, millions of teenagers, drunk adults, and terrified believers gather around Ouija boards to contact "The Other Side." We've all been a part of it, and we know we weren't moving that little thing, but it was definitely moving. So what’s really going on here?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • How a pair of sisters playing a prank on their parents in upstate New York escalated into a spiritualism craze that took the 19th century United States — and then the world — by storm.
  • The Medieval Chinese origins and evolution of what we know today as the Ouija board.
  • How the spiritualism craze boosted the Ouija board's adoption into millions of households (even outselling Monopoly in 1967).
  • The indelible marks the Ouija board has made on our lives — from pop culture to the law.
  • The science behind what makes the Ouija board "work."
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/797

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!

Feb 19, 2023
796: Pervert-in-Law Scammer Belongs in the Slammer | Feedback Friday
01:21:12

Your creepy brother-in-law has been using explicit pictures of you — which he obtained through a nanny cam he secretly installed in your bedroom eight years ago — to anonymously threaten you with blackmail. Your sister was in the process of divorcing him and turned his laptop over to the police as evidence, but you fear she may be getting back together with him and may no longer be willing to cooperate when you press charges. To top it off, it's been three months since the police were involved and there's been no progress in holding this would-be scammer accountable. What can you do now? We'll try to answer this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • How can you hold your brother-in-law accountable for trying to blackmail you with explicit photos he took with a secret nanny cam when your own sister and the police seem to be on his side? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us answer this one!]
  • If you're in your thirties (or over) and considering going back to university, how can you make the most of the experience and deal with its inevitable uncertainties?
  • How can you help your cousin's business thrive when he's put it $30,000 in the hole with gambling debt and only pays you 1/3rd of what the guy you replaced was making?
  • Sharing dog custody with a cheating ex led to a night of spontaneous intimacy, and now you're confused about maybe giving things another chance. Yes or no?
  • Moving abroad to shorten a long-distance relationship probably wouldn't be so bad if it didn't put a bigger gap between you and your family. But you also can't deny feeling a bit disconnected not only from your significant other, but yourself. Have you made a huge mistake, or is this a natural adjustment most expats face?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/796

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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Feb 17, 2023
795: Alastair Smith | The Dictator's Handbook Part Two
01:19:26

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Find part one here!]

What We Discuss with Alastair Smith:

  • How do dictators come to power and remain in power even when their policies serve only themselves and not the people under their "leadership?"
  • Why do the majority of people living under dictatorships suffer in impoverished squalor, and how does foreign aid empower these dictators rather than help the general populace?
  • Why do dictators consistently hate freedom, the media, and seemingly their own citizens?
  • Why does bad behavior so often make for good politics — even in the most progressive nations?
  • Are our own governments beyond saving, or can we use lessons learned here to make them work for us?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/795

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! 

Feb 16, 2023
794: Alastair Smith | The Dictator's Handbook Part One
01:11:33

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Please check back later in the week for part two!]

What We Discuss with Alastair Smith:

  • How do dictators come to power and remain in power even when their policies serve only themselves and not the people under their "leadership?"
  • Why do the majority of people living under dictatorships suffer in impoverished squalor, and how does foreign aid empower these dictators rather than help the general populace?
  • Why do dictators consistently hate freedom, the media, and seemingly their own citizens?
  • Why does bad behavior so often make for good politics — even in the most progressive nations?
  • Are our own governments beyond saving, or can we use lessons learned here to make them work for us?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/794

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

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Feb 14, 2023
793: Death | Skeptical Sunday
00:37:50

Are you dead wrong to trust the funeral industry in having your best interests at heart when it's time to shuffle off your mortal coil?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • The average cost of a funeral is over $11,000.
  • Lack of regulation and high prices lead to some families not being able to afford funerals. As a result, about 88,000 bodies go unclaimed each year.
  • Grieving people may not have the emotional energy or knowledge to compare prices, leading to exploitation by funeral companies — like Service Corporation International (SCI), whose prices are 47 percent to 72 percent higher than competitors.
  • 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid are used in the US each year, which potentially get into the drinking water. 1.4 million cremations recorded in 2017 created CO2 emissions equalling 52,000 cars on the road.
  • Funerals.org provides information on funeral arrangements and what is necessary versus what is being sold by funeral homes.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/793

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...

Feb 12, 2023
792: Red Flags Making You Rethink Your Shrink | Feedback Friday
01:02:56

A number of red flags have you rethinking the effectiveness of your shrink. Shouldn't they make you feel more capable of facing the world and understanding your place in it instead of less capable and more confused? Is it time for you to shop for a newer, better therapist? We'll try to help you answer this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • A number of red flags have you rethinking the effectiveness of your shrink. Is it time for you to shop for a newer, better therapist? [Thanks once again to clinical psychologist Dr. Erin Margolis for helping us with this one!]
  • You're concerned about the well-being of an on-again, off-again ex. How can you check in on them without re-entering what always turns out to be a hurtful and toxic relationship?
  • How might you pitch the higher-ups at your office about covering the costs of the doctorate you're pursuing that would increase your market value within the company — sure to be a win/win for both parties?
  • When the city government and law enforcement won't do anything to stem the meth production and associated traffic blighting the neighborhood, can the landlords who allow this to continue be held legally accountable? [As always, thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us answer this one!]
  • Everyone you know reached out and offered support when you made your cancer diagnosis public — except for your best friend, who notably kept their distance. Should you even still consider this person your friend?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/792

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

Sign up for Six-Minute...

Feb 10, 2023
791: Mark Manson | Giving a F*ck About What Really Matters
01:27:09

Mark Manson (@IAmMarkManson) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and the subject of a new feature film that goes by the same name.

What We Discuss with Mark Manson:

  • Mark and Jordan discuss how they evolved beyond their roots in the seedy pickup artist (PUA) scene to help people from all walks of life transcend insecurities and discover their true potential — or at least derive entertainment from some books and podcasts.
  • Mark experiences the ups and downs of becoming a viral sensation: from seeing his book publicly enjoyed by Congressional representatives and Hollywood movie stars to discovering that Putin's using it as an excuse to tighten Russia's censorship laws.
  • The dangers of delusional positivity — just because believing something makes you feel good doesn't make it real, which means you're going to be especially disappointed when it's time to acknowledge what is real.
  • Our brains want there to be an easy, fix-all formula for happiness that we can get from attending a self-help seminar or reading a stack of personal growth books, but the principles we learn from them are useless until we go through the effort to apply them to our lives in the outside world.
  • There's no such thing as bad emotions — there are only bad reactions to emotions.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/791

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 09, 2023
790: Florence Williams | The Science of Heartbreak
00:59:08

Florence Williams (@flowill) is a journalist and the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, and Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.

What We Discuss with Florence Williams:

  • How "real" is heartbreak? Real enough that our brains react to the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way they react to physical pain.
  • The chronic loneliness brought about by heartbreak can increase the risk of early death by as much as 26 percent.
  • Just as you wouldn't expect results from "wishing" a toothache away, ignoring the distress caused by heartbreak can exacerbate existing medical problems and create new ones — from inflammation to diabetes, heart disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Differences between the causes and symptoms of heartbreak as typically experienced by women and men.
  • What we can do to mitigate the pain if we find ourselves suffering from heartbreak.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/790

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!

Miss our conversation with evolutionary social psychologist Dr. Sarah Hill? Catch up with episode 280: Sarah Hill | This Is Your Brain on Birth Control here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 07, 2023
789: Chocolate | Skeptical Sunday
00:37:14

Is chocolate your guilty pleasure? Until you listen to this episode, we can almost guarantee you're not feeling guilty enough about it! But don't fret, because we'll also provide resources to help alleviate some of that guilt and allow you to become part of the problem's solution!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • How the production and consumption of chocolate perpetuates a range of negative impacts, including child trafficking, labor exploitation akin to slavery, deforestation, and climate change.
  • The chocolate industry brings in $100 billion annually, but the farmers who produce it make less than $1 a day toiling long hours in the grueling heat, constantly exposed to poisonous pesticides in unsafe conditions.
  • High demand for labor is met by children — some as young as five — who are forced into it either by their desperate families or opportunists who abduct and sell them.
  • How, despite the health benefits of cocoa, there has been a high food safety concern regarding the presence and levels of heavy metals such as nickel, cadmium, chromium, and lead, both in cocoa beans and cocoa products including, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, and chocolates.
  • How consumers can contribute to positive change by being more mindful of where their chocolate comes from and demanding ethical and sustainable production practices. Vote with your dollars for conscientious producers of chocolate who observe fair trade practices!
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Full...

Feb 05, 2023
788: His Love Is Bona Fide, Not a Mail-Order Bride | Feedback Friday
01:00:54

If the people back home choose to believe negative stereotypes about your true love from another land and the nature of your relationship, it's a damn shame — for them. On this Feedback Friday, we'll delve into why it's almost always okay to blow off the cockamamie opinions of people who should probably be minding their own business!

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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • People in your town are bound to assume a number of negative stereotypes when you bring your true love from abroad home. But is that really your problem?
  • What resources best prepared Jordan and Jen for their first child?
  • What can you do when your sketchy new landlord is pressuring you to avoid his ex-wife (and half-owner of the building) if she comes to introduce herself?
  • You share children with a gaslighting, abusive ex who damaged your confidence and sense of reality, so you still have to deal with him regularly. How do you warn his wonderful current girlfriend before he does the same to her?
  • What support does the Chinese Communist Party have from Chinese citizens who have moved abroad? Will declining birth rates and emigration force regime change before the country's infrastructure collapses?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/788

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter...

Feb 03, 2023
787: Mitch Lowe | Lessons in Disruption Part Two
01:11:05

Mitch Lowe (@mitch__lowe) is a co-founding executive of Netflix, the former CEO of MoviePass, the former president of Redbox, and the author of Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass ? Lessons in Disruption. [This is part two of a two-part episode. You can find part one here!]

What We Discuss with Mitch Lowe:

  • How Netflix tested, marketed, and made its DVD-by-mail service work at a time when the profit margins were low and its brick-and-mortar competition was high.
  • How Redbox DVD rentals filled a consumer niche between Netflix and Blockbuster — and was so successful that one machine was being installed per hour for every hour of the day, three years in a row!
  • Redbox's loss-prevention and cost-capturing strategies for what were essentially unstaffed video vending machines in operation 24/7.
  • Obstacles Netflix and Redbox faced from business interests entrenched in the status quo (and how they were overcome).
  • Why Mitch once faked a heart attack to get out of a meeting with Walmart executives.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/787

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Feb 02, 2023
786: Mitch Lowe | Lessons in Disruption Part One
01:19:41

Mitch Lowe (@mitch__lowe) is a co-founding executive of Netflix, the former CEO of MoviePass, the former president of Redbox, and the author of Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass ? Lessons in Disruption. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Mitch Lowe:

  • How Mitch's first entrepreneurial adventure involved peddling blacklight posters in Europe at the behest of a shady character by the name of Funky Sam.
  • What Mitch learned from befriending people on both sides of the conflict in Israel while living there in the '70s.
  • How Mitch got deported from Egypt as a spy and accidentally witnessed something he shouldn’t have.
  • How Mitch's terrible investment in a video store led to innovations that would make Netflix — the company he co-founded — wrench domination from entrenched rivals in the video rental industry.
  • Did Mitch really fake a heart attack to get out of a meeting with Walmart executives?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/786

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 31, 2023
785: Living with Aplomb in Spite of a Monstrous Mom | Feedback Friday
01:13:26

Your adoptive mom is a narcissistic homophobe whose big concern when you disclosed that you'd been sexually abused by family members was how this would make other people think about her. You've since gone on to become an accomplished writer with friends in high places, but your family has always taken your mother's twisted side over yours and made you feel terrible about yourself. How can you now live with aplomb in spite of your monstrous mom? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/785

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • You have a successful career and friends in high places, but how can you live your life with aplomb when you've been raised by a monstrous, narcissistic mom?
  • You're an older grad student who, you've just discovered, comes across as an arrogant know-it-all to your younger peers. Now you worry that you've become so unpopular that the university will ask you to withdraw for failure to mesh with the other students. How can you make this right?
  • You have reservations about fully trusting your fiancé — who's had over 150 sexual partners, and admits to cheating in a previous committed relationship. No stranger to the sting of being cheated on yourself, how can you move forward without feeling haunted by his past?
  • Your new job is in jeopardy because of a recent depressive episode that left you incapacitated for weeks. While you're working with a therapist and psychiatrist to get things under control, how can you explain what's been going on to your new boss?
  • Why are influencers all of a sudden promoting tourism to Saudi Arabia, and how can you sit with the moral dilemma about visiting countries actively committing human rights violations?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking...

Jan 27, 2023
784: Ramy Romany | Unwrapping the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
01:39:11

Ramy Romany (@ramyromany) is an Emmy Award-winning DGA director and cinematographer, a world-renowned Egyptologist, and the co-author of Conspired: The Evil One Shall Not Live Again.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/784

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 26, 2023
783: Apolo Ohno | Embracing Change and Finding Purpose
01:42:33

Apolo Ohno (@ApoloOhno) is a retired American short-track speed skater, an eight-time Olympic medalist, the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time, and the author of Hard Pivot: Embrace Change. Find Purpose. Show Up Fully.

What We Discuss with Apolo Ohno:

  • How Apolo's single dad helped him constructively channel his genetic proclivities toward athleticism and abundance of energy — and overcome his physical shortcomings — from an early age.
  • What drove Apolo's tendency to self-sabotage even as he was becoming the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time (and what we can do to moderate this mindset in ourselves).
  • The perils of overtraining — and what Apolo would do differently today if he were still competing as an athlete that would serve him better.
  • Understanding the difference between entertaining superstitions and creating reliable routines and habits upon which you can rely when seeking success.
  • The highly transferable lesson Apolo learned when a fluke accident robbed him of a gold medal — and what we can all take away from the disappointment of only landing a silver medal when life doesn't go according to plan.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/783

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 24, 2023
782: Death of Mother Could Trigger Ballistic Brother | Feedback Friday
00:59:10

Now that your mother-in-law is in hospice, you're worried that your unstable brother-in-law — whose uncomfortable attachment to her makes Norman Bates look like John Boy Walton — is set to go literally ballistic against you and your husband (who has been handling her financial affairs) when she finally passes. Should you skip the funeral, or rent a couple of bulletproof vests and hope for the best? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/781

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Should you skip your mother-in-law's funeral to avoid being shot by the unhinged brother-in-law over financial affairs?
  • You're living abroad with a significant other who cheated on you during the long-distance phase of your relationship, and trust is difficult to regain. You're considering moving out, but you're a stranger in a strange land without a support system. What should you do?
  • As part of a hard-working sales team, it was disheartening to discover your manager's been playing favorites and spoon-feeding the best leads to her crush. How can you right this wrong without jeopardizing your own position?
  • How do you best protect yourself, your child, and your niece against a sister struggling with addiction who makes sure none of your good deeds toward her over the years go unpunished?
  • When talking about medical problems and past trauma makes your friends uncomfortable, is it okay to bury your pain rather than trying to sort the mess out?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

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!

Jan 20, 2023
781: Peter Zeihan | Mapping the Collapse of Globalization
01:21:18

Peter Zeihan (@peterzeihan) is a geopolitical strategist, founder of the consulting firm Zeihan on Geopolitics, and author of The Absent SuperpowerThe Accidental SuperpowerDisunited Nations, and The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization.

What We Discuss with Peter Zeihan:

  • How advancements in technology and global trade have led to a world where virtually everything we could want or need is available on tap.
  • What the role of the United States has been in creating such a world, and why it seems to be rapidly losing interest in maintaining this role.
  • What would happen if this interconnected world were to suddenly become disconnected — and the nations of the world had to become self-sufficient and produce their own goods, food, and energy.
  • How only a small percentage of the world's countries could successfully adapt to such a disruption, and what this would mean for the majority of the global population.
  • What the aftermath of this social upheaval might look like, and how we can be best prepared to emerge from the chaos intact.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/781

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 19, 2023
780: Chris Fenton | China's Harrowing Hold Over Hollywood
01:23:18

Chris Fenton (@TheDragonFeeder) is an expert on China's influence over Hollywood and how the Chinese government pressures American movie studios into creating soft power propaganda. He is the author of Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion-Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business.

What We Discuss with Chris Fenton:

  • How China exerts influence over the Hollywood movie industry.
  • The strategies that are used to make movies and commercials relevant to the Chinese public — and ensure they're pushing the Chinese government's political agenda.
  • How international film edits differ from Chinese film edits.
  • What the Chinese government does to punish Hollywood studios that won't play ball.
  • Why leverage doesn't have to be a one-way street, and how Hollywood can push back against Chinese politics.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/780

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with Desmond Shum, the former CCP insider and former husband of disappeared Chinese billionaire “Whitney” Duan Weihong? Catch up with episode 684: Desmond Shum | Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in China here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 17, 2023
779: Almonds | Skeptical Sunday
00:21:44

How do the environmental costs of producing almonds outweigh their nutritional benefits? Allow us to count the ways...

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/779

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Almonds are one of the most misunderstood "health foods" of the modern era. As of 2021, US consumption of almonds amounted to about 1.56 million metric tons worldwide, and Americans now consume more than 10 times as many almonds as in 1965. Unfortunately, while they've become a staple of healthy diets, they are not environmentally friendly.
  • Almond milk is not a true dairy alternative and is mostly made of water, sugar, salt, emulsifiers, vitamins, and ascorbic acid — and only two percent almonds.
  • Almond farming requires bees to wake up early from hibernation to attend the crop season, and most of the bees rented by farmers die due to pesticides and diseases — up to 50 million per year.
  • It takes from one to three gallons of water to produce just one almond. That means, at the low end of the scale, one serving of almonds = 23 gallons of water, and one pound of almonds = 1900 gallons. 100 percent of the almonds you buy in the US, and 80 percent of almonds in the world, are produced in California — where there is already an issue with water shortages.
  • How we can be more mindful of our almond consumption and support alternative products that are more environmentally friendly.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking...

Jan 15, 2023
778: Custody Depends on Testimony Against Old Friend | Feedback Friday
01:06:02

An old friend who wrote you off for remaining neutral when she left her husband is asking you to testify on her behalf to secure full custody of her children. However, you've always known her ex-husband to be a responsible father and are skeptical of her anecdotes that would disqualify him from co-parenting rights. Obviously, the time for neutrality has passed and it's time to pick a side. So where does loyalty lie when legality is on the line? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/778

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • First, we have a follow-up of sorts from episode 753: A Clandestine Crossdresser’s Conundrum.
  • The balance of a custody battle between your ex-bestie and her ex-husband may be tipped by your testimony. Where does your loyalty lie when legality is on the line?
  • Is it immoral to get into a serious relationship without disclosing your incurable, debilitating illness up front?
  • Metaphorically speaking, what if you gave up your job rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic to become an engineer on the Lusitania?
  • Newfound feelings of rage leave you wondering what a healthy relationship with anger looks like for most people — and what might be the best way to channel this feeling toward something positive?
  • Packages delivered to your address only started going missing when your unstable, gun-toting neighbor moved in, but your landlord refuses to actually do anything about it unless you can provide some kind of proof. What are your options?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Jan 13, 2023
777: Kevin Dutton | The Wisdom of Psychopaths Part Two
01:01:18

Kevin Dutton (@therealdrkev) is a psychologist and author known for his research on the psychology of evil and the science of charisma. His latest book is The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch up with part one here!]

What We Discuss with Kevin Dutton:

  • How having a con artist father who never lost his cool sparked Kevin’s interest in understanding the mindset of the psychopath.
  • What Kevin means when he says that psychopaths understand the “words but not the music” of emotion.
  • Contrary to popular belief, psychopaths aren’t necessarily violent. They could be a surgeon or a killer, a firefighter or an arsonist. (Or even a professor or an ax murderer.)
  • Why psychopaths are often excellent at persuasion and identifying weakness in others.
  • What percentage of the population exhibits psychopathy, and how psychopaths can actually be useful for society.
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/777

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!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 12, 2023
776: Kevin Dutton | The Wisdom of Psychopaths Part One
00:58:47

Kevin Dutton (@therealdrkev) is a psychologist and author known for his research on the psychology of evil and the science of charisma. His latest book is The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Keep an eye out for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Kevin Dutton:

  • How having a con artist father who never lost his cool sparked Kevin's interest in understanding the mindset of the psychopath.
  • What Kevin means when he says that psychopaths understand the "words but not the music" of emotion.
  • Contrary to popular belief, psychopaths aren't necessarily violent. They could be a surgeon or a killer, a firefighter or an arsonist. (Or even a professor or an ax murderer.)
  • Why psychopaths are often excellent at persuasion and identifying weakness in others.
  • What percentage of the population exhibits psychopathy, and how psychopaths can actually be useful for society.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/776

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 10, 2023
775: Bridezilla's Vanity Tests Bestie's Sanity | Feedback Friday
01:02:38

Participating in your bestie's wedding seemed like a great honor — until she transformed into a demanding Bridezilla. Now it's a stressful horrorshow that's straining what's left of your friendship. Should you stay or should you go? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/775

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your bestie has transformed into a demanding Bridezilla. Should you still participate in her wedding or get out while you can?
  • After 30 years in an evangelical church that warped your feelings about sexuality, your only relationship fell apart after a few short months. How can you be upfront about your history with potential partners without scaring them off?
  • You've been so diligent about saving money and investing wisely over the past decade that you could live without a job for five years. So how can you reconcile your desire for a more independent life with your — probably unfounded — fear of financial instability?
  • Should you ghost, roast, or toast your new aggro-defensive coworker who won't take the criticism necessary to improve — especially when it comes from a woman?
  • How can you get your significant other to understand that his consumer choices matter — and that you don't want to support companies that, in turn, give money to the corrupt and genocidal Chinese government?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism author Nadya Tolokonnikova? Catch up with 

Jan 06, 2023
774: Jonah Berger | The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior
00:00

Jonah Berger (@j1berger) has spent over 15 years studying how social influence works and how it drives products and ideas to catch on. He’s a marketing professor and author, and his new book is Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior[Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Jonah Berger:

  • We like to believe we’re so special that our choices are driven by personal preferences and opinions; the fact of the matter: other people have an influence over almost everything we do.
  • Rather than seeing influence as negative and manipulative, we should understand how to use it as a toolkit for making better decisions.
  • Sometimes we allow our social groups or cultural upbringing to influence us toward underachievement.
  • Learn the one trick that allows negotiators to be five times more successful.
  • How do we protect ourselves from undesired influence?
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/774

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 05, 2023
773: David Lieberman | Deciphering What People Really Want
00:00

Dr. David Lieberman (@dr_lieberman) is the author of the book Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are. He is a respected expert on human behavior and relationships, with a focus on improving communication and understanding between individuals.

What We Discuss with Dr. David Lieberman:

  • Common misconceptions about body language that can be safely discarded as nonsense.
  • The difference between self-esteem and confidence.
  • Why guilty people usually want the conversation to end as soon as possible, while innocent people often want a further exchange of information.
  • What spatial immediacy is, and its impact on how people interact and the nature of their communication.
  • Why the less emotionally and mentally healthy someone is, the less comfortable they are with people who hold opposing viewpoints.
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/773

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jan 03, 2023
772: Energy Drinks | Skeptical Sunday
00:38:39

Energy Drinks. What is in these things? Why are some people hooked on them? Why are they wild, unnatural colors? What exactly do they do? Are they dangerous? Are they hype? Or are they both? Sit back, pour yourself a nice tall glass of carbonated, bright-blue, sugar-packed whatever the hell this is, commence vibrating, and get the straight dope on energy drinks.

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/772

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Energy drinks have been linked to irregular heartbeats, cardiomyopathy (a disease that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood), increased blood pressure, and other heart conditions.
  • A lot of people in the fitness world like energy drinks, especially diet ones, because they get an energy boost for working out without a huge caloric intake — but their bodies tend to be healthy enough to deal with any adverse effects.
  • When it comes to caffeine, experts recommend no more than 400 mg per day for adults, or 100 mg for kids. A standard cup of coffee provides anywhere between 95 mg to 200 mg, while one can of an energy drink varies by brand from 111 mg to 280 mg.
  • The FDA warns that 4,200 mg of caffeine can be lethal to an average adult if ingested all at once — although other conditions can exacerbate its effect at much lower doses. An autopsy reported "caffeine toxicity" as a contributor to a 14-year-old's death after she drank just two cans of 24 oz Monster energy drinks — or about 488 mg of caffeine.
  • Most energy drinks contain B12 and lots of other vitamins that can be good for fighting off depression (especially in vegans with a low B12 intake), but supplements can provide the same benefits without added caffeine and sugar.
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an...
Jan 01, 2023
771: Sarah Edmondson & Nippy Ames | Surviving NXIVM Part Two
01:06:36

Sarah Edmondson (@sarahjedmondson) and Anthony "Nippy" Ames (@nippyames) are two former NXIVM cult members turned whistleblowers. Together, they host the podcast A Little Bit Culty, and are featured in HBO's series The Vow. Sarah's 12-year ordeal is chronicled in Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life. [This is part two of a two-part conversation. Find part one here!]

What We Discuss with Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames:

  • How NXIVM began as a community of like-minded individuals who were committed to personal growth and self-improvement and devolved into a cult under the leadership of its narcissistic founder, Keith Raniere.
  • How Hollywood celebrities came to be courted and ultimately controlled by Raniere and the NXIVM cult.
  • The endless abuses suffered by NXIVM's victims — from mind games to being branded as property and trafficked as a way to fund Raniere's lavish lifestyle.
  • Where Sarah and Nippy existed within NXIVM's hierarchy, the parts they played, and what broke the spell that held them enthralled in the cult's sinister machinations.
  • How Sarah and Nippy are coping with the aftermath of their traumatic experiences, and what they're doing to raise awareness of how cults like NXIVM ruin people's lives.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/771

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 29, 2022
770: Sarah Edmondson & Nippy Ames | Surviving NXIVM Part One
01:10:39

Sarah Edmondson (@sarahjedmondson) and Anthony "Nippy" Ames (@nippyames) are two former NXIVM cult members turned whistleblowers. Together, they host the podcast A Little Bit Culty, and are featured in HBO's series The Vow. Sarah's 12-year ordeal is chronicled in Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life. [This is part one of a two-part conversation. Stay tuned for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames:

  • How NXIVM began as a community of like-minded individuals who were committed to personal growth and self-improvement and devolved into a cult under the leadership of its narcissistic founder, Keith Raniere.
  • How Hollywood celebrities came to be courted and ultimately controlled by Raniere and the NXIVM cult.
  • The endless abuses suffered by NXIVM's victims — from mind games to being branded as property and trafficked as a way to fund Raniere's lavish lifestyle.
  • Where Sarah and Nippy existed within NXIVM's hierarchy, the parts they played, and what broke the spell that held them enthralled in the cult's sinister machinations.
  • How Sarah and Nippy are coping with the aftermath of their traumatic experiences, and what they're doing to raise awareness of how cults like NXIVM ruin people's lives.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/770

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 27, 2022
769: Narcissist's Antics Make Parents Go Frantic | Feedback Friday
01:06:58

Most resources seem to focus on how to separate from people with narcissistic behaviors and get them out of your life — but what are you supposed to do when you’re the loving parent of an adult narcissist and you just want them to have a normal family and a fulfilling, productive life? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/769

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • As a loving parent who really wishes the best for your children, is it possible to reconcile with a violent, gaslighting, blame-deflecting 20-year-old, narcissistic son, or is it time to just cut your losses and move on? [Thanks to clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula for helping us field this one!]
  • As someone with abandonment issues, PTSD, and depression, it drives you nuts that the person you're dating frequently goes for days without contacting you. Should you keep pushing for this relationship, or accept that your personalities may just not be compatible?
  • When your father was killed in an ATV accident, the driver who picked up the vehicle offered to buy it for $800. Five months after putting down $200, he has still not paid the balance and you're wondering if you can repossess the ATV or report it as stolen. [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us answer this one!]
  • Jordan and Gabe compare what they've learned over this past year of answering Feedback Fridays together, and extend special thanks to Corbin Payne, Dr. Erin Margolis, Michelle Tillis Lederman, Alisa Cohn, and all the other brilliant people who have helped us out in 2022!
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at

Dec 23, 2022
768: Chase Hughes | The Behavioral Table of Elements
01:10:14

Chase Hughes (@thechasehughes) created The Behavioral Table of Elements for behavior analysis in interrogations, and is the author of The Ellipsis Manual: Analysis and Engineering of Human Behavior. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Chase Hughes:

  • What is The Behavioral Table of the Elements and how can we use it to determine the likelihood that someone is telling us the truth?
  • Why Chase considers polygraph tests “just about as accurate as a coin toss” — and how they’re actually biased against people who tell the truth.
  • What someone training to spot deception indicators and stress might learn from watching Conan O’Brien interviews.
  • How training ourselves to be subconsciously aware of truth signals clues us in when someone who’s lying deviates from them.
  • How to hack authority for influence and personal development.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/768

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss? Catch up with episode 165: Chris Voss | Negotiate as If Your Life Depended on It here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 22, 2022
767: Sohom Das | Decoding Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, and Anna Delvey
01:22:28

Dr. Sohom Das (@dr_s_das) is a consultant forensic psychiatrist who works in prisons and criminal courts to assess and rehabilitate mentally ill offenders. He is the author of In Two Minds: Stories of Murder, Justice, and Recovery From a Forensic Psychiatrist

What We Discuss with Dr. Sohom Das:

  • How was fake heiress Anna Delvey (aka Anna Sorokin) able to convince even the savviest New York social elites that she was one of them and gain access to their checkbooks?
  • The numerous non-violent ways psychopaths act out to exploit others for their own gratification.
  • Is social influencer Andrew Tate mentally a 12-year-old playground bully in the body of a former professional kickboxer, or is he just playing a caricature of one for fun and profit? 
  • Why InfoWars honcho Alex Jones can't resist peddling provably false conspiracy theories even though it's bankrupting his media empire down to the rivets.
  • Are narcissists psychopaths?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/767

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with Paul Holes, the former investigator known for his contributions to solving the Golden State Killer case using advanced methods of identification with DNA and genealogy technology? Catch up with episode 725: Paul Holes | Solving America’s Cold Cases here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 20, 2022
766: Banned Foods | Skeptical Sunday
00:57:09

Why are so many of the snacks and drinks offered as safe for consumption in the United States wholly banned in other parts of the world? How bad could our favorite foodstuffs actually be?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Editor's note: A previous version of this show's notes erroneously declared that aspartame was banned in the EU. We are in the process of correcting this and apologize for the error. 

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/766

On This Week’s Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Coffee Mate's liquid version is banned in Europe due to the presence of trans fats (found in hydrogenated vegetable oils) that can lead to heart disease. While the US requires warning labels for these foods, they are still available to consumers.
  • Mexican and most European cola brands use cane sugar, while American Coke uses high fructose corn syrup, which is regulated in the EU. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to health issues such as insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular illnesses.
  • Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener found in many US foods and drinks, including diet sodas and gum. It contains phenylalanine, which can cause problems for people with a rare genetic condition called PKU.
  • While evidence is still being gathered, there have been concerns about the potential health effects of certain artificial food dyes, particularly their potential to cause hyperactivity in children. In the European Union, these dyes are banned from use in food products, while they are widely used in the United States.
  • The EU has banned the use of growth hormones in cows due to concerns about potential health risks to humans and animals, as well as potential negative impacts on the environment. In the United States, however, they're commonly used in the dairy and meat industries to promote faster growth and increase milk production in cows.
  • 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 jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch...
Dec 17, 2022
765: Fella Fretting from Furtive Front Seat Fellatio | Feedback Friday
01:08:36

You're a straight man who was sexually assaulted by another man when you were just 21 years old, and it's haunted you ever since. Additionally, you bear the burden alone because you've never been able to tell your wife about this traumatic experience. What can you do to make this right after all this time? We'll try to help find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/765

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • As a straight man, you were sexually assaulted by another man at 21 and have never told your wife. The experience has been haunting you. What should you do?
  • Written accuracy is a crucial part of your job, but you seem to make typos and mistakes no matter how hard you try. How can you improve your attention to detail while coping with the anxiety and insecurity that come with being criticized for your slip-ups?
  • You work hard to secure your children's future, not so your in-laws can hobnob at the country club and drink wine they can't afford — so their failure to repay the $20,000 you loaned them is making you resentful. What do you do now?
  • Is it worth reaching out to the "friends" who know about how your charming ex used to physically abuse you but went on vacation with him anyway? Or should you just write them all off and look for newer, better friends?
  • You're a human resources management major who aspires to become a job recruiter. The irony: you can't seem to get yourself a job in spite of doing well in mock interviews. How do you get better at selling yourself to potential employers?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even...

Dec 16, 2022
764: Nick Bilton | Hunting the Dark Web's Silk Road Kingpin
00:55:41

Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, a contributor to CNBC, a former columnist for The New York Times, and author of American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Nick Bilton:

  • How does a merit badge-bedecked Eagle Scout become the head of a thriving online black market worth a billion dollars?
  • What are the costs of maintaining a double life?
  • What’s the real reason Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht was caught?
  • What is Nick Bilton’s unique research process for covering a story like this?
  • Is everyone susceptible to the level of Ross Ulbricht’s mix of ambition, hubris, and self-deception, or does it require a certain personality type?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/764

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-parter with Bridgewater Associates founder and world-famous investor Ray Dalio? Start catching up with episode 389: Ray Dalio | Principles of an Investing Pioneer Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 15, 2022
763: Laowhy86 | China Uprising | Out of the Loop
01:19:43

Laowhy86 (@laowhy86) — aka Matthew Tye, aka C-Milk — is a Westerner who lived in China for 10 years, and watched it change from an opening and liberalizing society into regression and authoritarianism. His YouTube videos explain China, Chinese culture, and Chinese politics, and decode Chinese propaganda so viewers are armed with the knowledge to identify and resist it.

Welcome to what we’re calling our “Out of the Loop” episodes, where we dig a little deeper into fascinating current events that may only register as a blip on the media’s news cycle and have conversations with the people who find themselves immersed in them. Here, Laowhy86 joins us to share his Westerner’s perspective — with those of us out of the loop — on the uprisings going on in China right now over the government’s draconian lockdowns and ongoing human rights abuses. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/763

On This Episode of Out of the Loop, We Discuss:

  • Welded into an apartment building in China’s Xinjiang region to prevent their escape during the Chinese government’s strict “zero-COVID” lockdowns, 10 people — including a three-year-old child — were killed when a fire broke out.
  • The violent crackdown by authorities during a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire escalated into massive protests against the government, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, across China — at a scale unseen since 1989’s Tiananmen Square massacre.
  • Coordinated across 79 universities in China, these protests have evolved to include demands for political reform and an end to corruption — a rare display of unity among a population so long repressed by a regime that traditionally punishes dissent with social stigma, imprisonment, and death.
  • The intensity of these protests is surprising given the effectiveness of surveillance tools used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the past. This indicates that there is a larger sentiment for dissent among the population than may be visibly apparent.
  • What this wave of protests portends for the future of China, its people, its historically inflexible authoritarian government, and its place on the global stage.
  • And much more!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you’d like us to tackle here on an Out of the Loop episode, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with David...

Dec 13, 2022
761: Bradley Steyn | Undercover with Mandela's Spies Part Two
01:05:54

Bradley Steyn (@bradley_steyn_) is an expert on risk mitigation, operational support, and racial injustice. He is the co-author of Undercover with Mandela's Spies: The Story of the Boy Who Crossed the Square, a memoir of his time as a double agent working for Nelson Mandela during the dying days of South African Apartheid. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to check out part one here!] 

What We Discuss with Bradley Steyn:

  • Bradley shares his observations as a white kid growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa.
  • How, as a teenager, Bradley bore witness to the brutal Strijdom Square massacre, in which white supremacist Barend Hendrik Strydom calmly took the lives of eight People of Color and injured 16 with a 9mm pistol.
  • The PTSD, nightmares, anger issues, and emotional distress Bradley was forced to cope with in the aftermath of this horrific experience — and still deals with more than three decades later.
  • How Bradley was recruited for undercover duty by the feared security police of the Apartheid government while working as a bouncer at a Pretoria gay bar.
  • What led to Bradley's dedication to the anti-Apartheid struggle and his service as a deep cover double agent within the Department of Intelligence and Security under the directive of Chris Hani's and Nelson Mandela's paramilitary wing, uMkhonto weSizwe.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/761

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Freeway Rick Ross, the crack empire kingpin gone good? Catch up with episode 121: Freeway Rick Ross | Life in the Crack Lane here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 08, 2022
760: Bradley Steyn | Undercover with Mandela's Spies Part One
01:02:07

Bradley Steyn (@bradley_steyn_) is an expert on risk mitigation, operational support, and racial injustice. He is the co-author of Undercover with Mandela's Spies: The Story of the Boy Who Crossed the Square, a memoir of his time as a double agent working for Nelson Mandela during the dying days of South African Apartheid. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Keep an eye out for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Bradley Steyn:

  • Bradley shares his observations as a white kid growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa.
  • How, as a teenager, Bradley bore witness to the brutal Strijdom Square massacre, in which white supremacist Barend Hendrik Strydom calmly took the lives of eight People of Color and injured 16 with a 9mm pistol.
  • The PTSD, nightmares, anger issues, and emotional distress Bradley was forced to cope with in the aftermath of this horrific experience — and still deals with more than three decades later.
  • How Bradley was recruited for undercover duty by the feared security police of the Apartheid government while working as a bouncer at a Pretoria gay bar.
  • What led to Bradley's dedication to the anti-Apartheid struggle and his service as a deep cover double agent within the Department of Intelligence and Security under the directive of Chris Hani's and Nelson Mandela's paramilitary wing, uMkhonto weSizwe.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/760

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-part conversation with ex-Al-Qaeda spy Aimen Dean? Catch up by starting with episode 383: Aimen Dean | Nine Lives of a Spy Inside Al-Qaeda Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 06, 2022
759: Can Mom Cease As Family Man's Side Piece? | Feedback Friday
01:00:54

When your mother is the other woman in some other family's affair, how do you compel her to do the right thing and walk away? We'll tackle this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/759

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • When your mother is the other woman in some other family's affair, how do you compel her to do the right thing and walk away?
  • How much is too much when you're considering the cost of an education that should be earning you top dollar?
  • You're no longer physically attracted to the husband who fathered your children. Should you tough it out until your kids are adults, or would it be better to separate now and hope for the best?
  • How can you shake the family business and chart your own course when you know you'd feel guilty for abandoning what your parents have built?
  • What should you do if you find yourself drawn to another person while you’re in a committed relationship?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 02, 2022
758: David Buss | The Evolution of Desire
01:13:36

David Buss (@ProfDavidBuss) is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is considered the world’s leading scientific expert on strategies of human mating, and his most recent book is — appropriately enough — The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with David Buss:

  • Why does mating matter?
  • The mating crisis among educated women.
  • How to select a good long-term mate.
  • What leads to mating disasters.
  • What we can do to become better long-term mates.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/758

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Missed our conversation with Daniel Pink in which we discussed the psychology, biology, and economics behind scheduling for optimal effect (including sleep) — and why your ideal time to get something done may widely differ from someone else’s? Catch up with episode 63: Daniel Pink | When Is the Best Time to Get Things Done?

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Dec 01, 2022
757: Annie Duke | The Power of Knowing When to Quit
01:28:14

Annie Duke (@annieduke) is a World Series poker champion, a shrewd decision-maker, and the author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts and Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.

What We Discuss with Annie Duke:

  • Why "Never give up!" is objectively terrible advice (as even Muhammad Ali might grudgingly admit).
  • Life's too short to keep fighting a battle that's only losing ground when you could better devote the time you're spending to more worthwhile pursuits.
  • Why the worst time to make a decision is when you're already in the middle of it.
  • How the sunk cost fallacy keeps us spinning our wheels in fruitless attempts at progress long after we should have turned back.
  • How we can actually tell the difference between a worthy pursuit and a lost cause — and what we can do to resist our own stubborn impulse to persist beyond reasonable defeat.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/757

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our last conversation with Annie Duke — World Series poker champion and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts? Catch up by listening to episode 40: Annie Duke | How to Make Decisions Like a Poker Champ here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 29, 2022
756: Seeking Reconciliation After Abusing a Relation | Feedback Friday
00:00

As a child, you were sexually abused by an older sibling, and you, in turn, abused your younger sibling. How can you overcome the guilt and shame you feel to repair your relationship with this person you've deeply hurt? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/756

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Some listener feedback about the butt-dialer situation from episode 732.
  • As a child, you were sexually abused by an older sibling, and you, in turn, abused your younger sibling. How can you overcome the guilt and shame you feel to repair your relationship with this person you've deeply hurt?
  • To your chagrin, the team lead in your old department — someone you consider a friend — wants you to keep helping out even though you've moved on to another position at the company. How do you navigate this without completely blowing up your friendship with this colleague?
  • Your mother's guilt from cheating on your late father and contributing to the stress that killed him has given her an eating disorder and sapped her will to live. Is there anything you can do to bring her back from the brink?
  • Can you be a high achiever in law school and work and still have time for family, friends, and the things you love?
  • You were raised by a verbally and physically abusive mother, and grew up in an area where you were ethnically persecuted daily. As a result, you suffer from PTSD that therapy has only seemed to make worse, and you can't really seem to return the love you've been given in past relationships. Is it possible to find a balance between loneliness and happiness?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with actor, producer, and Scientology survivor 

Nov 25, 2022
755: Dr. Sohom Das | Rehabilitating the Criminally Insane
01:19:49

Dr. Sohom Das (@dr_s_das) is a consultant forensic psychiatrist who works in prisons and criminal courts to assess and rehabilitate mentally ill offenders. He is the author of In Two Minds: Stories of Murder, Justice, and Recovery From a Forensic Psychiatrist.

What We Discuss with Dr. Sohom Das:

  • Telling the difference between someone whose treatable madness is causing them to act out and someone whose irredeemable, criminal badness makes them a permanent danger to society.
  • Over 97% of the mentally ill defendants with whom Sohom works experienced trauma in childhood.
  • Comparing and contrasting psychopaths and sociopaths.
  • How can a psychiatrist determine whether someone in custody is mentally ill or just faking it (and has Sohom ever been fooled)?
  • What precautions does Sohom take for his own safety when working in close quarters with mad or bad people who mean him harm?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/755

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with James Fallon — the psychiatry professor who can teach you how to spot a psychopath because he is a psychopath? Catch up here with episode 28: James Fallon | How to Spot a Psychopath!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 24, 2022
754: Miki Mistrati | The Dark Side of the Chocolate Industry
01:19:49

Miki Mistrati (@MrMistrati) is the award-winning director of three international documentaries exposing brutal trafficking and illegal child labor in the multi-billion dollar chocolate industry: The Chocolate War, The Shady Chocolate Business, and The Dark Side of Chocolate.

What We Discuss with Miki Mistrati:

  • How human trafficking, child slavery, and inhumane treatment likely contribute to the production of your favorite chocolate products.
  • Why, nearly two decades after pledging to eradicate child labor, major chocolate companies still cannot identify the farms where all their cocoa comes from, let alone if child labor was used in producing it.
  • How the biggest chocolate companies wield their billions of dollars in profits to keep legislation that would hold them accountable at bay.
  • What we, as consumers, can do to effectively censure these companies and help the people they exploit.
  • How to ensure the chocolate we enjoy is ethically and sustainably sourced.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/754

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with Vince Beiser — author of The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization? Make sure to check out episode 97: Vince Beiser | Why Sand Is More Important Than You Think It Is!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 22, 2022
753: A Clandestine Crossdresser's Conundrum | Feedback Friday
00:55:03

When you're a secret crossdresser who's had a secret affair with another married man whose untimely death left you grieving in secret, it's got you wondering if you should bury your secret things before you die and your wife discovers what you've been hiding from her for all these years? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/753

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Good news! Skeptical Sundays with David C. Smalley will be back in 2023!
  • Should you bury evidence of your crossdressing life and an affair you had with a man before your wife discovers it upon your death?
  • Your parents want to give you and your siblings an inheritance, but how do they compassionately explain excluding your brother who's living as a monk and would have to donate his share to the Church?
  • You envy your siblings whose lives have worked out better than yours to the point where you don't feel empathy for them when they endure terrible things — like having their houses washed out to sea in a hurricane. How can you cultivate a better attitude toward them?
  • You've been appointed as class prefect in your high school, but your less ambitious classmates have chosen to bully you instead of following your efforts at leadership. What can you do when your peers don't respect your authority and the administration refuses to help?
  • Should you remain as a partner at the large law firm where you've been for the past six years when your higher-ups treat you like a doormat, or should you pursue getting a fresh start somewhere new?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-parter with professional pickpocket 

Nov 18, 2022
752: Angela Duckworth | How to Grow Your Grit
01:00:55

Angela Duckworth (@angeladuckw) is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of the non-profit Character Lab, co-host of the No Stupid Questions podcast, and author of NYT bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Angela Duckworth:

  • What grit is and how it overrides the myth of innate "talent."
  • How to quantify your own level of grit.
  • How to grow your grit and achieve what once seemed impossible.
  • Why, when you’re a lifelong learner, you’re always going to see in hindsight how you might have done something better in the past — and this is a sign of improvement.
  • How to know the difference between a lost cause to abandon and a challenge worthy of pursuit.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/752

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with Habits Academy’s James Clear? Catch up by listening to episode 108: James Clear | Forming Atomic Habits for Astronomic Results!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 17, 2022
751: General Robert Spalding | China's Playbook for Global Domination
01:23:43

General Robert Spalding (@@robert_spalding) is a retired US Air Force brigadier general, the CEO of digital infrastructure company SEMPRE, and the author of Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept and War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination.

What We Discuss with General Robert Spalding:

  • How a 1999 book by military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui called Unrestricted Warfare has become China's playbook for global domination against the Western world.
  • Numerous ways the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exploits Western weaknesses with this playbook's primary tenet: the best strategy for warfare is not to kill, but to control.
  • Why the CCP isn't likely to crumble under the weight of its own debts as Soviet Russia did, and why a Chinese invasion of Taiwan stands a better chance of success than the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • How the CCP uses corporate espionage, global pandemics, and trade violations to pursue its goal of dominance.
  • What can we, as individuals clued in to the tactics of this playbook, do to resist the influence of the CCP on the Western world?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/751

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with elite counterterrorism undercover agent Tamer Elnoury? Catch up with episode 572: Tamer Elnoury | Undercover with a Muslim FBI Agent here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 15, 2022
750: Can You Help Friend Shake His Psychotic Break? | Feedback Friday
00:53:28

Your best friend's tether to reality was severed by a psychotic break when you were living abroad, and you were disheartened upon returning to discover just how immersed in paranoid delusions he'd become. His state seems to have improved for the moment, but you're worried he could succumb to these delusions again at any time. Is there anything you can do to help him, or is this something he needs to work out on his own? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/750

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Is there hope you can help your friend recover from a psychotic break that has him immersed in paranoid delusions? [Thanks to clinical psychologist Dr. Najwa Culver for helping us with this one!]
  • You're embarrassed by your hubby's tendency to overdrink in polite company, but any concern or criticism on your part is met with furious pushback. Should you just keep your mouth shut and hope she gets a handle on this, or are you right to intervene?
  • You were recently given a clear, unambiguous offer for what was more or less your dream job, but it was withdrawn in an email stating the company had decided to go with someone else. Is this grounds for a lawsuit?
  • Is your significant other's omission of past relationship details meant to: a) hide something, b) protect you, c) convey disrespect, or d) none of the above?
  • With ongoing world conflicts, the potential loss of abortion rights, climate change, and rising costs of living, how can you justify bringing a child into the world?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with scambuster Coffeezilla? Catch up with episode 368: Coffeezilla...

Nov 11, 2022
749: Yasmine Mohammed | How the West Empowers Radical Islam Part Two
01:05:38

Yasmine Mohammed (@yasmohammedxx) is a human rights activist who advocates for the rights of women living within Muslim-majority countries, as well as those who struggle under religious fundamentalism in general. She is the founder of Free Hearts Free Minds and the author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch part one here!]

What We Discuss with Yasmine Mohammed:

  • Why curtailing expression in free societies is the worst possible response to threats made by religious fundamentalists.
  • How the same religious text that serves to inspire millions gets interpreted by extremists to justify gruesome acts of terrorism and tyranny.
  • How fundamentalist scofflaws abuse the tolerance and goodwill of free societies to drain resources and establish footholds conducive to their extremist ideologies.
  • Yasmine shares her story of growing up in a subordinate family of a religiously justified polygynous household — not in some remote, developing nation, but Canada.
  • The dangers that women and secular-minded members of a society run by religious extremists face, and why such societies need to be challenged rather than given a free pass to continue their oppression for fear of offending the people in charge and their enablers — often the oppressed, themselves.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/749

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with Danny Trejo, the instantly recognizable actor, producer, and restauranteur with a resume that includes crime, hard time, and battling his own addictions while helping troubled youth overcome theirs? Catch up with episode 398: Danny Trejo | Inmate #1 here! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 10, 2022
748: Yasmine Mohammed | How the West Empowers Radical Islam Part One
01:07:37

Yasmine Mohammed (@yasmohammedxx) is a human rights activist who advocates for the rights of women living within Muslim-majority countries, as well as those who struggle under religious fundamentalism in general. She is the founder of Free Hearts Free Minds and the author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Yasmine Mohammed:

  • Why curtailing expression in free societies is the worst possible response to threats made by religious fundamentalists.
  • How the same religious text that serves to inspire millions gets interpreted by extremists to justify gruesome acts of terrorism and tyranny.
  • How fundamentalist scofflaws abuse the tolerance and goodwill of free societies to drain resources and establish footholds conducive to their extremist ideologies.
  • Yasmine shares her story of growing up in a subordinate family of a religiously justified polygynous household — not in some remote, developing nation, but Canada.
  • The dangers that women and secular-minded members of a society run by religious extremists face, and why such societies need to be challenged rather than given a free pass to continue their oppression for fear of offending the people in charge and their enablers — often the oppressed, themselves.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/748

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with vertical skateboarding legend Tony HawkCatch up with episode 324: Tony Hawk | How Did I Get Here? here! 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 08, 2022
747: Would a Girlboss Wife Ruin Your Boyboss Life? | Feedback Friday
01:00:52

Would marrying your type-A "girlboss" special lady friend cramp that type-A "boyboss" lifestyle you've been rocking since college? We'll try to find a reasonable answer to this very serious question (and more!) here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/747

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • What's the deal with people playing videos at full volume on their phones in public spaces lately?
  • Would marrying your type-A "girlboss" special lady friend cramp that type-A "boyboss" lifestyle you've been rocking since college?
  • Your husband's TikTok-influencer ex-wife is the kind of person who exploits a relative's benign tumor as a cancer scare to fraudulently crowdfund her vacation. You'd like to believe karma will out her publicly as a terrible person, but would it be wrong for you to "help" karma bring this about sooner rather than later?
  • What's the right way to respond to newfound information that a coworker with an equivalent title who's only been employed one year to your four is annually making $18,000 more than you?
  • An area church is blatantly fundraising and lobbying to get its members elected in local governments around the world and here in the US with the aim of nudging policy in a theocratic direction. Is this even legal and, if not, where can such activity be reported?
  • To stock your retail business, you just bought a bunch of stuff that you later came to realize was likely created by slave labor in China — but you can't return it. How can you best support human rights without compromising your financial situation?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with Shark Tank heavyweight Mark Cuban? Catch up with 

Nov 04, 2022
746: Yass Alizadeh | Iran Protests | Out of the Loop
01:19:00

Yass Alizadeh (@AlizadehYass) is a clinical assistant professor of Persian language and literature and the Persian program coordinator at New York University. Her research focuses on the layering of ethical themes in the ambiguously coded language of folktales in Modern Iran, the intricate link between politics and fiction, and the critical role of metaphors in the reframing of Iran’s classical oral tales.

Welcome to what we're calling our "Out of the Loop" episodes, where we dig a little deeper into fascinating current events that may only register as a blip on the media's news cycle and have conversations with the people who find themselves immersed in them. Here, we talk with NYU clinical assistant professor of Persian language and literature Yass Alizadeh about the protests going on in Iran right now for people who may be a bit out of the loop. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/746

On This Episode of Out of the Loop, We Discuss:

  • What spark set off the current round of protests in Iran, and how does this differ from previous periods of unrest in the country?
  • How did Iran go from a rapidly modernizing state to a tyrannical theocracy?
  • Why the younger generations in Iran are standing up to the current regime in ways prior generations didn't dare.
  • Iranian regime change vs. regime reform — who really supports each approach and why it matters.
  • Where Yass sees these protests going, and what she hopes they bode for the future of the Iranian people.
  • And much more!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on an Out of the Loop episode, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with NPR’s Guy Raz? Catch up with episode 404: Guy Raz | How I Built This here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 03, 2022
745: Dave Farina | Debunking Junk Science Myths
01:21:07

Dave Farina (@daveexplains) is on a mission to make science make sense for everyone — whether it's through his Professor Dave Explains YouTube channel, his Professor Dave Debates podcast, or his new book, Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online (Science Myths Debunked).

What We Discuss with Dave Farina:

  • How the Internet went from a promising reservoir of unlimited knowledge for all to an insidious superspreader of disinformation.
  • Why it's easier than ever for people to simply deny inconvenient facts that don't support their worldview.
  • How NASA went from the revered public institution that miraculously landed human beings on the moon to the scapegoat for conspiracy theorists who insist the Earth is flat.
  • Why synthetic doesn't always equate with bad, and natural doesn't automatically mean good.
  • Who profits from the proliferation of fake science, and what can we do to separate the wheat from the chaff when we're bombarded with copious amounts of fact and fiction?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/745

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with true crime exoneree Amanda Knox? Catch up with episode 386: Amanda Knox | The Truth About True Crime here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Nov 01, 2022
744: Heinous Bro Needs the Old Heave-Ho | Feedback Friday
00:54:31

Your brother is such an overall horrible, vicious, violent person that the cops could pick him up for murder and you'd confidently say, "I'm pretty sure you've got the right guy." So the years he's chosen to drop out of your life have been blissful. Unfortunately, he's back causing havoc in your life and the only way you'll ever have peace is to distance yourself from him completely. But how? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/744

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • We have an update on Gabe's neighbor from episode 705.
  • Your human carbuncle of a brother has made your life — and the life of everyone else in your family — Hell for years, and you wish he'd just go away. What can you morally and legally do to make this happen?
  • You have an ex who's publically airing grievances that you cheated on her, abused her, and gaslit her — and none of it is true. How can you stop her from spreading these lies and reassure your friends and family who have heard them that they're complete fabrications?
  • You adopted your daughter, now age seven, three years ago after her birth mother committed a serious crime. Is it appropriate to tell your daughter the details when she asks?
  • You've always been on great terms with your brother, but you find his current choice of girlfriend lacking. In fact, you think she may be an actual psychopath and you don't want him to bring her around anymore. Instead of being understanding about your concerns, he's taken her side and treats you like the enemy. What can you do?
  • It's hard to feel like you're part of a supportive team when you're always the one willing to look like an idiot in front of your new manager to ask the questions everyone else only pretends to know. How can you ensure your manager doesn't really think you're an idiot?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for

Oct 28, 2022
743: Dr. Ramani | How to Protect Yourself from a Narcissist Part Two
01:17:12

Dr. Ramani Durvasula (@DoctorRamani) is a clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, media expert, and author. Her latest book is "Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to listen to part one here!]

What We Discuss with Dr. Ramani Durvasula:

  • We're all a little selfish sometimes. So how do you tell a genuine narcissist from someone who's just having a bad day?
  • Is it just our collective imagination, or is true narcissism on the rise (or at least more visible)?
  • Is someone necessarily born a narcissist, or can they "catch" it later in life?
  • Can a narcissist be reformed?
  • How can you protect yourself from a narcissist if just staying 500 feet away at all times isn't a viable option?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/743

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with basketball legend Shaq about everything from sports to politics to emotional management to flat earth theory? Catch up with episode 691: Shaquille O’Neal | Circling Back on Flat Earth Theory here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 27, 2022
742: Dr. Ramani | How to Protect Yourself from a Narcissist Part One
01:06:39

Dr. Ramani Durvasula (@DoctorRamani) is a clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, media expert, and author. Her latest book is "Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Be on the lookout for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Dr. Ramani Durvasula:

  • We're all a little selfish sometimes. So how do you tell a genuine narcissist from someone who's just having a bad day?
  • Is it just our collective imagination, or is true narcissism on the rise (or at least more visible)?
  • Is someone necessarily born a narcissist, or can they "catch" it later in life?
  • Can a narcissist be reformed?
  • How can you protect yourself from a narcissist if just staying 500 feet away at all times isn't a viable option?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/742

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our two-part conversation with the retired ATF agent who worked undercover for years to bust numerous criminal organizations — including a notorious motorcycle club? Catch up starting with episode 673: Ken Croke | Undercover in an Outlaw Biker Gang Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 25, 2022
741: Is Marriage Impaired by Emotional Affairs? | Feedback Friday
00:55:03

He may not physically be cheating on you, but his penchant for "mentoring" young women — on at least four occasions that you know of — is tantamount to having multiple emotional affairs. He's a good father and a mostly considerate partner, but the fact that these overly intense relationships with other women continue in spite of your protests makes you wonder if your marriage is worth saving. What should you do? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/741

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • While it never turns physical, does your husband's tendency to get emotionally involved with young women endanger your marriage?
  • Does your new boss need to know the details about how you overcame the obstacles presented by your former, toxic boss to land a better position at the company the day before you were supposed to be fired? [Thanks to executive coach and From Start-Up to Grown-Up author Alisa Cohn for helping us field this one!]
  • You and your child are moving overseas to be with your fiancé, but your family and friends at home all want you to stay. How can enjoy the next chapter of your life without feeling guilty about turning the page on your old one?
  • Should you ask your unreliable, drug-addicted sister to be a bridesmaid at your wedding and prepare for disappointment when she doesn't show up, or do you commit the unforgivable offense of not inviting her at all and risk being cut out of her life forever?
  • Are you strong, self-made, and independent without the need for a significant other to cramp your lifestyle, or really just a hopeless romantic who's desperate for love and attention but unsure how to get it without losing that hard-won independence?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at Oct 21, 2022
740: Ryan Holiday | Discipline is Destiny (Live from Los Angeles)
01:12:58

Ryan Holiday (@ryanholiday) is the host of The Daily Stoic podcast and the bestselling author of countless books about marketing, culture, Stoicism, and the human condition. His latest offering is Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control, and he joined us live in Los Angeles to talk about this and lots more!

What We Discuss with Ryan Holiday:

  • How do you get into the headspace where you do your best work when everything in the modern world is trying to distract you from getting there?
  • In spite of writing his first book about 1,800 years after Marcus Aurelius wrote his last, has Ryan really outsold the Stoic philosopher emperor?
  • How do we keep from letting our desire to be perceived as great get in the way of truly achieving greatness (or at least creating good work)?
  • Do you have the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed, courage to change that which can be changed, and wisdom to know the one from the other in order to live your best life?
  • How Stoicism's four cardinal virtues (courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom) can guide you even when the circumstances in which you find yourself are beyond your control.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/740

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with Daniel Levin, a man who knows how to track down people who have gone missing in war zones and bring them home alive? Catch up with episode 617: Daniel Levin | How to Find a Missing Person in the Middle East here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 20, 2022
739: Matthew Campbell | Examining Global Shipping’s Grim Underbelly
01:23:35

Matthew Campbell (@MattCampbell) is an award-winning reporter and editor for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine and the co-author, with Kit Chellel, of Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy.

What We Discuss with Matthew Campbell:

  • The International Chamber of Shipping estimates about 90 percent of world trade is carried by the international shipping industry to the tune of around $14 trillion (about 2/3rds of the US GDP) per year.
  • Piracy persists in places along these lucrative shipping lines because people who have nothing to lose are willing to risk their lives for potentially big payouts.
  • Why insurance surveyor David Mockett didn't quite buy the story that Somali pirates had attacked oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso when he investigated the site — and how it led to his murder.
  • Insurance fraud is one of the world's oldest rackets, with instances documented as far back as ancient Greece.
  • Why rogue ship owners will fly "flags of convenience" — flags of countries with fewer regulations than the ones from which their ships are actually owned.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/739

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with Paul Holes, the former investigator known for his contributions to solving the Golden State Killer case using advanced methods of identification with DNA and genealogy technology? Catch up with episode 725: Paul Holes | Solving America’s Cold Cases here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 18, 2022
738: "Perfect" Pastor is a Predatory Disaster | Feedback Friday
01:02:37

What do you do when the very married pastor you've known your whole life as a pillar of the church and community propositions you on LGBTQ hookup app Grindr? You know his wife and kids would be devastated if they knew, but you also know he's vindictive and would likely take any blowback out on your family and their standing in that very same church and community. And if you just do nothing, he's free to prey on other young men without consequence. Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/738

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Busy day with too many things on your to-do list? For each item, ask yourself: "What will happen if I don't do this?" [Thanks to James Clear for clarifying this one!]
  • What do you do when the very married pastor you've known your whole life as a pillar of the community propositions you on LGBTQ hookup app Grindr? [Thanks to Dr. Kevin Glenn for helping us with this one!]
  • Is there a more constructive way to spend your commute time than reflecting back — and amplifying — the road rage others inflict on you?
  • Should you consider getting breast enhancement surgery to feel better about your own body, or reject the idea because it would give the husband who's made you feel inadequate about your natural size — for 20 years — satisfaction he doesn't deserve?
  • How do you frame the positive — but thoroughly platonic — relationship you have with your ex-wife and the kids you share as a win/win for your jealous fiancée?
  • Even if there’s no hope or intention of rekindling friendships you abused and took for granted during your less-enlightened college days, is there value in apologizing to those you wronged so long ago?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at...

Oct 14, 2022
737: Winston Sterzel | Don't Lose Your Bacon in a Pig-Butchering Scam
01:08:49

Winston Sterzel (@serpentza) is a South African vlogger and video producer who lived in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China for 14 years. He hosts his own YouTube channel as SerpentZA and co-hosts vlog ADVChina with Laowhy86.

What We Discuss with Winston Sterzel:

  • How does the pig-butchering scam work, and why is it called this?
  • Who tends to be the most common target of the pig-butchering scam, and how has this changed since its inception?
  • The psychological levers that get used to manipulate victims of the pig-butchering scam, and how they differ from more traditional scams.
  • How much time and effort pig-butchering scammers will invest in fattening up their victims for the big kill (and how Winston has made a game of wasting their time and effort when he's been their mark).
  • Warnings from people who have fallen for the pig-butchering scam and how you can avoid being next.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/737

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-parter with North Korean defector Charles Ryu? Catch up here starting with episode 84: Confessions of a North Korean Escape Artist Part One!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 13, 2022
736: Ian Bremmer | The Power of Crisis to Change the World
01:19:38

Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer) is a political scientist, the president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, and the author of NYT bestseller The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats — and Our Response — Will Change the World.

What We Discuss with Ian Bremmer:

  • How the COVID pandemic exposed cracks in the ability of major powers to cooperate with one another for the common good.
  • What a Goldilocks crisis is and how one could galvanize successful cooperation on a global scale.
  • Why conflict between nations becomes more likely when the balance of power is unclear.
  • Are we currently in a state of technological cold war with other superpowers?
  • How rising sea levels combined with dwindling supplies of drinking water stand to drive migration crises and increase the likelihood of conflict.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/736

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with national security strategist Robert Spalding? Catch up with episode 268: Robert Spalding | How China Took Over America here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 11, 2022
735: Reputation's Been Bruised Since Wrongly Accused | Feedback Friday
00:57:58

Though your name's been officially cleared, a shadow of doubt about your true innocence looms over every interaction since being falsely accused of sexual assault. Now you're wondering if this reputational bruise is ever going to heal, or if it's just something you'll have to live with — forever. We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/735

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your reputation's been bruised since you were wrongly accused of sexual assault. Will it ever heal? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us answer this one!]
  • Spending years under the spell of prosperity preaching, your family is envious of the success you've enjoyed from working hard and bitterly treats any good news you try to share as borderline blasphemous — though they won't hesitate to call if they need money. Is your therapist right to suggest you cut off contact with them completely?
  • How can you help your non-confrontational girlfriend set boundaries for her manipulative, abusive ex who still hangs out with her roommate in their apartment and inappropriately suggests she gives him a second chance?
  • Should you keep your legal use of cannabis to cope with anxiety a secret from your mother when she visits from China — where it's culturally rejected as a heavy, dangerous drug — or should you just be honest and hope she's understanding?
  • Convinced that electronics contribute significantly to the unhealthy aspects of your daily life, you've been successful at getting rid of excess devices, except one: your smartphone. How can you take this final, liberating step while remaining a citizen of the modern age?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss...

Oct 07, 2022
734: Scott Galloway | Course Correcting an America Adrift
01:28:14

Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) hosts The Prof G Pod and The Prof G Show, cohosts Pivot with Kara Swisher, publishes the No Mercy/No Malice newsletter, is a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and is a bestselling author. His latest book is Adrift: America in 100 Charts.

What We Discuss with Scott Galloway:

  • What the 70% of Americans who describe themselves as middle class should consider in the election cycles ahead.
  • Do we want advanced technologies in the hands of elected officials, or under the exclusive control of private enterprise?
  • What Scott means when he says, "In America, it’s never been easier to become a billionaire — but it’s never been harder to become a millionaire."
  • Why does the tax code seem to get increasingly complex in spite of the majority of Americans supporting its simplification?
  • How can we address the inequities and inequalities of the current state of capitalism without seeking to dismantle it entirely?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/734

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the first show we did with Pivot co-host and NYU Stern School of Business professor Scott GallowayCatch up here with episode 204: Solving the Algebra of Happiness!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 06, 2022
733: Maya Shankar | Adapting to a Slight Change of Plans
01:31:26

Maya Shankar (@slightchangepod) is a cognitive scientist who once aspired to become a career violinist, and is the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans.

What We Discuss with Maya Shankar:

  • How Maya's love for the violin and sense of playfulness — not flawless technique or prodigious talent — gave her the opportunity to learn from Itzhak Perlman at Juilliard School of Music when she was just nine years old.
  • The unfortunate mishap that derailed Maya's aspirations to become a career violinist and forced her to experience what psychologists call identity foreclosure — during which she realized she had built her life around the violin and didn't have a plan B.
  • How Maya came to understand that human connection is the quality that attracted her to the violin in the first place, and adopted this as her throughline as she's pivoted to careers in academia, public policy, and podcasting.
  • Why Maya advocates for approaching change with humility so we understand its nuanced and multifaceted nature instead of being disappointed by inaccurately optimistic predictions.
  • What you can do to cultivate a healthier relationship with life's uncertainties and roll with the changes they will inevitably force you to make.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/733

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with spooky mentalist Derren Brown? Catch up with episode 150: Derren Brown | Using the Power of Suggestion for Good here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Oct 04, 2022
732: Low-Key Beguiler is a Cheating Butt-Dialer | Feedback Friday
00:57:51

Your wife of 11 years has butt-dialed you twice in conversation with another man, and she lied about her whereabouts when you tracked her phone. Are you right to be worried? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/732

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your wife of 11 years has butt-dialed you twice in conversation with another man, and she lied about her whereabouts when you tracked her phone. Are you right to be worried?
  • As a flight attendant, you decided to get medical attention for an overdosing drug mule instead of allowing him to complete the run and save his abducted mother. You never discovered the outcome, and years later, you still wonder if you made the right choice.
  • You're a business owner who's great at showing appreciation to your staff, paying generously, and letting employees know when they've done well. But you're not so good at giving negative feedback or coaching them toward improvement. How do you strike the right balance between nice guy and fair boss?
  • Is the ex who rejected your advances for years and agreed to be "just friends" — while still living with you and sharing the same bed — suddenly interested in getting back together just because you got a new job and make twice as much money as you did before?
  • As the teacher for one of the best educational theater programs in your state, is it wrong to be somewhat obsessed with winning its annual competition — or is encouraging your students to excel just part of the job?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle...

Sep 30, 2022
731: Why We Owe People Honesty | Deep Dive
00:54:40

Jordan (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabe (@GabeMizrahi) take a deep dive into the pros and cons of candor, how honesty is a core element of all healthy and productive relationships, and why we owe it to others — as well as ourselves.

What We Discuss:

  • Honesty deepens relationships. It requires a great deal of trust and confidence — in ourselves and in our friends — and it implies a whole new conception of what friendship actually is.
  • Honesty attracts people who share your values. You’ll draw people into your life who also value candor, and you’ll distance yourself from people who aren’t interested in an authentic relationship.
  • Honesty secures honesty in return. When you’re honest with the people in your life, you also signal to them that they can be honest with you.
  • How to be honest — without being honestly the worst. Deciding to be honest with a friend doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily right. It just means that you’re willing to share an authentic response, and then explore it with the other person to arrive at the best possible conclusion.
  • How to recognize that there are times when it’s okay to not be honest. For all the benefits of radical honesty, it's wise to be aware of situations in which honesty will not serve you well — or where total candor just isn’t appropriate.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/731

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with James Fallon — the psychiatry professor who can teach you how to spot a psychopath because he is a psychopath? Catch up here with episode 28: James Fallon | How to Spot a Psychopath!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 29, 2022
730: Nury Turkel | A Witness to China's Uyghur Genocide
01:45:11

Nury Turkel (@nuryturkel) is a human rights attorney for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and the author of No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs.

What We Discuss with Nury Turkel:

  • How the Chinese Communist Party is using artificial intelligence to arbitrarily round up Uyghurs for fabricated crimes — including 17,000 who were arrested within 10 days thanks to assistance from an algorithm.
  • Some of the 48 behaviors that will get Uyghurs flagged as dissidents in Xinjiang and sent to concentration camps for "re-education" are as mundane as growing a beard or adhering to a halal diet.
  • Why the CCP is trying so hard to wipe out an entire culture that has had its roots in the Xinjiang region since at least the third century AD.
  • Uyghur families attempting to start new lives in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have been deported back to China to face punishment and possibly death.
  • How Uyghur slave labor is used to supply markets around the worldespecially in the United States — and what we can do to avoid supporting companies that knowingly participate in this shameful, immoral arrangement.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/730

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with David Kilgour, author of Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in ChinaCatch up with episode 497: David Kilgour | The Heartless Art of Forced Organ Harvesting here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 27, 2022
729: Sexsomnia Guilt-Free After PTSD? | Feedback Friday
00:53:36

As you have a higher libido than your partner, it seems as though it should feel like a blessing when he makes sexual advances on you in the middle of the night when his sexsomnia ("a rare sleep disorder in which a person engages in sexual activity during their sleep") takes over. But this is problematic for two reasons: A) It briefly triggers your PTSD from being sexually assaulted in your sleep years ago, and B) When your PTSD subsides, you feel guilty for engaging in sex with a partner who can't give consent in the moment (though he has told you on multiple occasions after the fact that he's fine with it). How can you handle this in a healthy way? We'll try to find answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/729

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Waking to your sexsomniac partner's nocturnal advances triggers PTSD from earlier abuse, and makes you feel guilty for engaging in sex with someone who can't consent in the moment. What's the healthiest way to deal with this?
  • Is it worth initiating a conversation about how post-Roe reproductive rights fit in with company policy when interviewing for a job in a state that has regressive anti-choice laws on the books?
  • After numerous relapses in your struggle with addiction, you feel like your latest effort to rehabilitate may finally be sticking. But how can you convince your ex that you're ready to take on the responsibility of raising your kids together?
  • Is there a special IRS gifting loophole that allows participants of a pyramid scheme to sign a waiver so they won't be legally liable when things inevitably go south? And if so, why would you consider signing such a thing?
  • Are you morally obligated to tell someone their mother once slept with their fiancé? And if you do spill the beans, how do you do it without revealing yourself as the source?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini...

Sep 23, 2022
728: Maria Konnikova | The Confidence Game
01:01:25

Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) shows us how we can defend ourselves against would-be con artists and use the same principles for more benign purposes in her book The Confidence Game. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Maria Konnikova:

  • As it turns out, you can fool an honest man. But cynics — by their own overconfidence in being savvy and “scamproof” — are just as susceptible to deception.
  • Technology and the abundance of information most of us freely surrender to the Internet makes the con artist’s job easier than ever before.
  • What type of person becomes a con artist?
  • How can we avoid getting scammed?
  • How belief works, why we over-believe in some things (even when we have no evidence for them), and how this plays into our susceptibility to deception.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/728

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the two-parter we did with Instagram founder Kevin Systrom? Get caught up by starting at episode 335: Kevin Systrom | Life Lessons from an Instagram Founder Part One!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 22, 2022
727: Neil deGrasse Tyson | Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
01:08:40

Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, host of StarTalk Radio, and author. He is kind enough to rejoin us and discuss his latest book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.

What We Discuss with Neil deGrasse Tyson:

  • The problems society faces when average citizens lose their ability to distinguish between facts and opinions — and how this can be remedied.
  • What some of our dearest opinions look like under the scrutiny of scientific literacy — and why we should feel relief at being proven categorically wrong about some of them.
  • As an educator, what Neil's first urge is when he hears people spreading patently false "information" that can be easily dispelled by basic scientific awareness. (Surprisingly enough, it's not to bop them on the head!)
  • What the history of mathematics might hint about the average human brain's tendency to avoid thinking statistically and probabilistically.
  • Things pondered: Are you a GMO? Eating how many pints of ice cream will kill you? For the benefit of all humanity, who would Neil send into space first? If technology common to us in the 2020s would be unrecognizable to someone from 1990, what will the world look like in 2050?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/727

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss any of the conversations we've had with famed science guy Bill Nye? Start catching up with episode 366: Bill Nye | Radical Curiosity Saves the World!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 20, 2022
726: Helping a Guy Whose Wife's an Escort on the Sly | Feedback Friday
00:53:04

Is your 10-year marriage worth saving when you've just discovered your wife has been working as a "non-intimate" escort behind your back? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/726

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Is your 10-year marriage worth saving when you've just discovered your wife has been working as a "non-intimate" escort behind your back?
  • You and your significant other live together and work from home together, but you find the way he spends his downtime questionable. How can you overcome the frustration this creates for you?
  • Is it wrong to skip sending a gift to your estranged daughter for her wedding to which you've suddenly been invited after she's avoided communication with you for years?
  • What can you do to help a significant other who's dealing with debilitating depression? [Thanks to Haesue Jo, Head of Clinical Support at BetterHelp, for helping us with this one!] 
  • While you've always been focused on building your business and a better life, your mother's unexpected death has left you making numerous erratic, short-term decisions. How can you regain your can-do mindset and get back on a productive, long-term-oriented track?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with Arthur Brooks about the merits of learning to love your enemies (especially during these divisive times)? Catch up by listening to episode 211: Arthur Brooks | How Loving Your Enemies Can Save America here!

Sep 16, 2022
725: Paul Holes | Solving America's Cold Cases
01:19:39

Paul Holes (@PaulHoles) is a former investigator known for his contributions to solving the Golden State Killer case using advanced methods of identification with DNA and genealogy technology, and he is the author of Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases.

What We Discuss with Paul Holes:

  • Why do some serial killers take breaks between their murder sprees or even quit killing altogether?
  • Why does it seem like there were so many serial killers in the '70s compared to today? How rare are they, really?
  • What psychological toll does intimately working homicides and cold cases take on investigators?
  • Why cases commonly go cold, what gets them flagged for reexamination, and how the passage of time can actually work in favor of solving them.
  • What makes cold case investigators like Paul so good at noticing evidence and crime scene details others miss?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/725

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with the American photographer who survived seven months under captivity by Al-Qaeda? Catch up with episode 217: Matthew Schrier | How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 15, 2022
724: Bill Nye | The End is Nye
00:54:25

Bill Nye (@billnye) is a lifelong champion of science who is determined to teach you something today that you didn’t know yesterday — whether it’s from a television screen, the pages of a book, or next to you at a dinner party. He can be found hosting his new series, The End Is Nye, on Peacock TV.

What We Discuss with Bill Nye:

  • The environmental changes that currently threaten humanity and much of life on Earth.
  • How to maintain childlike curiosity as an adult.
  • If you believe everything happens for a reason, what if that reason is just physics?
  • What can just one individual do to make the big changes necessary for properly addressing climate change?
  • The promising renewable energy source Bill would put his money behind.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/724

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with science champion and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson? Make sure to catch up with episode 327: Neil deGrasse Tyson | Astrophysics for People in a Hurry!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 13, 2022
723: Should I Relive the Drama of Childhood Trauma? | Feedback Friday
00:59:01

It didn't bring back any particularly traumatic memories when your older brother confessed that he molested you when you were children. Would it be worth the possibility of dredging up a painful past through therapy to heal wounds you aren't even aware you've been carrying, or should you just shut this confession out of your thoughts and hope the memories remain unattainable? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/723

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Is it worth dredging up repressed memories of childhood abuse in therapy, or should such trauma stay buried and forgotten?
  • Is it unreasonable that the respect you've had for your friend of 20 years dwindles the further down the woo-woo rabbit hole she falls?
  • You inappropriately used humor in an attempt to defuse a traumatic event from your coworker's past. Now this person will barely speak to you, and you've even gotten the cold shoulder from some of your shared peers. You feel guilty; how can you make this right?
  • You married the mother of your children for the sake of convenience and health insurance, but you've never been a good fit for each other — and the situation's not improved over time. A divorce would be ideal for you, but would it be right for the kids?
  • One of your wife’s friends from high school just died. You want to be supportive of her in her time of grief, but you're not sure how to authentically mourn someone you don't even know.
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with Hollywood leading man and musician Dennis Quaid? Catch up with 

Sep 09, 2022
722: Brian Brushwood | Scam Your Way into Anything
01:02:23

Brian Brushwood (@shwood) has spent the last 20 years entertaining and teaching people how to harness the deceptive (and self-deceptive) skills of scientists, spies, criminals, and con artists. He is the author of Scam School: Your Guide to Scoring Free Drinks, Doing Magic, and Becoming the Life of the Party. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Brian Brushwood:

  • Why being interesting isn’t a gift — it’s a practice.
  • How fixed action patterns help us get others to do what we want them to do. (Important note: for good — not evil!)
  • How to control a conversation by asking the right questions.
  • The best way to convince someone to help us? By making it their idea.
  • Why we’re all susceptible to being duped in spite of our highly developed human brains — and how practicing magic can train us to be more resistant to the fraudulent.
  • And so much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/722

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-parter with former Westboro Baptist Church spokesperson Megan Phelps-Roper? Make sure to catch up starting with episode 302: Megan Phelps-Roper | Unfollowing Westboro Baptist Church Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 08, 2022
721: Jason Feifer | Build for Tomorrow
01:19:33

Jason Feifer (@heyfeifer) is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, host of the Build for Tomorrow podcast, and author of Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career.

What We Discuss with Jason Feifer:

  • How the bubonic plague that killed 60 percent of Medieval Europe forever changed the way we work, and the lessons from this tragedy we can apply to our own collective COVID experience.
  • The pros and cons of the four-day work week that companies around the world are trying on for size.
  • Why we should treat failure as valuable information that informs our next steps rather than accepting it as a death knell.
  • What the erroneous but popularly repeated prediction that "nine out of ten businesses fail" leaves out of the equation.
  • Why we should (and how we can) use the onset of major changes to the status quo as opportunities to address problems in need of solutions rather than taking the traditional approach of panicking as if society is collapsing all around us.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/721

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with world champion boxer and entrepreneur Laila Ali? Catch up with episode 309: Laila Ali | Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 06, 2022
720: Should You Confess You Know He's Not Your Dad? | Feedback Friday
00:55:29

You recently discovered that the person you've always thought was your uncle is actually your biological father, and suddenly it makes sense why you never really bonded with the man who raised you as his own. Now that he's on his deathbed, is it worth clearing the air and letting him know that you know the truth? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/720

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • You just found out the man who abusively raised you isn't your biological father — the person you've always thought was your uncle is. Now that he's on his deathbed, should you tell him that you know the truth?
  • Circumstances have made it necessary for your mother to move in with you until she can get back on her feet after being laid off, but you're in your 30s and it's really cramping your ability to date. How can you find a balance that benefits you both?
  • After hitting rock bottom, you've visualized various ways to harm yourself. And even though you've never acted on them, should you take these intrusive thoughts as some kind of warning sign of problems you're not equipped to handle on your own? Or does everyone have these kinds of thoughts?
  • How do you break the news to your old mentor that they've created a toxic work environment and earned a bad reputation for treating employees poorly when they try to leave?
  • It turns out someone you've formed a serious relationship with once matched with your sister on a dating app, but they got into an argument before they could ever meet in person. Now she insists that you break up with him, and is making your life difficult for refusing. What's the right move here?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Find Your WhyStart with Why, and The...

Sep 02, 2022
719: Reid Hoffman | Adaptability Is the New Stability
01:23:44

Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) is a co-founder of LinkedIn, investor at Greylock Partners, host of the podcast Masters of Scale, and co-author of the fully revised and updated bestseller The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.

What We Discuss with Reid Hoffman:

  • Why you should think of your career as a startup — from the perspective of an entrepreneur rather than an employee.
  • What it means to evoke a permanent beta mindset in which you treat every day like day one and commit your life to personal growth.
  • Why it’s important to continually generate professional opportunities even if you're happy where you are.
  • Why you should ignore hacky influencers who tell you to "begin with the end in mind" when it comes to your career (and what you're better off doing instead).
  • The soft and hard assets you should be tracking to make yourself, as friend of the show Cal Newport has famously said, "so good they can't ignore you."
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/719

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

If you missed our earlier two-part interview with Reid Hoffman, don’t panic! You can catch up by starting at episode 207: Reid Hoffman | Mastering Your Scale for the Unexpected Part One!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Sep 01, 2022
718: Barbara F. Walter | How Civil Wars Start (And How to Stop Them)
01:11:14

Barbara F. Walter (@bfwalter) is the Rohr Professor of International Affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego, and the author of the NYT bestseller How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them.

What We Discuss with Barbara F. Walter:

  • What does Barbara's research into causes and warning signs of civil wars around the world portend for the chances of such a conflict in the United States?
  • What is an anocracy, and have you ever lived under one?
  • Why societies transitioning toward or away from democracy are especially vulnerable to the threat of civil war.
  • What makes some countries survive political instability without the violence of civil war while others rapidly succumb to it?
  • Who is most actively pushing for civil war in the United States, and what are their grievances?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/718

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation about national security, strategic empathy, and the societal benefits of immigration with former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster? Catch up with episode 410: H.R. McMaster | The Fight to Defend the Free World here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 30, 2022
717: Coming Out as Polyamorous to My Family | Feedback Friday
00:56:50

While you're in the most fulfilling relationship of your life, how do you let your fairly conservative family know it's not quite what they'd consider traditional? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/717

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • How do you let your straight-laced family in on the fact that you're in a fulfilling, polyamorous relationship with two other people you love dearly?
  • You're a teenager whose parents never allowed you to go to public school, but they never homeschooled you, either. How can you be expected to make it in the outside world and improve yourself without an education?
  • You recently lost your battle with a gambling addiction and blew far more money than you had. Two questions: are there legitimate debt relief companies, and how can you build positive habits to make you more resistant to your unhealthier impulses?
  • Inviting your girlfriend and her daughter to live with you has turned into a nightmare. If you break up with her, you have to face the guilt of throwing a depressed single mother with a suicidal daughter out of your house and deal with the emotional pain of losing someone you care about. But are you being fair to yourself if you remain in this relationship?
  • Your evangelical ex left you because his faith has convinced him that your gay relationship is a sin, but now he wants you back — even though he still holds these beliefs. Is there any scenario where this could actually work?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our first interview with

Aug 26, 2022
716: Jo Marchant | Placebos and the Science of Mind over Body
00:57:30

Jo Marchant (@JoMarchant) is an award-winning journalist, speaker, and author of The Human Cosmos, The Shadow King, and the New York Times bestseller Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Jo Marchant:

  • How to understand the power of placebos.
  • How your immune system can be trained.
  • Why stress kills and how to beat it.
  • The importance of social relationships and how to boost them.
  • Does believing in God make you live longer?
  • And so much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/716

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you hear our conversation with Desmond Shum, the former CCP insider and former husband of disappeared Chinese billionaire “Whitney” Duan Weihong? Catch up with episode 684: Desmond Shum | Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in China here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 25, 2022
715: Cindy Otis | Spotting Fake News Like a CIA Analyst
01:11:32

Cindy Otis (@cindyotis_) is a former CIA military analyst specializing in disinformation threat analysis and counter-messaging, and is the author of True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News.

What We Discuss with Cindy Otis:

  • What is fake news, and why does it spread six times faster than real news?
  • How is fake news different from satire?
  • How does misinformation differ from disinformation?
  • The historical consequences of using fake news to influence a population.
  • How to spot fake news and inoculate ourselves (and our children) against its intended impact.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/715

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist, the primary subject of the acclaimed Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, co-founder of The Center for Humane Technology, and co-host of the podcast Your Undivided Attention? Catch up with episode 533: Tristan Harris | Reclaiming Our Future with Humane Technology here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 23, 2022
714: How "Real" Is a Dad Who Denies You Exist? | Feedback Friday
00:56:15

Adopted and raised by a loving family, you were still curious enough to seek out your biological parents and learn their story when you reached adulthood. It turns out you were the result of a forbidden tryst between a traveling American woman and the married Australian man who briefly employed her on his farm. When you reached out, your biological mother was happy to make contact, but your biological father? Not so much. In fact, he's been "happily" married for 50 years and refuses to admit he had any part in your existence -- probably because he'd then have to confess everything to his family. Now you're conflicted. Should you just let it go, or should you fly to Australia and surprise him at his front door where he can't continue denying that you're real? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/714

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Sure, social media is just algorithmic-enabled immaturity that is almost guaranteed to dampen whatever good mood you had going into it. But what's the good news? Nobody's forcing you to participate. [Thanks for the reminder, Ryan Holiday!]
  • Should you force your biological father — who refuses to admit he had any part in your creation — to confront you in person and confess everything to the family he's had for 50 years?
  • Your significant other of five years refuses to acknowledge their social anxiety as a problem, but it's always used as an excuse to get out of doing things with you in public. They say they're happy to stay in -- but you're definitely not. What do you do?
  • Is "manifesting" just a woo-woo mental model used by successful people as an excuse to deal with the guilt of success or a way to explain their sheer luck in a cold universe that doesn't care if they live or die?
  • Your last two relationships ended badly and bitterly. But now that you're in your 30s and dating someone you consider to be potential marriage material, you realize you've always been a serial monogamist and never really experienced the life of a freewheeling bachelor. Is it foolish to consider losing somebody who might be "the one" just to explore what you might be missing out on?
  • How does Jordan retain all the information he takes in while reading and researching the work of guests ahead of interviewing them?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect...
Aug 19, 2022
713: Marion Nestle | How Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat
01:08:45

Marion Nestle (@marionnestle) is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, and the author of Food Politics, Soda Politics, and Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat.

What We Discuss with Marion Nestle:

  • How food companies pay for research studies that distort science in their favor — at the expense of even the most health-conscious consumers among us.
  • Why it's important to remember that food companies are businesses geared toward making money for their stockholders -- not service agencies operating in the public's best interests.
  • Food companies band together to lobby Congress for laws that allow biased, industry-funded "research" to influence consumer habits with deceptive marketing language.
  • When Marion tracked 168 food company-funded studies, she discovered that 156 concluded with results favorable to the sponsors' interests, and only 12 ended up with unfavorable results.
  • The many ways food marketers mislead consumers and how to protect yourself and your family from this never-ending barrage of deception.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/713

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with Dennis Carroll, the former USAID director for pandemic influenza and emerging threats? Catch up with episode 320: Dennis Carroll | Planning an End to the Pandemic Era here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 18, 2022
712: Brad Klontz | Harnessing the Power of Financial Psychology
01:10:28

Dr. Brad Klontz (@drbradklontz) is a financial psychologist, Managing Principal at Your Mental Wealth Advisors, and co-author of six books on the psychology of money, including Money Mammoth: Harness The Power of Financial Psychology to Evolve Your Money Mindset, Avoid Extinction, and Crush Your Financial Goals.

What We Discuss with Dr. Brad Klontz:

  • If the United States is the wealthiest country on Earth, and it's one of the most prosperous times in human history, why does 45 percent of the population decide to wing it with no savings?
  • Why do so many of us buy the hype that bringing in barely enough money to survive from certain professions is somehow noble — and that making a living wage in service to others is akin to moral failure?
  • How parents who have spent their lives carefully growing and saving their own money instill lousy financial habits in their offspring.
  • Why financial planning should be a basic part of the public education curriculum alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic.
  • How social media contributes to a gross misunderstanding of the way wealthy people (the ones who stay wealthy, anyway) really spend their money.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/712

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Austin Meyer, the man who leads a valiant crusade against patent troll dirtbags? Catch up with episode 326: Austin Meyer | Slaying the Patent Scam Trolls here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 16, 2022
711: Prankster Precariously Pushing Partner's Patience | Feedback Friday
00:54:40

Your prankster partner is precariously pushing your patience by habitually heaping his hazardously humorless hijinks on you. How can you reclaim some peace before he ends up deceased? We'll help you find a way here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/711

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • How can you stop your prankster partner from precariously pushing your patience by habitually heaping his hazardously humorless hijinks on you?
  • Have we ever regretted the advice we've given in past episodes of Feedback Friday? Are there any interviews we wish we could take back?
  • As extensive travelers who have been to some pretty hair-raising places, are there any countries we'd think twice about visiting now?
  • Your friend's husband drunkenly said some unforgivable things to her at a party. How do you support her while making it clear you never want to see him again?
  • Can Jordan please stop saying "doozy?" We don't know. Can he?
  • How is a modern family expected to stock the home without products that have microplastics, endocrine disruptors, and other harmful relics of short-sighted manufacturing processes?
  • What are the pros and cons of interviewing actual friends on this show?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with Somali pirate hostage Michael Scott Moore? Catch up with episode 115: Michael Scott Moore | What It’s Really like to Be a Pirate Hostage here!

Aug 12, 2022
710: Sebastian Junger | How War and Crisis Create a Tribe
00:48:41

Sebastian Junger (@sebastianjunger) is a journalist, filmmaker, and bestselling author of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea. He joins us to discuss his book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging and what he's learned by covering war for the past 20 years. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!] 

What We Discuss with Sebastian Junger:

  • Why do some people get addicted to war and recall times of crisis with fondness?
  • Does an affluent society free of hardship and danger deprive its citizens of an intrinsic need to be useful?
  • Are war journalists armed, and do they contribute to group defense in the field?
  • What happens when someone who’s been through war comes home, and why is it often so difficult for them to reintegrate into society?
  • Why is there a phrase for “going native” but not “going civilized?”
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/710

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with Molly Bloom — the woman behind the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world? Catch up here with episode 120: Molly Bloom | The One Who Makes the Rules Wins the Game!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 11, 2022
709: John Abramson | How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care
01:21:35

Dr. John Abramson (@drjohnabramson) is a physician, lecturer of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, and author of Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine. His latest book is Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It.

What We Discuss with Dr. John Abramson:

  • Despite spending an excess $1.6 trillion on healthcare per year compared to other wealthy countries, the amount of time that Americans live in good health ranks a lowly 68th in the world.
  • The pharmaceutical industry, aka Big Pharma, is more focused on making money for its shareholders than maintaining or improving the health of those who rely on its products.
  • Big Pharma funds most clinical trials, controls the research agenda, withholds real data from those trials as corporate secrets, and shapes most of the information relied upon by health care professionals.
  • The US and New Zealand are the only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise. The difference: Big Pharma doesn't have to endure the same level of oversight in the US as it does in New Zealand.
  • While healthcare reform may seem like an uphill battle against an entrenched infrastructure of corruption, John does offer hope that it can be overhauled to benefit people over profits.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/709

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the interview we did with sleep doctor Matthew Walker? Catch up with episode 126: Matthew Walker | Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 09, 2022
708: Familiarizing Family with Your Felonious Fella | Feedback Friday
00:48:13

Your new beau served five years in prison for being tangentially connected to a non-violent, but high-profile crime. You love him, trust him, and believe he deserves a second chance, but there's one problem: you still have to introduce him to your friends and relatives. What's the best way to familiarize your family with your felonious fella? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/708

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • What's the best way to familiarize your family with the felonious fella you favor without ruffling feathers?
  • What's the best way to learn the ins and outs of running and leading a business quickly before the owner of your company hands you the keys in five or so years when he retires?
  • It's clear your marriage isn't working out, but you're hesitant to leave so long as your soon-to-be ex-wife is more addicted to her phone than paying attention to the needs of your children. What's your most responsible move here?
  • Your new girlfriend is amazing, but her father is ill and likely on death's door. Is there a way to find a balance in the relationship that allows you to be there for her while giving her the space she needs to be with family and ensure your own needs aren't neglected?
  • You've always picked up complex topics without much effort and learned at an accelerated rate, but lately, you feel like you have to dumb yourself down to talk to your friends. The question that really worries you: are you just being a pretentious douchebag?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your...

Aug 05, 2022
707: Johann Hari | Why You Can't Pay Attention—And What to Do About It
01:24:37

Johann Hari (@johannhari101) is a New York Times best-selling author and top-rated TED speaker. His latest book is Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—And How to Think Deeply Again.

What We Discuss with Johann Hari:

  • It's not just your imagination: attention spans are shortening, and finding the mental state that fosters deep thinking is increasingly elusive.
  • It's not just kids: college-age people switch tasks, on average, every 65 seconds. Adults? Every three minutes. We've become accustomed to interrupting ourselves when external distractions aren't there to do it for us.
  • It's not your fault: your inability to focus isn't a personal failure; your focus has been stolen from you by powerful external forces that have left all of us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit.
  • It's not just the internet and technology: our lack of focus has actually been happening for generations.
  • Discover what Johann learned about reclaiming this focus—as individuals, and as a society—on a trip that took him around the world.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/707

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist, the primary subject of the acclaimed Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, co-founder of The Center for Humane Technology, and co-host of the podcast Your Undivided Attention? Catch up with episode 533: Tristan Harris | Reclaiming Our Future with Humane Technology here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 04, 2022
706: Tessa West | How to Deal with Jerks at Work
01:11:18

Tessa West (@tessawestnyu) is a social psychology professor at New York University and the author of Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them.

What We Discuss with Tessa West:

  • The seven types of jerks at work: the kiss up/kick down, the credit stealer, the bulldozer, the free rider, the micromanager, the neglectful boss, and the gaslighter.
  • Why prioritizing conflict management as a skill is crucial for identifying and coexisting with jerks at work.
  • How to stop the jerks at work from taking credit for all of your good ideas.
  • Have mercy: jerks at work aren't necessarily villains -- their poor patterns hurt them just as much as they hurt everyone else.
  • What we can do to ensure that we're not the jerks at work.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/706

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the first show we did with Pivot co-host and NYU Stern School of Business professor Scott GallowayCatch up here with episode 204: Solving the Algebra of Happiness!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Aug 02, 2022
705: Gabe’s Front-Row Seat to Florid Psychosis | Feedback Friday
01:20:34

On this Feedback Friday, Gabe relays the tragic story of a paranoid schizophrenic neighbor that illustrates just how destabilizing unchecked mental illness can be for family members, friends, neighbors, and the patients themselves.

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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/705

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Gabe relays the tragic story of a paranoid schizophrenic neighbor that illustrates just how destabilizing unchecked mental illness can be for family members, friends, neighbors, and the patients themselves.
  • In spite of having a dream job and a significant other who checks most of your boxes, current circumstances make imagining a future in your native Russia difficult. Unfortunately, this significant other comes from a conservative family and doesn't understand why you'd ever want to move abroad. Are your differences too radical to build a life together?
  • Your boss is an incredible leader who commands respect across the board. Unfortunately, a family tragedy has overwhelmed her with grief. How can your team offer support without intruding on her personal life?
  • Your significant other is great in every respect -- except for when he gets in a "mood" and resorts to calling you names and putting you down. Where do you draw the line on verbal abuse?
  • Is it possible to profit from selling your business idea when you don't have the financial means to create your own startup around that idea?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 29, 2022
704: Robert Greene | The Emotions Behind Success, Mastery, and Power
00:54:26

Robert Greene (@RobertGreene) is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers on power and strategy, including The 48 Laws of Power and The Art of Seduction. His latest book is The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

  • How to learn multiple languages and maintain their use throughout your life.
  • Why it's important to apprentice, and how you can find the right mentor to guide you.
  • How to find your life's task -- even if you think you're too young, too old, or already established in your field.
  • Why social intelligence is crucial on the path to mastery.
  • How keen observation of others serves to sharpen our own skills.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/704

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss one of our earlier shows with The 48 Laws of Power author Robert Greene? Catch up here with episode 117: What You Need to Know about the Laws of Human Nature!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 28, 2022
703: Benjamin Hardy | How to Be Your Future Self Now
01:16:27

Benjamin Hardy (@BenjaminPHardy) is an organizational psychologist and author of books about willpowerself-limiting beliefs, teamwork, and the pursuit of happiness. He returns to the show to discuss his latest offering: Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation.

What We Discuss with Benjamin Hardy:

  • Prospection: rather than remaining tethered to a past over which we no longer have any control, we can visualize a number of possible futures and choose the course of action that guides us toward the one we find most desirable.
  • Most of us don't guide ourselves toward our most desirable future because we're too busy coping with the immediate concerns of daily life to clearly see the course that would take us there.
  • Are you committing yourself to avoidance-driven goals (like doomscrolling through the news) that serve to distract and knock you off course instead of approach-driven goals that nudge you toward your ideal future self (like learning more about your chosen career so you can do your best work and get promoted)?
  • Connecting with your long-term future self to make the decisions that speed you toward this person may require extra effort because humans are living longer than ever before and probably didn't evolve to think far beyond immediate survival.
  • Why it's important to envision your future self as an actual different person -- with different thoughts and motivations -- than you are today rather than just a later iteration of your current self.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/703

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence...

Jul 26, 2022
702: Atheist Teen Stressed by Mom's Church Scene | Feedback Friday
00:55:14

As a closeted, bi, teen atheist, it's a bummer your mom makes you go to a church — three times a week — that has a problem with your very existence. On top of this, she insists you're being overly dramatic about the depression, anxiety, and insomnia you experience every day. How do you even consider coming out to a mother who can't seem to empathize with your most basic needs? We'll try to help find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/702

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • As a closeted, bi, teen atheist, how do you even begin the conversation of coming out to your mother when she regularly downplays the depression, anxiety, and insomnia you're going through and forces you to go to her church (which rejects your very existence) three times a week?
  • You were dismayed to learn that your husband (with whom you work) isn't very popular at the office. While you know it's due to his difficulty reading social cues rather than any serious character flaws, you're not sure if telling him will help him improve or completely crush his confidence.
  • You've made the decision not to be bullied by your emotionally manipulative, sometimes violent QAnon-corrupted parents whose values, to put it kindly, do not match your own. The problem: you also happen to work for them. How do you make a clean break from them and their business?
  • As a 73-year-old delver into family secrets lain bare by the modern wonder of DNA testing, you'd like to have a relationship with a few of your newfound relatives. Unfortunately, some people in your family have threatened to cut you out of their lives if you reveal their part in covering up this shared history. What should you do?
  • You're excited about a new relationship that budded from an old friendship. But how do you foster a healthy bond without falling into the rut of codependency you each experienced with prior significant others?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship...

Jul 22, 2022
701: Ioan Grillo | How America Arms Gangs and Cartels Part Two
01:10:15

Ioan Grillo (@ioangrillo) is a contributing writer at The New York Times specializing in crime and drugs. He is the author of El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency; Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America; and Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to check out part one here!]

What We Discuss with Ioan Grillo:

  • The Iron River may sound like something you'd find on a map of Westeros, but it's just a quaint term for the 200,000 guns manufactured or sold in the US moving across the border to Mexico every year.
  • The private-sale loophole that allows "collectors" in the US to sell guns without requiring identification, background checks, or paperwork — often to criminals and cartels at a tidy profit.
  • How "straw buyers" — that is, people with clean records — are paid by gun traffickers to pass background checks and buy firearms en masse without raising any red flags. If they are arrested in the act, however, their punishment rarely exceeds probation.
  • There are 130,000 licensed firearms dealers in the US from which ill-intentioned gun traffickers can make their shady purchases. If that doesn't sound like that many, consider that there are only 14,000 McDonald's restaurants.
  • Thanks to a Reagan-era law enacted ostensibly to protect the privacy of gun owners, the ATF finds its ability to efficiently trace guns hobbled because it can't use searchable, digital databases of sales.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/701

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the conversation we had with behavioral economist Dan Ariely about the invisible (and often frustrating) clockwork that makes us tick? Catch up with episode 417: Dan Ariely | The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 21, 2022
700: Ioan Grillo | How America Arms Gangs and Cartels Part One
01:02:25

Ioan Grillo (@ioangrillo) is a contributing writer at The New York Times specializing in crime and drugs. He is the author of El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency; Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America; and Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Stay tuned for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Ioan Grillo:

  • How did Ioan Grillo -- a journalist from the UK -- find himself covering the illicit guns and drugs trade from behind the scenes in cartel-controlled Mexico and other pockets of Latin America?
  • The opulent cemetery where narcos are buried in multi-leveled, air-conditioned mausoleums that would make the ancient pharaohs blush.
  • The most devastating examples of human catastrophe Ioan has witnessed while reporting narcos-related crimes over the past two decades.
  • How much danger is a journalist like Ioan really in while reporting from the thick of such unfettered violence?
  • How thousands of children are recruited or forced into doing the cartels' most bloody work.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/700

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Freeway Rick Ross, the crack empire kingpin gone good? Catch up with episode 121: Freeway Rick Ross | Life in the Crack Lane here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 19, 2022
699: Can An Open Marriage Be Anxiety-Free? | Feedback Friday
01:00:52

Your wife and you agree that introducing BDSM and ethical non-monogamy into your marriage has brought you some of the happiest and closest times in your relationship. On the other side of the coin, this new level of communication and honesty has made her more vulnerable than ever to the anxiety and depression she's suffered since childhood. Is there a way to get past the bad without giving up the good this lifestyle provides, or should you just go back to the way things were before? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/699

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Opening your marriage and indulging in BDSM fantasies have brought you and your wife closer than ever, but there's a big downside: it sometimes triggers the anxiety and depression she's experienced since childhood. Is this lifestyle worth the trouble, or should you consider this a failed experiment and go back to the way things were before?
  • Growing up without much in the way of money or luxury, you can't get past feeling guilty now that you have a well-paying job and can finally afford some of the nicer things you've missed out on -- especially when so many of your peers are in debt. Do you deserve to feel guilty for having it good when others don't?
  • Your mother-in-law is a pathological liar. When she's not telling blatant untruths, she's omitting important details -- like your father-in-law's cancer. Worse, a lifetime spent with her seems to have rubbed off on your husband, who clearly has a problem with honesty. Is it possible to break this cycle and actually trust your family?
  • You've decided to seek help for your addiction by going to rehab, but how do you break the news to your employers -- at a job you find fulfilling and don't want to lose -- that you'll need to be gone for six weeks?
  • Your husband has never been emotionally available, and even warned you at the start of your relationship that he'd probably never be able to really open up to you. After a conversation with his sister, you discovered he was bullied as a child by his alcoholic father to the point of self-harm that landed him in the hospital. Do you patiently wait for him to tell you this huge secret, or do you confront him and disclose that you know this piece of his puzzle?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect...
Jul 15, 2022
698: Sam Harris | Rationally Confronting the Irrational
01:13:45

Sam Harris (@samharrisorg) is a neuroscientist, author, and philosopher; he’s also a staunch critic of religion (while being an advocate of mindfulness) who joins the show to discuss some views that — fair warning — many may find controversial. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Sam Harris:

  • When does stubbornness stop being a virtue and become a confession of intellectual dishonesty?
  • In what ways does Sam consider himself a bit of an Anti-Trump?
  • Why do so many people subscribe to the package beliefs of their political parties or religions even when clearly proven scientific facts prove contradictory to these beliefs?
  • If Sam Harris considers himself primarily a philosopher, how did he wind up with a PhD in neuroscience?
  • Why do we lie — even when we know how destructive it can be?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/698

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-part conversation with the Danish family man who infiltrated the illicit North Korean arms trade? Catch up beginning with episode 527: Ulrich “The Mole” Larsen | Undercover in North Korea Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 14, 2022
697: Peter Santenello | Inspecting Perspectives the Media Neglects
01:34:06

Peter Santenello (@petersantenello) is a videomaker, traveler, and entrepreneur whose videos shine a light on the world the media fails to capture -- without political polarization.

What We Discuss with Peter Santenello:

  • Why Ukraine was an ideal base of operations for Peter's immersive, culture-hopping videos -- and what made him move to the US just before Russia decided to invade.
  • For all the problems the US faces on the home front, what do Americans take for granted that people from other countries notice and appreciate right away?
  • What video equipment does Peter use to stay as mobile (and non-threatening) as possible while maintaining fairly professional quality?
  • As an American, how does Peter navigate travel in countries with governments that have a less-than-friendly relationship with the United States?
  • What does Peter do to ensure he doesn't cross any boundaries when interviewing people whose cultures and experiences differ radically from his own -- while keeping his videos interesting for fellow outsiders?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/697

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with tech entrepreneur Rob Reid about the potential for synthetic biology to be leveraged for very good -- and very bad -- outcomes in the not-too-distant future? Catch up with episode 244: Rob Reid | Synthetic Biology for Medicine and Murder here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 12, 2022
696: You Can't Part from His Cheatin' Heart | Feedback Friday
00:53:54

Your spouse is a louse with a heart that's been cheating. Though you long to leave him, your resolve has been fleeting. You know you should go, so what's making you stay? We'll try to find out on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/696

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Did you know The Jordan Harbinger Show not only helps cure cancer, but it safeguards you against being kidnapped in foreign lands? It's true!
  • When his cheatin' heart has told on him, what's really keeping you from leaving the sneaky snake in the dust where he belongs?
  • As the cool uncle, would it be appropriate for you to guide your college-age nieces and nephews toward the relief CBD can offer while warning them of the risks to avoid should they seek their kicks with harder drugs typically available on campus?
  • As a young woman, you're happy the coworkers at your new job don't treat you with blatant disrespect and subject you to emotional abuse like the male-dominated team at your last place of employment. Unfortunately, you find yourself expecting mistreatment and don't want it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. How can you leave the baggage of the old job behind?
  • You'd think your spouse might have matured over 10 years of being together and raising three kids, but nope. He still acts like he's 21 -- with the lack of personal responsibility this suggests (for most people). Do you dare hope he'll evolve into an equal partner, or should you look toward moving on?
  • You want to level up in life, but you struggle to find a way there in spite of doing all the "right" things. How do you handle surrounding yourself with the successful people who might be able to help when they often cause you to feel completely inferior?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss...

Jul 08, 2022
695: Malcolm Gladwell | Imperfect Puzzles and Mismatched Demeanors
01:14:07

Malcolm Gladwell (@gladwell) has written multiple bestsellers that are probably on your shelf right now, including The Tipping PointBlinkOutliers, What the Dog Saw, and Talking to Strangers. His latest book is The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War.

What We Discuss with Malcolm Gladwell:

  • Why you're probably worse at detecting when other people are lying to you than you think you are (but at least it's for a good reason).
  • We judge people's honesty based on their demeanor, but not everyone's behavior matches what is expected of them -- which often leads to false impressions.
  • Why do we trust some institutions and people in authority almost without question, and what happens when that trust is (or is perceived to be) violated?
  • How does Malcolm decide what to explore and study for his next book or podcast, and what happens to the ideas that get discarded along the way?
  • Why Malcolm finds storytelling that assembles an imperfect puzzle more satisfying than a flawless conclusion.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/695

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our episode with nonverbal communication expert Joe Navarro? Catch up with episode 135: Joe Navarro | How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 07, 2022
694: Carole Hooven | How Testosterone Dominates and Divides Us
01:33:38

Carole Hooven (@hoovlet) teaches and co-directs the undergraduate program in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and is the author of T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us.

What We Discuss with Carole Hooven:

  • What creates differences between the sexes?
  • How testosterone is at the core of who we are, regardless of gender.
  • The ways testosterone shapes our minds and bodies in the womb and beyond.
  • What we've learned about testosterone from people who have transitioned between genders.
  • How politics is affecting science and research in testosterone.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/694

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with entrepreneur, actor, producer, reality TV personality, and former professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek? Catch up with episode 498: Rob Dyrdek | Manufacturing Amazing with the Dyrdek Machine here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 05, 2022
693: Lottery | Skeptical Sunday
00:39:52

Millions of people play the lottery every day. Is it just a harmless game, or something more insidious?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/693

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • How much do people really spend on lottery tickets, and who does most of the buying?
  • Winning an Oscar, being struck by lightning, or becoming an astronaut are just three things you're more likely to do than win the lottery.
  • What do governments do with the money brought in by lottery sales? At least some of it is put to good use, right?
  • Why winning the lottery isn't a guaranteed way to fulfill your dreams -- and is more likely to turn your life into a nightmare.
  • Why you're better off using the money you'd spend on lottery tickets on almost anything else.
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jul 03, 2022
692: Self-Defense Against Ex Led to Unjust Arrest | Feedback Friday
00:57:12

Your faith in the justice system has been shaken because you were arrested for defending yourself against a gun-wielding ex who was threatening to end your life. Now you want to use what you have left of your GI bill to become a criminal defense attorney to help others, but you're still struggling to overcome the trauma you endured from the system's unjust actions against you. What can you do to move on? Welcome to 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/692

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your ambition to become a criminal defense attorney to help others seems to be on hold until you can trust the system that had you arrested for defending yourself against a gun-wielding ex who was threatening to end your life. What can you do to move on?
  • You had a dream job in the medical field, but proximity to opioids proved too tempting and it led to termination and a criminal record. Now on the path to recovery, you're in search of work you find fulfilling that won't coax you back into the arms of addiction. But where do you even begin?
  • Your kind and hardworking mother-in-law nearing retirement could be renting out her spare house to help pay mounting medical bills, but instead, it's occupied by her deadbeat nephew who contributes nothing. How can you intervene on her behalf to ensure he starts chipping in without stirring up family drama (and sticking you with the eventual bill)?
  • Now in your 30s, you'd like to have a baby sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, your husband seems content to keep stalling and you worry that maybe he never really wants to have kids at all. It doesn't help matters that you've found flirty messages between him and his coworker, but you feel like leaving him to find someone new to start a family is risking time you don't have. What do you do?
  • A decade ago, you and your best friend were very much of the same negative, expect-the-worst mindset. Since then, you've lucked out with a great partner who's been supportive, and your trajectory has been on the up and up. Your friend, however, remains stuck struggling with many of the same problems you once shared, and you find it harder to be there for him in a way that's helpful. What's the best tack to take here?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel...
Jul 01, 2022
691: Shaquille O’Neal | Circling Back on Flat Earth Theory
01:09:58

Shaquille O'Neal (@SHAQ) has been retired from basketball for years, but he’s still got his irons in plenty of fires. Here, we’ll discuss everything from superheroes to law enforcement to business to sports to podcasting to — yes — the Flat Earth Theory. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Shaquille O'Neal:

  • The real-world experience Shaq endured preparing for a political race in 2020.
  • How Shaq assembled what he calls The Panel to help manage not only his career but all his important life decisions — and how you can do the same.
  • Why Shaq doesn’t consider himself a celebrity (and why that still isn’t a good reason to bug him in the middle of dinner).
  • How Shaq manages his emotions so he stays non-reactive on and off the court.
  • Does Shaq really believe in the Flat Earth Theory?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/691

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with the late and sorely missed Kobe Bryant — basketball legend, family man, and multimedia mogul? Catch up here with episode 249: Kobe Bryant | Dissecting the Mamba Mentality!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 30, 2022
690: Jane McGonigal | How to See the Future and Be Ready for Anything
01:36:27

Jane McGonigal (@avantgame) is a futurist who specializes in designing games that challenge players to tackle real-world problems, and is the bestselling author of Reality is Broken and SuperBetter. Her latest book is Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything ? Even Things That Seem Impossible Today.

What We Discuss with Jane McGonigal:

  • Why it is more important to be imaginative and insightful than to be 100 percent right when trying to predict what the future has in store for us.
  • How do we embrace problem scenarios and their solutions ahead of actual emergencies with an attitude of motivation and hope rather than dread?
  • The imaginative value of scheduling personal and professional plans on your calendar 10 years in advance.
  • How you can train yourself to spot signals of change that give you an edge on foresight (without falling down conspiracy theory rabbit holes), and imagine the ways anything can be different in the future.
  • The First 5 Minutes of the Future: a game Jane developed that helps you consider what to do when the next "unthinkable" change happens.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/690

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show where we interviewed Google’s Eric Schmidt? Catch up by listening to episode 201: Eric Schmidt | How a Coach Can Bring out the Best in You here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 28, 2022
689: Her Beau is Faux, But She Doesn't Know | Feedback Friday
00:48:26

You were happy for your roommate's sister when it seemed her new boyfriend was a keeper who made her happy. Unfortunately, it's become obvious he's a dangerous manipulator who has her under his spell as he drains her savings and threatens to propose to her while claiming to be the second coming of the region's top La-Z-Boy salesman with a net worth of $16 million. How can you get her to see him for what he is before it's too late? We'll look for answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/689

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your roommate's sister's swain spouts delusional claims that mark him as either a master manipulator or clearly insane.  Either way, how can you get her to see through the spell he's cast over her before she falls further into his maniacal machinations?
  • Your boss is an intimidating menace whose incompetence makes you work twice as hard, and HR doesn't take your complaints about him seriously. Is it time to find a new job, or should you just deal with it?
  • You've learned your wife cheated on you while you were away in the military, and you would leave her if you weren't dependent on the contribution of her salary to buy a house in this inflated market. How do you do what’s best for your kids without trapping yourself in a loveless relationship?
  • Some might see your tendency to prepare for every possible emergency as a sign of chronic anxiety, but you see it as being ready for anything. Are you simply thinking ahead, or are you living in dread?
  • Recent feedback from your boss has made you aware of your tendency to make impulsive decisions. What can you do to slow down and better weigh your options before committing to a subpar course of action?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Jun 24, 2022
688: A-Rod | Still Having a Ball After All
00:58:26

A-Rod (aka Alex Rodriguez) (@AROD) is a 3x MVP, 14-time All-Star, and World Series champion. As of 2016, he was the highest-paid player in major league baseball history. After 23 years in the game, he's an investor and business mentor preaching the gospel of financial literacy for all.

What We Discuss with A-Rod:

  • The concept of VCP: vision, capital, and people.
  • What Alex has learned about business from mentors like Warren Buffett and Magic Johnson, and what he hopes to pass on to his own mentees.
  • How growing up as a poor kid in Miami informs the way Alex treats people today.
  • The need for financial literacy to become part of the American education system's core curriculum.
  • The "Breakfast Club" that keeps Alex's relationship with his daughters real.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/688

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with world champion boxer and entrepreneur Laila Ali? Catch up with episode 309: Laila Ali | Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 23, 2022
687: Amy Webb | Changing Lives with Synthetic Biology
01:31:30

Amy Webb (@amywebb) is an author and the founder and CEO of The Future Today Institute -- a leading foresight and strategy firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures. Her latest book is The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology.

What We Discuss with Amy Webb:

  • Synthetic biology will change the world in three key areas: medicine, food, and the environment.
  • How pandemics might be wiped out by engineering immunity to deadly diseases on demand before they have a chance to take hold. (Alternatively, how pandemics might be created by engineering new diseases against which we have no defense.)
  • Forget waiting your turn on the donor list: we'll be able to print new vital, life-sustaining organs from scratch instead of relying on unpredictable supply.
  • When we have the ability to resurrect extinct species, will we possess the wisdom to prudently decide what lives again and what stays dead forever?
  • How meat can be grown from cells in labs without slaughtering animals and consuming the resources necessary to sustain them.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/687

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 21, 2022
686: An Abuser's Dead: Get Him Out of Your Head | Feedback Friday
00:52:43

Your uncle abused you when you were very young, and now he's on death's doorstep. You've resolved not to attend his funeral, though this may raise eyebrows among family who don't know the full story. So what's the least awkward way to tell your family not to expect you at the funeral? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/686

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • What's the least awkward way to tell your family not to expect you at the funeral of the uncle who molested you when you were very young?
  • How do you let a toxic employee go in the most respectful way without making enemies in the process?
  • You find yourself easily distracted from the only boyfriend you've ever had. Even though you love him dearly, you question the sustainability of your relationship when your eye wanders so easily. Is your future with this man doomed?
  • The sister you once considered a bit of a superhero has fallen on hard times. How can you help her?
  • It's hard to have faith in your countrymen and women when they keep voting in representatives who don't have their best interests at heart. What can you do to help them see the light?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 17, 2022
685: Steve Rambam | The Real Life of a Private Investigator
00:50:35

Steve Rambam (@stevenrambam) is the founder and CEO of Pallorium, Inc., a licensed Investigative Agency with offices and affiliates worldwide. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Steve Rambam:

  • Prime bank guarantee fraud: what is it and how does it work?
  • Why is the US a “Garden of Eden” for bad guys in general?
  • How Steve's TV show Nowhere to Hide came to be.
  • Why Steve's business doubled within two years following a bogus arrest.
  • Are there scam lists, and are you on one?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/685

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our interview with Freeway Rick Ross, the crack empire kingpin gone good? Catch up with episode 121: Freeway Rick Ross | Life in the Crack Lane here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 16, 2022
684: Desmond Shum | Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in China
01:19:44

Desmond Shum is the former husband of arrested Chinese billionaire "Whitney" Duan Weihong and the author of Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today’s China.

What We Discuss with Desmond Shum:

  • Why Desmond's intellectual schoolteacher parents were treated as undesirables by the CCP, and how this led to his family's self-exile to then-British Hong Kong when he was 10.
  • What the CCP does to keep evidence of events like the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre out of the public eye -- and what Desmond's impression of this particular event was like.
  • How the economic necessity of corruption to make business sustainable under the watchful eye of the CCP is used as a bargaining chip to keep the operators of these businesses in line.
  • The path that led Desmond and his wife Whitney to the inner circle of the CCP and allowed them to make billions with the government's blessing -- and the amount of work that went into maintaining the network that allowed this to continue.
  • The circumstances of Whitney's disappearance, and the eerie phone call he received from her four years later urging him not to publish his tell-all book.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/684

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Missed our conversation with Annie Duke — World Series poker champion and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts? Catch up by listening to episode 40: Annie Duke | How to Make Decisions Like a Poker Champ here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 14, 2022
683: Mad Lad Hates Dad and Treats Whole Family Bad | Feedback Friday
00:49:12

Can there be reconciliation with an estranged son who hates the way his father treated him as a kid and takes it out on the whole family? We'll seek answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/683

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • How do you reconcile with an estranged son who hates the way his father treated him as a kid and decides to take it out on the whole family?
  • How can you move past the resentment you feel over your husband's inaction when you needed help coping with postpartum depression after the birth of your son?
  • Your parents reneged on their promise to pay for your college, leaving you stuck with massive debt that you only discovered after graduating. What's your best next move?
  • Your son is legally an adult, but you're concerned about the evidence of vaping you've found in his room -- especially since he wants to be a professional athlete and he grew up with asthma. Worse, he's lying to you about it. What should you do?
  • You've been (perhaps mistakenly) forwarded part of a conversation with another applicant for the job you're going for. Should you do some research on your competition before your interview, or is it better not to psych yourself out by possibly discovering they're more qualified than you?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider...

Jun 10, 2022
682: Hustle Culture | Deep Dive
00:54:56

Jordan (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabe (@GabeMizrahi) take a deep dive into the toxic cesspool of hustle culture and emerge with better alternatives you can use to break free from its seductive but icky grip and write yourself a meaningful success story!

What We Discuss:

  • Hustle culture makes you miserable because it sells you the destination without the journey.
  • Hustle culture is a toxic sham because it operates like an emotion-manipulating pyramid scheme that pits you against your peers instead of encouraging you to work together.
  • How you can spot the sure signs of hustle culture and avoid its sticky, wicked clutches.
  • What you can do to break free of hustle culture if it’s already got its hooks in you.
  • Better alternatives that will enrich your journey toward success instead of guilting you, shaming you, pressuring you, and making you co-dependent on hustle culture’s empty promises.
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/682

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 09, 2022
681: Bill Browder | Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath
01:21:59

Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) pioneered a brand-new market after the fall of The Iron Curtain while making powerful enemies — including Vladimir Putin. He is the author of Red Notice and Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath.

What We Discuss with Bill Browder:

  • The real purpose of disinformation: not to convince you that it's presenting accurate facts, but to cast a seed of doubt over the credibility of the position it's opposing.
  • How a timely tweet upon being arrested by potentially Russia-corrupted police officers in Spain may have saved Bill Browder's life.
  • How the Magnitsky Act came about and what it does to sanction Russian human rights violators and kleptocrats.
  • How the power of Interpol is regularly abused by genocidal policymakers to retrieve escaped prisoners from "safe" havens.
  • Bill's thoughts on why Putin is making his move in Ukraine now, and what he hopes to accomplish there.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/681

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 07, 2022
680: Recycling | Skeptical Sunday
00:50:41

Between climate change, global pollution, and a spiraling amount of waste created every single day, we all want to find ways -- even small ways -- to help. And for some people, the easiest way is to recycle. You have a house, plenty of room to separate your garbage, and your city provides different color bins so you don’t get confused between pizza and the box it comes in. And everything works out, right? Well, of course not! Here, we'll weigh the pros and cons of recycling and make sure you're not doing it all wrong.

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/680

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • Does recycling really help save the planet? Only if you do it the right way (which we'll discuss).
  • What would be the unintended consequences of banning plastics entirely?
  • Why some materials that could be recycled aren't.
  • What are the massive benefits of recycling metals?
  • How many resources are saved when we recycle paper?
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Jun 05, 2022
679: Mom's Bigotry Makes Romantic Future Hard to See | Feedback Friday
00:51:05

It's difficult to plan for a future with your long-term partner when their mother refuses to entertain the idea of getting to know you. In fact, you've never even met face-to-face because she doesn't like your race. So how do you get your significant other to address the reality that their mom's bigotry makes a romantic future together hard to see? We'll try to get to the bottom of this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/679

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • You've never met your partner's mother face-to-face because she doesn't like your race. How do you address the reality that this bigotry makes a future together hard to see?
  • How do you get over a lifelong reluctance to speak out and get help before your poor performance due to work-related stress takes away your dream career?
  • You can openly support your Ukrainian coworkers as Putin's aggression against them drags on, but how do you show your Russian colleagues who don't support the war that you recognize their uncertainty and sadness during this difficult time without prompting them to say anything that could get them in trouble with their government?
  • You were a childhood victim of sexual abuse, and now find yourself as an adult with an addiction to porn and massage parlors that fills you with shame and massive debt. How can you break free from this self-destructive pattern of behavior? [Thanks to clinical psychologist and addiction specialist Dr. Rubin Khoddam for helping us field this one!]
  • You regret the generosity of offering your ne'er-do-well brother-in-law a job reference because you've come to realize that you can't, in good conscience, vouch for his reliability. What do you do when being generous and making the right call don’t quite line up?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets...

Jun 03, 2022
678: Chris Voss | Hostage Negotiation Tactics for Everyday Life
01:02:32

Chris Voss (@VossNegotiation) is a former FBI hostage negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It. He joins the show to discuss how we can be more effective negotiators by using hostage negotiation techniques.

What We Discuss with Chris Voss:

  • The principles behind negotiation and emotional persuasion.
  • Three types of negotiators you’ll encounter — The Analyst, The Assertive, and The Accommodator — and how to size them up.
  • How to influence the way people size you up.
  • Defusing negative emotions.
  • Generating rapport in difficult situations.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/678

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Jun 02, 2022
677: Sam Cooper | How the West Was Infiltrated by Its Enemies
01:16:12

Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) is a national investigative journalist for Global News and co-author of Wilful Blindness, How a Network of Narcos, Tycoons, and CCP Agents Infiltrated the West.

What We Discuss with Sam Cooper:

  • How -- and why -- is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) directly responsible for waging a reverse Opium War from China against the West?
  • How does the CCP operate in tandem with criminal organizations to further its interests in the West?
  • What does the CCP do to entice and recruit Westerners to become mouthpieces of government propaganda?
  • How the CCP uses gangsters, gambling, drugs, and real estate to launder massive amounts of money in the West while simultaneously undermining the democratic societies in which they operate.
  • What is the Five Eyes alliance, how is interference by the CCP jeopardizing its stability, and why is this something the West needs to worry about sooner rather than later?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/677

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with David Kilgour, author of Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China? Catch up with episode 497: David Kilgour | The Heartless Art of Forced Organ Harvesting here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 31, 2022
676: The Olympics | Skeptical Sunday
00:42:02

The Olympic games hold a place of reverence in the hearts of people around the world. But for the athletes who wreck their bodies and their bank accounts training for years to compete in the Olympics for glory and national pride -- especially the ones who hail from Team USA -- are the games kind of a sham?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/676

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • In spite of the PR boost nations get whenever their teams win medals and the influx of cash brought in by the games, the United States is one of the few countries that doesn't spend a dime supporting its Olympic athletes.
  • A so-called non-profit, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee brought in $317 million in revenue in 2018, including $122 million in broadcast revenue, which resulted in $48 million in profit. The CEO made $800,000 in compensation.
  • 60% of the athletes who train full-time for years to have a chance at competing in the Olympics do not consider themselves financially stable, often relying on low-paying gig economy jobs to fund their journey.
  • For Team USA athletes who win medals, the USOPC pays out $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. In contrast, Singapore rewards its athletes with $1 million for gold, $500,000 for silver, and $250,000 for bronze.
  • In 2012, half of the track and field athletes made less than $15,000 per year, while the track and field CEO earned $1.2 million in 2018. In 2012, US News and World Report found it cost around $100,000 per year to be an athlete in the Olympics.
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here...
May 29, 2022
675: A Tenant, Psychotic, Makes Your Life Chaotic | Feedback Friday
00:49:08

You invited a friend to rent one of your rooms for a year. Only five months in, she's having delusional psychotic breaks in which she claims to be God, purports to read minds, and accuses your fiance and numerous others of raping her. Under the circumstances, your family doesn't feel safe having her in your home anymore, and you've let her know she's not welcome back. Now she's calling you incessantly and making you feel guilty for not supporting her as a "friend." Do you have a responsibility to help her, or -- for the sake of your family's safety -- are you right for cutting her off? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/675

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Do you have a responsibility to keep renting a room to a friend who had a psychotic break, or does your family's safety come first? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us field the legalities of this one!]
  • The private school where you teach is rife with corrupt policies. Should you try to change the system from within, or find another job before an inevitable lawsuit brings the whole place down?
  • Because you're young and you want to be free to explore your romantic options, you may have been too hasty when you agreed to date your college girlfriend exclusively. Is there a way to back out of the arrangement without being a complete heel?
  • A recent miscarriage seems to be just the tip of a cascading torrent of misfortune and tragedy that has you experiencing frequent anxiety attacks and a constant state of fight or flight. What can you do to turn things around?
  • How can you make sure your good work is rewarded by the entrenched corporate hierarchy at your office when you have an incompetent manager taking credit for everything you and your team have done? [Thanks to executive coach and From Start-Up to Grown-Up author Alisa Cohn for helping us field this one!]
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at
May 27, 2022
674: Ken Croke | Undercover in an Outlaw Biker Gang Part Two
00:57:18

Ken Croke is a retired ATF agent who worked undercover for years to bust numerous criminal organizations, and is the co-author of Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure you've had a listen to part one here!]

What We Discuss with Ken Croke:

  • How did Ken (and his wife, who was also a federal agent) keep their undercover lives separate from their home lives without jeopardizing either?
  • Working undercover over the course of two years, what were some of Ken's closest calls that almost compromised his cover -- and possibly his life?
  • How is evidence gathered in a way that will hold up in court without blowing an undercover agent's cover?
  • What signals that it's time for an undercover operation to end?
  • Does Ken worry about what his former gang associates might do if their paths should ever cross again?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/674

See Jordan (with Ryan Holiday) Live in L.A. June 13th!: Go to jordanharbinger.com/tickets for more info

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 26, 2022
673: Ken Croke | Undercover in an Outlaw Biker Gang Part One
00:57:42

Ken Croke is a retired ATF agent who worked undercover for years to bust numerous criminal organizations, and is the co-author of Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Keep an eye out for part two later this week!]

What We Discuss with Ken Croke:

  • What's the hardest part about keeping an undercover identity intact while under heavy scrutiny by some of the world's most paranoid and dangerous miscreants?
  • How does the hierarchy of an outlaw biker gang work, and what does the process of becoming a trusted member entail?
  • What does an undercover agent do to pass among criminals without actually committing crimes (or stepping outside the boundaries of what's been cleared in advance)?
  • How do outlaw bikers really feel about the way their subculture is portrayed in popular media (e.g., Sons of Anarchy)?
  • What did Ken's wife and kids do while he was undercover for two years?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/673

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 24, 2022
672: Toothpaste | Skeptical Sunday
00:35:53

Two or three times a day, every day, for most of your life, you use toothpaste. But what’s in it? Is it actually good for you? And why is there a scary label on the back warning you not to swallow it? If you want to know the answers to these questions and more about toothpaste, nine out of 10 dentists (might very well) recommend this episode!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/672

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • If toothpaste is supposedly safe enough to put in your mouth three times a day, why is there a warning to call your local poison control center if you happen to swallow it?
  • Fluoride can strengthen teeth and reduce the risk of cavities, but too much exposure can cause problems from bone disease to certain cancers. So why is it in most toothpaste and 70% of our drinking water, and how is it regulated?
  • What sneaky loophole allows toothpaste manufacturers to bypass the legal disclosure of certain ingredients in their products that might cause us to think twice about using them?
  • What are some of these rarely listed ingredients, and what are the hazards of using them?
  • How can we keep our teeth and gums clean and healthy without exposing ourselves to potential toxins?
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

May 22, 2022
671: Cheating Husband Caught in His Own Clap Trap | Feedback Friday
00:49:30

When you determined the strange numbers on your husband's phone connected to escort services, he immediately told you not to worry -- he was just seeking inexpensive massages for back pain he'd been having. And when he went to the hospital to find relief from another kind of pain, his innocent explanation didn't match with the doctor's summary that it was an STI-related condition. So now that his cheating ways have caught him up in a clap trap of his own design, what are you going to do with this information? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/671

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • First off, we have a heartwarming update from a Feedback Friday listener who was going through tough times back in episode 478!
  • Your husband always has a convenient way to explain away his obvious infidelities. But now that there's evidence of an STI on his latest medical summary, what are you going to do with this information?
  • How do you politely turn down a work acquaintance's request for a donation to his crowdfunding cause?
  • How can you maintain a healthy relationship with your mom without letting her addiction to alcohol get in the way? [Thanks to clinical psychologist and addiction specialist Dr. Rubin Khoddam for helping us field this one!]
  • The fact that your 22-year-old girlfriend still tacks up magazine cutouts of pop stars she swoons over like a high school girl makes you more than a little jealous. Are you overreacting?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

May 20, 2022
670: Vanessa Van Edwards | The Science of Succeeding with People
01:16:09

Vanessa Van Edwards (@vvanedwards) is the lead investigator at human behavior research lab Science of People and the author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People and Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Vanessa Van Edwards:

  • How can nonverbal communication affect the first impression you make to someone — even if they’re just hearing your voice over a telephone call?
  • Explore the science of popularity — what makes the cool kids so cool?
  • Understand the difference between social attraction and romantic attraction — and why they both matter.
  • Find out what we can learn about people from their photographs — especially on dating sites.
  • What interesting patterns turn up in researching episodes of reality television shows Blind Date and Shark Tank?
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/670

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our conversation with FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss? Catch up with episode 165: Chris Voss | Negotiate as If Your Life Depended on It here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 19, 2022
669: Dallas Taylor | The Psychology of Sound Design
01:13:29

Dallas Taylor is the host and creator of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a podcast revealing the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. He is also the Creative Director of Defacto Sound, a TED mainstage speaker, a regular contributor to major publications, and a respected thought leader on the narrative power of sound.

What We Discuss with Dallas Taylor:

  • How sound designers create audio more in line with what our brains expect to hear when capturing it in reality would fall short.
  • How the tricks of sound design are akin to a magician's ability to invisibly manipulate our emotions.
  • Why we hear certain sounds recycled in movies and trailers to the point of cliché.
  • With the perspective-bending nature of sound design occupying so many of his waking hours, does Dallas find elements of the job extending into off-the-clock parts of his life?
  • Analog vs. digital (and why many prefer to rely on the older technology).
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/669

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss the show we did with Moby — musician, singer, songwriter, producer, animal rights activist, and author? Catch up here with episode 196: Moby | What to Do When Success Makes You Miserable!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 17, 2022
668: Tipping | Skeptical Sunday
00:42:20

Tipping isn't a city in China. But it is a shameful institution that encourages racism, sexism, harassment, and exploitation of low-income workers while placing the burden of compensation on customers instead of business owners. If most restaurants and service-based industries in the world can exist without relying on tipping, why does the custom persist in the United States, and what would be a fairer, more sustainable alternative?

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/668

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • The federal minimum wage for tipped workers is $2.13 per hour -- the same as it was 31 years ago (though it can be even less in some states under certain circumstances). Why is it the customer’s responsibility to pay these workers a fair wage?
  • Why, contrary to the protests of whoever happens to be holding the purse strings, raising the minimum wage for the person serving you will not make your burger cost $25.
  • How tipped workers are still expected to fulfill untipped tasks during their "down" time, but without a raise in compensation to make up for it.
  • Why the institution of tipping encourages racism, sexism, harassment, and exploitation of low-income workers.
  • How the custom of tipping came about, why it persists in places like the United States, and what we should be doing to replace it with something that would better serve the server and served, alike.
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Sign up for

May 15, 2022
667: Friend's Sicko Spouse Keeps Infecting Our House | Feedback Friday
00:49:28

Your inseparable friend's perpetually ill spouse seems to get a sick kick out of infecting your family on the regular and refuses to respect any boundaries you've tried to establish that might keep her and her nasty cooties at bay. If you didn't know any better, you'd suspect she was doing it on purpose! What can you do to protect the health of your household from this physically -- and perhaps mentally -- unwell woman? We'll try to find a remedy to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/667

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Your friend's perpetually ill spouse seems to get a sick kick out of infecting your family on the regular. How can you keep her and her nasty cooties at bay?
  • Must you bid your love adieu to dodge her herpes simplex 2?
  • Is it time to cut loose the "friend" who ghosts you profusely?
  • How can you remain an influential, vital part of your child's life when they live with your ex on the other side of the world?
  • You suspect you're clinically depressed, but how can you ask for help when the thought of therapy just adds to your stress?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 13, 2022
666: How to Ask for a Promotion | Deep Dive
00:44:41

Jordan (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabe (@GabeMizrahi) take a deep dive into their tried-and-true approach to asking for a promotion, maximizing your chances of landing it, and building on it to create a thriving career.

What We Discuss:

  • The important questions to ask yourself before approaching your boss for a raise or a promotion.
  • What you can start doing to ensure you get a raise or promotion next time around if you can't quite justify one yet.
  • How to build your case for a raise or promotion when you're ready to take one on.
  • The best practices for negotiation when the floor is yours.
  • What to do if you don't get the raise or promotion on the first try.
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/666

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Did you miss our deep dive into what you should do if you’re looking for a new job or relationship and you want to know how to get your foot in the door — while avoiding the mistakes that are liable to get that door slammed in your face? Catch up with episode 629: Getting Your Foot in the Door | Deep Dive here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 12, 2022
665: Luis Navia | 25 Years Inside the Narco Cartels
01:31:19

Luis Navia worked for nearly 25 years as a cocaine trafficker for the deadliest Colombian and Mexican cartels until the law caught up with him in 2000. He is the co-author (with Jesse Fink) of Pure Narco: One Man's True Story of 25 Years Inside the Cartels.

What We Discuss with Luis Navia:

  • Why did Luis Navia -- a Georgetown student and the privileged son of an affluent sugar trader -- get involved in the illicit international cocaine trade with the most ruthless and infamous Mexican and Colombian drug cartels?
  • How did Luis move between 200 to 300 tons of cocaine (roughly worth $10 billion) over the course of 25 years -- and live to tell the tale?
  • Why did Luis insist on carrying out his business without a weapon -- in spite of being regularly surrounded by the perpetrators of unimaginably brutal violence?
  • What are the logistics for smuggling massive amounts of cocaine over international borders with limited space and personnel?
  • How did Operation Journey, an anti-narcotics effort coordinated across 12 nations and led by the United States and Great Britain, finally put an end to Luis' lucrative cocaine trafficking career?
  • And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/665

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Miss our two-part conversation with the Caravaggio of currency counterfeiting? Catch up by starting with Episode 488: Frank Bourassa | The World’s Greatest Counterfeiter Part One here!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

May 10, 2022
664: Reiki Healing | Skeptical Sunday
00:33:38

Is Reiki -- the not-so-ancient Japanese energy healing technique by which your psychic empath aunt swears -- a legitimate way to treat ailments like cancer, diabetic neuropathy, anxiety, lactose intolerance, and cooties? Or is it nothing more than a placebo that, at best, might offer you a relaxing way to spend an hour of your day -- and a day of your savings? Here on Skeptical Sunday, it's all hands on deck to discover the truth about the controversial practice of Reiki healing.

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/664

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

  • How "ancient" is the hallowed practice of Reiki healing?
  • With over 800 hospitals in the world offering Reiki -- including Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic -- there must be some tangible benefit to this energy healing technique, right?
  • What scientific evidence do we have to support the efficacy of Reiki healing?
  • How [much] does someone [have to pay to] become a Reiki practitioner?
  • What can (and what can't) Reiki do for you?
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
  • Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here...

May 08, 2022
663: Thinking of Another Dude: Is Marriage Screwed? | Feedback Friday
00:53:45

Celebrating only the second anniversary with your wonderful husband, you've found yourself wondering what life might be like if you'd, instead, pursued a relationship with a certain unrequited crush. Does having these thoughts make you an unfaithful, horrible person, or is this a normal adjustment to married life -- for better or for worse? We'll try to find answers to this and more here on 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 friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/663

On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:

  • Is your marriage screwed because you've been having thoughts about another dude on your second anniversary?
  • Should you give your estranged family -- who abused you and worked hard to slander your name when you broke free -- a second chance just because tragedy has forced you to interact again?
  • You run successful social media pages reviewing a certain company’s products, and it seemed to be a win/win situation -- until you received a cease and desist letter from said company. How can you safely move forward without losing your business entirely?
  • You feel obligated to be there for a new friend who's going through some tough times, but you're concerned that some of your own negativity may be residual from this friendship. Should you stay in their life and risk your own mental health to be the voice of reason, or would it be best just to cut them out of your life entirely?
  • You're resentful that your peer got the promotion you wanted and is now your direct manager, and you feel like your manager isn't trying hard enough to help you get ahead. Should you raise a stink about the unfairness of it all, or learn from this teachable moment and grin and bear it until your next review?
  • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
  • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi.

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course!

May 06, 2022
662: Daniel J. Levitin | How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era
00:51:13

Daniel J. Levitin (@danlevitin) is a cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, musician, record producer, and author of Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]

What We Discuss with Daniel J. Levitin:

  • The most important quality for anyone who wants to be an evidence-based, critical thinker.
  • Why even society’s smartest people fall victim to misinformation.
  • The first step to making good decisions.
  • How to dismantle bad arguments on the fly.
  • Why you need to look beyond averages when making a case.
  • And much more…

Full show notes and resources can be found here: