The Problem With... http://thejamessmithpodcast.libsyn.com/website en 720232 The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos. Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise. https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/39d3caac-9f85-11f0-88a2-23c771539393/image/fde7fc9b2706afab4ffbc7fa47a01842.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress The Problem With... http://thejamessmithpodcast.libsyn.com/website yes episodic James Smith The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos. Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise. The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos.

Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise.

]]> James Smith info@problempodcast.com The Problem With Being Soft: Ali Maclean 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ali Maclean's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@alimacleans Ali Maclean On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/alimacleans/ Ali Maclean joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on combat sports, mental toughness, and why being "soft" is the most dangerous thing a man can be. A career MMA fighter-turned-coach, Ali argues that combat sports are the most underrated self-development tool on the planet — a Trojan horse that forces men to confront their ego, communication, fitness, and their own appetite for controlled violence. He explains: ◼️ Why combat sports are a Trojan horse for self-development ◼️ How fear and excitement live in the same nervous system — and how to use it ◼️ Why "everything you learn at white belt is a lie" about strength in jiu-jitsu ◼️ How injuries quietly build a better grappler than ego ever will ◼️ Why the path of inaction is the only outcome worth fearing Chapters:Chapters: 00:00 Heights, Fear and What's Coming 01:35 The Problem With Being Soft 03:00 The Three Types of Men: Unprepared, Half-Capable, Capable 04:25 Why Walking Away Is Real Self-Defense 06:55 Jeff Cooper's Awareness Levels — White, Yellow, Orange, Red 09:30 Losing the Ego When a Knife Comes Out 11:30 Baseball Bats, Knives and What You Can Actually Do at Home 12:55 We All Secretly Love Violence 14:08 The Rugby Club Bare-Knuckle Champion Story 17:00 Walking Into a Bar When You've Never Been Hit 18:50 Getting Kicked in the Balls at School (and Other Reality Checks) 20:00 Why Violence Isn't Suffering — It's a Teacher 22:00 Decorum in Street Fights vs Nights Out 24:50 Why Jiu-Jitsu Is the Best On-Ramp to MMA 26:50 The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 — Getting Humbled on Live TV 29:30 Words Only Hurt If They're Slightly True 30:30 Why Hate Comments Are a Performance Indicator 33:40 Banter Is Just Practiced Confrontation 34:50 The DOSE Cascade From Combat Sports 36:30 Combat Sports as a Trojan Horse for Self-Development 38:50 The Lockdown Touch Crisis and Loving Brock Lesnar 42:00 What WWE Taught Us About Building an Audience 45:50 Bodybuilding vs Combat Sports Beauty Standards 49:00 Why Injuries Make You a Better Grappler 51:30 James's MCL Tear and a Front Headlock Game 52:40 The Most Underrated Body Part to Train: Your Neck 54:00 The Osteopath Magician and the Expectation Effect 55:50 Strength in Jiu-Jitsu — Everything You Learn at White Belt Is a Lie 57:30 The Guillotine Is About Hope, Not Submission 58:00 Soul-Stealing — How High-Level Strikers Break You 1:01:30 Grip Fighting Decides the Match 1:01:50 Going Out Too Hot — A Cautionary Comp Story 1:03:08 Everyone Backstage Is Scared (Even GSP and Darren Till) 1:05:00 Cus D'Amato: Fear Is a Raging Fire 1:05:50 Flow State and the Day James Caught a Knee Bar 1:08:08 Sauna, Ice Bath and the Daily Battle With Yourself 1:09:30 Stoicism, Discomfort and Seeking Mental Toughness 1:12:00 The £4,000 Missed-Flight Lesson 1:14:50 Ali's Fear of Heights Confession 1:17:00 Fear as the Compass to Where You Should Go 1:18:09 Soft Is the Path of Inaction 1:19:20 Ali's Honest Take on His MMA Career 1:20:30 Ali's Coaching: Strong, Fit, Capable Men 1:21:25 How James's Mentorship Changed Ali's Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:00 -0000 full James Smith 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ali Maclean's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@alimacleans Ali Maclean On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/alimacleans/ Ali Maclean joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on combat sports, mental toughness, and why being "soft" is the most dangerous thing a man can be. A career MMA fighter-turned-coach, Ali argues that combat sports are the most underrated self-development tool on the planet — a Trojan horse that forces men to confront their ego, communication, fitness, and their own appetite for controlled violence. He explains: ◼️ Why combat sports are a Trojan horse for self-development ◼️ How fear and excitement live in the same nervous system — and how to use it ◼️ Why "everything you learn at white belt is a lie" about strength in jiu-jitsu ◼️ How injuries quietly build a better grappler than ego ever will ◼️ Why the path of inaction is the only outcome worth fearing Chapters:Chapters: 00:00 Heights, Fear and What's Coming 01:35 The Problem With Being Soft 03:00 The Three Types of Men: Unprepared, Half-Capable, Capable 04:25 Why Walking Away Is Real Self-Defense 06:55 Jeff Cooper's Awareness Levels — White, Yellow, Orange, Red 09:30 Losing the Ego When a Knife Comes Out 11:30 Baseball Bats, Knives and What You Can Actually Do at Home 12:55 We All Secretly Love Violence 14:08 The Rugby Club Bare-Knuckle Champion Story 17:00 Walking Into a Bar When You've Never Been Hit 18:50 Getting Kicked in the Balls at School (and Other Reality Checks) 20:00 Why Violence Isn't Suffering — It's a Teacher 22:00 Decorum in Street Fights vs Nights Out 24:50 Why Jiu-Jitsu Is the Best On-Ramp to MMA 26:50 The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 — Getting Humbled on Live TV 29:30 Words Only Hurt If They're Slightly True 30:30 Why Hate Comments Are a Performance Indicator 33:40 Banter Is Just Practiced Confrontation 34:50 The DOSE Cascade From Combat Sports 36:30 Combat Sports as a Trojan Horse for Self-Development 38:50 The Lockdown Touch Crisis and Loving Brock Lesnar 42:00 What WWE Taught Us About Building an Audience 45:50 Bodybuilding vs Combat Sports Beauty Standards 49:00 Why Injuries Make You a Better Grappler 51:30 James's MCL Tear and a Front Headlock Game 52:40 The Most Underrated Body Part to Train: Your Neck 54:00 The Osteopath Magician and the Expectation Effect 55:50 Strength in Jiu-Jitsu — Everything You Learn at White Belt Is a Lie 57:30 The Guillotine Is About Hope, Not Submission 58:00 Soul-Stealing — How High-Level Strikers Break You 1:01:30 Grip Fighting Decides the Match 1:01:50 Going Out Too Hot — A Cautionary Comp Story 1:03:08 Everyone Backstage Is Scared (Even GSP and Darren Till) 1:05:00 Cus D'Amato: Fear Is a Raging Fire 1:05:50 Flow State and the Day James Caught a Knee Bar 1:08:08 Sauna, Ice Bath and the Daily Battle With Yourself 1:09:30 Stoicism, Discomfort and Seeking Mental Toughness 1:12:00 The £4,000 Missed-Flight Lesson 1:14:50 Ali's Fear of Heights Confession 1:17:00 Fear as the Compass to Where You Should Go 1:18:09 Soft Is the Path of Inaction 1:19:20 Ali's Honest Take on His MMA Career 1:20:30 Ali's Coaching: Strong, Fit, Capable Men 1:21:25 How James's Mentorship Changed Ali's Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ali Maclean's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@alimacleans Ali Maclean On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/alimacleans/ Ali Maclean joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on combat sports, mental toughness, and why being "soft" is the most dangerous thing a man can be. A career MMA fighter-turned-coach, Ali argues that combat sports are the most underrated self-development tool on the planet — a Trojan horse that forces men to confront their ego, communication, fitness, and their own appetite for controlled violence. He explains: ◼️ Why combat sports are a Trojan horse for self-development ◼️ How fear and excitement live in the same nervous system — and how to use it ◼️ Why "everything you learn at white belt is a lie" about strength in jiu-jitsu ◼️ How injuries quietly build a better grappler than ego ever will ◼️ Why the path of inaction is the only outcome worth fearing Chapters:Chapters: 00:00 Heights, Fear and What's Coming 01:35 The Problem With Being Soft 03:00 The Three Types of Men: Unprepared, Half-Capable, Capable 04:25 Why Walking Away Is Real Self-Defense 06:55 Jeff Cooper's Awareness Levels — White, Yellow, Orange, Red 09:30 Losing the Ego When a Knife Comes Out 11:30 Baseball Bats, Knives and What You Can Actually Do at Home 12:55 We All Secretly Love Violence 14:08 The Rugby Club Bare-Knuckle Champion Story 17:00 Walking Into a Bar When You've Never Been Hit 18:50 Getting Kicked in the Balls at School (and Other Reality Checks) 20:00 Why Violence Isn't Suffering — It's a Teacher 22:00 Decorum in Street Fights vs Nights Out 24:50 Why Jiu-Jitsu Is the Best On-Ramp to MMA 26:50 The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 — Getting Humbled on Live TV 29:30 Words Only Hurt If They're Slightly True 30:30 Why Hate Comments Are a Performance Indicator 33:40 Banter Is Just Practiced Confrontation 34:50 The DOSE Cascade From Combat Sports 36:30 Combat Sports as a Trojan Horse for Self-Development 38:50 The Lockdown Touch Crisis and Loving Brock Lesnar 42:00 What WWE Taught Us About Building an Audience 45:50 Bodybuilding vs Combat Sports Beauty Standards 49:00 Why Injuries Make You a Better Grappler 51:30 James's MCL Tear and a Front Headlock Game 52:40 The Most Underrated Body Part to Train: Your Neck 54:00 The Osteopath Magician and the Expectation Effect 55:50 Strength in Jiu-Jitsu — Everything You Learn at White Belt Is a Lie 57:30 The Guillotine Is About Hope, Not Submission 58:00 Soul-Stealing — How High-Level Strikers Break You 1:01:30 Grip Fighting Decides the Match 1:01:50 Going Out Too Hot — A Cautionary Comp Story 1:03:08 Everyone Backstage Is Scared (Even GSP and Darren Till) 1:05:00 Cus D'Amato: Fear Is a Raging Fire 1:05:50 Flow State and the Day James Caught a Knee Bar 1:08:08 Sauna, Ice Bath and the Daily Battle With Yourself 1:09:30 Stoicism, Discomfort and Seeking Mental Toughness 1:12:00 The £4,000 Missed-Flight Lesson 1:14:50 Ali's Fear of Heights Confession 1:17:00 Fear as the Compass to Where You Should Go 1:18:09 Soft Is the Path of Inaction 1:19:20 Ali's Honest Take on His MMA Career 1:20:30 Ali's Coaching: Strong, Fit, Capable Men 1:21:25 How James's Mentorship Changed Ali's Marketing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5000 The Problem With Bad Luck: Paul Sloane Paul Sloane joins James Smith to dismantle the myth of bad luck and reveal why the most successful innovations in history happened entirely by accident. A Cambridge engineer, former IBM marketer, and bestselling author, Sloane argues that what most people write off as misfortune is actually a hidden opportunity, and the people who notice it are the ones who change industries. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Paul Sloane's Website – https://www.destination-innovation.com Paul Sloane On X – https://x.com/PaulSloane He explains: ◼️ Why most "bad luck" is unrecognised opportunity ◼️ The four traits that actually lucky people share ◼️ How psychological safety unlocks radical ideas in any team ◼️ Why polymaths produce more creative solutions than specialists ◼️ The one question every business must be able to answer Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:15 The Two Problems With Bad Luck 02:37 J.K. Rowling, Trains and Hidden Opportunities 04:26 The Four Traits of Lucky People 05:32 Why Superstition Is the Wrong Direction 06:34 Penicillin, Velcro and Happy Accidents 08:48 Why Successful People Never Blame Others 10:23 Mindset, Identity and Why Dating Felt Different 12:01 Testing Thumbnails and the 4K Trick 14:17 The Brutal Role of Timing in Success 15:14 Building Psychological Safety for Wild Ideas 17:22 James on Steroids, Status and Being 22 20:00 Why Carwow's YouTube Strategy Is Genius 24:02 Innovation vs Creativity Defined 24:22 Doing Something Different Every Day 25:45 Closing Open Loops and the Zeigarnik Effect 27:37 The Random Greyhound Approach to Travel 29:37 James's Red Bull Can You Make It Story 32:37 Wilson Greatbatch and the Pacemaker Accident 34:26 Why Polymaths Find Better Solutions 35:26 Using AI to Introduce Useful Randomness 37:27 Red Bull's Trojan Horse Marketing 39:51 Productive Boredom and Shower Thoughts 44:55 Survivorship Bias and the Quiet Years of Work 46:23 The Cellar Door Lateral Thinking Puzzle 47:45 The Most Important Question in Business 50:02 Why People Really Leave Money to Charity 52:27 Polarising Marketing on the Tube 55:29 Paddy Power and the Blind Football Advert 58:13 The C-Word and Brave Brand Choices 01:01:28 Burger King's Left-Handed Hamburger Hoax 01:02:24 ASDA Opticians and the Swiss Referee 01:07:56 Rory Sutherland, HS2 and Demolishing Birmingham 01:08:59 Edward de Bono's Ford Car Parks Idea 01:12:24 The Case for Self-Driving Cars 01:16:49 AI, Useless Jobs and Paying People Properly 01:20:42 Will Self-Driving Cars Steal Our Thinking Time? 01:21:54 Who This Book Is For Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 05 May 2026 05:04:00 -0000 full James Smith Paul Sloane joins James Smith to dismantle the myth of bad luck and reveal why the most successful innovations in history happened entirely by accident. A Cambridge engineer, former IBM marketer, and bestselling author, Sloane argues that what most people write off as misfortune is actually a hidden opportunity, and the people who notice it are the ones who change industries. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Paul Sloane's Website – https://www.destination-innovation.com Paul Sloane On X – https://x.com/PaulSloane He explains: ◼️ Why most "bad luck" is unrecognised opportunity ◼️ The four traits that actually lucky people share ◼️ How psychological safety unlocks radical ideas in any team ◼️ Why polymaths produce more creative solutions than specialists ◼️ The one question every business must be able to answer Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:15 The Two Problems With Bad Luck 02:37 J.K. Rowling, Trains and Hidden Opportunities 04:26 The Four Traits of Lucky People 05:32 Why Superstition Is the Wrong Direction 06:34 Penicillin, Velcro and Happy Accidents 08:48 Why Successful People Never Blame Others 10:23 Mindset, Identity and Why Dating Felt Different 12:01 Testing Thumbnails and the 4K Trick 14:17 The Brutal Role of Timing in Success 15:14 Building Psychological Safety for Wild Ideas 17:22 James on Steroids, Status and Being 22 20:00 Why Carwow's YouTube Strategy Is Genius 24:02 Innovation vs Creativity Defined 24:22 Doing Something Different Every Day 25:45 Closing Open Loops and the Zeigarnik Effect 27:37 The Random Greyhound Approach to Travel 29:37 James's Red Bull Can You Make It Story 32:37 Wilson Greatbatch and the Pacemaker Accident 34:26 Why Polymaths Find Better Solutions 35:26 Using AI to Introduce Useful Randomness 37:27 Red Bull's Trojan Horse Marketing 39:51 Productive Boredom and Shower Thoughts 44:55 Survivorship Bias and the Quiet Years of Work 46:23 The Cellar Door Lateral Thinking Puzzle 47:45 The Most Important Question in Business 50:02 Why People Really Leave Money to Charity 52:27 Polarising Marketing on the Tube 55:29 Paddy Power and the Blind Football Advert 58:13 The C-Word and Brave Brand Choices 01:01:28 Burger King's Left-Handed Hamburger Hoax 01:02:24 ASDA Opticians and the Swiss Referee 01:07:56 Rory Sutherland, HS2 and Demolishing Birmingham 01:08:59 Edward de Bono's Ford Car Parks Idea 01:12:24 The Case for Self-Driving Cars 01:16:49 AI, Useless Jobs and Paying People Properly 01:20:42 Will Self-Driving Cars Steal Our Thinking Time? 01:21:54 Who This Book Is For Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Paul Sloane joins James Smith to dismantle the myth of bad luck and reveal why the most successful innovations in history happened entirely by accident. A Cambridge engineer, former IBM marketer, and bestselling author, Sloane argues that what most people write off as misfortune is actually a hidden opportunity, and the people who notice it are the ones who change industries.

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Paul Sloane's Website – https://www.destination-innovation.com

Paul Sloane On X – https://x.com/PaulSloane

He explains:

◼️ Why most "bad luck" is unrecognised opportunity

◼️ The four traits that actually lucky people share

◼️ How psychological safety unlocks radical ideas in any team

◼️ Why polymaths produce more creative solutions than specialists

◼️ The one question every business must be able to answer


Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:15 The Two Problems With Bad Luck

02:37 J.K. Rowling, Trains and Hidden Opportunities

04:26 The Four Traits of Lucky People

05:32 Why Superstition Is the Wrong Direction

06:34 Penicillin, Velcro and Happy Accidents

08:48 Why Successful People Never Blame Others

10:23 Mindset, Identity and Why Dating Felt Different

12:01 Testing Thumbnails and the 4K Trick

14:17 The Brutal Role of Timing in Success

15:14 Building Psychological Safety for Wild Ideas

17:22 James on Steroids, Status and Being 22

20:00 Why Carwow's YouTube Strategy Is Genius

24:02 Innovation vs Creativity Defined

24:22 Doing Something Different Every Day

25:45 Closing Open Loops and the Zeigarnik Effect

27:37 The Random Greyhound Approach to Travel

29:37 James's Red Bull Can You Make It Story

32:37 Wilson Greatbatch and the Pacemaker Accident

34:26 Why Polymaths Find Better Solutions

35:26 Using AI to Introduce Useful Randomness

37:27 Red Bull's Trojan Horse Marketing

39:51 Productive Boredom and Shower Thoughts

44:55 Survivorship Bias and the Quiet Years of Work

46:23 The Cellar Door Lateral Thinking Puzzle

47:45 The Most Important Question in Business

50:02 Why People Really Leave Money to Charity

52:27 Polarising Marketing on the Tube

55:29 Paddy Power and the Blind Football Advert

58:13 The C-Word and Brave Brand Choices

01:01:28 Burger King's Left-Handed Hamburger Hoax

01:02:24 ASDA Opticians and the Swiss Referee

01:07:56 Rory Sutherland, HS2 and Demolishing Birmingham

01:08:59 Edward de Bono's Ford Car Parks Idea

01:12:24 The Case for Self-Driving Cars

01:16:49 AI, Useless Jobs and Paying People Properly

01:20:42 Will Self-Driving Cars Steal Our Thinking Time?

01:21:54 Who This Book Is For

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5143 The Problem With Air Fryers: Lucy Lord Lucy Lord joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the air fryer sitting unused on 70% of UK kitchen counters and ends up tearing apart everything from protein marketing scams to the slow death of the British night out. A best-selling cookbook author and the woman behind Supper Club, Lucy is back with her third book, Love Your Air Fryer, and makes the case that cooking your own food is the most underrated act of self-care left in the modern world. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Lucy Lord's Website – https://www.lordlucy.com Lucy Lord On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lordlucy/ Lucy Lord on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@lordlucyfoodstory⁩ She explains: ◼️ Why the air fryer is the most underutilised tool in your kitchen ◼️ How cooking is the lowest-hanging fruit for looking and feeling better ◼️ The protein con quietly corrupting your supermarket shop ◼️ Why "increasing your surface area for luck" works in dating, business and life ◼️ How "touching your future" rewires what you think you're capable of Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:00 The Air Fryer Problem No One Talks About 03:50 Why Cooking Is the Most Underrated Form of Self-Care 06:37 Air Fryer vs Oven — Why the Oven Is Becoming Obsolete 11:19 The Apple vs Probiotic Soda Con 12:54 Skipping the Foundations and Chasing the Trends 15:33 The Protein Ball Scam Exposed 19:23 Protein Water, Huel and the Death of the Real Meal 22:05 Why Britain's Grab-and-Go Culture Is Broken 23:15 James's Brutally Honest Review of Japan 27:44 Karoshi — Japan's Death From Overwork Crisis 29:09 The Birth Rate Collapse Hitting the Western World 32:11 Hustle Culture Is Stealing Men's Best Years 34:35 The 200 Dates That Led James to Tay 37:11 Lucy on Whether She Actually Wants Kids 39:01 Increasing Your Surface Area for Luck 39:45 Volume vs Intensity — The Dating Strategy That Works 43:52 GLP-1s, Smartphones and the Death of the Night Out 45:55 The Quiet Crisis of Men Disappearing From University 47:03 The Mumps, the Missed Lectures and James's Year of Chaos 50:21 Is a University Degree Even Worth It Anymore? 53:13 Inside Lucy's New Book — Love Your Air Fryer 58:39 Why James Is Forcing Lucy Onto YouTube 01:04:02 The Random Idea That Sold 3,500 Hats 01:06:28 How to Start a YouTube Channel With Just an iPhone 01:10:18 The Advice You Give Is the Advice You Need 01:10:33 Why James Avoids Gratitude 01:12:18 The Car as Forced Gratitude 01:13:04 Touching Your Future — The Concept That Changed Everything 01:17:46 Where to Find the Book, the Hats and Supper Club Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 28 Apr 2026 04:51:00 -0000 full James Smith Lucy Lord joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the air fryer sitting unused on 70% of UK kitchen counters and ends up tearing apart everything from protein marketing scams to the slow death of the British night out. A best-selling cookbook author and the woman behind Supper Club, Lucy is back with her third book, Love Your Air Fryer, and makes the case that cooking your own food is the most underrated act of self-care left in the modern world. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Lucy Lord's Website – https://www.lordlucy.com Lucy Lord On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lordlucy/ Lucy Lord on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@lordlucyfoodstory⁩ She explains: ◼️ Why the air fryer is the most underutilised tool in your kitchen ◼️ How cooking is the lowest-hanging fruit for looking and feeling better ◼️ The protein con quietly corrupting your supermarket shop ◼️ Why "increasing your surface area for luck" works in dating, business and life ◼️ How "touching your future" rewires what you think you're capable of Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:00 The Air Fryer Problem No One Talks About 03:50 Why Cooking Is the Most Underrated Form of Self-Care 06:37 Air Fryer vs Oven — Why the Oven Is Becoming Obsolete 11:19 The Apple vs Probiotic Soda Con 12:54 Skipping the Foundations and Chasing the Trends 15:33 The Protein Ball Scam Exposed 19:23 Protein Water, Huel and the Death of the Real Meal 22:05 Why Britain's Grab-and-Go Culture Is Broken 23:15 James's Brutally Honest Review of Japan 27:44 Karoshi — Japan's Death From Overwork Crisis 29:09 The Birth Rate Collapse Hitting the Western World 32:11 Hustle Culture Is Stealing Men's Best Years 34:35 The 200 Dates That Led James to Tay 37:11 Lucy on Whether She Actually Wants Kids 39:01 Increasing Your Surface Area for Luck 39:45 Volume vs Intensity — The Dating Strategy That Works 43:52 GLP-1s, Smartphones and the Death of the Night Out 45:55 The Quiet Crisis of Men Disappearing From University 47:03 The Mumps, the Missed Lectures and James's Year of Chaos 50:21 Is a University Degree Even Worth It Anymore? 53:13 Inside Lucy's New Book — Love Your Air Fryer 58:39 Why James Is Forcing Lucy Onto YouTube 01:04:02 The Random Idea That Sold 3,500 Hats 01:06:28 How to Start a YouTube Channel With Just an iPhone 01:10:18 The Advice You Give Is the Advice You Need 01:10:33 Why James Avoids Gratitude 01:12:18 The Car as Forced Gratitude 01:13:04 Touching Your Future — The Concept That Changed Everything 01:17:46 Where to Find the Book, the Hats and Supper Club Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Lucy Lord joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the air fryer sitting unused on 70% of UK kitchen counters and ends up tearing apart everything from protein marketing scams to the slow death of the British night out. A best-selling cookbook author and the woman behind Supper Club, Lucy is back with her third book, Love Your Air Fryer, and makes the case that cooking your own food is the most underrated act of self-care left in the modern world.

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Lucy Lord's Website – https://www.lordlucy.com

Lucy Lord On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lordlucy/

Lucy Lord on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@lordlucyfoodstory⁩


She explains:

◼️ Why the air fryer is the most underutilised tool in your kitchen

◼️ How cooking is the lowest-hanging fruit for looking and feeling better

◼️ The protein con quietly corrupting your supermarket shop

◼️ Why "increasing your surface area for luck" works in dating, business and life

◼️ How "touching your future" rewires what you think you're capable of


Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:00 The Air Fryer Problem No One Talks About

03:50 Why Cooking Is the Most Underrated Form of Self-Care

06:37 Air Fryer vs Oven — Why the Oven Is Becoming Obsolete

11:19 The Apple vs Probiotic Soda Con

12:54 Skipping the Foundations and Chasing the Trends

15:33 The Protein Ball Scam Exposed

19:23 Protein Water, Huel and the Death of the Real Meal

22:05 Why Britain's Grab-and-Go Culture Is Broken

23:15 James's Brutally Honest Review of Japan

27:44 Karoshi — Japan's Death From Overwork Crisis

29:09 The Birth Rate Collapse Hitting the Western World

32:11 Hustle Culture Is Stealing Men's Best Years

34:35 The 200 Dates That Led James to Tay

37:11 Lucy on Whether She Actually Wants Kids

39:01 Increasing Your Surface Area for Luck

39:45 Volume vs Intensity — The Dating Strategy That Works

43:52 GLP-1s, Smartphones and the Death of the Night Out

45:55 The Quiet Crisis of Men Disappearing From University

47:03 The Mumps, the Missed Lectures and James's Year of Chaos

50:21 Is a University Degree Even Worth It Anymore?

53:13 Inside Lucy's New Book — Love Your Air Fryer

58:39 Why James Is Forcing Lucy Onto YouTube

01:04:02 The Random Idea That Sold 3,500 Hats

01:06:28 How to Start a YouTube Channel With Just an iPhone

01:10:18 The Advice You Give Is the Advice You Need

01:10:33 Why James Avoids Gratitude

01:12:18 The Car as Forced Gratitude

01:13:04 Touching Your Future — The Concept That Changed Everything

01:17:46 Where to Find the Book, the Hats and Supper Club


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4796 The Problem With Tribalism: Michael Morris Michael Morris joins James Smith to dismantle the popular myth that tribalism is humanity's curse. A renowned cultural psychologist and Columbia Business School professor, Morris argues that our tribal instincts aren't hardwired hatred for outsiders, they're the very adaptations that allowed humans to outcompete Neanderthals, build civilisations, and cooperate at scales no other species can match. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why tribal instincts are the glue of human cooperation, not division ◼️ How the peer, hero, and ancestor instincts shape every group you join ◼️ Why dating apps and social media distort our perception of attractiveness ◼️ How cults and extremist groups exploit our conformist psychology ◼️ Why ordinary Germans went along with the Nazis — and why you probably would too Chapters: 00:00 The Myth of Hardwired Tribal Hatred 01:51 What's Actually Wrong With Tribalism 03:30 Defining Tribal Instincts Properly 05:08 The Three Waves: Peer, Hero, Ancestor 07:07 Why Humans Evolved Differently to Apes 10:17 Do Chimpanzees Have Culture? 12:02 How Culture Shapes Political Systems 15:22 The Overlooked Positives of Tribalism 19:05 The Small Tribes All Around Us 22:04 How Leaders Actually Change Culture 24:02 Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Story 28:21 Cannibalism and Neanderthal Inbreeding 29:28 The Trolley Test of Human Decency 33:41 How Homo Sapiens Outcompeted Neanderthals 36:48 Why Groups of Humans Become Apex Predators 37:35 Modern Family Structures and Dating Apps 40:06 The Body Dysmorphia Crisis Online 44:10 Social Media as a Funhouse Mirror 45:14 James on American Political Polarisation 47:11 The Addiction of Virtue Signalling 49:19 Hot Takes and the Race for Status 51:36 Where Status Sits in Tribal Psychology 54:21 Why We Imitate Celebrities and Heroes 56:01 The Asch Experiment and Conformity 59:04 Heaven's Gate and the Mechanics of Cults 01:00:58 The Decline of Young Men's Social Groups 01:03:16 Would You Have Been a Nazi? 01:05:36 The Milgram Shock Experiment 01:06:47 Why Tribalism Is the Solution, Not the Problem 01:10:00 Where to Find Tribal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:07:00 -0000 full James Smith Michael Morris joins James Smith to dismantle the popular myth that tribalism is humanity's curse. A renowned cultural psychologist and Columbia Business School professor, Morris argues that our tribal instincts aren't hardwired hatred for outsiders, they're the very adaptations that allowed humans to outcompete Neanderthals, build civilisations, and cooperate at scales no other species can match. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why tribal instincts are the glue of human cooperation, not division ◼️ How the peer, hero, and ancestor instincts shape every group you join ◼️ Why dating apps and social media distort our perception of attractiveness ◼️ How cults and extremist groups exploit our conformist psychology ◼️ Why ordinary Germans went along with the Nazis — and why you probably would too Chapters: 00:00 The Myth of Hardwired Tribal Hatred 01:51 What's Actually Wrong With Tribalism 03:30 Defining Tribal Instincts Properly 05:08 The Three Waves: Peer, Hero, Ancestor 07:07 Why Humans Evolved Differently to Apes 10:17 Do Chimpanzees Have Culture? 12:02 How Culture Shapes Political Systems 15:22 The Overlooked Positives of Tribalism 19:05 The Small Tribes All Around Us 22:04 How Leaders Actually Change Culture 24:02 Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Story 28:21 Cannibalism and Neanderthal Inbreeding 29:28 The Trolley Test of Human Decency 33:41 How Homo Sapiens Outcompeted Neanderthals 36:48 Why Groups of Humans Become Apex Predators 37:35 Modern Family Structures and Dating Apps 40:06 The Body Dysmorphia Crisis Online 44:10 Social Media as a Funhouse Mirror 45:14 James on American Political Polarisation 47:11 The Addiction of Virtue Signalling 49:19 Hot Takes and the Race for Status 51:36 Where Status Sits in Tribal Psychology 54:21 Why We Imitate Celebrities and Heroes 56:01 The Asch Experiment and Conformity 59:04 Heaven's Gate and the Mechanics of Cults 01:00:58 The Decline of Young Men's Social Groups 01:03:16 Would You Have Been a Nazi? 01:05:36 The Milgram Shock Experiment 01:06:47 Why Tribalism Is the Solution, Not the Problem 01:10:00 Where to Find Tribal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Michael Morris joins James Smith to dismantle the popular myth that tribalism is humanity's curse. A renowned cultural psychologist and Columbia Business School professor, Morris argues that our tribal instincts aren't hardwired hatred for outsiders, they're the very adaptations that allowed humans to outcompete Neanderthals, build civilisations, and cooperate at scales no other species can match.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


He explains:

◼️ Why tribal instincts are the glue of human cooperation, not division

◼️ How the peer, hero, and ancestor instincts shape every group you join

◼️ Why dating apps and social media distort our perception of attractiveness

◼️ How cults and extremist groups exploit our conformist psychology

◼️ Why ordinary Germans went along with the Nazis — and why you probably would too


Chapters:

00:00 The Myth of Hardwired Tribal Hatred

01:51 What's Actually Wrong With Tribalism

03:30 Defining Tribal Instincts Properly

05:08 The Three Waves: Peer, Hero, Ancestor

07:07 Why Humans Evolved Differently to Apes

10:17 Do Chimpanzees Have Culture?

12:02 How Culture Shapes Political Systems

15:22 The Overlooked Positives of Tribalism

19:05 The Small Tribes All Around Us

22:04 How Leaders Actually Change Culture

24:02 Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Story

28:21 Cannibalism and Neanderthal Inbreeding

29:28 The Trolley Test of Human Decency

33:41 How Homo Sapiens Outcompeted Neanderthals

36:48 Why Groups of Humans Become Apex Predators

37:35 Modern Family Structures and Dating Apps

40:06 The Body Dysmorphia Crisis Online

44:10 Social Media as a Funhouse Mirror

45:14 James on American Political Polarisation

47:11 The Addiction of Virtue Signalling

49:19 Hot Takes and the Race for Status

51:36 Where Status Sits in Tribal Psychology

54:21 Why We Imitate Celebrities and Heroes

56:01 The Asch Experiment and Conformity

59:04 Heaven's Gate and the Mechanics of Cults

01:00:58 The Decline of Young Men's Social Groups

01:03:16 Would You Have Been a Nazi?

01:05:36 The Milgram Shock Experiment

01:06:47 Why Tribalism Is the Solution, Not the Problem

01:10:00 Where to Find Tribal


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4275 The Problem With Comfort: Anthony (Staz) Stazicker CGC Anthony "Staz" Stasziker, a former special forces officer, shares essential life advice on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the problem with living a comfortable life. Staz highlights that true success, much like military training in special ops, is not easily achieved but requires dedication. It's about putting in the effort, not just romanticizing the idea. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Follow Staz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stazthrudark/ Check out Thrudark: https://www.thrudark.com/ Check out Thrudark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThruDark Chapters 00:00 - Why Comfort Is Making Us Weak 01:33 - The Friction We Desperately Need 06:34 - How Jiu-Jitsu Changed Everything 08:12 - Leaving Special Forces With Nothing 12:14 - The Hidden Force Controlling Your Life 19:28 - Are We Raising a Generation of Losers? 25:02 - From Failed Footballer to Elite Sniper 31:34 - What They Don't Tell You About Special Forces 41:53 - The Future of War Is Terrifying 51:59 - The Real Reason Men Are Falling Apart 56:04 - The Trauma Nobody Talks About 01:00:57 - The Drug Curing PTSD Overnight 01:06:34 - Why He Climbed Everest in 7 Days 01:22:19 - Buried Alive on the World's Highest Mountain 01:43:38 - What He Learned at 29,000 Feet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:16:00 -0000 full James Smith Anthony "Staz" Stasziker, a former special forces officer, shares essential life advice on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the problem with living a comfortable life. Staz highlights that true success, much like military training in special ops, is not easily achieved but requires dedication. It's about putting in the effort, not just romanticizing the idea. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Follow Staz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stazthrudark/ Check out Thrudark: https://www.thrudark.com/ Check out Thrudark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThruDark Chapters 00:00 - Why Comfort Is Making Us Weak 01:33 - The Friction We Desperately Need 06:34 - How Jiu-Jitsu Changed Everything 08:12 - Leaving Special Forces With Nothing 12:14 - The Hidden Force Controlling Your Life 19:28 - Are We Raising a Generation of Losers? 25:02 - From Failed Footballer to Elite Sniper 31:34 - What They Don't Tell You About Special Forces 41:53 - The Future of War Is Terrifying 51:59 - The Real Reason Men Are Falling Apart 56:04 - The Trauma Nobody Talks About 01:00:57 - The Drug Curing PTSD Overnight 01:06:34 - Why He Climbed Everest in 7 Days 01:22:19 - Buried Alive on the World's Highest Mountain 01:43:38 - What He Learned at 29,000 Feet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Anthony "Staz" Stasziker, a former special forces officer, shares essential life advice on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the problem with living a comfortable life. Staz highlights that true success, much like military training in special ops, is not easily achieved but requires dedication. It's about putting in the effort, not just romanticizing the idea.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Follow Staz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stazthrudark/

Check out Thrudark: https://www.thrudark.com/

Check out Thrudark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThruDark


Chapters

00:00 - Why Comfort Is Making Us Weak

01:33 - The Friction We Desperately Need

06:34 - How Jiu-Jitsu Changed Everything

08:12 - Leaving Special Forces With Nothing

12:14 - The Hidden Force Controlling Your Life

19:28 - Are We Raising a Generation of Losers?

25:02 - From Failed Footballer to Elite Sniper

31:34 - What They Don't Tell You About Special Forces

41:53 - The Future of War Is Terrifying

51:59 - The Real Reason Men Are Falling Apart

56:04 - The Trauma Nobody Talks About

01:00:57 - The Drug Curing PTSD Overnight

01:06:34 - Why He Climbed Everest in 7 Days

01:22:19 - Buried Alive on the World's Highest Mountain

01:43:38 - What He Learned at 29,000 Feet

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6752 The Problem With Being Honest: Ian Leslie Ian Leslie joins James Smith to unpack the uncomfortable truth about honesty: we can't actually handle it. A bestselling author and host of the Where Shall We Meet podcast, Ian argues that lying isn't a bug in human nature but an evolutionary feature — the very thing responsible for our big brains, our creativity, and our capacity for art. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ian Leslie On Substack – https://ianleslie.substack.com/ The Ruffian Podcast by Ian Leslie - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qm30smGRQjhEPUMq49uU8 James opens up about being honest with his employees, hiring a brutally candid editor for his next book, and how a rugby coach telling him he "played like shit" taught him more than any polite feedback ever could. He explains: ◼️ Why lying is a sign of intelligence, creativity and empathy in children ◼️ How the online world breeds dishonesty ◼️ Why office politics is passive aggression at scale ◼️ How trust is the prerequisite for any productive disagreement ◼️ Why sport is civilisation's greatest cage for our warrior instincts Chapters: 00:00 Why Lying Is Hardwired Into Our Intelligence 01:22 The Problem With Honesty Is We Can't Handle It 03:14 The Invention of Lying and Useful Deception 06:12 Why Lying Sits in Our Moral Grey Zone 08:37 When Your Child Should Start Lying to You 10:48 Autism, Theory of Mind and Honesty 12:01 Conformity as a Form of Social Lying 14:30 Self-Deception and the Lizard Brain 15:59 Cults, Ideologies and Online Group Lies 19:37 Interrogation Tricks and Cognitive Load 22:05 Telling Stories Backwards to Catch Liars 22:46 The Jiu-Jitsu Ringworm Test 25:18 Artists as Legitimised Liars 26:24 Bob Dylan's Reinvention and the Line Between Lying and Art 27:18 Embellishment, Storytelling and Social Incentives 28:50 Advertising as a Lie We Collude In 30:08 Dating Dynamics and Honesty With Women 32:29 Why Honesty Is Your Best Bet in the Long Run 34:09 The Woman Who Lied About Her Age 36:04 Botox, Makeup and Physical Deception 38:13 Height, Ethnicity and the Online Dating Filter 41:13 How Digital Breaks Humans Into Packets 41:56 Why Workplaces Are Full of Bullshit 44:14 Office Politics as Passive Aggression at Scale 45:06 James Getting Dropped From His Rugby Team 47:22 Hiring a Brutally Honest Editor 48:40 Trust as the Prerequisite for Honesty 50:00 The Two Channels of Every Difficult Conversation 52:19 Jiu-Jitsu, Conflict Resolution and Primal Urges 55:06 Sport as Civilisation's Substitute for War 57:37 Michael Jordan as a Roman Warrior 57:58 John Jones and the Beautiful Cage of MMA 58:24 The Ashes, the Barmy Army and Sportsmanship 01:00:24 The Gilded Cage of Rules and Norms 01:01:13 Zero-Sum Games and Honest Feedback 01:03:09 Why Participation Medals Miss the Point 01:05:16 Giving Brutal Feedback on Content 01:07:16 Have You Earned the Right to Be Honest? 01:08:26 Ian's Book: John and Paul — A Love Story in Songs 01:11:22 The Creative Power of Love This conversation takes a candid look at why deception is woven into the fabric of human intelligence, the corrosive cost of workplaces where nobody says what they think, and the trust that has to exist before honesty can actually land. Ian's perspective on disagreement, creativity and the relationship channel beneath every argument offers a sharp counterpoint to James's trademark bluntness — and the result is a conversation that will change how you think about every hard conversation you've ever avoided. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:46:00 -0000 full James Smith Ian Leslie joins James Smith to unpack the uncomfortable truth about honesty: we can't actually handle it. A bestselling author and host of the Where Shall We Meet podcast, Ian argues that lying isn't a bug in human nature but an evolutionary feature — the very thing responsible for our big brains, our creativity, and our capacity for art. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ian Leslie On Substack – https://ianleslie.substack.com/ The Ruffian Podcast by Ian Leslie - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qm30smGRQjhEPUMq49uU8 James opens up about being honest with his employees, hiring a brutally candid editor for his next book, and how a rugby coach telling him he "played like shit" taught him more than any polite feedback ever could. He explains: ◼️ Why lying is a sign of intelligence, creativity and empathy in children ◼️ How the online world breeds dishonesty ◼️ Why office politics is passive aggression at scale ◼️ How trust is the prerequisite for any productive disagreement ◼️ Why sport is civilisation's greatest cage for our warrior instincts Chapters: 00:00 Why Lying Is Hardwired Into Our Intelligence 01:22 The Problem With Honesty Is We Can't Handle It 03:14 The Invention of Lying and Useful Deception 06:12 Why Lying Sits in Our Moral Grey Zone 08:37 When Your Child Should Start Lying to You 10:48 Autism, Theory of Mind and Honesty 12:01 Conformity as a Form of Social Lying 14:30 Self-Deception and the Lizard Brain 15:59 Cults, Ideologies and Online Group Lies 19:37 Interrogation Tricks and Cognitive Load 22:05 Telling Stories Backwards to Catch Liars 22:46 The Jiu-Jitsu Ringworm Test 25:18 Artists as Legitimised Liars 26:24 Bob Dylan's Reinvention and the Line Between Lying and Art 27:18 Embellishment, Storytelling and Social Incentives 28:50 Advertising as a Lie We Collude In 30:08 Dating Dynamics and Honesty With Women 32:29 Why Honesty Is Your Best Bet in the Long Run 34:09 The Woman Who Lied About Her Age 36:04 Botox, Makeup and Physical Deception 38:13 Height, Ethnicity and the Online Dating Filter 41:13 How Digital Breaks Humans Into Packets 41:56 Why Workplaces Are Full of Bullshit 44:14 Office Politics as Passive Aggression at Scale 45:06 James Getting Dropped From His Rugby Team 47:22 Hiring a Brutally Honest Editor 48:40 Trust as the Prerequisite for Honesty 50:00 The Two Channels of Every Difficult Conversation 52:19 Jiu-Jitsu, Conflict Resolution and Primal Urges 55:06 Sport as Civilisation's Substitute for War 57:37 Michael Jordan as a Roman Warrior 57:58 John Jones and the Beautiful Cage of MMA 58:24 The Ashes, the Barmy Army and Sportsmanship 01:00:24 The Gilded Cage of Rules and Norms 01:01:13 Zero-Sum Games and Honest Feedback 01:03:09 Why Participation Medals Miss the Point 01:05:16 Giving Brutal Feedback on Content 01:07:16 Have You Earned the Right to Be Honest? 01:08:26 Ian's Book: John and Paul — A Love Story in Songs 01:11:22 The Creative Power of Love This conversation takes a candid look at why deception is woven into the fabric of human intelligence, the corrosive cost of workplaces where nobody says what they think, and the trust that has to exist before honesty can actually land. Ian's perspective on disagreement, creativity and the relationship channel beneath every argument offers a sharp counterpoint to James's trademark bluntness — and the result is a conversation that will change how you think about every hard conversation you've ever avoided. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Ian Leslie joins James Smith to unpack the uncomfortable truth about honesty: we can't actually handle it. A bestselling author and host of the Where Shall We Meet podcast, Ian argues that lying isn't a bug in human nature but an evolutionary feature — the very thing responsible for our big brains, our creativity, and our capacity for art.

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Ian Leslie On Substack – https://ianleslie.substack.com/

The Ruffian Podcast by Ian Leslie - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qm30smGRQjhEPUMq49uU8


James opens up about being honest with his employees, hiring a brutally candid editor for his next book, and how a rugby coach telling him he "played like shit" taught him more than any polite feedback ever could.


He explains:

◼️ Why lying is a sign of intelligence, creativity and empathy in children

◼️ How the online world breeds dishonesty

◼️ Why office politics is passive aggression at scale

◼️ How trust is the prerequisite for any productive disagreement

◼️ Why sport is civilisation's greatest cage for our warrior instincts


Chapters:

00:00 Why Lying Is Hardwired Into Our Intelligence

01:22 The Problem With Honesty Is We Can't Handle It

03:14 The Invention of Lying and Useful Deception

06:12 Why Lying Sits in Our Moral Grey Zone

08:37 When Your Child Should Start Lying to You

10:48 Autism, Theory of Mind and Honesty

12:01 Conformity as a Form of Social Lying

14:30 Self-Deception and the Lizard Brain

15:59 Cults, Ideologies and Online Group Lies

19:37 Interrogation Tricks and Cognitive Load

22:05 Telling Stories Backwards to Catch Liars

22:46 The Jiu-Jitsu Ringworm Test

25:18 Artists as Legitimised Liars

26:24 Bob Dylan's Reinvention and the Line Between Lying and Art

27:18 Embellishment, Storytelling and Social Incentives

28:50 Advertising as a Lie We Collude In

30:08 Dating Dynamics and Honesty With Women

32:29 Why Honesty Is Your Best Bet in the Long Run

34:09 The Woman Who Lied About Her Age

36:04 Botox, Makeup and Physical Deception

38:13 Height, Ethnicity and the Online Dating Filter

41:13 How Digital Breaks Humans Into Packets

41:56 Why Workplaces Are Full of Bullshit

44:14 Office Politics as Passive Aggression at Scale

45:06 James Getting Dropped From His Rugby Team

47:22 Hiring a Brutally Honest Editor

48:40 Trust as the Prerequisite for Honesty

50:00 The Two Channels of Every Difficult Conversation

52:19 Jiu-Jitsu, Conflict Resolution and Primal Urges

55:06 Sport as Civilisation's Substitute for War

57:37 Michael Jordan as a Roman Warrior

57:58 John Jones and the Beautiful Cage of MMA

58:24 The Ashes, the Barmy Army and Sportsmanship

01:00:24 The Gilded Cage of Rules and Norms

01:01:13 Zero-Sum Games and Honest Feedback

01:03:09 Why Participation Medals Miss the Point

01:05:16 Giving Brutal Feedback on Content

01:07:16 Have You Earned the Right to Be Honest?

01:08:26 Ian's Book: John and Paul — A Love Story in Songs

01:11:22 The Creative Power of Love


This conversation takes a candid look at why deception is woven into the fabric of human intelligence, the corrosive cost of workplaces where nobody says what they think, and the trust that has to exist before honesty can actually land. Ian's perspective on disagreement, creativity and the relationship channel beneath every argument offers a sharp counterpoint to James's trademark bluntness — and the result is a conversation that will change how you think about every hard conversation you've ever avoided.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4367 The Problem With Being Your Business: James Haskell James Haskell joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about life after professional sport, the chaos of building multiple businesses, and what it actually takes to stay relevant when the game is over. A former England rugby star, Sunday Times bestselling author, and DJ, Haskell pulls no punches on the mental cost of reinvention — and why his obsession with performing has never really left him. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com James Haskell on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jameshaskell James Haskell's music – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ry5gHsT7l1X84yGPZeVIj The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – https://open.spotify.com/show/1LJJ9KUF4aAjcSPimyKfp3 James opens up about the fear of failure that drove him through rugby, the strange emptiness that follows success, and why 40 felt like the moment everything had to change. From DJing in a music industry that doesn't return emails, to launching Black Eye Gin with a £1.50-per-bottle charity model, to finally getting his testosterone tested — this one covers ground most people won't. He covers: ◼️ Why being your own business is feast or famine — and how to future-proof it ◼️ The DJ career no one takes seriously (yet) ◼️ Building undeniable proof against self-doubt ◼️ Why catastrophising your future can be a legitimate motivational tool ◼️ What testosterone at level 3 actually feels like — and what TRT changed ◼️ The email list gap that's costing him (and you) real money Chapters: 00:00 There Are a Lot of Lost Men Out There 01:23 The Problem With Being Your Own Business 03:22 Life After Rugby — Planning vs Panic 05:05 Finding What You Actually Want to Do 05:30 The DJ Career: 12 Years, 31 Records 07:22 MMA, Surgeries and the Body Paying the Price 09:24 Going Back to Basics in 2026 10:18 Why Haskell Got Into DJing 12:01 Building Undeniable Proof Against Self-Doubt 13:31 Imposter Syndrome, Evidence Bases and Therapy at 17 15:35 Creating Common Enemies as Motivation 18:06 Catastrophising as a Motivational Mechanism 18:44 Defining What Success Actually Looks Like 19:21 Why Very Wealthy Men Lose Their Money 20:01 The Rocky Montage Years: Fear of Failure as Fuel 20:52 Learning to Sit In the Moment 22:00 The Music Industry Is a Wild West Shambles 24:50 The 50 Cent Tour Story — Music vs Every Other Business 27:03 Drug Culture, Harm Reduction and the Honest Conversation 30:49 What He'd Tell His Daughter About Drugs 32:02 Social Media, Innocence and Raising Kids Today 33:39 Does Civilisation Correct Itself? 35:40 On Politics, Reform and Weak Leaders 37:13 Hair Transplants, Prince William and Shaving Your Head 39:14 The James Haskell Effect on Rugby Back Rows 41:47 Henry Pollock, Pranks and the England Camp 44:03 The Witch Teeth Prank at the Dentist 45:24 The 2007 World Cup — and Ronny Ring's Band of Brothers Moment 49:01 Maidenhead RFC, Getting Dropped and a Mate's Game of His Life 53:41 Black Eye Gin — The Charity, the Recipe and the Origin 57:06 Rugby, UFC and Sports That Don't Apologise for Themselves 59:55 Trying Neutonic for the First Time 01:01:05 Building an Event That Combines Sport, Music and Fitness 01:07:19 Peptides, BPC-157 and Healing a Torn Bicep 01:09:05 Testosterone at Level 3 — Getting on TRT 01:20:32 The Relevancy Trap and Running Active Businesses 01:22:38 The Infinity Pool Story — Getting the Balance Right 01:26:36 Why Haskell Doesn't Have an Email List (Yet) 01:27:46 The Email Marketing Masterclass He Didn't Ask For 01:37:57 What's Coming Next: Music, DJ Gigs and the Tequila Launch This is one of those conversations that goes everywhere — rugby war stories, music industry chaos, drug policy, fatherhood, hormones, hair transplants, and the uncomfortable truth that being very good at performing doesn't automatically make you good at business. Haskell is funnier, more self-aware, and more switched-on than most people give him credit for — and this is the version of him you don't usually get to see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:31:00 -0000 full James Smith James Haskell joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about life after professional sport, the chaos of building multiple businesses, and what it actually takes to stay relevant when the game is over. A former England rugby star, Sunday Times bestselling author, and DJ, Haskell pulls no punches on the mental cost of reinvention — and why his obsession with performing has never really left him. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com James Haskell on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jameshaskell James Haskell's music – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ry5gHsT7l1X84yGPZeVIj The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – https://open.spotify.com/show/1LJJ9KUF4aAjcSPimyKfp3 James opens up about the fear of failure that drove him through rugby, the strange emptiness that follows success, and why 40 felt like the moment everything had to change. From DJing in a music industry that doesn't return emails, to launching Black Eye Gin with a £1.50-per-bottle charity model, to finally getting his testosterone tested — this one covers ground most people won't. He covers: ◼️ Why being your own business is feast or famine — and how to future-proof it ◼️ The DJ career no one takes seriously (yet) ◼️ Building undeniable proof against self-doubt ◼️ Why catastrophising your future can be a legitimate motivational tool ◼️ What testosterone at level 3 actually feels like — and what TRT changed ◼️ The email list gap that's costing him (and you) real money Chapters: 00:00 There Are a Lot of Lost Men Out There 01:23 The Problem With Being Your Own Business 03:22 Life After Rugby — Planning vs Panic 05:05 Finding What You Actually Want to Do 05:30 The DJ Career: 12 Years, 31 Records 07:22 MMA, Surgeries and the Body Paying the Price 09:24 Going Back to Basics in 2026 10:18 Why Haskell Got Into DJing 12:01 Building Undeniable Proof Against Self-Doubt 13:31 Imposter Syndrome, Evidence Bases and Therapy at 17 15:35 Creating Common Enemies as Motivation 18:06 Catastrophising as a Motivational Mechanism 18:44 Defining What Success Actually Looks Like 19:21 Why Very Wealthy Men Lose Their Money 20:01 The Rocky Montage Years: Fear of Failure as Fuel 20:52 Learning to Sit In the Moment 22:00 The Music Industry Is a Wild West Shambles 24:50 The 50 Cent Tour Story — Music vs Every Other Business 27:03 Drug Culture, Harm Reduction and the Honest Conversation 30:49 What He'd Tell His Daughter About Drugs 32:02 Social Media, Innocence and Raising Kids Today 33:39 Does Civilisation Correct Itself? 35:40 On Politics, Reform and Weak Leaders 37:13 Hair Transplants, Prince William and Shaving Your Head 39:14 The James Haskell Effect on Rugby Back Rows 41:47 Henry Pollock, Pranks and the England Camp 44:03 The Witch Teeth Prank at the Dentist 45:24 The 2007 World Cup — and Ronny Ring's Band of Brothers Moment 49:01 Maidenhead RFC, Getting Dropped and a Mate's Game of His Life 53:41 Black Eye Gin — The Charity, the Recipe and the Origin 57:06 Rugby, UFC and Sports That Don't Apologise for Themselves 59:55 Trying Neutonic for the First Time 01:01:05 Building an Event That Combines Sport, Music and Fitness 01:07:19 Peptides, BPC-157 and Healing a Torn Bicep 01:09:05 Testosterone at Level 3 — Getting on TRT 01:20:32 The Relevancy Trap and Running Active Businesses 01:22:38 The Infinity Pool Story — Getting the Balance Right 01:26:36 Why Haskell Doesn't Have an Email List (Yet) 01:27:46 The Email Marketing Masterclass He Didn't Ask For 01:37:57 What's Coming Next: Music, DJ Gigs and the Tequila Launch This is one of those conversations that goes everywhere — rugby war stories, music industry chaos, drug policy, fatherhood, hormones, hair transplants, and the uncomfortable truth that being very good at performing doesn't automatically make you good at business. Haskell is funnier, more self-aware, and more switched-on than most people give him credit for — and this is the version of him you don't usually get to see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices James Haskell joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about life after professional sport, the chaos of building multiple businesses, and what it actually takes to stay relevant when the game is over. A former England rugby star, Sunday Times bestselling author, and DJ, Haskell pulls no punches on the mental cost of reinvention — and why his obsession with performing has never really left him.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


James Haskell on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jameshaskell

James Haskell's music – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ry5gHsT7l1X84yGPZeVIj

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – https://open.spotify.com/show/1LJJ9KUF4aAjcSPimyKfp3

James opens up about the fear of failure that drove him through rugby, the strange emptiness that follows success, and why 40 felt like the moment everything had to change. From DJing in a music industry that doesn't return emails, to launching Black Eye Gin with a £1.50-per-bottle charity model, to finally getting his testosterone tested — this one covers ground most people won't.


He covers:

◼️ Why being your own business is feast or famine — and how to future-proof it

◼️ The DJ career no one takes seriously (yet)

◼️ Building undeniable proof against self-doubt

◼️ Why catastrophising your future can be a legitimate motivational tool

◼️ What testosterone at level 3 actually feels like — and what TRT changed

◼️ The email list gap that's costing him (and you) real money


Chapters:

00:00 There Are a Lot of Lost Men Out There

01:23 The Problem With Being Your Own Business

03:22 Life After Rugby — Planning vs Panic

05:05 Finding What You Actually Want to Do

05:30 The DJ Career: 12 Years, 31 Records

07:22 MMA, Surgeries and the Body Paying the Price

09:24 Going Back to Basics in 2026

10:18 Why Haskell Got Into DJing

12:01 Building Undeniable Proof Against Self-Doubt

13:31 Imposter Syndrome, Evidence Bases and Therapy at 17

15:35 Creating Common Enemies as Motivation

18:06 Catastrophising as a Motivational Mechanism

18:44 Defining What Success Actually Looks Like

19:21 Why Very Wealthy Men Lose Their Money

20:01 The Rocky Montage Years: Fear of Failure as Fuel

20:52 Learning to Sit In the Moment

22:00 The Music Industry Is a Wild West Shambles

24:50 The 50 Cent Tour Story — Music vs Every Other Business

27:03 Drug Culture, Harm Reduction and the Honest Conversation

30:49 What He'd Tell His Daughter About Drugs

32:02 Social Media, Innocence and Raising Kids Today

33:39 Does Civilisation Correct Itself?

35:40 On Politics, Reform and Weak Leaders

37:13 Hair Transplants, Prince William and Shaving Your Head

39:14 The James Haskell Effect on Rugby Back Rows

41:47 Henry Pollock, Pranks and the England Camp

44:03 The Witch Teeth Prank at the Dentist

45:24 The 2007 World Cup — and Ronny Ring's Band of Brothers Moment

49:01 Maidenhead RFC, Getting Dropped and a Mate's Game of His Life

53:41 Black Eye Gin — The Charity, the Recipe and the Origin

57:06 Rugby, UFC and Sports That Don't Apologise for Themselves

59:55 Trying Neutonic for the First Time

01:01:05 Building an Event That Combines Sport, Music and Fitness

01:07:19 Peptides, BPC-157 and Healing a Torn Bicep

01:09:05 Testosterone at Level 3 — Getting on TRT

01:20:32 The Relevancy Trap and Running Active Businesses

01:22:38 The Infinity Pool Story — Getting the Balance Right

01:26:36 Why Haskell Doesn't Have an Email List (Yet)

01:27:46 The Email Marketing Masterclass He Didn't Ask For

01:37:57 What's Coming Next: Music, DJ Gigs and the Tequila Launch


This is one of those conversations that goes everywhere — rugby war stories, music industry chaos, drug policy, fatherhood, hormones, hair transplants, and the uncomfortable truth that being very good at performing doesn't automatically make you good at business. Haskell is funnier, more self-aware, and more switched-on than most people give him credit for — and this is the version of him you don't usually get to see.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5975 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better: Dr Julie Smith Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Dr Julie Smith's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DrJulie Dr Julie Smith On Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/drjulie/ James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking. She explains: ◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem ◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper ◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others ◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill) ◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity Chapters: 00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better 04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent 07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper? 12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy? 13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia 15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help 17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback 18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand? 20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park 21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions 27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up 29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics 32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself 34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split 38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life 41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life 44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work 45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It 53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves 55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism 57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation 01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It 01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure 01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome 01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book 01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today 01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:16:00 -0000 full James Smith Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Dr Julie Smith's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DrJulie Dr Julie Smith On Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/drjulie/ James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking. She explains: ◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem ◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper ◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others ◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill) ◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity Chapters: 00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better 04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent 07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper? 12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy? 13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia 15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help 17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback 18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand? 20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park 21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions 27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up 29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics 32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself 34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split 38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life 41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life 44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work 45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It 53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves 55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism 57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation 01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It 01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure 01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome 01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book 01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today 01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Dr Julie Smith's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DrJulie

Dr Julie Smith On Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/drjulie/


James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking.


She explains:

◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem

◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper

◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others

◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill)

◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity


Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better

04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent

07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper?

12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy?

13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia

15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help

17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback

18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand?

20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park

21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions

27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up

29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics

32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself

34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split

38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life

41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life

44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work

45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It

53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves

55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism

57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation

01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It

01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure

01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome

01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book

01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today

01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps


This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4723 The Problem With Self Sabotage: Connor Beaton (ManTalks) Connor Beaton joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about self-sabotage. Far from being a simple lack of discipline, self-sabotage is a sophisticated survival strategy your brain uses to maintain control. Beaton explains why your psyche would rather choose a familiar disaster over an unfamiliar victory, keeping you locked in a cycle of destructive behavior to protect a fragile sense of identity. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com They dismantle the myth that dark motivation is a sustainable fuel for success and expose the biological cost of running on shame. From adoption trauma and attachment theory to the high-stakes world of elite performance, this conversation uncovers the invisible weights that stop men from being present in their own lives. He explains: ◼️ Why your brain actively avoids healthy new habits ◼️ How shame-based fuel creates a performance ceiling ◼️ What happens when achievement replaces human connection ◼️ Why mastery and addiction share the same neurology ◼️ How radical transparency prevents relationship resentment Chapters: 00:00 The Psychology of Working With Men 03:37 The Real Problem With Self-Sabotage 04:11 Sabotage as a Protective Strategy 05:37 James’ Experience With Wild Weekends 07:15 Reinforcing Your Negative Identity 08:06 Carl Jung and The Shadow 09:11 Why Your Brain Prefers Familiarity 11:16 The John Jones Sabotage Pattern 12:46 Relational Trauma and Attachment Issues 13:45 Breaking Your Nervous System Set Point 16:02 George St-Pierre on Real Courage 17:51 James' Battle With Cognitive Dissonance 19:52 The Truth About Cocaine Habits 23:00 High Performers and The Control Trap 24:18 Dark Motivation: Using Shame as Fuel 26:42 Why Success Often Feels Empty 27:23 James’ Story of Adoption and Spite 30:35 Shifting From Spite to Family 32:48 Dating Volume and Almond Croissants 35:43 Healing Trauma Through Your Children 43:43 Rebuilding Trust and True Intimacy 47:14 Addiction as an Attachment Issue 49:33 Mastery vs The Addictive Tendency 53:07 Learning to Let Go of Control 57:17 The Dangers of Mental Masturbation 59:12 Diminished Versions of Yourself 01:02:14 Learning to Choose Your Regrets 01:04:02 The Psychological Fear of Retirement 01:08:40 The Cost of Professional Relevancy 01:12:19 Communicating Trade-offs in Relationships 01:15:51 Modern Dating’s Silent Plague 01:17:46 Re-infusing Choice into Relationships 01:21:53 Navigating the Psychological Map Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:23:00 -0000 full James Smith Connor Beaton joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about self-sabotage. Far from being a simple lack of discipline, self-sabotage is a sophisticated survival strategy your brain uses to maintain control. Beaton explains why your psyche would rather choose a familiar disaster over an unfamiliar victory, keeping you locked in a cycle of destructive behavior to protect a fragile sense of identity. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com They dismantle the myth that dark motivation is a sustainable fuel for success and expose the biological cost of running on shame. From adoption trauma and attachment theory to the high-stakes world of elite performance, this conversation uncovers the invisible weights that stop men from being present in their own lives. He explains: ◼️ Why your brain actively avoids healthy new habits ◼️ How shame-based fuel creates a performance ceiling ◼️ What happens when achievement replaces human connection ◼️ Why mastery and addiction share the same neurology ◼️ How radical transparency prevents relationship resentment Chapters: 00:00 The Psychology of Working With Men 03:37 The Real Problem With Self-Sabotage 04:11 Sabotage as a Protective Strategy 05:37 James’ Experience With Wild Weekends 07:15 Reinforcing Your Negative Identity 08:06 Carl Jung and The Shadow 09:11 Why Your Brain Prefers Familiarity 11:16 The John Jones Sabotage Pattern 12:46 Relational Trauma and Attachment Issues 13:45 Breaking Your Nervous System Set Point 16:02 George St-Pierre on Real Courage 17:51 James' Battle With Cognitive Dissonance 19:52 The Truth About Cocaine Habits 23:00 High Performers and The Control Trap 24:18 Dark Motivation: Using Shame as Fuel 26:42 Why Success Often Feels Empty 27:23 James’ Story of Adoption and Spite 30:35 Shifting From Spite to Family 32:48 Dating Volume and Almond Croissants 35:43 Healing Trauma Through Your Children 43:43 Rebuilding Trust and True Intimacy 47:14 Addiction as an Attachment Issue 49:33 Mastery vs The Addictive Tendency 53:07 Learning to Let Go of Control 57:17 The Dangers of Mental Masturbation 59:12 Diminished Versions of Yourself 01:02:14 Learning to Choose Your Regrets 01:04:02 The Psychological Fear of Retirement 01:08:40 The Cost of Professional Relevancy 01:12:19 Communicating Trade-offs in Relationships 01:15:51 Modern Dating’s Silent Plague 01:17:46 Re-infusing Choice into Relationships 01:21:53 Navigating the Psychological Map Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Connor Beaton joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about self-sabotage. Far from being a simple lack of discipline, self-sabotage is a sophisticated survival strategy your brain uses to maintain control. Beaton explains why your psyche would rather choose a familiar disaster over an unfamiliar victory, keeping you locked in a cycle of destructive behavior to protect a fragile sense of identity.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


They dismantle the myth that dark motivation is a sustainable fuel for success and expose the biological cost of running on shame. From adoption trauma and attachment theory to the high-stakes world of elite performance, this conversation uncovers the invisible weights that stop men from being present in their own lives.


He explains:

◼️ Why your brain actively avoids healthy new habits

◼️ How shame-based fuel creates a performance ceiling

◼️ What happens when achievement replaces human connection

◼️ Why mastery and addiction share the same neurology

◼️ How radical transparency prevents relationship resentment


Chapters:

00:00 The Psychology of Working With Men

03:37 The Real Problem With Self-Sabotage

04:11 Sabotage as a Protective Strategy

05:37 James’ Experience With Wild Weekends

07:15 Reinforcing Your Negative Identity

08:06 Carl Jung and The Shadow

09:11 Why Your Brain Prefers Familiarity

11:16 The John Jones Sabotage Pattern

12:46 Relational Trauma and Attachment Issues

13:45 Breaking Your Nervous System Set Point

16:02 George St-Pierre on Real Courage

17:51 James' Battle With Cognitive Dissonance

19:52 The Truth About Cocaine Habits

23:00 High Performers and The Control Trap

24:18 Dark Motivation: Using Shame as Fuel

26:42 Why Success Often Feels Empty

27:23 James’ Story of Adoption and Spite

30:35 Shifting From Spite to Family

32:48 Dating Volume and Almond Croissants

35:43 Healing Trauma Through Your Children

43:43 Rebuilding Trust and True Intimacy

47:14 Addiction as an Attachment Issue

49:33 Mastery vs The Addictive Tendency

53:07 Learning to Let Go of Control

57:17 The Dangers of Mental Masturbation

59:12 Diminished Versions of Yourself

01:02:14 Learning to Choose Your Regrets

01:04:02 The Psychological Fear of Retirement

01:08:40 The Cost of Professional Relevancy

01:12:19 Communicating Trade-offs in Relationships

01:15:51 Modern Dating’s Silent Plague

01:17:46 Re-infusing Choice into Relationships

01:21:53 Navigating the Psychological Map



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5344 The Problem With Perfectionism: Jonny Wilkinson Rugby legend Johnny Wilkinson joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with perfectionism, why the pursuit of "perfect" is a quiet crisis that creates a dangerous lie of future salvation while destroying your current reality. Wilkinson explains how living in a constant state of survival and impending doom reshapes our biology and threatens the very essence of human potential. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Johnny Wilkinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonnywilkinsonofficial/ They discuss the myths around "mastery" being a finished destination, the toxic nature of avoiding failure, and the real reasons behind the mental time bomb that elite performance often hides. From the pressures of a World Cup final to the quiet struggle of starting a business, this episode explores how the need for control can break down the whole system of human performance. We Cover: ⬛ Why Perfectionism is a Survival State not a Success Strategy ⬛ How the Myth of "Making It" Destroys Human Curiosity ⬛ Why Mastery Requires Self-Awareness over Mechanical Replication ⬛ How to Harness Pressure as Energy instead of Enduring it as Truth ⬛ What Happens when You Stop Chasing Outcomes and Start Healing the Gut Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Harder Than a World Cup Penalty 00:32 Who Is Johnny Wilkinson? 01:19 What Is the Problem With Perfectionism? 03:01 Nobody's Perfect: Is the Journey the Point? 05:34 Regression to the Mean & the Pressure of Kicking 07:07 Martin Johnson, Teammates & Carrying the Weight 09:46 Pressure Is Just a Thought — Reframing It Entirely 12:29 The Bell Curve of Arousal in Sport 14:15 Growing Up in Survival Mode 16:43 Opening the Door to Yourself 19:14 Identity, Expectations & Tipping Over 20:40 Missing a Kick in Front of the England Camp 23:39 From Running Away to Owning the Space 25:51 One Living — Born From a Changing Room in Toulon 27:02 Why Johnny Started a Health Brand 31:37 When Your Body Can't Keep Up With Your Mind 34:48 One Living: The Rebrand Story 38:31 Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset in Business 40:45 Listening to Your Body Like You Listen to a Kick 43:30 Stress, Food Choices & What You Actually Want 49:06 What One Living Really Stands For 53:13 Opening Doors: The Philosophy Behind the Brand 57:44 The Virtue of Suffering — Is Misery Masculine? 59:16 Thoughts as Truths & the Stray Cat Problem 1:03:46 The Mind Gym: Switching Energy States 1:07:03 Cold Water, Nature & Resetting Your Energy 1:08:59 The One Living Shots Explained 1:11:39 Stop, Breathe, Drink: A Philosophy for Life 1:14:13 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find One Living Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Rugby legend Johnny Wilkinson joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with perfectionism, why the pursuit of "perfect" is a quiet crisis that creates a dangerous lie of future salvation while destroying your current reality. Wilkinson explains how living in a constant state of survival and impending doom reshapes our biology and threatens the very essence of human potential. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Johnny Wilkinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonnywilkinsonofficial/ They discuss the myths around "mastery" being a finished destination, the toxic nature of avoiding failure, and the real reasons behind the mental time bomb that elite performance often hides. From the pressures of a World Cup final to the quiet struggle of starting a business, this episode explores how the need for control can break down the whole system of human performance. We Cover: ⬛ Why Perfectionism is a Survival State not a Success Strategy ⬛ How the Myth of "Making It" Destroys Human Curiosity ⬛ Why Mastery Requires Self-Awareness over Mechanical Replication ⬛ How to Harness Pressure as Energy instead of Enduring it as Truth ⬛ What Happens when You Stop Chasing Outcomes and Start Healing the Gut Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Harder Than a World Cup Penalty 00:32 Who Is Johnny Wilkinson? 01:19 What Is the Problem With Perfectionism? 03:01 Nobody's Perfect: Is the Journey the Point? 05:34 Regression to the Mean & the Pressure of Kicking 07:07 Martin Johnson, Teammates & Carrying the Weight 09:46 Pressure Is Just a Thought — Reframing It Entirely 12:29 The Bell Curve of Arousal in Sport 14:15 Growing Up in Survival Mode 16:43 Opening the Door to Yourself 19:14 Identity, Expectations & Tipping Over 20:40 Missing a Kick in Front of the England Camp 23:39 From Running Away to Owning the Space 25:51 One Living — Born From a Changing Room in Toulon 27:02 Why Johnny Started a Health Brand 31:37 When Your Body Can't Keep Up With Your Mind 34:48 One Living: The Rebrand Story 38:31 Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset in Business 40:45 Listening to Your Body Like You Listen to a Kick 43:30 Stress, Food Choices & What You Actually Want 49:06 What One Living Really Stands For 53:13 Opening Doors: The Philosophy Behind the Brand 57:44 The Virtue of Suffering — Is Misery Masculine? 59:16 Thoughts as Truths & the Stray Cat Problem 1:03:46 The Mind Gym: Switching Energy States 1:07:03 Cold Water, Nature & Resetting Your Energy 1:08:59 The One Living Shots Explained 1:11:39 Stop, Breathe, Drink: A Philosophy for Life 1:14:13 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find One Living Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Rugby legend Johnny Wilkinson joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with perfectionism, why the pursuit of "perfect" is a quiet crisis that creates a dangerous lie of future salvation while destroying your current reality. Wilkinson explains how living in a constant state of survival and impending doom reshapes our biology and threatens the very essence of human potential.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Johnny Wilkinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonnywilkinsonofficial/


They discuss the myths around "mastery" being a finished destination, the toxic nature of avoiding failure, and the real reasons behind the mental time bomb that elite performance often hides. From the pressures of a World Cup final to the quiet struggle of starting a business, this episode explores how the need for control can break down the whole system of human performance.


We Cover:

⬛ Why Perfectionism is a Survival State not a Success Strategy

⬛ How the Myth of "Making It" Destroys Human Curiosity

⬛ Why Mastery Requires Self-Awareness over Mechanical Replication

⬛ How to Harness Pressure as Energy instead of Enduring it as Truth

⬛ What Happens when You Stop Chasing Outcomes and Start Healing the Gut


Chapters:

00:00 Intro: Harder Than a World Cup Penalty

00:32 Who Is Johnny Wilkinson?

01:19 What Is the Problem With Perfectionism?

03:01 Nobody's Perfect: Is the Journey the Point?

05:34 Regression to the Mean & the Pressure of Kicking

07:07 Martin Johnson, Teammates & Carrying the Weight

09:46 Pressure Is Just a Thought — Reframing It Entirely

12:29 The Bell Curve of Arousal in Sport

14:15 Growing Up in Survival Mode

16:43 Opening the Door to Yourself

19:14 Identity, Expectations & Tipping Over

20:40 Missing a Kick in Front of the England Camp

23:39 From Running Away to Owning the Space

25:51 One Living — Born From a Changing Room in Toulon

27:02 Why Johnny Started a Health Brand

31:37 When Your Body Can't Keep Up With Your Mind

34:48 One Living: The Rebrand Story

38:31 Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset in Business

40:45 Listening to Your Body Like You Listen to a Kick

43:30 Stress, Food Choices & What You Actually Want

49:06 What One Living Really Stands For

53:13 Opening Doors: The Philosophy Behind the Brand

57:44 The Virtue of Suffering — Is Misery Masculine?

59:16 Thoughts as Truths & the Stray Cat Problem

1:03:46 The Mind Gym: Switching Energy States

1:07:03 Cold Water, Nature & Resetting Your Energy

1:08:59 The One Living Shots Explained

1:11:39 Stop, Breathe, Drink: A Philosophy for Life

1:14:13 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find One Living

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4543 The Problem With Finance Gurus: Michael Taylor Michael Taylor, a professional trader and author, joins James to break down why most finance gurus are full of it. They discuss the red flags of get-rich-quick trading schemes, how brokers make money when you lose, and why Forex attracts scammers. Michael explains the difference between real investing and fake lifestyles, the dangers of blindly following trading signals, and why most people fail at currency trading. Whether you're thinking about investing in your 20s or deciding between paying off your mortgage versus building wealth through stocks, this conversation cuts through the BS and gives you real talk about money. 👁️ Try Neutonic: ⁠https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith⁠ 🧪 Check your Test: ⁠https://www.manual.co/smith⁠ 📝 Business Mentoring: ⁠https://www.jamessmith.business ⁠ 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: ⁠https://www.jamessmithacademy.com⁠ Michael Taylor's YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@UCG4DcZXrpIKwmgdXNU1iUgQ THIS PODCAST IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE Timestamps 00:00 Finance Gurus and Lamborghini Scams 00:12 Professional Trader Michael Taylor Interview 00:24 Casino Risk Management vs Trading 01:07 Problems with Fake Finance Influencers 02:32 Chauffeur Knowledge and Information Replication 03:55 Broker Commission Models Explained 05:06 Red Flags in Trading Education 06:13 Forex vs Stock Market Fundamentals 09:04 Why Forex Trading Is Dangerously Hard 10:15 Survivorship Bias in Finance Content 11:50 Mortgage Payoff vs Stock Investment 12:16 Calculated Risk and Personal Finance 14:02 Global Equities Beat Interest Rates 15:21 Why People Avoid Financial Education 16:12 Wealthy People Talk About Money Differently 17:44 Taking Responsibility for Your Finances 18:36 James Smith's Investment Journey Begins 19:07 Getting Lucky in the Stock Market 20:54 Borrowing Money to Invest Early 22:33 Finding Your Sweet Spot in Stocks 23:24 Balance Sheet Analysis for Beginners 25:46 Shorting Businesses and Ethics 27:26 Identifying Cash Flow Problems Early 28:40 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Allocation 31:23 Long-Term Investing vs Day Trading 32:03 Social Media as Interest Savings Account 32:22 2008 Financial Crisis Impact 34:34 Market Crashes Create Opportunities 36:11 Pandemic Trading During Market Chaos 37:45 First Steps for New Investors 39:05 Picking Individual Stocks Strategy 40:25 Emotional Investment Decisions 41:31 Tax-Efficient Investment Accounts UK 44:02 Lifetime ISA Government Top-Up 45:04 State Pension Won't Exist 46:36 Compounding Interest Over Decades 51:04 Warren Buffett Started at 15 52:40 Starting Late at 35 54:20 Inflation Erodes Purchasing Power 55:11 Fiscal Drag and Wage Stagnation 56:00 Property Ladder vs Stock Market 57:06 Stamp Duty Killing UK Stock Market 59:18 IPO Market Decline in UK 01:00:17 Making LSE Attractive for Listings 01:02:07 Class of 2020 IPO Disasters 01:03:35 Reviving the UK Stock Market 01:05:28 Boring Businesses Make Real Money 01:06:03 Newborn Investment Fund Idea 01:07:05 Private School vs Index Funds 01:09:10 Spending Strategy and Fun Money 01:11:02 Business vs Personal Investment Accounts 01:16:03 Main Dos and Don'ts of Investing 01:20:04 Delayed Settlement Promotes Gambling 01:22:17 Intraday Trading Is Mostly Gambling 01:27:25 Supporting Small Businesses Locally 01:33:46 How to Make Six Figures Book 01:35:16 Klarna Buy Now Pay Later Problems 01:37:50 Building Wealth Through Solid Businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Michael Taylor, a professional trader and author, joins James to break down why most finance gurus are full of it. They discuss the red flags of get-rich-quick trading schemes, how brokers make money when you lose, and why Forex attracts scammers. Michael explains the difference between real investing and fake lifestyles, the dangers of blindly following trading signals, and why most people fail at currency trading. Whether you're thinking about investing in your 20s or deciding between paying off your mortgage versus building wealth through stocks, this conversation cuts through the BS and gives you real talk about money. 👁️ Try Neutonic: ⁠https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith⁠ 🧪 Check your Test: ⁠https://www.manual.co/smith⁠ 📝 Business Mentoring: ⁠https://www.jamessmith.business ⁠ 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: ⁠https://www.jamessmithacademy.com⁠ Michael Taylor's YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@UCG4DcZXrpIKwmgdXNU1iUgQ THIS PODCAST IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE Timestamps 00:00 Finance Gurus and Lamborghini Scams 00:12 Professional Trader Michael Taylor Interview 00:24 Casino Risk Management vs Trading 01:07 Problems with Fake Finance Influencers 02:32 Chauffeur Knowledge and Information Replication 03:55 Broker Commission Models Explained 05:06 Red Flags in Trading Education 06:13 Forex vs Stock Market Fundamentals 09:04 Why Forex Trading Is Dangerously Hard 10:15 Survivorship Bias in Finance Content 11:50 Mortgage Payoff vs Stock Investment 12:16 Calculated Risk and Personal Finance 14:02 Global Equities Beat Interest Rates 15:21 Why People Avoid Financial Education 16:12 Wealthy People Talk About Money Differently 17:44 Taking Responsibility for Your Finances 18:36 James Smith's Investment Journey Begins 19:07 Getting Lucky in the Stock Market 20:54 Borrowing Money to Invest Early 22:33 Finding Your Sweet Spot in Stocks 23:24 Balance Sheet Analysis for Beginners 25:46 Shorting Businesses and Ethics 27:26 Identifying Cash Flow Problems Early 28:40 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Allocation 31:23 Long-Term Investing vs Day Trading 32:03 Social Media as Interest Savings Account 32:22 2008 Financial Crisis Impact 34:34 Market Crashes Create Opportunities 36:11 Pandemic Trading During Market Chaos 37:45 First Steps for New Investors 39:05 Picking Individual Stocks Strategy 40:25 Emotional Investment Decisions 41:31 Tax-Efficient Investment Accounts UK 44:02 Lifetime ISA Government Top-Up 45:04 State Pension Won't Exist 46:36 Compounding Interest Over Decades 51:04 Warren Buffett Started at 15 52:40 Starting Late at 35 54:20 Inflation Erodes Purchasing Power 55:11 Fiscal Drag and Wage Stagnation 56:00 Property Ladder vs Stock Market 57:06 Stamp Duty Killing UK Stock Market 59:18 IPO Market Decline in UK 01:00:17 Making LSE Attractive for Listings 01:02:07 Class of 2020 IPO Disasters 01:03:35 Reviving the UK Stock Market 01:05:28 Boring Businesses Make Real Money 01:06:03 Newborn Investment Fund Idea 01:07:05 Private School vs Index Funds 01:09:10 Spending Strategy and Fun Money 01:11:02 Business vs Personal Investment Accounts 01:16:03 Main Dos and Don'ts of Investing 01:20:04 Delayed Settlement Promotes Gambling 01:22:17 Intraday Trading Is Mostly Gambling 01:27:25 Supporting Small Businesses Locally 01:33:46 How to Make Six Figures Book 01:35:16 Klarna Buy Now Pay Later Problems 01:37:50 Building Wealth Through Solid Businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Michael Taylor, a professional trader and author, joins James to break down why most finance gurus are full of it. They discuss the red flags of get-rich-quick trading schemes, how brokers make money when you lose, and why Forex attracts scammers. Michael explains the difference between real investing and fake lifestyles, the dangers of blindly following trading signals, and why most people fail at currency trading. Whether you're thinking about investing in your 20s or deciding between paying off your mortgage versus building wealth through stocks, this conversation cuts through the BS and gives you real talk about money.


👁️ Try Neutonic: ⁠https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith⁠

🧪 Check your Test: ⁠https://www.manual.co/smith⁠

📝 Business Mentoring: ⁠https://www.jamessmith.business ⁠

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: ⁠https://www.jamessmithacademy.com⁠



Michael Taylor's YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@UCG4DcZXrpIKwmgdXNU1iUgQ


THIS PODCAST IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE


Timestamps

00:00 Finance Gurus and Lamborghini Scams

00:12 Professional Trader Michael Taylor Interview

00:24 Casino Risk Management vs Trading

01:07 Problems with Fake Finance Influencers

02:32 Chauffeur Knowledge and Information Replication

03:55 Broker Commission Models Explained

05:06 Red Flags in Trading Education

06:13 Forex vs Stock Market Fundamentals

09:04 Why Forex Trading Is Dangerously Hard

10:15 Survivorship Bias in Finance Content

11:50 Mortgage Payoff vs Stock Investment

12:16 Calculated Risk and Personal Finance

14:02 Global Equities Beat Interest Rates

15:21 Why People Avoid Financial Education

16:12 Wealthy People Talk About Money Differently

17:44 Taking Responsibility for Your Finances

18:36 James Smith's Investment Journey Begins

19:07 Getting Lucky in the Stock Market

20:54 Borrowing Money to Invest Early

22:33 Finding Your Sweet Spot in Stocks

23:24 Balance Sheet Analysis for Beginners

25:46 Shorting Businesses and Ethics

27:26 Identifying Cash Flow Problems Early

28:40 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Allocation

31:23 Long-Term Investing vs Day Trading

32:03 Social Media as Interest Savings Account

32:22 2008 Financial Crisis Impact

34:34 Market Crashes Create Opportunities

36:11 Pandemic Trading During Market Chaos

37:45 First Steps for New Investors

39:05 Picking Individual Stocks Strategy

40:25 Emotional Investment Decisions

41:31 Tax-Efficient Investment Accounts UK

44:02 Lifetime ISA Government Top-Up

45:04 State Pension Won't Exist

46:36 Compounding Interest Over Decades

51:04 Warren Buffett Started at 15

52:40 Starting Late at 35

54:20 Inflation Erodes Purchasing Power

55:11 Fiscal Drag and Wage Stagnation

56:00 Property Ladder vs Stock Market

57:06 Stamp Duty Killing UK Stock Market

59:18 IPO Market Decline in UK

01:00:17 Making LSE Attractive for Listings

01:02:07 Class of 2020 IPO Disasters

01:03:35 Reviving the UK Stock Market

01:05:28 Boring Businesses Make Real Money

01:06:03 Newborn Investment Fund Idea

01:07:05 Private School vs Index Funds

01:09:10 Spending Strategy and Fun Money

01:11:02 Business vs Personal Investment Accounts

01:16:03 Main Dos and Don'ts of Investing

01:20:04 Delayed Settlement Promotes Gambling

01:22:17 Intraday Trading Is Mostly Gambling

01:27:25 Supporting Small Businesses Locally

01:33:46 How to Make Six Figures Book

01:35:16 Klarna Buy Now Pay Later Problems

01:37:50 Building Wealth Through Solid Businesses

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5922 The Problem With Net Zero: Konstantin Kisin Konstantin Kisin joins James Smith to discuss the problem with Net Zero, a quiet crisis where ideological virtue signaling is actively making the West poor, weak, and strategically irrelevant. Kisin explains how our obsession with carbon metrics functions as a dangerous accounting trick that exports British industry to China while gaslighting citizens into accepting a lower standard of living. They strip back the myths of modern activism to expose a deeper civilizational time bomb: a generation suffering from historical amnesia and a lack of meaning, now being incentivised toward economic suicide by a government that prioritizes "waffle" over the survival of its own industrial base. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com We cover: ⬛ Why Net Zero is an accounting trick that exports emissions and imports poverty ⬛ The "Status Game" behind climate activism and doomsday narratives ⬛ How the welfare state traps young men in a cycle of dependency and video games ⬛ Why mass immigration is used to conceal the reality of a shrinking economy ⬛ The urgent need to prioritize cheap, reliable energy over ideological virtue signals Timestamps: 00:00 Net Zero's Economic and Geopolitical Failures 05:42 Energy Prices and Carbon Accounting Illusions 07:18 Why Ideologies Appeal to Lost Generations 10:00 Status Games Drive Activist Movements 12:22 Greta Thunberg and Incentive Structures 15:13 Personal Branding and Business Mentorship 16:21 Historical Amnesia and Educational Gaps 19:03 Travel Exposes Western Privilege and Safety 22:30 Direction of Travel Matters More Than Absolutes 25:03 Parasites Need Problems to Solve 31:33 Soviet Subversion and Western Self-Destruction 34:38 Israel-Palestine Through an Ideological Lens 37:53 Ukraine Support and European Weakness 41:03 National Pride Erosion and Military Service 45:00 Podcast Success Takes Years of Investment 51:34 Welfare Dependency Traps Young Men 58:01 Video Games Cannot Replace Real Life Achievement 1:02:15 Long-Form Conversations Change Political Discourse 1:09:06 Police Officers Make Split-Second Life-Death Decisions 1:23:25 Economic Solutions: Energy, Taxes, and Growth 1:28:30 Illegal Immigration and British Values 1:34:21 Integration Over Diversity Politics 1:39:50 Wealthy Brits Leaving Due to Cultural Hostility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:50:00 -0000 full James Smith Konstantin Kisin joins James Smith to discuss the problem with Net Zero, a quiet crisis where ideological virtue signaling is actively making the West poor, weak, and strategically irrelevant. Kisin explains how our obsession with carbon metrics functions as a dangerous accounting trick that exports British industry to China while gaslighting citizens into accepting a lower standard of living. They strip back the myths of modern activism to expose a deeper civilizational time bomb: a generation suffering from historical amnesia and a lack of meaning, now being incentivised toward economic suicide by a government that prioritizes "waffle" over the survival of its own industrial base. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com We cover: ⬛ Why Net Zero is an accounting trick that exports emissions and imports poverty ⬛ The "Status Game" behind climate activism and doomsday narratives ⬛ How the welfare state traps young men in a cycle of dependency and video games ⬛ Why mass immigration is used to conceal the reality of a shrinking economy ⬛ The urgent need to prioritize cheap, reliable energy over ideological virtue signals Timestamps: 00:00 Net Zero's Economic and Geopolitical Failures 05:42 Energy Prices and Carbon Accounting Illusions 07:18 Why Ideologies Appeal to Lost Generations 10:00 Status Games Drive Activist Movements 12:22 Greta Thunberg and Incentive Structures 15:13 Personal Branding and Business Mentorship 16:21 Historical Amnesia and Educational Gaps 19:03 Travel Exposes Western Privilege and Safety 22:30 Direction of Travel Matters More Than Absolutes 25:03 Parasites Need Problems to Solve 31:33 Soviet Subversion and Western Self-Destruction 34:38 Israel-Palestine Through an Ideological Lens 37:53 Ukraine Support and European Weakness 41:03 National Pride Erosion and Military Service 45:00 Podcast Success Takes Years of Investment 51:34 Welfare Dependency Traps Young Men 58:01 Video Games Cannot Replace Real Life Achievement 1:02:15 Long-Form Conversations Change Political Discourse 1:09:06 Police Officers Make Split-Second Life-Death Decisions 1:23:25 Economic Solutions: Energy, Taxes, and Growth 1:28:30 Illegal Immigration and British Values 1:34:21 Integration Over Diversity Politics 1:39:50 Wealthy Brits Leaving Due to Cultural Hostility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Konstantin Kisin joins James Smith to discuss the problem with Net Zero, a quiet crisis where ideological virtue signaling is actively making the West poor, weak, and strategically irrelevant.


Kisin explains how our obsession with carbon metrics functions as a dangerous accounting trick that exports British industry to China while gaslighting citizens into accepting a lower standard of living. They strip back the myths of modern activism to expose a deeper civilizational time bomb: a generation suffering from historical amnesia and a lack of meaning, now being incentivised toward economic suicide by a government that prioritizes "waffle" over the survival of its own industrial base.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


We cover:

⬛ Why Net Zero is an accounting trick that exports emissions and imports poverty

⬛ The "Status Game" behind climate activism and doomsday narratives

⬛ How the welfare state traps young men in a cycle of dependency and video games

⬛ Why mass immigration is used to conceal the reality of a shrinking economy

⬛ The urgent need to prioritize cheap, reliable energy over ideological virtue signals


Timestamps:

00:00 Net Zero's Economic and Geopolitical Failures

05:42 Energy Prices and Carbon Accounting Illusions

07:18 Why Ideologies Appeal to Lost Generations

10:00 Status Games Drive Activist Movements

12:22 Greta Thunberg and Incentive Structures

15:13 Personal Branding and Business Mentorship

16:21 Historical Amnesia and Educational Gaps

19:03 Travel Exposes Western Privilege and Safety

22:30 Direction of Travel Matters More Than Absolutes

25:03 Parasites Need Problems to Solve

31:33 Soviet Subversion and Western Self-Destruction

34:38 Israel-Palestine Through an Ideological Lens

37:53 Ukraine Support and European Weakness

41:03 National Pride Erosion and Military Service

45:00 Podcast Success Takes Years of Investment

51:34 Welfare Dependency Traps Young Men

58:01 Video Games Cannot Replace Real Life Achievement

1:02:15 Long-Form Conversations Change Political Discourse

1:09:06 Police Officers Make Split-Second Life-Death Decisions

1:23:25 Economic Solutions: Energy, Taxes, and Growth

1:28:30 Illegal Immigration and British Values

1:34:21 Integration Over Diversity Politics

1:39:50 Wealthy Brits Leaving Due to Cultural Hostility

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6222 The Problem With Women in BJJ: Ffion Davies Ffion Davies joins James Smith to reveal the problem with women in jiu-jitsu, a sport often gatekept by a "sausage fest" mentality and dangerous myths about self-defense. Davies, a six-time world champion, exposes why the current narrative is failing women and how the lack of equal pay is a quiet crisis threatening the sport's growth. They confront the reality of the "big strong dude" syndrome, the biological discrepancies in training, and the high-stakes battle for financial respect in elite competition. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ffion's Online Training Membership: https://ffiononline.com/ Ffion Davies on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ffioneiradaviesbjj Ffion Davies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffiffipengtinginlondon We cover: ⬛ Why the "Self-Defense" Narrative is a Dangerous Lie ⬛ Equal Pay, ADCC & The Battle for Financial Respect ⬛ Why Athleticism is a Trap for Beginners ⬛ The Truth About Skin Infections & "Ballgate" ⬛ Why You Should Learn from Purple Belts, Not Just Legends Chapters: 00:00 Breaking Barriers for Female Grapplers 2:56 Challenges Facing Women in the Sport 6:33 Building Trust and Community in Training 10:02 Reframing Motivation for Jiu-Jitsu 15:19 Realistic Expectations for Beginners 17:23 First Experiences and Gym Challenges 22:53 Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu Training Differences 29:35 Judo People Are Unique Athletes 36:05 Gi vs No-Gi: Technical Differences 45:56 Skin Infections and Training Hygiene 52:26 Armor Gym: A New Training Environment 59:56 Seminar Dynamics and Rolling Etiquette 1:01:57 Competing in Adult Divisions 1:04:06 Encouraging New People to Try Jiu-Jitsu 1:09:44 The Global Jiu-Jitsu Community 1:12:36 Fion Davies' Current Projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 17 Feb 2026 06:43:00 -0000 full James Smith Ffion Davies joins James Smith to reveal the problem with women in jiu-jitsu, a sport often gatekept by a "sausage fest" mentality and dangerous myths about self-defense. Davies, a six-time world champion, exposes why the current narrative is failing women and how the lack of equal pay is a quiet crisis threatening the sport's growth. They confront the reality of the "big strong dude" syndrome, the biological discrepancies in training, and the high-stakes battle for financial respect in elite competition. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ffion's Online Training Membership: https://ffiononline.com/ Ffion Davies on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ffioneiradaviesbjj Ffion Davies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffiffipengtinginlondon We cover: ⬛ Why the "Self-Defense" Narrative is a Dangerous Lie ⬛ Equal Pay, ADCC & The Battle for Financial Respect ⬛ Why Athleticism is a Trap for Beginners ⬛ The Truth About Skin Infections & "Ballgate" ⬛ Why You Should Learn from Purple Belts, Not Just Legends Chapters: 00:00 Breaking Barriers for Female Grapplers 2:56 Challenges Facing Women in the Sport 6:33 Building Trust and Community in Training 10:02 Reframing Motivation for Jiu-Jitsu 15:19 Realistic Expectations for Beginners 17:23 First Experiences and Gym Challenges 22:53 Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu Training Differences 29:35 Judo People Are Unique Athletes 36:05 Gi vs No-Gi: Technical Differences 45:56 Skin Infections and Training Hygiene 52:26 Armor Gym: A New Training Environment 59:56 Seminar Dynamics and Rolling Etiquette 1:01:57 Competing in Adult Divisions 1:04:06 Encouraging New People to Try Jiu-Jitsu 1:09:44 The Global Jiu-Jitsu Community 1:12:36 Fion Davies' Current Projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Ffion Davies joins James Smith to reveal the problem with women in jiu-jitsu, a sport often gatekept by a "sausage fest" mentality and dangerous myths about self-defense. Davies, a six-time world champion, exposes why the current narrative is failing women and how the lack of equal pay is a quiet crisis threatening the sport's growth. They confront the reality of the "big strong dude" syndrome, the biological discrepancies in training, and the high-stakes battle for financial respect in elite competition.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Ffion's Online Training Membership: https://ffiononline.com/

Ffion Davies on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ffioneiradaviesbjj

Ffion Davies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffiffipengtinginlondon


We cover:

⬛ Why the "Self-Defense" Narrative is a Dangerous Lie

⬛ Equal Pay, ADCC & The Battle for Financial Respect

⬛ Why Athleticism is a Trap for Beginners

⬛ The Truth About Skin Infections & "Ballgate"

⬛ Why You Should Learn from Purple Belts, Not Just Legends


Chapters:

00:00 Breaking Barriers for Female Grapplers

2:56 Challenges Facing Women in the Sport

6:33 Building Trust and Community in Training

10:02 Reframing Motivation for Jiu-Jitsu

15:19 Realistic Expectations for Beginners

17:23 First Experiences and Gym Challenges

22:53 Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu Training Differences

29:35 Judo People Are Unique Athletes

36:05 Gi vs No-Gi: Technical Differences

45:56 Skin Infections and Training Hygiene

52:26 Armor Gym: A New Training Environment

59:56 Seminar Dynamics and Rolling Etiquette

1:01:57 Competing in Adult Divisions

1:04:06 Encouraging New People to Try Jiu-Jitsu

1:09:44 The Global Jiu-Jitsu Community

1:12:36 Fion Davies' Current Projects

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4538 The Problem With Following Your Passion: Max Olesker 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Max Olesker joins James Smith to discuss the problem with following your passion. Why an unstructured life can lead to an intellectual and spiritual vacuum if you aren't prepared for the consequences. Olesker explains that pursuing a calling without a strategy is a dangerous gamble that often ends in physical and financial ruin. We cover: ⬛ Why "Follow Your Passion" is a Strategic Dead End ⬛ The Brutal Reality of Pro Wrestling & Performative Pain ⬛ Navigating the Rigorous Path to Orthodox Conversion Chapters: 0:00 The Problem With Passion 5:40 The "Yes Man" Lifestyle 9:13 The Cost of the Ring 16:13 Wrestling & Social Media 26:36 The Comedy Flow State 36:07 The Creativity Grind 40:45 Identity & Heritage 47:12 Rigorous Conversion 1:08:19 The Shabbat Detox 1:15:16 The Surgical Finale 1:36:23 Making The Cut Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:31:00 -0000 full James Smith 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Max Olesker joins James Smith to discuss the problem with following your passion. Why an unstructured life can lead to an intellectual and spiritual vacuum if you aren't prepared for the consequences. Olesker explains that pursuing a calling without a strategy is a dangerous gamble that often ends in physical and financial ruin. We cover: ⬛ Why "Follow Your Passion" is a Strategic Dead End ⬛ The Brutal Reality of Pro Wrestling & Performative Pain ⬛ Navigating the Rigorous Path to Orthodox Conversion Chapters: 0:00 The Problem With Passion 5:40 The "Yes Man" Lifestyle 9:13 The Cost of the Ring 16:13 Wrestling & Social Media 26:36 The Comedy Flow State 36:07 The Creativity Grind 40:45 Identity & Heritage 47:12 Rigorous Conversion 1:08:19 The Shabbat Detox 1:15:16 The Surgical Finale 1:36:23 Making The Cut Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Max Olesker joins James Smith to discuss the problem with following your passion. Why an unstructured life can lead to an intellectual and spiritual vacuum if you aren't prepared for the consequences. Olesker explains that pursuing a calling without a strategy is a dangerous gamble that often ends in physical and financial ruin.


We cover:

⬛ Why "Follow Your Passion" is a Strategic Dead End

⬛ The Brutal Reality of Pro Wrestling & Performative Pain

⬛ Navigating the Rigorous Path to Orthodox Conversion


Chapters:

0:00 The Problem With Passion

5:40 The "Yes Man" Lifestyle

9:13 The Cost of the Ring

16:13 Wrestling & Social Media

26:36 The Comedy Flow State

36:07 The Creativity Grind

40:45 Identity & Heritage

47:12 Rigorous Conversion

1:08:19 The Shabbat Detox

1:15:16 The Surgical Finale

1:36:23 Making The Cut


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6016 The Problem With Housing Affordability: Ravi Sharma Property expert and investment strategist Ravi Sharma joins James Smith to reveal the problem with the global housing market. This is no longer just a hurdle for first time buyers; it is a systemic time bomb that is stripping away financial agency and threatening the future of social mobility. The quiet crisis of skyrocketing prices is not an accident of the market, but the result of a rigged system that prioritizes corporate incentives over human survival. Ravi Sharma's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PersonalFinancewithRaviSharma We cover: ⬛ Why Housing Affordability is a Global Crisis ⬛ Property, Pensions and the Rigged System ⬛ The Truth About Mortgages and Wealth Building ⬛ Renting for Freedom vs Buying for Status 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com 0:00 Housing Market Reality Check 0:36 Housing Affordability: A Persistent Challenge 1:56 Personal Journey in Property and Renting 7:06 Landlord Perspectives and Property Investment 12:05 Mortgage Strategies and Wealth Building 19:16 Overcoming Financial Anxiety and Fear 23:11 Property vs. Other Investment Options 28:04 Challenging Traditional Financial Advice 34:01 Leveraging Offset Mortgages Strategically 40:24 Emotional vs. Rational Property Decisions 45:05 Property Investment Process Explained 49:52 Breaking Free from Emotional Financial Traps 54:35 Ethical Considerations of Property Investment 59:36 Advice for Younger Generations 1:02:24 Renting as a Path to Personal Freedom 1:07:54 Financial Decisions and Life Constraints 1:10:16 Investment Strategies for Different Scenarios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 03 Feb 2026 05:31:00 -0000 full James Smith Property expert and investment strategist Ravi Sharma joins James Smith to reveal the problem with the global housing market. This is no longer just a hurdle for first time buyers; it is a systemic time bomb that is stripping away financial agency and threatening the future of social mobility. The quiet crisis of skyrocketing prices is not an accident of the market, but the result of a rigged system that prioritizes corporate incentives over human survival. Ravi Sharma's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PersonalFinancewithRaviSharma We cover: ⬛ Why Housing Affordability is a Global Crisis ⬛ Property, Pensions and the Rigged System ⬛ The Truth About Mortgages and Wealth Building ⬛ Renting for Freedom vs Buying for Status 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com 0:00 Housing Market Reality Check 0:36 Housing Affordability: A Persistent Challenge 1:56 Personal Journey in Property and Renting 7:06 Landlord Perspectives and Property Investment 12:05 Mortgage Strategies and Wealth Building 19:16 Overcoming Financial Anxiety and Fear 23:11 Property vs. Other Investment Options 28:04 Challenging Traditional Financial Advice 34:01 Leveraging Offset Mortgages Strategically 40:24 Emotional vs. Rational Property Decisions 45:05 Property Investment Process Explained 49:52 Breaking Free from Emotional Financial Traps 54:35 Ethical Considerations of Property Investment 59:36 Advice for Younger Generations 1:02:24 Renting as a Path to Personal Freedom 1:07:54 Financial Decisions and Life Constraints 1:10:16 Investment Strategies for Different Scenarios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Property expert and investment strategist Ravi Sharma joins James Smith to reveal the problem with the global housing market.

This is no longer just a hurdle for first time buyers; it is a systemic time bomb that is stripping away financial agency and threatening the future of social mobility. The quiet crisis of skyrocketing prices is not an accident of the market, but the result of a rigged system that prioritizes corporate incentives over human survival.


Ravi Sharma's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PersonalFinancewithRaviSharma


We cover:

⬛ Why Housing Affordability is a Global Crisis

⬛ Property, Pensions and the Rigged System

⬛ The Truth About Mortgages and Wealth Building

⬛ Renting for Freedom vs Buying for Status


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


0:00 Housing Market Reality Check

0:36 Housing Affordability: A Persistent Challenge

1:56 Personal Journey in Property and Renting

7:06 Landlord Perspectives and Property Investment

12:05 Mortgage Strategies and Wealth Building

19:16 Overcoming Financial Anxiety and Fear

23:11 Property vs. Other Investment Options

28:04 Challenging Traditional Financial Advice

34:01 Leveraging Offset Mortgages Strategically

40:24 Emotional vs. Rational Property Decisions

45:05 Property Investment Process Explained

49:52 Breaking Free from Emotional Financial Traps

54:35 Ethical Considerations of Property Investment

59:36 Advice for Younger Generations

1:02:24 Renting as a Path to Personal Freedom

1:07:54 Financial Decisions and Life Constraints

1:10:16 Investment Strategies for Different Scenarios

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4605 The Problem With Men's Mental Health: George from TheTinMen In this episode, George Horne (known online as @thetinmen) joins James Smith to confront the uncomfortable reality of The Problem with Men’s Mental Health. Beyond the surface-level "men need to talk" slogans, George reveals a quiet crisis of structural failings that range from biased family courts to a suicide rate that continues to climb despite increased awareness. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com The Tin Men on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpIPgsoOjI8dgQ9fOlmc7TQ Follow The Tin Men on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen We cover: ⬛ Why Structural Issues Trump "Talking" for Men ⬛ Family Courts & The Fatherlessness Epidemic ⬛ Why Men Need Shoulder-to-Shoulder Therapy ⬛ The Biological Necessity of Roughhousing & Combat Timestamps: 00:00 The Problem With Mental Health 03:52 What We Miss About Men 07:37 Mental Health Beyond The Brain 09:21 Obesity As Mental Health Analogy 12:04 Status, Identity, And Fatherhood 14:16 Custody Battles And Male Suicide 17:07 Domestic Violence Misconceptions 21:30 Why Men Don’t Leave Abuse 25:15 Bad Research And False Narratives 30:27 Hiring Bias Against Men 35:53 The Motherhood Pay Gap Explained 40:55 Representation And Media Stereotypes 44:34 Fatherhood As Mental Health Anchor 49:26 Masculinity And Meaning 52:08 Community As Mental Health Treatment 56:06 Movement, Touch, And Men 01:00:16 Why Jiu Jitsu Builds Purpose 01:05:51 Boys, Violence, And Discipline 01:10:10 Fatherlessness And Gangs 01:15:13 Why Fathers Aren’t At Home 01:22:19 Rethinking Solutions For Men 01:29:04 Men’s Charities And What’s Next Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:47:00 -0000 full James Smith In this episode, George Horne (known online as @thetinmen) joins James Smith to confront the uncomfortable reality of The Problem with Men’s Mental Health. Beyond the surface-level "men need to talk" slogans, George reveals a quiet crisis of structural failings that range from biased family courts to a suicide rate that continues to climb despite increased awareness. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com The Tin Men on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpIPgsoOjI8dgQ9fOlmc7TQ Follow The Tin Men on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen We cover: ⬛ Why Structural Issues Trump "Talking" for Men ⬛ Family Courts & The Fatherlessness Epidemic ⬛ Why Men Need Shoulder-to-Shoulder Therapy ⬛ The Biological Necessity of Roughhousing & Combat Timestamps: 00:00 The Problem With Mental Health 03:52 What We Miss About Men 07:37 Mental Health Beyond The Brain 09:21 Obesity As Mental Health Analogy 12:04 Status, Identity, And Fatherhood 14:16 Custody Battles And Male Suicide 17:07 Domestic Violence Misconceptions 21:30 Why Men Don’t Leave Abuse 25:15 Bad Research And False Narratives 30:27 Hiring Bias Against Men 35:53 The Motherhood Pay Gap Explained 40:55 Representation And Media Stereotypes 44:34 Fatherhood As Mental Health Anchor 49:26 Masculinity And Meaning 52:08 Community As Mental Health Treatment 56:06 Movement, Touch, And Men 01:00:16 Why Jiu Jitsu Builds Purpose 01:05:51 Boys, Violence, And Discipline 01:10:10 Fatherlessness And Gangs 01:15:13 Why Fathers Aren’t At Home 01:22:19 Rethinking Solutions For Men 01:29:04 Men’s Charities And What’s Next Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices In this episode, George Horne (known online as @thetinmen) joins James Smith to confront the uncomfortable reality of The Problem with Men’s Mental Health. Beyond the surface-level "men need to talk" slogans, George reveals a quiet crisis of structural failings that range from biased family courts to a suicide rate that continues to climb despite increased awareness.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


The Tin Men on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpIPgsoOjI8dgQ9fOlmc7TQ

Follow The Tin Men on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen


We cover:

⬛ Why Structural Issues Trump "Talking" for Men

⬛ Family Courts & The Fatherlessness Epidemic

⬛ Why Men Need Shoulder-to-Shoulder Therapy

⬛ The Biological Necessity of Roughhousing & Combat


Timestamps:

00:00 The Problem With Mental Health

03:52 What We Miss About Men

07:37 Mental Health Beyond The Brain

09:21 Obesity As Mental Health Analogy

12:04 Status, Identity, And Fatherhood

14:16 Custody Battles And Male Suicide

17:07 Domestic Violence Misconceptions

21:30 Why Men Don’t Leave Abuse

25:15 Bad Research And False Narratives

30:27 Hiring Bias Against Men

35:53 The Motherhood Pay Gap Explained

40:55 Representation And Media Stereotypes

44:34 Fatherhood As Mental Health Anchor

49:26 Masculinity And Meaning

52:08 Community As Mental Health Treatment

56:06 Movement, Touch, And Men

01:00:16 Why Jiu Jitsu Builds Purpose

01:05:51 Boys, Violence, And Discipline

01:10:10 Fatherlessness And Gangs

01:15:13 Why Fathers Aren’t At Home

01:22:19 Rethinking Solutions For Men

01:29:04 Men’s Charities And What’s Next

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5257 The Problem With Hydration: Adam Mcdonald Adam McDonald joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with hydration, electrolytes and why the $100 million hydration industry is selling a dangerous lie that is creating a quiet crisis in cardiovascular health. McDonald explains how modern marketing has convinced healthy individuals to consume toxic levels of sodium under the guise of "optimisation" while ignoring the actual biological requirements of the human body. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com They Cover: ⬛ Why Electrolyte Supplements Are The New BCAAs ⬛ How Excess Sodium Fuels The Silent Killer of Blood Pressure ⬛ The Myth of Morning Dehydration and Salt Water Rituals ⬛ Why Glucose Outperforms Salt for Real World Hydration ⬛ The Psychological Trap of Wearable Data and Health Anxiety 00:00 Hydration Myths Explained 01:09 Why Electrolytes Get Hyped 03:04 The Real Hydration Problem 06:36 Sodium Vs Table Salt 07:55 Do BJJ Athletes Need Electrolytes? 10:35 Why You Can’t Replace Sweat 12:58 When Hyperhydration Helps 13:08 Water Loading And Peeing 15:56 Electrolytes For Multi-Match Days 17:54 Morning Salt Myth Debunked 20:13 Sugar Fear In Sports Drinks 23:29 Flavor Beats Fancy Formulas 28:07 Blood Pressure Tracking Basics 32:04 Health Anxiety From Metrics 33:49 Eight Sleep Worth The Money 37:05 Falling Asleep To Podcasts 39:58 How Powerful Placebo Is 42:27 Mouth Taping Reality Check 45:17 Sleep Stack That Helps 49:47 Peptides And Injury Recovery 52:38 GLP-1s And Fat Loss Ethics 57:09 Food Noise Relief On GLP-1s 59:37 Hair Loss Drugs And Transplants 01:08:37 Biohacking Hype Calling Out 01:11:41 Why Marathoners Spit Drinks 01:13:51 Greens Powders Under The Microscope 01:18:14 Proprietary Blends Exposed 01:21:07 What A Better Greens Mix Needs 01:22:43 Coaching, Research, And Perfectionism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:52:00 -0000 full James Smith Adam McDonald joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with hydration, electrolytes and why the $100 million hydration industry is selling a dangerous lie that is creating a quiet crisis in cardiovascular health. McDonald explains how modern marketing has convinced healthy individuals to consume toxic levels of sodium under the guise of "optimisation" while ignoring the actual biological requirements of the human body. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com They Cover: ⬛ Why Electrolyte Supplements Are The New BCAAs ⬛ How Excess Sodium Fuels The Silent Killer of Blood Pressure ⬛ The Myth of Morning Dehydration and Salt Water Rituals ⬛ Why Glucose Outperforms Salt for Real World Hydration ⬛ The Psychological Trap of Wearable Data and Health Anxiety 00:00 Hydration Myths Explained 01:09 Why Electrolytes Get Hyped 03:04 The Real Hydration Problem 06:36 Sodium Vs Table Salt 07:55 Do BJJ Athletes Need Electrolytes? 10:35 Why You Can’t Replace Sweat 12:58 When Hyperhydration Helps 13:08 Water Loading And Peeing 15:56 Electrolytes For Multi-Match Days 17:54 Morning Salt Myth Debunked 20:13 Sugar Fear In Sports Drinks 23:29 Flavor Beats Fancy Formulas 28:07 Blood Pressure Tracking Basics 32:04 Health Anxiety From Metrics 33:49 Eight Sleep Worth The Money 37:05 Falling Asleep To Podcasts 39:58 How Powerful Placebo Is 42:27 Mouth Taping Reality Check 45:17 Sleep Stack That Helps 49:47 Peptides And Injury Recovery 52:38 GLP-1s And Fat Loss Ethics 57:09 Food Noise Relief On GLP-1s 59:37 Hair Loss Drugs And Transplants 01:08:37 Biohacking Hype Calling Out 01:11:41 Why Marathoners Spit Drinks 01:13:51 Greens Powders Under The Microscope 01:18:14 Proprietary Blends Exposed 01:21:07 What A Better Greens Mix Needs 01:22:43 Coaching, Research, And Perfectionism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Adam McDonald joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with hydration, electrolytes and why the $100 million hydration industry is selling a dangerous lie that is creating a quiet crisis in cardiovascular health. McDonald explains how modern marketing has convinced healthy individuals to consume toxic levels of sodium under the guise of "optimisation" while ignoring the actual biological requirements of the human body.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


They Cover:

⬛ Why Electrolyte Supplements Are The New BCAAs

⬛ How Excess Sodium Fuels The Silent Killer of Blood Pressure

⬛ The Myth of Morning Dehydration and Salt Water Rituals

⬛ Why Glucose Outperforms Salt for Real World Hydration

⬛ The Psychological Trap of Wearable Data and Health Anxiety


00:00 Hydration Myths Explained

01:09 Why Electrolytes Get Hyped

03:04 The Real Hydration Problem

06:36 Sodium Vs Table Salt

07:55 Do BJJ Athletes Need Electrolytes?

10:35 Why You Can’t Replace Sweat

12:58 When Hyperhydration Helps

13:08 Water Loading And Peeing

15:56 Electrolytes For Multi-Match Days

17:54 Morning Salt Myth Debunked

20:13 Sugar Fear In Sports Drinks

23:29 Flavor Beats Fancy Formulas

28:07 Blood Pressure Tracking Basics

32:04 Health Anxiety From Metrics

33:49 Eight Sleep Worth The Money

37:05 Falling Asleep To Podcasts

39:58 How Powerful Placebo Is

42:27 Mouth Taping Reality Check

45:17 Sleep Stack That Helps

49:47 Peptides And Injury Recovery

52:38 GLP-1s And Fat Loss Ethics

57:09 Food Noise Relief On GLP-1s

59:37 Hair Loss Drugs And Transplants

01:08:37 Biohacking Hype Calling Out

01:11:41 Why Marathoners Spit Drinks

01:13:51 Greens Powders Under The Microscope

01:18:14 Proprietary Blends Exposed

01:21:07 What A Better Greens Mix Needs

01:22:43 Coaching, Research, And Perfectionism


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5006 The Problem With Personal Branding: Lara Acosta Lara Acosta joins James Smith to discuss the problem with personal branding. While millions of entrepreneurs chase the "influencer" dream, a quiet crisis of ego and AI-generated slop is destroying genuine market value. This obsession with being interesting rather than useful is a dangerous lie that is threatening the future of human agency and business growth in 2026. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Follow Lara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraacostar We cover: ⬛ Why Introverts Will Win Personal Branding In 2026 ⬛ How High Ticket Pricing Creates A Halo Effect ⬛ Why Writing Is The Ultimate Skill For Manipulation ⬛ What Happens When You Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics ⬛ How To Reinvent Your Identity Through Radical Change Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:59 The Problem With Personal Branding 02:28 How Lara Built LinkedIn 03:49 Be Useful, Not Interesting 05:29 Ego Is Slowing Growth 08:52 Retrospective Storytelling Wins 12:07 Hooks Plus Visual Hooks 15:15 Ghostwriters And AI Slop 20:09 Turning Attention Into Income 24:24 How To Raise Prices 31:06 Why High-Ticket Works 36:41 Message Beats Equipment 40:09 Mastering Problem Awareness 52:17 The Cost Of Visibility 58:10 Why 2026 Belongs To Writers 71:18 SMPB + 4321 Framework 77:38 Email Lists Beat Platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Lara Acosta joins James Smith to discuss the problem with personal branding. While millions of entrepreneurs chase the "influencer" dream, a quiet crisis of ego and AI-generated slop is destroying genuine market value. This obsession with being interesting rather than useful is a dangerous lie that is threatening the future of human agency and business growth in 2026. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Follow Lara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraacostar We cover: ⬛ Why Introverts Will Win Personal Branding In 2026 ⬛ How High Ticket Pricing Creates A Halo Effect ⬛ Why Writing Is The Ultimate Skill For Manipulation ⬛ What Happens When You Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics ⬛ How To Reinvent Your Identity Through Radical Change Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:59 The Problem With Personal Branding 02:28 How Lara Built LinkedIn 03:49 Be Useful, Not Interesting 05:29 Ego Is Slowing Growth 08:52 Retrospective Storytelling Wins 12:07 Hooks Plus Visual Hooks 15:15 Ghostwriters And AI Slop 20:09 Turning Attention Into Income 24:24 How To Raise Prices 31:06 Why High-Ticket Works 36:41 Message Beats Equipment 40:09 Mastering Problem Awareness 52:17 The Cost Of Visibility 58:10 Why 2026 Belongs To Writers 71:18 SMPB + 4321 Framework 77:38 Email Lists Beat Platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Lara Acosta joins James Smith to discuss the problem with personal branding. While millions of entrepreneurs chase the "influencer" dream, a quiet crisis of ego and AI-generated slop is destroying genuine market value. This obsession with being interesting rather than useful is a dangerous lie that is threatening the future of human agency and business growth in 2026.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


Follow Lara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraacostar


We cover:

⬛ Why Introverts Will Win Personal Branding In 2026

⬛ How High Ticket Pricing Creates A Halo Effect

⬛ Why Writing Is The Ultimate Skill For Manipulation

⬛ What Happens When You Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics

⬛ How To Reinvent Your Identity Through Radical Change


Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:59 The Problem With Personal Branding

02:28 How Lara Built LinkedIn

03:49 Be Useful, Not Interesting

05:29 Ego Is Slowing Growth

08:52 Retrospective Storytelling Wins

12:07 Hooks Plus Visual Hooks

15:15 Ghostwriters And AI Slop

20:09 Turning Attention Into Income

24:24 How To Raise Prices

31:06 Why High-Ticket Works

36:41 Message Beats Equipment

40:09 Mastering Problem Awareness

52:17 The Cost Of Visibility

58:10 Why 2026 Belongs To Writers

71:18 SMPB + 4321 Framework

77:38 Email Lists Beat Platforms

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4987 The Problem With Gen Z: Elliot Bewick Elliot Bewick joins James Smith to reveal the problem with Gen Z. This generation is currently trapped in a quiet crisis where skyrocketing anxiety rates and plummeting fertility are threatening the future of social stability. Bewick explains why modern connectivity has become a dangerous trap that trades genuine competence for manufactured authenticity. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why skyrocketing suicide and anxiety rates are destroying mental health ◼️ How Instagram turned human connection into a predatory and exhausting status game. ◼️ What happens when there are no incentives to work ◼️ How the West has become obsessed with victimisation Timestamps 00:00 The Crisis Facing Gen Z 03:15 The Problem With Content Ideation 05:07 The Reality of Gen Z Mental Health 07:56 How Young People Climb Status 09:39 The Impact of COVID on Gen Z 12:37 Modern Social Media Status Hierarchies 17:02 The Trap of Manufactured Authenticity 20:48 The Ethics of Steroid Disclosure 25:09 Why Jiu-Jitsu Cures Body Dysmorphia 31:25 Performative Difficulty vs True Hardship 39:58 The Looming Loneliness Epidemic 43:51 Why Modern History Was Worse 48:10 The Trench Visualization for Perspective 54:26 The Practice of Secular Grace 59:51 Hard Work vs Generational Privilege 01:01:51 The Global Housing Crisis Reality 01:05:01 The Pending Depopulation Crisis 01:07:08 Why Men Are Losing Purpose 01:11:18 The Rise of Masculinity Outlaws 01:16:00 Modern Career Opportunities for Gen Z 01:19:17 How to Build a Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 06 Jan 2026 05:50:00 -0000 full James Smith Elliot Bewick joins James Smith to reveal the problem with Gen Z. This generation is currently trapped in a quiet crisis where skyrocketing anxiety rates and plummeting fertility are threatening the future of social stability. Bewick explains why modern connectivity has become a dangerous trap that trades genuine competence for manufactured authenticity. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why skyrocketing suicide and anxiety rates are destroying mental health ◼️ How Instagram turned human connection into a predatory and exhausting status game. ◼️ What happens when there are no incentives to work ◼️ How the West has become obsessed with victimisation Timestamps 00:00 The Crisis Facing Gen Z 03:15 The Problem With Content Ideation 05:07 The Reality of Gen Z Mental Health 07:56 How Young People Climb Status 09:39 The Impact of COVID on Gen Z 12:37 Modern Social Media Status Hierarchies 17:02 The Trap of Manufactured Authenticity 20:48 The Ethics of Steroid Disclosure 25:09 Why Jiu-Jitsu Cures Body Dysmorphia 31:25 Performative Difficulty vs True Hardship 39:58 The Looming Loneliness Epidemic 43:51 Why Modern History Was Worse 48:10 The Trench Visualization for Perspective 54:26 The Practice of Secular Grace 59:51 Hard Work vs Generational Privilege 01:01:51 The Global Housing Crisis Reality 01:05:01 The Pending Depopulation Crisis 01:07:08 Why Men Are Losing Purpose 01:11:18 The Rise of Masculinity Outlaws 01:16:00 Modern Career Opportunities for Gen Z 01:19:17 How to Build a Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Elliot Bewick joins James Smith to reveal the problem with Gen Z. This generation is currently trapped in a quiet crisis where skyrocketing anxiety rates and plummeting fertility are threatening the future of social stability. Bewick explains why modern connectivity has become a dangerous trap that trades genuine competence for manufactured authenticity.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


He explains:

◼️ Why skyrocketing suicide and anxiety rates are destroying mental health

◼️ How Instagram turned human connection into a predatory and exhausting status game.

◼️ What happens when there are no incentives to work

◼️ How the West has become obsessed with victimisation


Timestamps

00:00 The Crisis Facing Gen Z

03:15 The Problem With Content Ideation

05:07 The Reality of Gen Z Mental Health

07:56 How Young People Climb Status

09:39 The Impact of COVID on Gen Z

12:37 Modern Social Media Status Hierarchies

17:02 The Trap of Manufactured Authenticity

20:48 The Ethics of Steroid Disclosure

25:09 Why Jiu-Jitsu Cures Body Dysmorphia

31:25 Performative Difficulty vs True Hardship

39:58 The Looming Loneliness Epidemic

43:51 Why Modern History Was Worse

48:10 The Trench Visualization for Perspective

54:26 The Practice of Secular Grace

59:51 Hard Work vs Generational Privilege

01:01:51 The Global Housing Crisis Reality

01:05:01 The Pending Depopulation Crisis

01:07:08 Why Men Are Losing Purpose

01:11:18 The Rise of Masculinity Outlaws

01:16:00 Modern Career Opportunities for Gen Z

01:19:17 How to Build a Legacy


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4910 The Problem With Saving For Retirement: Damien Talks Money In this episode of The Problem With Podcast, James Smith sits down with Damien Jordan, the voice behind the hugely popular YouTube channel Damien Talks Money, for a no-nonsense conversation about money, taxes, investing, and the uncomfortable truths most people ignore. Damien breaks down why the average person feels poorer despite “doing everything right,” how inflation and fiscal drag quietly erode wealth, and why property, pensions, and taxes are stacked against younger generations. From inheritance tax and housing shortages to crypto hype, market timing fears, and whether moving abroad actually solves anything. This episode challenges how you think about money and the system around it. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com We cover: ⬛ Why Inflation & Tax Quietly Kill Wealth ⬛ Property, Pensions & The Rigged System ⬛ Investing Fears, Crypto Hype & Reality ⬛ Living Now vs Chasing Retirement Timestamps 00:00 Real Returns After Inflation 02:55 Bank Money Creation Explained 06:55 Fiscal Drag Tax Trap 09:06 UK Vs Australia Taxes 11:49 Is Inheritance Tax Fair? 16:10 Untaxed Housing Windfalls 17:15 Why Homes Stay Scarce 21:33 Aging Population Pension Crunch 26:24 Retirement Vs Living Now 35:06 Mortgage Payoff Vs Investing 40:39 Beating Market Timing Fear 43:14 Crypto Hype Vs Bitcoin 47:00 Invest In Business Growth 52:17 HENRY 100K Tax Cliff 56:05 Wealth Tax Reality Check 59:12 Moving To Dubai Debate 65:04 UK Debt And Spending Truth 68:24 Daily Pain Of Commuting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:13:00 -0000 full James Smith In this episode of The Problem With Podcast, James Smith sits down with Damien Jordan, the voice behind the hugely popular YouTube channel Damien Talks Money, for a no-nonsense conversation about money, taxes, investing, and the uncomfortable truths most people ignore. Damien breaks down why the average person feels poorer despite “doing everything right,” how inflation and fiscal drag quietly erode wealth, and why property, pensions, and taxes are stacked against younger generations. From inheritance tax and housing shortages to crypto hype, market timing fears, and whether moving abroad actually solves anything. This episode challenges how you think about money and the system around it. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com We cover: ⬛ Why Inflation & Tax Quietly Kill Wealth ⬛ Property, Pensions & The Rigged System ⬛ Investing Fears, Crypto Hype & Reality ⬛ Living Now vs Chasing Retirement Timestamps 00:00 Real Returns After Inflation 02:55 Bank Money Creation Explained 06:55 Fiscal Drag Tax Trap 09:06 UK Vs Australia Taxes 11:49 Is Inheritance Tax Fair? 16:10 Untaxed Housing Windfalls 17:15 Why Homes Stay Scarce 21:33 Aging Population Pension Crunch 26:24 Retirement Vs Living Now 35:06 Mortgage Payoff Vs Investing 40:39 Beating Market Timing Fear 43:14 Crypto Hype Vs Bitcoin 47:00 Invest In Business Growth 52:17 HENRY 100K Tax Cliff 56:05 Wealth Tax Reality Check 59:12 Moving To Dubai Debate 65:04 UK Debt And Spending Truth 68:24 Daily Pain Of Commuting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices In this episode of The Problem With Podcast, James Smith sits down with Damien Jordan, the voice behind the hugely popular YouTube channel Damien Talks Money, for a no-nonsense conversation about money, taxes, investing, and the uncomfortable truths most people ignore.


Damien breaks down why the average person feels poorer despite “doing everything right,” how inflation and fiscal drag quietly erode wealth, and why property, pensions, and taxes are stacked against younger generations. From inheritance tax and housing shortages to crypto hype, market timing fears, and whether moving abroad actually solves anything. This episode challenges how you think about money and the system around it.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


We cover:

⬛ Why Inflation & Tax Quietly Kill Wealth

⬛ Property, Pensions & The Rigged System

⬛ Investing Fears, Crypto Hype & Reality

⬛ Living Now vs Chasing Retirement


Timestamps

00:00 Real Returns After Inflation

02:55 Bank Money Creation Explained

06:55 Fiscal Drag Tax Trap

09:06 UK Vs Australia Taxes

11:49 Is Inheritance Tax Fair?

16:10 Untaxed Housing Windfalls

17:15 Why Homes Stay Scarce

21:33 Aging Population Pension Crunch

26:24 Retirement Vs Living Now

35:06 Mortgage Payoff Vs Investing

40:39 Beating Market Timing Fear

43:14 Crypto Hype Vs Bitcoin

47:00 Invest In Business Growth

52:17 HENRY 100K Tax Cliff

56:05 Wealth Tax Reality Check

59:12 Moving To Dubai Debate

65:04 UK Debt And Spending Truth

68:24 Daily Pain Of Commuting



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5003 The Problem With Not Having Kids: Paul Morland Demographer and author Paul Morland joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with population collapse - why falling birth rates are creating aging societies, economic decline and a quiet crisis at the heart of the modern world. Morland explains how a lack of children is reshaping nations, destroying communities and threatening the future of humanity itself. They discuss the myths around “overpopulation,” the cultural shifts stopping people from having families and the real reasons behind the demographic time bomb no one wants to talk about. From housing and technology to feminism and social media, this episode explores how comfort, distraction and misplaced priorities have turned reproduction into a global taboo. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why population collapse will bankrupt countries ◼️ How culture and comfort are killing fertility ◼️ Why the “too many people” myth is a dangerous lie ◼️ How governments can (and must) incentivise family life ◼️ What happens when a society stops having children timestamps 00:00 Why Population Decline Matters 02:00 Korea’s Aging Population Spiral 05:14 Can Earth Support More People? 08:34 Humans As The Ultimate Resource 11:22 Demography Everyone Misunderstands 14:07 The Global Fertility Collapse 18:55 Choice Vs Biological Fertility 22:10 Why People Stop Having Kids 25:33 Housing, Work, And Modern Life 27:07 Incentives Can’t Fix Culture Alone 31:16 Welfare, Taxes, And Family Penalties 34:20 Why Fertility Isn’t Political 36:49 Women, Work, And Family Timing 41:12 How Workplaces Must Change 49:21 Dating Apps And Relationship Breakdown 57:31 Teaching Fertility Earlier 62:44 East Asia’s Status Trap 68:26 Immigration Or National Decline 80:46 What Population Collapse Looks Like Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:45:00 -0000 full James Smith Demographer and author Paul Morland joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with population collapse - why falling birth rates are creating aging societies, economic decline and a quiet crisis at the heart of the modern world. Morland explains how a lack of children is reshaping nations, destroying communities and threatening the future of humanity itself. They discuss the myths around “overpopulation,” the cultural shifts stopping people from having families and the real reasons behind the demographic time bomb no one wants to talk about. From housing and technology to feminism and social media, this episode explores how comfort, distraction and misplaced priorities have turned reproduction into a global taboo. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com He explains: ◼️ Why population collapse will bankrupt countries ◼️ How culture and comfort are killing fertility ◼️ Why the “too many people” myth is a dangerous lie ◼️ How governments can (and must) incentivise family life ◼️ What happens when a society stops having children timestamps 00:00 Why Population Decline Matters 02:00 Korea’s Aging Population Spiral 05:14 Can Earth Support More People? 08:34 Humans As The Ultimate Resource 11:22 Demography Everyone Misunderstands 14:07 The Global Fertility Collapse 18:55 Choice Vs Biological Fertility 22:10 Why People Stop Having Kids 25:33 Housing, Work, And Modern Life 27:07 Incentives Can’t Fix Culture Alone 31:16 Welfare, Taxes, And Family Penalties 34:20 Why Fertility Isn’t Political 36:49 Women, Work, And Family Timing 41:12 How Workplaces Must Change 49:21 Dating Apps And Relationship Breakdown 57:31 Teaching Fertility Earlier 62:44 East Asia’s Status Trap 68:26 Immigration Or National Decline 80:46 What Population Collapse Looks Like Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Demographer and author Paul Morland joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with population collapse - why falling birth rates are creating aging societies, economic decline and a quiet crisis at the heart of the modern world. Morland explains how a lack of children is reshaping nations, destroying communities and threatening the future of humanity itself.


They discuss the myths around “overpopulation,” the cultural shifts stopping people from having families and the real reasons behind the demographic time bomb no one wants to talk about. From housing and technology to feminism and social media, this episode explores how comfort, distraction and misplaced priorities have turned reproduction into a global taboo.


👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com


He explains:

◼️ Why population collapse will bankrupt countries

◼️ How culture and comfort are killing fertility

◼️ Why the “too many people” myth is a dangerous lie

◼️ How governments can (and must) incentivise family life

◼️ What happens when a society stops having children


timestamps

00:00 Why Population Decline Matters

02:00 Korea’s Aging Population Spiral

05:14 Can Earth Support More People?

08:34 Humans As The Ultimate Resource

11:22 Demography Everyone Misunderstands

14:07 The Global Fertility Collapse

18:55 Choice Vs Biological Fertility

22:10 Why People Stop Having Kids

25:33 Housing, Work, And Modern Life

27:07 Incentives Can’t Fix Culture Alone

31:16 Welfare, Taxes, And Family Penalties

34:20 Why Fertility Isn’t Political

36:49 Women, Work, And Family Timing

41:12 How Workplaces Must Change

49:21 Dating Apps And Relationship Breakdown

57:31 Teaching Fertility Earlier

62:44 East Asia’s Status Trap

68:26 Immigration Or National Decline

80:46 What Population Collapse Looks Like


Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith


I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business


Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith


For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5011 The Problem With Aging: Andrew Steele Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Scientist and author Dr. Andrew Steele joins James Smith to tackle the problem with aging and why dying of “old age” might one day be seen as a preventable condition. Andrew breaks down the science of longevity, the myths around “anti-aging,” and the difference between fundamental research and influencer nonsense. He explains how new medical breakthroughs could help humans live healthier for far longer, but also why the hype around biohacking and “forever pills” is getting dangerously ahead of the science. They explore the ethical, political, and even economic implications of extending human life, from billionaire-funded immortality labs to the fear that longevity could deepen inequality. Andrew reveals what the real science shows about genes, lifestyle, and luck; why exercise is still the best anti-aging treatment we have; and how new drugs like GLP-1 agonists could transform global health and longevity. He explains: ◼️ Why 90% of deaths in rich countries are caused by aging ◼️ The truth about genetic luck vs lifestyle choices ◼️ How longevity drugs could revolutionise healthcare ◼️ Why “anti-ageing” influencers are misleading the public ◼️ The shocking economics of living to 100… or beyond Chapters 00:00 Why Men Die Earlier Than Women 01:31 The Real Problem With Aging 02:36 Separating Longevity Fact From Fiction 05:23 What Your Face Reveals About Health 08:50 How Much Do Genetics Actually Matter? 12:32 Do Weight Loss Drugs Slow Aging? 16:48 The Stigma Of Weight Loss Drugs 19:01 James’ Experience Taking Weight Loss Drugs 22:37 Is Taking Ozempic "Cheating"? 27:02 The Reality Of Maintaining Weight Loss 31:26 Why Modern Diets Are Failing 35:26 The Future Of Longevity Medicine 39:36 Will Longevity Increase Retirement Age? 43:01 The Problem With Bryan Johnson’s Protocol 46:44 Is Biohacking Just An Eating Disorder? 52:01 The Dangers Of Over-Optimizing Health 56:36 Does Health Anxiety Shorten Lifespan? 01:01:46 The Truth About HRT For Women 01:06:51 Does Testosterone Shorten Men’s Lives? 01:12:50 Why Eunuchs Live Longer Than Men 01:17:56 The Philosophy Of Living Forever 01:27:11 The Most Effective Longevity Habits 01:29:56 Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity? 01:38:36 The Most Promising Anti-Aging Drug 01:45:36 The Economic Case For Curing Aging Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 16 Dec 2025 05:59:00 -0000 The Problem With Aging - Andrew Steele (4k) full James Smith Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Scientist and author Dr. Andrew Steele joins James Smith to tackle the problem with aging and why dying of “old age” might one day be seen as a preventable condition. Andrew breaks down the science of longevity, the myths around “anti-aging,” and the difference between fundamental research and influencer nonsense. He explains how new medical breakthroughs could help humans live healthier for far longer, but also why the hype around biohacking and “forever pills” is getting dangerously ahead of the science. They explore the ethical, political, and even economic implications of extending human life, from billionaire-funded immortality labs to the fear that longevity could deepen inequality. Andrew reveals what the real science shows about genes, lifestyle, and luck; why exercise is still the best anti-aging treatment we have; and how new drugs like GLP-1 agonists could transform global health and longevity. He explains: ◼️ Why 90% of deaths in rich countries are caused by aging ◼️ The truth about genetic luck vs lifestyle choices ◼️ How longevity drugs could revolutionise healthcare ◼️ Why “anti-ageing” influencers are misleading the public ◼️ The shocking economics of living to 100… or beyond Chapters 00:00 Why Men Die Earlier Than Women 01:31 The Real Problem With Aging 02:36 Separating Longevity Fact From Fiction 05:23 What Your Face Reveals About Health 08:50 How Much Do Genetics Actually Matter? 12:32 Do Weight Loss Drugs Slow Aging? 16:48 The Stigma Of Weight Loss Drugs 19:01 James’ Experience Taking Weight Loss Drugs 22:37 Is Taking Ozempic "Cheating"? 27:02 The Reality Of Maintaining Weight Loss 31:26 Why Modern Diets Are Failing 35:26 The Future Of Longevity Medicine 39:36 Will Longevity Increase Retirement Age? 43:01 The Problem With Bryan Johnson’s Protocol 46:44 Is Biohacking Just An Eating Disorder? 52:01 The Dangers Of Over-Optimizing Health 56:36 Does Health Anxiety Shorten Lifespan? 01:01:46 The Truth About HRT For Women 01:06:51 Does Testosterone Shorten Men’s Lives? 01:12:50 Why Eunuchs Live Longer Than Men 01:17:56 The Philosophy Of Living Forever 01:27:11 The Most Effective Longevity Habits 01:29:56 Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity? 01:38:36 The Most Promising Anti-Aging Drug 01:45:36 The Economic Case For Curing Aging Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith

I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business

Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com


Scientist and author Dr. Andrew Steele joins James Smith to tackle the problem with aging and why dying of “old age” might one day be seen as a preventable condition. Andrew breaks down the science of longevity, the myths around “anti-aging,” and the difference between fundamental research and influencer nonsense. He explains how new medical breakthroughs could help humans live healthier for far longer, but also why the hype around biohacking and “forever pills” is getting dangerously ahead of the science.


They explore the ethical, political, and even economic implications of extending human life, from billionaire-funded immortality labs to the fear that longevity could deepen inequality. Andrew reveals what the real science shows about genes, lifestyle, and luck; why exercise is still the best anti-aging treatment we have; and how new drugs like GLP-1 agonists could transform global health and longevity.


He explains:

◼️ Why 90% of deaths in rich countries are caused by aging

◼️ The truth about genetic luck vs lifestyle choices

◼️ How longevity drugs could revolutionise healthcare

◼️ Why “anti-ageing” influencers are misleading the public

◼️ The shocking economics of living to 100… or beyond


Chapters

00:00 Why Men Die Earlier Than Women

01:31 The Real Problem With Aging

02:36 Separating Longevity Fact From Fiction

05:23 What Your Face Reveals About Health

08:50 How Much Do Genetics Actually Matter?

12:32 Do Weight Loss Drugs Slow Aging?

16:48 The Stigma Of Weight Loss Drugs

19:01 James’ Experience Taking Weight Loss Drugs

22:37 Is Taking Ozempic "Cheating"?

27:02 The Reality Of Maintaining Weight Loss

31:26 Why Modern Diets Are Failing

35:26 The Future Of Longevity Medicine

39:36 Will Longevity Increase Retirement Age?

43:01 The Problem With Bryan Johnson’s Protocol

46:44 Is Biohacking Just An Eating Disorder?

52:01 The Dangers Of Over-Optimizing Health

56:36 Does Health Anxiety Shorten Lifespan?

01:01:46 The Truth About HRT For Women

01:06:51 Does Testosterone Shorten Men’s Lives?

01:12:50 Why Eunuchs Live Longer Than Men

01:17:56 The Philosophy Of Living Forever

01:27:11 The Most Effective Longevity Habits

01:29:56 Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity?

01:38:36 The Most Promising Anti-Aging Drug

01:45:36 The Economic Case For Curing Aging


Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith


I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business


Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith


For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6574 The Problem With The AI Apocalypse: Connor Leahy Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com AI researcher and ControlAI founder Connor Leahy joins James Smith to confront the problem with artificial intelligence - from misinformation and manipulation to the terrifying speed at which machines are learning to outthink their creators. Connor, one of the world’s leading voices in AI safety, explains how we’re building systems that are more intelligent than humans…and why we don’t really understand how they work. They discuss the future of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), exploring what happens when machines evolve faster than we can control them. Connor breaks down the moral, political, and psychological implications of AI, from fake online identities and emotional manipulation to the emerging arms race between nations and corporations desperate to be first. He explains: ◼️ Why AI is already outpacing human understanding ◼️ How propaganda and algorithms shape reality ◼️ The dangers of AI “boyfriends” and emotional manipulation ◼️ Why superintelligence could end human control ◼️ What governments and people must do before it’s too late Chapters 0:00 – Why the Future of AI Looks Dangerous 0:31 – What ASI Really Means for Humanity 1:29 – The Core Problem With Modern AI Systems 3:02 – How AI Is Built and Why We Can’t Control It 6:04 – The Hidden Dangers of Social Media + AI Manipulation 10:09 – AI vs AGI vs ASI Explained Simply 17:01 – How Fast AGI Could Turn Into Superintelligence 22:22 – Utopian vs Dystopian Futures With AI 29:02 – AI Relationships, Loneliness & Digital Partners 47:18 – Why AI Could Replace Human Connection & Autonomy Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:57:00 -0000 The Problem With The AI Apocalypse: Connor Leahy (4K) full James Smith Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com AI researcher and ControlAI founder Connor Leahy joins James Smith to confront the problem with artificial intelligence - from misinformation and manipulation to the terrifying speed at which machines are learning to outthink their creators. Connor, one of the world’s leading voices in AI safety, explains how we’re building systems that are more intelligent than humans…and why we don’t really understand how they work. They discuss the future of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), exploring what happens when machines evolve faster than we can control them. Connor breaks down the moral, political, and psychological implications of AI, from fake online identities and emotional manipulation to the emerging arms race between nations and corporations desperate to be first. He explains: ◼️ Why AI is already outpacing human understanding ◼️ How propaganda and algorithms shape reality ◼️ The dangers of AI “boyfriends” and emotional manipulation ◼️ Why superintelligence could end human control ◼️ What governments and people must do before it’s too late Chapters 0:00 – Why the Future of AI Looks Dangerous 0:31 – What ASI Really Means for Humanity 1:29 – The Core Problem With Modern AI Systems 3:02 – How AI Is Built and Why We Can’t Control It 6:04 – The Hidden Dangers of Social Media + AI Manipulation 10:09 – AI vs AGI vs ASI Explained Simply 17:01 – How Fast AGI Could Turn Into Superintelligence 22:22 – Utopian vs Dystopian Futures With AI 29:02 – AI Relationships, Loneliness & Digital Partners 47:18 – Why AI Could Replace Human Connection & Autonomy Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith

I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business

Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

Free trial: Online coaching app: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com


AI researcher and ControlAI founder Connor Leahy joins James Smith to confront the problem with artificial intelligence - from misinformation and manipulation to the terrifying speed at which machines are learning to outthink their creators. Connor, one of the world’s leading voices in AI safety, explains how we’re building systems that are more intelligent than humans…and why we don’t really understand how they work.


They discuss the future of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), exploring what happens when machines evolve faster than we can control them. Connor breaks down the moral, political, and psychological implications of AI, from fake online identities and emotional manipulation to the emerging arms race between nations and corporations desperate to be first.


He explains:

◼️ Why AI is already outpacing human understanding

◼️ How propaganda and algorithms shape reality

◼️ The dangers of AI “boyfriends” and emotional manipulation

◼️ Why superintelligence could end human control

◼️ What governments and people must do before it’s too late


Chapters

0:00 – Why the Future of AI Looks Dangerous

0:31 – What ASI Really Means for Humanity

1:29 – The Core Problem With Modern AI Systems

3:02 – How AI Is Built and Why We Can’t Control It

6:04 – The Hidden Dangers of Social Media + AI Manipulation

10:09 – AI vs AGI vs ASI Explained Simply

17:01 – How Fast AGI Could Turn Into Superintelligence

22:22 – Utopian vs Dystopian Futures With AI

29:02 – AI Relationships, Loneliness & Digital Partners

47:18 – Why AI Could Replace Human Connection & Autonomy


Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith


I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business


Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith


For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 7235 The Problem With Being Single: Sadia Khan Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. 📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith 👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith  💪For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com 💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Psychologist and relationship coach Sadia Khan joins James Smith to unpack the problem with dating apps, modern relationships, and the illusion of infinite choice. Together they explore why technology has made commitment harder, attraction more confusing and why everyone - men and women alike - are struggling to connect in an age of endless swiping. Sadia reveals the psychology behind sex appeal, status and loyalty, explaining how dopamine, dating culture and false advice online are reshaping human relationships. From incel culture and OnlyFans to the fear of rejection and emotional detachment, this is a raw, unfiltered conversation about what’s gone wrong with love… and how to fix it. She explains: ◼️ Why dating apps destroy genuine connection ◼️ How “too many options” kills commitment ◼️ The truth about sex appeal and attraction ◼️ Why men and women misunderstand each other online ◼️ The rise of transactional relationships in the digital age 00:00 – The Problem With People Being Single 01:48 – Three Main Problems: Options, Bad Advice & Monogamy 03:28 – Dating Apps: The Illusion of Choice 05:07 – Genetics, Status & What Women Actually Want 08:08 – The Secret Ingredient: Sex Appeal 11:19 – The Three A's: Attraction, Admiration, Adoration 13:32 – Women and Lust: The Sex Response 16:13 – Sexual Dominance vs Sexual Submission 19:30 – Anxiety Kills Sex Appeal 21:11 – OnlyFans: Manipulating Vulnerable Men 24:40 – Sex Workers and Materialistic Values 28:41 – Masturbation in Healthy Relationships 31:39 – The Sex Toy Epidemic 34:36 – Low Testosterone Nearly Ruined My Relationship 38:29 – Stress, Overtraining & Catastrophic Thinking 41:44 – Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone 44:13 – Why Genetics Matter: The TRT Debate 46:17 – Fat Acceptance vs Reality 49:38 – Why Staying Together Requires No Alternatives 51:14 – Two Types of Men: Loyal to the Woman vs Loyal to the Wife 52:35 – The Dubai Dating Scene Explained 55:34 – Why Russian Women Dominate Men in Dubai 58:38 – Escort Culture & Naive Men 1:01:12 – Corrupt Women vs Good Women 1:04:20 – The Danger of Being 39 and Single 1:08:05 – Four Things to Look For Before Having Kids 1:11:49 – Prenups: A Revealer of Character 1:15:12 – Why Your Partner Needs Financial Independence 1:18:05 – AI Relationships: Glamorizing Loneliness 1:19:22 – New Book: The 10 Red Flags 1:20:56 – Closing RemarksClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 02 Dec 2025 06:21:00 -0000 full James Smith Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. 📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith 👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith  💪For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com 💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Psychologist and relationship coach Sadia Khan joins James Smith to unpack the problem with dating apps, modern relationships, and the illusion of infinite choice. Together they explore why technology has made commitment harder, attraction more confusing and why everyone - men and women alike - are struggling to connect in an age of endless swiping. Sadia reveals the psychology behind sex appeal, status and loyalty, explaining how dopamine, dating culture and false advice online are reshaping human relationships. From incel culture and OnlyFans to the fear of rejection and emotional detachment, this is a raw, unfiltered conversation about what’s gone wrong with love… and how to fix it. She explains: ◼️ Why dating apps destroy genuine connection ◼️ How “too many options” kills commitment ◼️ The truth about sex appeal and attraction ◼️ Why men and women misunderstand each other online ◼️ The rise of transactional relationships in the digital age 00:00 – The Problem With People Being Single 01:48 – Three Main Problems: Options, Bad Advice & Monogamy 03:28 – Dating Apps: The Illusion of Choice 05:07 – Genetics, Status & What Women Actually Want 08:08 – The Secret Ingredient: Sex Appeal 11:19 – The Three A's: Attraction, Admiration, Adoration 13:32 – Women and Lust: The Sex Response 16:13 – Sexual Dominance vs Sexual Submission 19:30 – Anxiety Kills Sex Appeal 21:11 – OnlyFans: Manipulating Vulnerable Men 24:40 – Sex Workers and Materialistic Values 28:41 – Masturbation in Healthy Relationships 31:39 – The Sex Toy Epidemic 34:36 – Low Testosterone Nearly Ruined My Relationship 38:29 – Stress, Overtraining & Catastrophic Thinking 41:44 – Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone 44:13 – Why Genetics Matter: The TRT Debate 46:17 – Fat Acceptance vs Reality 49:38 – Why Staying Together Requires No Alternatives 51:14 – Two Types of Men: Loyal to the Woman vs Loyal to the Wife 52:35 – The Dubai Dating Scene Explained 55:34 – Why Russian Women Dominate Men in Dubai 58:38 – Escort Culture & Naive Men 1:01:12 – Corrupt Women vs Good Women 1:04:20 – The Danger of Being 39 and Single 1:08:05 – Four Things to Look For Before Having Kids 1:11:49 – Prenups: A Revealer of Character 1:15:12 – Why Your Partner Needs Financial Independence 1:18:05 – AI Relationships: Glamorizing Loneliness 1:19:22 – New Book: The 10 Red Flags 1:20:56 – Closing RemarksClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.


📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith


👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 


💪For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com


💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business


Psychologist and relationship coach Sadia Khan joins James Smith to unpack the problem with dating apps, modern relationships, and the illusion of infinite choice. Together they explore why technology has made commitment harder, attraction more confusing and why everyone - men and women alike - are struggling to connect in an age of endless swiping.


Sadia reveals the psychology behind sex appeal, status and loyalty, explaining how dopamine, dating culture and false advice online are reshaping human relationships. From incel culture and OnlyFans to the fear of rejection and emotional detachment, this is a raw, unfiltered conversation about what’s gone wrong with love… and how to fix it.


She explains:

◼️ Why dating apps destroy genuine connection

◼️ How “too many options” kills commitment

◼️ The truth about sex appeal and attraction

◼️ Why men and women misunderstand each other online

◼️ The rise of transactional relationships in the digital age


00:00 – The Problem With People Being Single

01:48 – Three Main Problems: Options, Bad Advice & Monogamy

03:28 – Dating Apps: The Illusion of Choice

05:07 – Genetics, Status & What Women Actually Want

08:08 – The Secret Ingredient: Sex Appeal

11:19 – The Three A's: Attraction, Admiration, Adoration

13:32 – Women and Lust: The Sex Response

16:13 – Sexual Dominance vs Sexual Submission

19:30 – Anxiety Kills Sex Appeal

21:11 – OnlyFans: Manipulating Vulnerable Men

24:40 – Sex Workers and Materialistic Values

28:41 – Masturbation in Healthy Relationships

31:39 – The Sex Toy Epidemic

34:36 – Low Testosterone Nearly Ruined My Relationship

38:29 – Stress, Overtraining & Catastrophic Thinking

41:44 – Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone

44:13 – Why Genetics Matter: The TRT Debate

46:17 – Fat Acceptance vs Reality

49:38 – Why Staying Together Requires No Alternatives

51:14 – Two Types of Men: Loyal to the Woman vs Loyal to the Wife

52:35 – The Dubai Dating Scene Explained

55:34 – Why Russian Women Dominate Men in Dubai

58:38 – Escort Culture & Naive Men

1:01:12 – Corrupt Women vs Good Women

1:04:20 – The Danger of Being 39 and Single

1:08:05 – Four Things to Look For Before Having Kids

1:11:49 – Prenups: A Revealer of Character

1:15:12 – Why Your Partner Needs Financial Independence

1:18:05 – AI Relationships: Glamorizing Loneliness

1:19:22 – New Book: The 10 Red Flags

1:20:56 – Closing RemarksClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4928 The Problem With Dopamine: TJ Power Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. 📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith 👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 💪For a free trial of my online personal training app, go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com 💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Neuroscientist TJ Power joins James Smith to expose what social media, smartphones, and endless screen time are doing to our brains. From dopamine burnout to digital addiction, he explains how technology hijacks motivation, focus, and happiness - and what we can actually do to fix it. TJ, who left academia after seeing the mental health crisis up close, breaks down how constant stimulation from phones, porn and social media rewires the brain’s reward system. He reveals the science behind low mood, lost confidence, and why so many people feel “flat” despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before. He explains: ◼️ How dopamine addiction quietly kills motivation ◼️ Why boredom is the key to rebuilding focus ◼️ The neuroscience of porn, pleasure, and productivity ◼️ Why young people are more anxious, distracted, and disconnected ◼️ Practical steps to reset your brain and regain control Timestamps: 00:00 – The Problem With Spending Time on Screens 01:28 – What is Dopamine and Why Do We Crave It? 03:48 – The Four Brain Chemicals: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins 07:09 – Gaming vs Scrolling: Active vs Passive Dopamine 10:08 – Video Games as Life Training 12:23 – Hunter Brain vs Farmer Brain 13:24 – The Trap of Productive Addiction 15:12 – The Man at the Train Station Doing Nothing 18:10 – Four Weeks Without TV or Content 21:23 – Evening Scrolling: Sacred Time or Mental Drain? 24:21 – The UK Safety Act and Porn Age Verification 28:09 – The Million Dollar Scrolling Hypothetical 32:56 – Dating Apps, Height Requirements & Modern Standards 36:33 – Seven Days Without Porn Challenge 40:18 – The Utility of Not Wanking Before a Date 43:46 – Should There Be Hard Blocks on Porn Access? 48:52 – Porn's Impact on First-Time Sexual Expectations 53:05 – Alcohol, Socialising & Why Young People Aren't Drinking 58:43 – The Two-Day Phone Detox in Melbourne 1:02:44 – Small Daily Detoxes vs Big Detoxes 1:06:34 – Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals 1:10:12 – Four Plants That Need Watering: Practical Advice 1:15:46 – Escaping Reality Through Screens 1:19:28 – Relationships: When Your Partner Won't Change 1:24:30 – Falling in Love With AI 1:28:03 – Producer vs Consumer Dopamine Addiction 1:34:00 – The Purpose of Having Kids 1:35:31 – The Creator's Confession: Dopamine Hypocrisy 1:39:04 – Mental Health Crash After Bad Post Performance 1:43:48 – Living Without Knowing Your Bank Balance 1:48:50 – Closing Challenge: One Screen-Free Evening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:19:00 -0000 full James Smith Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below. 📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith 👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 💪For a free trial of my online personal training app, go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com 💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business Neuroscientist TJ Power joins James Smith to expose what social media, smartphones, and endless screen time are doing to our brains. From dopamine burnout to digital addiction, he explains how technology hijacks motivation, focus, and happiness - and what we can actually do to fix it. TJ, who left academia after seeing the mental health crisis up close, breaks down how constant stimulation from phones, porn and social media rewires the brain’s reward system. He reveals the science behind low mood, lost confidence, and why so many people feel “flat” despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before. He explains: ◼️ How dopamine addiction quietly kills motivation ◼️ Why boredom is the key to rebuilding focus ◼️ The neuroscience of porn, pleasure, and productivity ◼️ Why young people are more anxious, distracted, and disconnected ◼️ Practical steps to reset your brain and regain control Timestamps: 00:00 – The Problem With Spending Time on Screens 01:28 – What is Dopamine and Why Do We Crave It? 03:48 – The Four Brain Chemicals: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins 07:09 – Gaming vs Scrolling: Active vs Passive Dopamine 10:08 – Video Games as Life Training 12:23 – Hunter Brain vs Farmer Brain 13:24 – The Trap of Productive Addiction 15:12 – The Man at the Train Station Doing Nothing 18:10 – Four Weeks Without TV or Content 21:23 – Evening Scrolling: Sacred Time or Mental Drain? 24:21 – The UK Safety Act and Porn Age Verification 28:09 – The Million Dollar Scrolling Hypothetical 32:56 – Dating Apps, Height Requirements & Modern Standards 36:33 – Seven Days Without Porn Challenge 40:18 – The Utility of Not Wanking Before a Date 43:46 – Should There Be Hard Blocks on Porn Access? 48:52 – Porn's Impact on First-Time Sexual Expectations 53:05 – Alcohol, Socialising & Why Young People Aren't Drinking 58:43 – The Two-Day Phone Detox in Melbourne 1:02:44 – Small Daily Detoxes vs Big Detoxes 1:06:34 – Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals 1:10:12 – Four Plants That Need Watering: Practical Advice 1:15:46 – Escaping Reality Through Screens 1:19:28 – Relationships: When Your Partner Won't Change 1:24:30 – Falling in Love With AI 1:28:03 – Producer vs Consumer Dopamine Addiction 1:34:00 – The Purpose of Having Kids 1:35:31 – The Creator's Confession: Dopamine Hypocrisy 1:39:04 – Mental Health Crash After Bad Post Performance 1:43:48 – Living Without Knowing Your Bank Balance 1:48:50 – Closing Challenge: One Screen-Free Evening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.


📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith

👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

💪For a free trial of my online personal training app, go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business

Neuroscientist TJ Power joins James Smith to expose what social media, smartphones, and endless screen time are doing to our brains. From dopamine burnout to digital addiction, he explains how technology hijacks motivation, focus, and happiness - and what we can actually do to fix it.

TJ, who left academia after seeing the mental health crisis up close, breaks down how constant stimulation from phones, porn and social media rewires the brain’s reward system. He reveals the science behind low mood, lost confidence, and why so many people feel “flat” despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before.

He explains:

◼️ How dopamine addiction quietly kills motivation

◼️ Why boredom is the key to rebuilding focus

◼️ The neuroscience of porn, pleasure, and productivity

◼️ Why young people are more anxious, distracted, and disconnected

◼️ Practical steps to reset your brain and regain control Timestamps:

00:00 – The Problem With Spending Time on Screens

01:28 – What is Dopamine and Why Do We Crave It?

03:48 – The Four Brain Chemicals: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins

07:09 – Gaming vs Scrolling: Active vs Passive Dopamine

10:08 – Video Games as Life Training

12:23 – Hunter Brain vs Farmer Brain

13:24 – The Trap of Productive Addiction

15:12 – The Man at the Train Station Doing Nothing

18:10 – Four Weeks Without TV or Content

21:23 – Evening Scrolling: Sacred Time or Mental Drain?

24:21 – The UK Safety Act and Porn Age Verification

28:09 – The Million Dollar Scrolling Hypothetical

32:56 – Dating Apps, Height Requirements & Modern Standards

36:33 – Seven Days Without Porn Challenge

40:18 – The Utility of Not Wanking Before a Date

43:46 – Should There Be Hard Blocks on Porn Access?

48:52 – Porn's Impact on First-Time Sexual Expectations

53:05 – Alcohol, Socialising & Why Young People Aren't Drinking

58:43 – The Two-Day Phone Detox in Melbourne

1:02:44 – Small Daily Detoxes vs Big Detoxes

1:06:34 – Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals

1:10:12 – Four Plants That Need Watering: Practical Advice

1:15:46 – Escaping Reality Through Screens

1:19:28 – Relationships: When Your Partner Won't Change

1:24:30 – Falling in Love With AI

1:28:03 – Producer vs Consumer Dopamine Addiction

1:34:00 – The Purpose of Having Kids

1:35:31 – The Creator's Confession: Dopamine Hypocrisy

1:39:04 – Mental Health Crash After Bad Post Performance

1:43:48 – Living Without Knowing Your Bank Balance

1:48:50 – Closing Challenge: One Screen-Free Evening

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6669 The Problem With Making Money Online: Ed Lawrence Ed Lawrence joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about the problem with making money online, the illusion of quick success and the hidden grind behind overnight wins. From starting 12 years ago with terrible videos to generating $300,000 from a single YouTube upload, Ed reveals how the "make money online" promise is sold as easy… but requires years of eating shit instead. They discuss the reality of building a business, the trap of chasing views over revenue, the burnout of ad-dependent income and why most people give up right before the breakthrough. Ed opens up about parasites nearly killing his business, the obsession required to succeed and learning to build a sustainable income through content, tracking and understanding what actually converts rather than what goes viral. He explains: ◼️ Why making money online takes 10x longer than you think ◼️ How to escape the 9-5 without going broke ◼️ The trap of building followers who never buy ◼️ Why 800 views can make $33,000 (and millions of views can make nothing) ◼️ How YouTube teaches you every business skill you need Timestamps: 00:00 – The Problem With Making Money Online 02:14 – Why Side Hustles Fail vs Full-Time Focus 05:08 – The Trap of "Free" Gym Memberships 06:33 – The Truth About Business Ownership 08:48 – Don't Start a Business Just for Money 11:05 – Building Followers vs Making Money 13:17 – The Stress of Ad Revenue Dependency 16:38 – YouTube is Not a Search Platform 19:15 – Binge-Watching by Design 24:13 – YouTube Makes You Better at Everything 29:35 – Fail as Fast as You Can 32:56 – Packaging Boring Content 37:13 – Everything Has Been Done Before 41:55 – Copy Your Own Outliers 44:41 – Views Don't Equal Money 49:13 – The 10-Year Overnight Success 53:05 – Getting Stuck in Your Comfort Zone 56:12 – The Parasite Wake-Up Call 59:11 – Is AI the Biggest Opportunity Ever? 1:02:00 – Bitcoin vs Gold vs Traditional Money 1:04:09 – Stop Researching Investments, Build Your Business 1:05:13 – Closing Remarks Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:00:00 -0000 The Problem With Making Money Online: Ed Lawrence (4K) full James Smith Ed Lawrence joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about the problem with making money online, the illusion of quick success and the hidden grind behind overnight wins. Ed Lawrence joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about the problem with making money online, the illusion of quick success and the hidden grind behind overnight wins. From starting 12 years ago with terrible videos to generating $300,000 from a single YouTube upload, Ed reveals how the "make money online" promise is sold as easy… but requires years of eating shit instead. They discuss the reality of building a business, the trap of chasing views over revenue, the burnout of ad-dependent income and why most people give up right before the breakthrough. Ed opens up about parasites nearly killing his business, the obsession required to succeed and learning to build a sustainable income through content, tracking and understanding what actually converts rather than what goes viral. He explains: ◼️ Why making money online takes 10x longer than you think ◼️ How to escape the 9-5 without going broke ◼️ The trap of building followers who never buy ◼️ Why 800 views can make $33,000 (and millions of views can make nothing) ◼️ How YouTube teaches you every business skill you need Timestamps: 00:00 – The Problem With Making Money Online 02:14 – Why Side Hustles Fail vs Full-Time Focus 05:08 – The Trap of "Free" Gym Memberships 06:33 – The Truth About Business Ownership 08:48 – Don't Start a Business Just for Money 11:05 – Building Followers vs Making Money 13:17 – The Stress of Ad Revenue Dependency 16:38 – YouTube is Not a Search Platform 19:15 – Binge-Watching by Design 24:13 – YouTube Makes You Better at Everything 29:35 – Fail as Fast as You Can 32:56 – Packaging Boring Content 37:13 – Everything Has Been Done Before 41:55 – Copy Your Own Outliers 44:41 – Views Don't Equal Money 49:13 – The 10-Year Overnight Success 53:05 – Getting Stuck in Your Comfort Zone 56:12 – The Parasite Wake-Up Call 59:11 – Is AI the Biggest Opportunity Ever? 1:02:00 – Bitcoin vs Gold vs Traditional Money 1:04:09 – Stop Researching Investments, Build Your Business 1:05:13 – Closing Remarks Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Ed Lawrence joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about the problem with making money online, the illusion of quick success and the hidden grind behind overnight wins.

From starting 12 years ago with terrible videos to generating $300,000 from a single YouTube upload, Ed reveals how the "make money online" promise is sold as easy… but requires years of eating shit instead.

They discuss the reality of building a business, the trap of chasing views over revenue, the burnout of ad-dependent income and why most people give up right before the breakthrough.

Ed opens up about parasites nearly killing his business, the obsession required to succeed and learning to build a sustainable income through content, tracking and understanding what actually converts rather than what goes viral.

He explains:

◼️ Why making money online takes 10x longer than you think

◼️ How to escape the 9-5 without going broke

◼️ The trap of building followers who never buy

◼️ Why 800 views can make $33,000 (and millions of views can make nothing)

◼️ How YouTube teaches you every business skill you need


Timestamps:

00:00 – The Problem With Making Money Online

02:14 – Why Side Hustles Fail vs Full-Time Focus

05:08 – The Trap of "Free" Gym Memberships

06:33 – The Truth About Business Ownership

08:48 – Don't Start a Business Just for Money

11:05 – Building Followers vs Making Money

13:17 – The Stress of Ad Revenue Dependency

16:38 – YouTube is Not a Search Platform

19:15 – Binge-Watching by Design

24:13 – YouTube Makes You Better at Everything

29:35 – Fail as Fast as You Can

32:56 – Packaging Boring Content

37:13 – Everything Has Been Done Before

41:55 – Copy Your Own Outliers

44:41 – Views Don't Equal Money

49:13 – The 10-Year Overnight Success

53:05 – Getting Stuck in Your Comfort Zone

56:12 – The Parasite Wake-Up Call

59:11 – Is AI the Biggest Opportunity Ever?

1:02:00 – Bitcoin vs Gold vs Traditional Money

1:04:09 – Stop Researching Investments, Build Your Business

1:05:13 – Closing Remarks


Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4089 The Problem With Agency: George Mack George Mack joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation that will change how you think about ambition, success, and the hidden traps of productivity. They dive deep into the concept of agency (why some people take control of their lives while others stay stuck) and how it shows up across business, relationships, happiness, and identity. From the “busy trap” to the myth of hustle culture, George unpacks the subtle ways we self-sabotage under the illusion of progress. He questions whether high agency is even healthy… or just a sophisticated form of burnout. James and George explore the psychology of success, the role of genetics, language and culture in shaping mindset, and how becoming a parent can snap you out of your grind obsession. He explains: ◼️ Why high agency can be a hidden mental illness ◼️ The real reason some people stay stuck (and how to escape) ◼️ How productivity becomes a trap disguised as progress ◼️ Why writing things down on a whiteboard might change your life ◼️ What jiu-jitsu teaches us about fear, ego, and self-awareness Timestamps: 00:00 The Problem With Low Agency 02:04 The Jail Cell Test 05:16 Can You Train Agency? 09:05 Context-Dependent Agency 15:15 Life in Austin, Texas 18:04 UK Cynicism vs American Naivety 24:06 The Happiness Paradox 30:02 Language Shapes Thinking 36:07 Hater or Inspired? The Choice Is Yours 42:07 The Busy Trap 46:03 The $1,500 Chicken Sandwich Story 51:34 Parenthood: The Ultimate Agency Hack 59:58 Jiu-Jitsu and Personal Growth 1:03:02 The Gap and The Gain 1:07:26 Warren Buffett's Investment Exercise 1:12:25 Practical Agency Hacks 1:17:20 The A1 Paper That Changed Everything 1:29:11 Eat Frogs, Lick Toads 1:32:35 Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals 1:35:31 Closing Advice Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith  For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 12 Nov 2025 05:49:00 -0000 The Problem With Agency: George Mack full James Smith George Mack joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation that will change how you think about ambition, success, and the hidden traps of productivity. They dive deep into the concept of agency (why some people take control of their lives while others stay stuck) and how it shows up across business, relationships, happiness, and identity. From the “busy trap” to the myth of hustle culture, George unpacks the subtle ways we self-sabotage under the illusion of progress. He questions whether high agency is even healthy… or just a sophisticated form of burnout. James and George explore the psychology of success, the role of genetics, language and culture in shaping mindset, and how becoming a parent can snap you out of your grind obsession. He explains: ◼️ Why high agency can be a hidden mental illness ◼️ The real reason some people stay stuck (and how to escape) ◼️ How productivity becomes a trap disguised as progress ◼️ Why writing things down on a whiteboard might change your life ◼️ What jiu-jitsu teaches us about fear, ego, and self-awareness Timestamps: 00:00 The Problem With Low Agency 02:04 The Jail Cell Test 05:16 Can You Train Agency? 09:05 Context-Dependent Agency 15:15 Life in Austin, Texas 18:04 UK Cynicism vs American Naivety 24:06 The Happiness Paradox 30:02 Language Shapes Thinking 36:07 Hater or Inspired? The Choice Is Yours 42:07 The Busy Trap 46:03 The $1,500 Chicken Sandwich Story 51:34 Parenthood: The Ultimate Agency Hack 59:58 Jiu-Jitsu and Personal Growth 1:03:02 The Gap and The Gain 1:07:26 Warren Buffett's Investment Exercise 1:12:25 Practical Agency Hacks 1:17:20 The A1 Paper That Changed Everything 1:29:11 Eat Frogs, Lick Toads 1:32:35 Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals 1:35:31 Closing Advice Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith  For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices George Mack joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation that will change how you think about ambition, success, and the hidden traps of productivity.

They dive deep into the concept of agency (why some people take control of their lives while others stay stuck) and how it shows up across business, relationships, happiness, and identity.

From the “busy trap” to the myth of hustle culture, George unpacks the subtle ways we self-sabotage under the illusion of progress. He questions whether high agency is even healthy… or just a sophisticated form of burnout.

James and George explore the psychology of success, the role of genetics, language and culture in shaping mindset, and how becoming a parent can snap you out of your grind obsession.


He explains:

◼️ Why high agency can be a hidden mental illness

◼️ The real reason some people stay stuck (and how to escape)

◼️ How productivity becomes a trap disguised as progress

◼️ Why writing things down on a whiteboard might change your life

◼️ What jiu-jitsu teaches us about fear, ego, and self-awareness


Timestamps:

00:00 The Problem With Low Agency

02:04 The Jail Cell Test

05:16 Can You Train Agency?

09:05 Context-Dependent Agency

15:15 Life in Austin, Texas

18:04 UK Cynicism vs American Naivety

24:06 The Happiness Paradox

30:02 Language Shapes Thinking

36:07 Hater or Inspired? The Choice Is Yours

42:07 The Busy Trap

46:03 The $1,500 Chicken Sandwich Story

51:34 Parenthood: The Ultimate Agency Hack

59:58 Jiu-Jitsu and Personal Growth

1:03:02 The Gap and The Gain

1:07:26 Warren Buffett's Investment Exercise

1:12:25 Practical Agency Hacks

1:17:20 The A1 Paper That Changed Everything

1:29:11 Eat Frogs, Lick Toads

1:32:35 Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals

1:35:31 Closing Advice

Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5863 The Problem With Fame: Professor Green Rapper Professor Green joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation about the problem with fame, the illusion of success and the hidden loneliness behind recognition. From growing up in Hackney to playing Glastonbury, Professor Green reveals how fame promised to fix everything… and nearly broke him instead. They dive into the darker side of success, the pressure to perform, the loss of privacy and the mental health toll of living as a public persona. Green opens up about his late autism and ADHD diagnosis, the self-sabotage of success and learning to rebuild a life grounded in honesty, fatherhood and self-awareness rather than applause. He explains: ◼️ Why fame magnifies your problems instead of solving them ◼️ How childhood trauma shapes ambition and anxiety ◼️ The reality of addiction, ego, and escapism in celebrity culture ◼️ Why becoming a dad finally made him stop performing ◼️ How self-understanding saved his life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Rapper Professor Green joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation about the problem with fame, the illusion of success and the hidden loneliness behind recognition. From growing up in Hackney to playing Glastonbury, Professor Green reveals how fame promised to fix everything… and nearly broke him instead. They dive into the darker side of success, the pressure to perform, the loss of privacy and the mental health toll of living as a public persona. Green opens up about his late autism and ADHD diagnosis, the self-sabotage of success and learning to rebuild a life grounded in honesty, fatherhood and self-awareness rather than applause. He explains: ◼️ Why fame magnifies your problems instead of solving them ◼️ How childhood trauma shapes ambition and anxiety ◼️ The reality of addiction, ego, and escapism in celebrity culture ◼️ Why becoming a dad finally made him stop performing ◼️ How self-understanding saved his life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Rapper Professor Green joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation about the problem with fame, the illusion of success and the hidden loneliness behind recognition.

From growing up in Hackney to playing Glastonbury, Professor Green reveals how fame promised to fix everything… and nearly broke him instead.

They dive into the darker side of success, the pressure to perform, the loss of privacy and the mental health toll of living as a public persona.

Green opens up about his late autism and ADHD diagnosis, the self-sabotage of success and learning to rebuild a life grounded in honesty, fatherhood and self-awareness rather than applause.


He explains:

◼️ Why fame magnifies your problems instead of solving them

◼️ How childhood trauma shapes ambition and anxiety

◼️ The reality of addiction, ego, and escapism in celebrity culture

◼️ Why becoming a dad finally made him stop performing

◼️ How self-understanding saved his life

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6728 The Problem With The Internet: Jacob Hawley & Jake Farrell Comedians Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell, hosts of the hit podcast Screen Rot, join James Smith to dissect the madness of the modern internet - where everyone’s a brand, outrage is currency, and idiots become superstars overnight. From online fame to fake authenticity, steroids to OnlyFans, they unpack the comedy and chaos of living in a world that never logs out. Jacob and Jake, two of the UK’s freshest stand-up voices, bring their signature blend of humour and insight to questions that define our time: Is the algorithm killing culture? Why does everyone need a platform? And can you stay sane while being online for a living? They discuss: ◼️ Why the internet rewards bad behaviour ◼️ How outrage, moral superiority, and “hot takes” became entertainment ◼️ The rise of online characters - from influencers to politicians ◼️ The dark side of the creator economy and performance-enhancing everything ◼️ What the future of comedy, fame, and humanity might look like Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 28 Oct 2025 18:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Comedians Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell, hosts of the hit podcast Screen Rot, join James Smith to dissect the madness of the modern internet - where everyone’s a brand, outrage is currency, and idiots become superstars overnight. From online fame to fake authenticity, steroids to OnlyFans, they unpack the comedy and chaos of living in a world that never logs out. Jacob and Jake, two of the UK’s freshest stand-up voices, bring their signature blend of humour and insight to questions that define our time: Is the algorithm killing culture? Why does everyone need a platform? And can you stay sane while being online for a living? They discuss: ◼️ Why the internet rewards bad behaviour ◼️ How outrage, moral superiority, and “hot takes” became entertainment ◼️ The rise of online characters - from influencers to politicians ◼️ The dark side of the creator economy and performance-enhancing everything ◼️ What the future of comedy, fame, and humanity might look like Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Comedians Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell, hosts of the hit podcast Screen Rot, join James Smith to dissect the madness of the modern internet - where everyone’s a brand, outrage is currency, and idiots become superstars overnight.

From online fame to fake authenticity, steroids to OnlyFans, they unpack the comedy and chaos of living in a world that never logs out.

Jacob and Jake, two of the UK’s freshest stand-up voices, bring their signature blend of humour and insight to questions that define our time: Is the algorithm killing culture? Why does everyone need a platform? And can you stay sane while being online for a living?


They discuss:

◼️ Why the internet rewards bad behaviour

◼️ How outrage, moral superiority, and “hot takes” became entertainment

◼️ The rise of online characters - from influencers to politicians

◼️ The dark side of the creator economy and performance-enhancing everything

◼️ What the future of comedy, fame, and humanity might look like


Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below. I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4561 The Problem With Hormone Therapy: Dr Louise Newson Dr. Louise Newson, world-leading menopause specialist and hormone health expert, joins James Smith to expose the truth about hormones, testosterone, and modern medicine’s biggest blind spot. From the history of contraception to the stigma around testosterone and the rise of synthetic hormones, Dr. Newson argues that hormonal health isn’t a “women’s issue”, it’s a foundation of human health we’ve ignored for decades. Dr. Newson is a GP, menopause specialist, and founder of the Balance Menopause app, used by millions worldwide. In this powerful conversation, she reveals how hormones influence mental health, metabolism, fertility, and performance… and why balancing them could prevent depression, dementia, and chronic disease. She explains: ◼️ Why testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone” and how it transforms mood and energy ◼️ The dark history of contraception and its lasting health impact ◼️ How inflammation and modern diets disrupt hormonal balance ◼️ Why women are prescribed antidepressants instead of HRT ◼️ The real science behind hormone replacement, fertility, and GLP-1 drugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:44:00 -0000 full James Smith Dr. Louise Newson, world-leading menopause specialist and hormone health expert, joins James Smith to expose the truth about hormones, testosterone, and modern medicine’s biggest blind spot. From the history of contraception to the stigma around testosterone and the rise of synthetic hormones, Dr. Newson argues that hormonal health isn’t a “women’s issue”, it’s a foundation of human health we’ve ignored for decades. Dr. Newson is a GP, menopause specialist, and founder of the Balance Menopause app, used by millions worldwide. In this powerful conversation, she reveals how hormones influence mental health, metabolism, fertility, and performance… and why balancing them could prevent depression, dementia, and chronic disease. She explains: ◼️ Why testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone” and how it transforms mood and energy ◼️ The dark history of contraception and its lasting health impact ◼️ How inflammation and modern diets disrupt hormonal balance ◼️ Why women are prescribed antidepressants instead of HRT ◼️ The real science behind hormone replacement, fertility, and GLP-1 drugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Dr. Louise Newson, world-leading menopause specialist and hormone health expert, joins James Smith to expose the truth about hormones, testosterone, and modern medicine’s biggest blind spot. From the history of contraception to the stigma around testosterone and the rise of synthetic hormones, Dr. Newson argues that hormonal health isn’t a “women’s issue”, it’s a foundation of human health we’ve ignored for decades. Dr. Newson is a GP, menopause specialist, and founder of the Balance Menopause app, used by millions worldwide. In this powerful conversation, she reveals how hormones influence mental health, metabolism, fertility, and performance… and why balancing them could prevent depression, dementia, and chronic disease. She explains: ◼️ Why testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone” and how it transforms mood and energy ◼️ The dark history of contraception and its lasting health impact ◼️ How inflammation and modern diets disrupt hormonal balance ◼️ Why women are prescribed antidepressants instead of HRT ◼️ The real science behind hormone replacement, fertility, and GLP-1 drugs

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 5040 The Problem With Buddhism: Will Storr Will Storr, award-winning author and science writer, reveals why the Buddhist rejection of ego and ambition completely misunderstands human nature, and how status is the hidden force driving everything we do. In this episode of The Problem With… James and Will unpack the uncomfortable truth: without wanting, striving, and competing for recognition, civilisation itself would collapse. Will Storr is the author of The Status Game and The Science of Storytelling, and his work spans psychology, neuroscience, and culture. He explains why our obsession with hierarchy and belonging is baked into evolution, how status loss drives everything from online hate to violence and suicide, and why “connection and respect” are as fundamental to survival as food and water. He explains: ◼️ Why Buddhism gets human motivation wrong ◼️ How every person plays invisible “status games” daily ◼️ Why humiliation can trigger violence ◼️ How storytelling and culture shape our sense of self ◼️ The link between status, social media, and modern mental health I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:22:00 -0000 full James Smith Will Storr, award-winning author and science writer, reveals why the Buddhist rejection of ego and ambition completely misunderstands human nature, and how status is the hidden force driving everything we do. In this episode of The Problem With… James and Will unpack the uncomfortable truth: without wanting, striving, and competing for recognition, civilisation itself would collapse. Will Storr is the author of The Status Game and The Science of Storytelling, and his work spans psychology, neuroscience, and culture. He explains why our obsession with hierarchy and belonging is baked into evolution, how status loss drives everything from online hate to violence and suicide, and why “connection and respect” are as fundamental to survival as food and water. He explains: ◼️ Why Buddhism gets human motivation wrong ◼️ How every person plays invisible “status games” daily ◼️ Why humiliation can trigger violence ◼️ How storytelling and culture shape our sense of self ◼️ The link between status, social media, and modern mental health I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Will Storr, award-winning author and science writer, reveals why the Buddhist rejection of ego and ambition completely misunderstands human nature, and how status is the hidden force driving everything we do.

In this episode of The Problem With… James and Will unpack the uncomfortable truth: without wanting, striving, and competing for recognition, civilisation itself would collapse.

Will Storr is the author of The Status Game and The Science of Storytelling, and his work spans psychology, neuroscience, and culture.

He explains why our obsession with hierarchy and belonging is baked into evolution, how status loss drives everything from online hate to violence and suicide, and why “connection and respect” are as fundamental to survival as food and water.

He explains: ◼️ Why Buddhism gets human motivation wrong ◼️ How every person plays invisible “status games” daily ◼️ Why humiliation can trigger violence ◼️ How storytelling and culture shape our sense of self ◼️ The link between status, social media, and modern mental health I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 6022 The Problem With Not Using AI: Daniel Priestley Daniel Priestley, bestselling author and leading entrepreneur, explains why AI is the most disruptive force of our lifetime - bigger than social media, mobile phones, or even the internet itself. He reveals why businesses that fail to adapt by 2027 will be left behind, how personal brands and communities will survive the AI wave, and why now is not the time to rest. Daniel Priestley is an internationally recognised speaker, author of five bestselling books including Key Person of Influence, and founder of multiple multimillion-dollar companies. In this episode, he shares powerful frameworks and predictions that every entrepreneur, creator, and professional needs to hear as AI reshapes the economy. He explains: What to look out for as indicators of change; Big Tech reactions. Why “your business is already dead”—and how to reinvent it with AI. The “sponge vs. icing” framework: how humans add the only value AI can’t. Why 2027 marks the turning point from “AI toy” to total disruption. The Loops & Groups model: running high-output businesses with lean teams. How to future-proof your career by becoming a director, not a doer. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:20 - The problem with.. Business & AI 3:12 - Reluctance to change 10:38 - How to think about AI 15:04 - Loops & Groups 18:26 - Positive Lifestyle Changes 24:20 - Is University Over? 32:33 - AI & Farming 37:32 - Wages & Productivity 42:48 - Personal Brands 56:50 - The Dog Trainer 1:03:14 - Staying Motivated #theproblemwith #jamessmithpodcast #ai Follow us on socials: www.linktr.ee/theproblemwith I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:00:00 -0000 full James Smith Daniel Priestley, bestselling author and leading entrepreneur, explains why AI is the most disruptive force of our lifetime - bigger than social media, mobile phones, or even the internet itself. He reveals why businesses that fail to adapt by 2027 will be left behind, how personal brands and communities will survive the AI wave, and why now is not the time to rest. Daniel Priestley is an internationally recognised speaker, author of five bestselling books including Key Person of Influence, and founder of multiple multimillion-dollar companies. In this episode, he shares powerful frameworks and predictions that every entrepreneur, creator, and professional needs to hear as AI reshapes the economy. He explains: What to look out for as indicators of change; Big Tech reactions. Why “your business is already dead”—and how to reinvent it with AI. The “sponge vs. icing” framework: how humans add the only value AI can’t. Why 2027 marks the turning point from “AI toy” to total disruption. The Loops & Groups model: running high-output businesses with lean teams. How to future-proof your career by becoming a director, not a doer. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:20 - The problem with.. Business & AI 3:12 - Reluctance to change 10:38 - How to think about AI 15:04 - Loops & Groups 18:26 - Positive Lifestyle Changes 24:20 - Is University Over? 32:33 - AI & Farming 37:32 - Wages & Productivity 42:48 - Personal Brands 56:50 - The Dog Trainer 1:03:14 - Staying Motivated #theproblemwith #jamessmithpodcast #ai Follow us on socials: www.linktr.ee/theproblemwith I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Daniel Priestley, bestselling author and leading entrepreneur, explains why AI is the most disruptive force of our lifetime - bigger than social media, mobile phones, or even the internet itself.

He reveals why businesses that fail to adapt by 2027 will be left behind, how personal brands and communities will survive the AI wave, and why now is not the time to rest.

Daniel Priestley is an internationally recognised speaker, author of five bestselling books including Key Person of Influence, and founder of multiple multimillion-dollar companies.

In this episode, he shares powerful frameworks and predictions that every entrepreneur, creator, and professional needs to hear as AI reshapes the economy. He explains:

What to look out for as indicators of change; Big Tech reactions.

Why “your business is already dead”—and how to reinvent it with AI.

The “sponge vs. icing” framework: how humans add the only value AI can’t.

Why 2027 marks the turning point from “AI toy” to total disruption.

The Loops & Groups model: running high-output businesses with lean teams.

How to future-proof your career by becoming a director, not a doer. Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:20 - The problem with.. Business & AI

3:12 - Reluctance to change

10:38 - How to think about AI

15:04 - Loops & Groups

18:26 - Positive Lifestyle Changes

24:20 - Is University Over?

32:33 - AI & Farming

37:32 - Wages & Productivity

42:48 - Personal Brands

56:50 - The Dog Trainer

1:03:14 - Staying Motivated

#theproblemwith #jamessmithpodcast #ai

Follow us on socials: www.linktr.ee/theproblemwith


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 4890 Why I’m Bringing Back My Podcast… The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos. Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise. New episodes every Tuesday 6PM BST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000 trailer James Smith The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos. Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise. New episodes every Tuesday 6PM BST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos.

Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise.

New episodes every Tuesday 6PM BST.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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