

3 Takeaways
Lynn Thoman
3 Takeaways features insights from the world’s best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, scientists and other newsmakers. Each episode ends with 3 key takeaways to help you understand the world in new ways that can benefit your life and career. Hosted by Lynn Thoman.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 31, 2023 • 22min
Classified: The Complex and Bizarre World of Government-Imposed Racial Classification. Listen, and Learn. (#130)
At a time when government-imposed racial and ethnic classifications are increasingly used to determine peoples’ rights, it’s important for them to make sense. According to law professor and author David Bernstein, they definitely do not. They’re absurd, have negative consequences, and are widely manipulated by “identity entrepreneurs.”

Jan 24, 2023 • 24min
General David Petraeus Continues His Brilliant Analysis of the Ukraine War — Plus China, Cyber and Other Threats (#129)
Former CIA Director and General David Petraeus (Ret.) continues his brilliant, in-depth analysis of the Ukraine war, including whether or not Putin will use nuclear weapons and the risks of a wider war. Also hear his expert views on China, the battlefield of cyberspace, threats posed by Iran, N. Korea and Islamic terrorists, plus the stunning new importance of NATO. Don’t miss this remarkable talk with a remarkable man.

Jan 17, 2023 • 21min
Former CIA Director David Petraeus Provides His Expert, Riveting Take on the Russia Ukraine War (#128)
Former CIA Director and General David Petraeus (Ret.), one of the most brilliant military leaders of our generation, talks as only he can about the Ukraine war — how it will end, the likelihood of Putin going nuclear, the risk of a wider war, the weapons Ukraine needs to prevail, and more. Be sure to listen to Part 2 of this engrossing talk next week.

Jan 10, 2023 • 23min
The Good Life Unpacked: Discovering What Makes Us Thrive with the Heads of Harvard's 80-Year Study (#127)
Unlock the secrets to a fulfilling life with Bob Waldinger and Marc Shulz, the heads of Harvard's 80-Year Study of Adult Development, the longest, most in-depth, longitudinal study of human life and thriving ever done. Discover what a good life is, and how we can all have a better one. Even small choices, it turns out, can shape our lives and help us thrive. Learn the simple ingredients that make a good life, the U-shaped curve of happiness and how it's never too late to start. Get ready to be inspired and leave with three actionable takeaways!

Jan 3, 2023 • 37min
How to Change: An Expert on the Science of Personal Change Reveals Proven, Powerful Strategies (#126)
Deep personal change that enables you to achieve your goals is absolutely possible. The key: Identify what’s standing in your way, then employ strategies to overcome it. Here, Katy Milkman, Wharton professor and author of the bestseller How to Change, shares many of these powerful strategies. Here’s one: Make hard things fun.

Dec 27, 2022 • 14min
Which are the 10 Most Powerful and Compelling Takeaways of 2022? Listen and Find Out. (#125)
3 Takeaways features revealing conversations with the world’s foremost thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, scientists and other newsmakers, who each share three takeaways they consider vital. In this special year-end episode, we present the 10 most powerful and compelling takeaways of 2022. Can you guess which takeaway is from each guest? The guests include:- former Prime Minster of Australia- former Chief of MI6- the founder of the world's largest hedge fund- 7 amazing other guests Top 10 Takeaways of 2022 include: Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: War Between China and the US (#95)Political Commentator George Will: Insights on American Government Today, and Where the Democratic and Republican Parties Have Both Gone Wrong (#87)The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business: Setting the Table with Union Square Hospitality Group Founder & CEO Danny Meyer (#75)Why We Laugh: The Many Shapes and Forms of Laughter with Neuroscientist Sophie Scott (#99)Former MI6 Chief Sir Alex Younger: Putin's Miscalculations Invading Ukraine, Why Putin May Become More Desperate and Dangerous, Realities of a Spy and the Importance of Trust and Alliances (#83)Reporting from War Zones with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward: How What's Reported Differs From the Situation On the Ground (#86)An Urgent Warning on the Times Ahead with the Founder of the World's Largest Hedge Fund: Ray Dalio (#89)Business Revolution: Tech, Talent, Purpose, Social And More with Fortune Media CEO Alan Murray (#92)Ask For More: 2 Questions to Negotiate Almost Anything with Columbia Law School Mediation Clinic Director Alex Carter (#106)How Worried Should We Be About Dysfunctional Government? A Gifted Constitutional Expert Weighs In (#120)

Dec 20, 2022 • 35min
Former Senator Phil Gramm Explodes the Myth of American Inequality in an Eye-Opening Conversation (#124)
According to former Senator Phil Gramm, inequality in the U.S. is grossly overstated largely because it fails to take into account massive government aid to low income earners. The implications of this are huge, especially given the current debate about remaking capitalism. Don’t miss this important conversation.

Dec 13, 2022 • 21min
The U.S. and the Holocaust: What did America Know and Do During the Greatest Atrocity of Our Time with Ken Burns' Co-Directors (#123)
What was America’s response to the Holocaust? What did we know and not know, do and not do, as the catastrophe unfolded? These questions resonate today, when the refugee crisis, immigration and antisemitism are making headlines. Don’t miss this powerful conversation with the co-directors of the new Ken Burns documentary film The U.S. and the Holocaust, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein.

Dec 6, 2022 • 19min
Superabundance: Separating Fact From Myth About Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet (#122)
Contrary to conventional wisdom, we are not living in an age of dwindling resources. Generations of people have been taught that the world's rapidly growing population is consuming the planet's natural resources at an alarming rate. But after analyzing the prices of hundreds of commodities and products over the last 100 years, Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley found that resources became more abundant as the population grew. To their surprise, they found that we create ever more value out of natural resources, and that now is a time of superabundance and human flourishing. Don’t miss this compelling rationale for optimism.

Nov 29, 2022 • 17min
Chip War: the Fight for the World's Most Vital Technology and the Staggering Vulnerability of the U.S. (#121)
The world as we know it relies on computer chips, and the most important ones are made largely in Taiwan. This renders the U.S. shockingly vulnerable as China continues saber rattling in the region. Don’t miss this enlightening talk with economic historian and author Chris Miller.