Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesWay, way back, when it was raining too hard to go out and kick a ball around, my brother, Nigel, and I had a game we occasionally played - pick-up sticks. If you don’t know this game, imagine about 30 different-coloured bamboo skewers in a pile. You had to remove them, one by one, without shifting the delicately-balanced structure. This is the first memory I have of a game where the goal was to remove things. This wasn’t Lego or Monopoly where you strive to build, this was surgery. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Leidy Klotz is a professor at The University of Virginia and the author of one of my favorite books on change, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less. Leidy reads two pages from ‘Soccer in Sun and Shadow’ by Eduardo Galeano. [reading begins at 11:50]  Hear us discuss: Finding balance between play and work. [15:32] | How to enjoy subtraction and enter the flow state: “Subtraction is additional work.” [16:57] | The connection between grief and the discipline of less. [20:16] | Knowing when to subtract: “When you expand your view of a situation, you might see that the thing you’re trying to do is being done somewhere else.” [22:22] | A story of identifying the essential. [26:43] | Prizes and punishments of change: “We don’t have to choose between adding and subtracting; they’re both complementary approaches to making changes.” [29:20]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages The smell of wood smoke, particularly burning eucalyptus wood as I’m sitting around a fire in the Australian bush, always conjures awe. As Dacher Keltner put it in his new book, “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” Starting a fire is a delicate thing; you collect all the materials and spark the flame, hoping it catches, and once it does, you nourish it until it becomes robust - or, for me, becomes an invitation to awe. Here I’m speaking both literally, and metaphorically. Ozan Varol is a literal rocket scientist, but that’s been only one of his careers so far. He’s my latest guest whose roots are in Turkey, and his book Awaken Your Genius has just been released. 2PP: Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Ozan reads two pages from ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. [reading begins at 17:47]  Hear us discuss: Leaning into your individuality. [6:50] | “No one can compete with you at being you.” [10:18] | The price of genius. [13:08] | Chasing the originality unicorn. [20:07] | “Authentic means staying true to who you are at the moment.” [24:01] | Internal approval is greater than external approval: “The more we strive for guaranteed success, the less original we become.” [26:54] | Answering curiosity’s call. [37:10] | Stop overthinking: Learning to listen beyond your brain’s ideas. [39:51]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesGrowing up, there were a couple of my dad’s high school track trophies on the sideboard in our house. I loved those trophies as a kid - Dad, on the other hand, was pretty indifferent to them, having moved on to other things. Be it physical or not, what trophies do you have? And which ones are you now chasing? How do your past and possible achievements shape and enliven you, and in turn, how do they constrain you? Laura Gassner Otting is a best-selling author, a keynote speaker, a coach, and a friend. Laura reads two pages from ‘Stones from the River’ by Ursula Hegi. [reading begins at 24:00]  Hear us discuss: How to stop chasing approval from others. [7:40] | The difference between institutions and cathedrals. [17:38] | “Grow to love the part of you that is always in process.” [31:43] | Finding both success and happiness. [33:54] | “There’s success for my ego, and success for my heart.” [40:38] | Success then versus now: “Success is knowing who I am and how I can bring that to people who want to see more of me.” [41:53]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesOne of the most powerful lessons I learnt was from the author Peter Block, who said that a characteristic of someone living an adult life is the willingness to make hard decisions. The same thing is often said about leadership, but I really like that he’s shifted that simple and difficult task to be present at the heart of being human. Block says that the inevitable outcome of making a hard choice is two feelings; guilt and anxiety, which, then, aren’t personal flaws but rather features of having the courage to be an adult in your own life. Debbie Millman is a designer to her bones. She’s the author of seven books, one of the OGs of podcasting, and an educator who runs the first ever graduate program in branding at the School of Visual Arts. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/  Debbie reads a passage from ‘Consider the Lobster’ by David Foster Wallace. [reading begins at 20:33]  Hear us discuss: “Design is about intention.” [5:48] | The Panther by Rainer Maria Rilke. [11:46] | Sitting with failure: “The only feeling we don’t metabolize is regret.” [14:28] | Becoming a leader that inspires. [24:11] | The difference between a great leader, and a great salesman. [27:03] | The struggle of finding balance in servant leadership. [31:12] | Designing your life: “Take small steps up the mountain … you don’t want to peak until the day before you die.” [36:31] | Success Vs. Purpose. [41:22] 

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesI read recently that there’s a drop in the number of people going to university to study the Arts, particularly Literature, because, “It’s just not practical.” I did both an Undergraduate and a Master’s Degree in Literature, and I know that it’s influenced who I am and how I see the world every day. In my undergraduate years, I learnt through an autobiography course that there’s no static sense of who you are. We become who we are through the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. What intrigues me is figuring out which aspects of who I am it’s helpful to commit to, and where and when the adventure is in letting in ambiguity and variation. Sometimes, it turns out, wisdom is not increased certainty, but actually a willingness to recognise all that is uncertain. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Anil Seth is a professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at The University of Sussex. He is the author of a wonderful book called Being You, and the creator of The Perception Census, a new study aiding in understanding how we actually experience the world. Anil reads two pages from ‘Consciousness Explained’ by Daniel Dennett. [reading begins at 17:20]  Hear us discuss: What is consciousness? [3:07] | “We rely on metaphors and science, but we inevitably get misled by them.” [25:10] | “It seems to us that we experience the world as it really is.” [29:13] What it means to ‘grow wise.’ [34:17] | The fragility of consciousness. [35:45] | The nature of the Self: “Part of our sense of self is co-constructed through the minds of others.” [37:09]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesI’ve been very lucky to work with some of the TED Fellows, a program where young people of promise are given access to the TED world. For three years, I attended a gathering of these extraordinary young people to offer some support, facilitation, and coaching. What became obvious to me over the years was the commonness of brilliance, achievement, and disintegration. They were often exhausted, overwhelmed, and struggling with their so-called success. Of course, there was a range of coaches and experts who were able to provide support and accelerate most of them to the plateau of sustainability. As you know, I love good questions, so: What does ‘sustainable’ success look like? How do I not sacrifice my life for my ambition? Laurel Braitman is a best-selling writer, secular clinical chaplain-in-training, and the Director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine where she teaches those in the medical field to communicate more clearly and vulnerably with their patients. She’s also a TED Fellow, which is where I met her a decade and some ago. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Laurel reads two pages from ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi. [reading begins at 20:15]  Hear us discuss: “There’s really no such thing as happiness, only happy-sad or sadly happy.” [14:10] | Gaining a lived understanding of love. [24:30] | “Let life surprise you, maybe it’ll surprise you in a good way.” [29:03] | Learning to dance with your limitations: “My drug of choice is excellence.” [30:52] | What success really means. [35:52] | The mission for What Looks Like Bravery. [40:32] | “There’s nothing like the gift of believing in someone when they don’t believe in themselves.” [45:58]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesI had a lucky break when I started working. Having lingered in university for more than a little while, I found myself at 25 without any real idea of what I wanted to do. I applied to many places, and finally got hired at an innovation agency. The real gift of working there was the founders’ aversion to business as usual. For many of us, though, the first few years of working are mostly about learning how to be a good worker. There are rules, unspoken and spoken, on how to behave. Do you know the rules that you’re following? McKinley Valentine is the creator, writer, and curator of The Whippet, a cult-hit newsletter with an eclectic mix of science, history, weirdness, and unsolicited advice. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/  McKinley reads two pages from ‘The Expectation Effect’ by David Robson. [reading begins at 18:05]  Hear us discuss: What it takes to be a good editor: “There are no rules to editing.” [4:37] | The positive and negative powers of your mindset. [24:56] | Finding peace with your diagnosis (ADHD): “It gives you an explanation, and I don’t think anyone ever feels worse after getting an explanation.” [33:15] | “People have an addiction to reading negative stuff because it feels important, and real, and true.” [37:58] | How the expectation effect works. [40:52]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesIt’s 1985, I’m 17, in my final year of high school, and I’m just having fun. There was very little then that hinted at who I’d become now. Though my favorite class was Literature, I wrote nothing aside from the essays that were due the next day. Once, during a school assembly, a classmate of mine got on stage with his cello. Barely knowing what a cello was, I wasn’t all that moved when he announced he’d won some big prize. Then, he played it. While I didn’t really understand the music, I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is what it means to be really good at something!’ and just how extraordinary it is to be one of the best of the best. Neil Heyde was that classmate. After graduation, Neil became - and still is - a member of a world-class quartet, a recorded artist, and head of postgraduate programmes at one of the most prestigious music institutions, the Royal Academy of Music in London, which has been his home for decades now. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Neil reads two pages from ‘The Craftsman’ by Richard Sennett. [reading begins at 18:20]  Hear us discuss: “You have to set the agenda for what you want to do.” [4:15] | Discovering the goal through the work you do. [23:57] | “I think of practice as a workshop.” [27:36] | The relationship between your mind and your hand. [29:55] | What it’s like to collaborate in a quartet: “I love working in an environment where one has to grapple a bit.” [33:37] | How to not allow disagreements to destroy your relationships. [34:59]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesOur inability to think long-term is encapsulated in a system we barely notice: the way that we write the year. Implicit in the number ‘2023’ is that when we get to 9999, there’s nowhere left to go. We’ve programmed into our lives that we can’t imagine beyond eight thousand or so years into the future, which is nothing in the grand scheme of a geological age. The Long Now is an organization that writes the date with an extra digit. Alternatively, it’s written as ‘02023,’ expanding our ‘now’ from a ten thousand-year span, to one that’s a hundred thousand years. This change has allowed me to stop staring a few feet ahead of me, eyes fixed to the path, and instead look to the horizon and remember the bigger game afoot. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Peter Brannen is an author and science journalist, contributing to The Atlantic, The New York Times, Washington Post, and others. Peter reads two pages from ‘Teaching a Stone to Talk’ by Annie Dillard. [reading begins at 10:40]  Hear us discuss: “Unless you’re aware of what you’re looking at, you go around the world blind to what’s been lost.” [5:15] | Maintaining a sense of awe and adventure. [16:00] | Is having a meaningful life worth it? [18:40] | Understanding the Earth’s precarity: “The more I study Earth, the more I come to realize our cosmic luck.” [22:13] | Discovering the essentials of life on Earth. [26:45]

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2PagesWho do you think of when I say, ‘designer’? My brain goes into all sorts of nooks and crannies, and one person that comes to mind is you. A designer is someone who solves a problem. We can all probably improve at how and what we design, but have no doubts, you’ve already crossed the thresholds. You are already a designer. Ayse Birsel’s center of authority has always been in industrial design, making products that make life better. However, her current work has shifted beyond that. Now, Ayse is focused on what it takes to design a good life. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Ayse reads two pages from ‘The Creative Habit’ by Twyla Tharp. [reading begins at 16:40]  Hear us discuss: Deconstruction-reconstruction: “How do I go from what I know today to what I can imagine in the future?” [9:25] | “Design creates optimism.” [13:38] | The feeling of starting a creation from nothing. [21:37] | Maintaining creative habits. [23:08] | The transition from pessimism to optimism: “Pessimism is seeing the problems, optimism is seeing the problems as opportunities.” [27:30] | Manufacturing fresh friendships. [30:05]