The Decision-Making Studio Podcast

One of the things we love on this show (and as human beings for that matter – I think), is adventure. I think that’s because adventures are one of the best ways we have to embrace uncertainty. They involve not being quite sure of the outcomes of something we may be trying to do, or what we will encounter along the way. Adventure also necessarily involves risk – and that is a good thing. And of course, a good adventure, in whatever form it takes, is fun. So, it’s a pleasure to welcome back Oscar Scafidi to the show. Oscar is currently based in Tunisia. He is a travel writer, educator, and an Africa political risk consultant. Oscar’s first appearance on All Things Risk involved his expedition kayaking the Kwanza river in Angola. In this episode, Oscar share his most recent adventure in which he and his friend Ben Stephen attempted to kayak the Mangoky River in Madagascar from the source to the sea – a total of about 500 kilometres. In the process, they attempted to set a Guinness World Record and raise money for two charities – The World Food Programme and Our Kids, Our Future Madagascar. Like any good adventure, Oscar and Ben’s draws you in. We get into the detail of the adventure and at a certain point, you almost feel like you’re there, experiencing it with Oscar and Ben. However, we also take a step back and talk about purpose, resilience, mental strength, planning, and loads more. Show notes: Kayak the Mangoky The World Food Programme Madagascar Our Kids, Our Future Madagascar Oscar’s YouTube channel Oscar’s first appearance on All Things Risk – Kayaking the Kwanza Klepper kayaks Security issues in Madagascar’s Dahalo region Bilharzia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Today, we talk about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. I welcome to the show Cynthia Owyoung. Cynthia is the vice president of inclusion, equity and belonging at Robinhood. She is also the founder of Breaking Glass Forums where she develops strategies to accelerate an increase in more diverse and inclusive organisations. She has worked on these types of initiatives for over twenty years. She has also recently authored All Are Welcome – How to Build a Real Workplace Culture of Inclusion That Delivers Results. From the perspective of risk, organisations that have a high degree of diversity should make better decisions under uncertainty because they ostensibly have more experiences and perspectives on which to draw. But, as Cynthia points out, diversity isn’t enough. People need to be included and have a sense of belonging in their organisations. We get into that in this episode. Cynthia shares her background, she discusses a number of the myths and challenges associated with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, how to overcome these, and the benefits of doing so – and more. Show notes: Cynthia Owyoung All Are Welcome – How to Build a Real Workplace Culture of Inclusion That Delivers Results Cynthia on Twitter Marcus Buckingham’s Nine Lies About Work _ _ _ _ _ _ _   Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence www.allthingsrisk.co.uk

Today’s episode has a bit of everything. My guest is Benj Gallander. Benj is one of Canada’s most successful contrarian investors. Benj started investing in the 1970s and in 1995 with his friend Ben Stadelmann, he co-founded Contra The Herd, an investment newsletter that has achieved an astonishing annualised return of 19.6%. Benj is the author of three best-selling books, including The Contrarian Investors’ 13 and The Uncommon Investor III – How to Earn Superior Returns in the Stock Market. He writes a column in the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, is a regular speaker in the investment media, and is on the board of two companies. Now, I thought this was going to be a conversation about contrarian investing but it turned out to be so much more. Benj has a wide array of interests and experiences and the conversation reflects that. I think it also reflects the big lesson of this episode – curiosity and diversity of interests and thoughts are fundamental to enduring, sustainable success – and I think they most certainly have played a big role in Benj’s success. This also comes through throughout the episode – from when Benj describes his investment philosophy, co-founding Contra the Herd, discussing learning from mistakes, the importance of reading and learning, cryptocurrencies, Benj’s take on fear, doing uncomfortable things, and so much more. Show notes: Benj Gallander Contra The Herd Benj’s Globe and Mail column The Contrarian Investors’ 13 The Uncommon Investor III – How to Earn Superior Returns in the Stock Market Meme stocks Technical analysis Ron Meisels on technical analysis Alpha Pro Tech (APT) Fairfax Books and authors mentioned:             Walden by Henry David Thoreau             Sylvia Plath             My Stockbroker is a Bum: Or, Where are all the Customers’ Yachts by Charles D’Ambrosio             The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre             A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway Shel Silverstein On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King             How to Decide by Annie Duke Annie Duke on All Things Risk _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Today, we look at how and why some ideas take off and others don’t – in other words, how and why things scale. I am delighted to bring to you my conversation with John List. John has been described as a ‘master economist’ and a ‘revolutionary experimenter’. He is certainly a pioneer in combining economic theory with field experiments. John is currently the Chief Economist at Walmart and has held the same role at Lyft and Uber. He is also the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago’s Department of Economics and has been an economic advisor to the Bush White House. For the purposes of this episode, John discusses his latest and fabulous book The Voltage Effect – How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale. In it, John argues that scalability is critical to just about everything from medical breakthroughs to social movements. John shares a number of insights from the book, including the conditions necessary for something to scale and the secrets to high voltage scaling. We also spend some time on a topic I consider fascinating – when and how to quit something that is not serving us. This is one of the secrets to high voltage scaling. It’s a fascinating conversation! Show notes: The Voltage Effect John’s University of Chicago page John on Twitter John on LinkedIn The Khasi people of India Vince Lombardi John’s piece in the Wall Street Journal on quitting The quitting ‘coin flip’ experiment _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

I’ve been wanting to have an episode in which we take a ‘big picture’ look at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, there is so much analysis out there about the conflict that I wasn’t sure if I could bring on the right guest who could be highly credible and offer a unique perspective, preferably steeped in a wider historical context. This is why I am so delighted to bring to you my conversation with Susan Eisenhower. Susan is the granddaughter of General and President Dwight Eisenhower. She wrote a critically-acclaimed book about her grandfather’s leadership principles entitled How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions. She is also an expert on Russia-US relations, international security, energy, and space policy. She has served on numerous government task forces, is the Chair of Public Policy Programs at the Eisenhower Institute, and the founder of the Eisenhower Group, a consulting firm. So, she knows of what she speaks. This episode proceeds in two parts. In the first half, Susan covers General President Dwight Eisenhower’s leadership principles, particularly how he made decisions. We focus on D-Day and when, as President, Ike looked at options to contain Soviet expansionism. These leadership and decision-making principles are not only fascinating, but they are also highly transferable. In the second half, we fast forward to the present and discuss Russia’s war with Ukraine. Susan shares how we got here, a number of concerns she has, as well as the longer-term implications of the conflict. She also discusses decision-making in the context of nuclear war more broadly. Show notes: Susan Eisenhower How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions The Eisenhower Foundation The Great Man Theory of leadership D-Day Project Solarium Atoms for Peace Gettysburg College _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

What happens when your ability to make decisions gets clouded – and driven – by addiction? Why does ‘letting go’ make sense in these circumstances? What does it feel like when doing the right thing for your health seems somehow risky and frightening? And what in the world does running have to do with all of this? Making his second appearance on the podcast is my good friend Robert Earl Stewart. Based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Robert (or Bob as I’ve always known him) is a writer, poet, and former journalist and bookseller. He is also a recovering alcoholic and has struggled with food addiction. At one point in his life, he weighed nearly 400 pounds and struggled to breathe while talking. As you will hear, he took up running in an effort to save his life and ended up writing a fabulous book about his journey. The book is called The Running-Shaped Hole. It’s funny, moving, and inspirational as it chronicles how Robert lost 140 pounds, ran the Detroit Free Press half marathon, ended up in jail at one point, and tons in between. He shares his thoughts on all of those things in this episode and more, including what addiction feels like, family, the importance of surrender, and how authorities suspected he may have been at the head of an international organsised crime syndicate that provokes monied interests at picnics (you will have to listen to learn more about that last one). Like his book, this is an entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking conversation. Show notes: The Running-Shaped Hole Robert on Goodreads Robert on Twitter Robert’s first appearance on All Things Risk Blaise Pascal’s God-shaped hole Michel Foucault’s heterotopia Willistead Park Hiram Walker _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Recent events – at the time of writing, Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine – reinforce that uncertainty is an inherent human condition. Our guest on this episode offers an approach to this reality that is useful. Paula Reid is an adventurer, and more precisely, an adventure psychologist. She has completed a number of epic things like skiing to the South Pole, sailing around the world, and paddling the Mekong river. While we have had many adventurers on the show, I invited Paula to appear because she is a trailblazer in the field of adventure psychology – which is all about using applied psychology and experience to facilitate enduring performance and well-being. She helps individuals and organisations survive, cope and thrive during change. Given the state of the world, that is something all of us can use. Show notes: Paula’s website Anticipatory thinking The Brave Athlete by Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson The film “Backdraft” Alex Honnold Adam Grant on Languishing Safety and wingsuit BASE jumping Alistair Humphreys on All Things Risk (including references to the ‘doorstep mile’) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Today, we look at organisations and the people within them. I want you to meet our guest, Minal Bopaiah. Minal is the founder of Brevity and Wit, a strategy and design firm dedicated to designing a more equitable world. She is also the author of a great book Equity – How to Design Organisations Where Everyone Can Thrive. Minal is based in the USA but her expertise and experience in combining human-centred design, behaviour change science, and the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accountability is relevant to people everywhere. From the perspective of risk, uncertainty and decision-making, the concept of equity – the way Minal addresses it – leads to better outcomes. I think that’s because it creates more robust and higher-quality decisions. Minal also makes the distinctions between diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility very clear. Her approach is down-to-earth and pragmatic – and very engaging. Show notes: Minal Bopaiah Brevity and Wit Equity – How to Design Organisations Where Everyone Can Thrive Article – “How Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes May Backfire” The BJP political party in India _ _ _ _ _ _ _  Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Today, we talk about the science of fear. Fear is a theme that unsurprisingly comes up a lot on this podcast, as it is so closely associated with risk and uncertainty. We get to discuss fear in a great way with our guest Eva Holland, author of the book Nerve – A Personal Journey Through the Science of Fear. Eva is a freelance writer based in Whitehorse in the Yukon territory of Northern Canada. She is a correspondent for Outside magazine and has had her work published in the likes of Wired, Bloomberg and National Geographic News. In 2015, Eva was forced to face her greatest fear when her mother sadly passed away suddenly from a stroke. After her grief subsided, Eva began to explore how her fears may have limited her, and whether or not it was possible to move past them. This led to a deep dive into the science of fear, including where phobias come from, how they differ from trauma or anxiety, and whether we can find better ways to feel afraid. We get into all of that in this episode. We discuss the different types of fear, what Eva learned, some insights into what happens to people who have a rare disease that prevents them from feeling fear, how people like rock climber Alex Honnold process fear, and much more. Show notes: Nerve: A Personal Journey Through the Science of Fear (in N America “Adventures in the Science of Fear”) Eva’s website Eva on Twitter The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne Alex Honnold Patient S.M. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

One of the ways in which to manage uncertainty is by creating routines and rituals that drive a degree of certainty in our lives. In previous episodes, we’ve talked about decision-making and decision quality – that we cannot control outcomes but we can control the quality of our decisions. That requires focus. And focus isn’t easy in this day and age of seemingly infinite distraction.   With that, I want you to meet our guest, Thatcher Wine. Thatcher is the CEO of Juniper Books. You may have come across them for their beautiful, hand-crafted book sets. The reason I invited Thatcher on the show however is because he recently wrote his own fabulous book – The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better.   I think that we believe – even subliminally – that we need to multi-task to be successful. Thatcher’s book tackles that myth and introduces the concept of “monotasking muscles”. He believes we can use monotasking as the foundation for everything in our lives. The book presents twelve monotasks – from reading, listening, playing, creating, sleeping, and more. It is based on research in neuroscience, productivity, and the attention economy which all demonstrate monotasking’s benefits. In the episode, we cover Thatcher’s background, the origins of the book, what monotasking is, we dive into some of the monotasks most related to the themes of this show, and Thatcher shares some tips on how we can strengthen our monotasking muscles. Show notes: The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better Monotasking Tips Juniper Books Thatcher on Twitter Peter Drucker _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence