Retrouvez l'épisode en version française ici : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/shane-parrish-vf/

The ex-spy who now advises Wall Street.

Shane Parrish used to work for the Canadian intelligence services. A cybersecurity specialist, he joined the agency just two weeks before 9/11, an event that would trigger a lifelong quest:

How can we make better decisions?

At the time, Shane wasn’t even allowed to have an online presence. But when a media outlet exposed his identity, he left the agency and poured his energy into his blog, called Farnam Street.

Fast forward to today: his newsletter is read by over 850,000 people, and he has built one of the oldest paid communities on the web.

The problem? There’s no formal training on decision-making despite being one of the most powerful skills you can learn.

So Shane went all in. He documented everything he was learning and eventually launched one of the top podcasts in the US: The Knowledge Project.

From cognitive biases to behavioral psychology to investment strategies, he immersed himself fully. Over time, he even caught the attention of Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s longtime right-hand man, who became his mentor.

At first, it was Wall Street insiders who tuned in. Then word spread, and his audience exploded far beyond the finance world.

His book, Clear Thinking—a New York Times Bestseller—has helped thousands reclaim control over their decisions and move past ego, anger, and anxiety.

In this episode, Shane shares the rules that shaped his journey—how to think clearly, decide wisely… and live better.

A must-listen for anyone who wants to regain control and truly thrive.

TIMELINE:

00:00:00 : How to get in trouble as an intelligence agent
00:11:45 : The cheat code for decision making: automatic rules
00:22:32 : System 1 and System 2 — counteracting our biases
00:36:37 : How to stick to our goals and create a great life
00:41:17 : The 3-project rule and the COVID era
00:48:30 : Spying on meetings at a Canadian Intelligence Agency
00:56:47 : Let the HiPPO speak last to avoid blind spots
01:02:40 : How to inspire people to do their best and go beyond average
01:12:53 : Stop stuffing your calendar — you’re not thinking enough
01:23:09 : How to position yourself so that you always win
01:32:25 : Be ready to pay the price to chase your dreams
01:40:19 : Ego and life balance
01:48:08 : How he became one of the OGs of content creation

We referred to previous GDIY episodes :

A few recent episodes in English :

We spoke about :

Reading Recommendations :

You can contact Shane on LinkedIn, Instagram, X.

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