“Hope makes you follow your dreams,” says actress Dina Shihabi, from the Amazon Original Jack Ryan. “I would have nothing in my life if I didn't have hope.” We’re living through a pretty dark time right now. There’s this constant stream of negative news coverage and criticism. It’s hard to feel certain or confident about anything. Which is why it’s more important than ever to tap into our collective reserve of hope - the belief that life can be better tomorrow than it is today.  In today’s episode, Ammar sits down with Dina to talk about how growing up in Arab countries shaped how they view themselves and the world, and how hope was (and still is) the backbone to their wildest dreams. They share personal stories of needing to overcome cultural friction and disbelief, and finding ways to fuel that inner hope when no one else believed in them.  Through Ammar’s and Dina’s stories of growing up, moving away from home, and chasing their dreams we come to see: hope is a resilient, beautiful, and messy force that requires us to confront cynicism and fear.  Hope isn’t just a passive feeling; it’s an action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pandemics and vast uncertainty aside, life is hard. And for whatever reason, it seems to be getting harder. Studies have shown that the average kid today experiences more anxiety than the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.  It feels like there’s this undercurrent of anxiety to everything we do. But instead of dealing with it, we fill our calendars with back-to-back appointments and our lives with endless distractions. We do everything we can to avoid having that anxiety bubble up. But what if we didn’t? What if we stopped trying to numb and distract? What would it look like to just accept anxiety as a fact of life and deal with it head on?  That’s what we’re getting after in this episode. Along the way, Matt shares the intimate details of how he’s grappled with anxiety through the years and Ammar discusses his inability to meditate.  Most importantly, Andy Puddicombe, the former monk and co-founder of the meditation app Headspace, stops by to help us to identify ways to cultivate a more mindful approach to life, deal with emotions as they come, and find more presence.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated? You probably learned it in kindergarten. Chances are you haven’t really upped your kindness game since. Most of us haven’t. The older we get, the more responsibilities, anxieties, and personal pursuits take over. And kindness simply doesn’t make the to-do list.  It’s not that we think kindness is any less important than in kindergarten. No, it’s the opposite. Most people agree that practicing kindness is more important than ever. But there’s a gap, between what we say we value as a society, and what we do. In this episode, we’re getting to the source on how to close that “kindness gap.”  Houston Kraft, a kindness advocate and educator, explains how we can overcome what gets in the way of deep kindness and start incorporating it into our daily lives. François Clemmons, also known as Officer Clemmons on the acclaimed Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, shares stories about Fred Rogers, and how he showed him the true meaning of kindness on and off camera.  For more on how to live a more kind life, check out Houston’s brand new book Deep Kindness here: https://deepkindness.com This episode is sponsored by: PayPal - PayPal is making it easy to pay safely, quickly, and easily. Download the PayPal app today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Yes Theory, we were just three guys trying to figure out what we wanted to do in life. We didn’t know much, just that we didn’t want to walk predictable paths. Luckily, we each had mentors that inspired us to stop thinking and start doing--anything and everything outside our comfort zones.  In this episode, we call back two of those early mentors to talk about why having novel experiences is so crucial for creativity, meaningful relationships, and business. And how it is truly the foundation for making any dream happen. Jason Silva is the host of the award winning show, Brain Games, and is a self-described epiphany junkie. Ben Nemtin is the acclaimed writer, public speaker, and television personality from Matt’s favorite MTV show, The Buried Life.  Together, these two wise stages help us figure out - how do we start breaking routine and chasing our dreams (even in the world’s current conditions)? Is now really the time to prioritize our personal goals? And above all else, how do we push through the fear of trying new things? This episode is sponsored by: LinkedIn - Get $50 off your first job post at LinkedIn.com/YesTheory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harvard Professor and Atlantic columnist Arthur Brooks discusses being an entrepreneur about your life. Ozan Varol, rocket scientist and author, talks about why he dropped out of his career. Is now the time to play it safe or take risks? How can we make the best of this year and move through uncertainty? Dealing with disappointment and uncertainty. Reflecting on difficult career choices and fear of uncertainty. Creating space, taking risks, and dealing with uncertainty.

Welcome to Yes Theory — the audio experience. We’re your hosts Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, and Matt Dajer. You may know us from our YouTube channel with the same name, or maybe not.  We believe the best things in life are outside your comfort zone. We’re talking about meaning, connection, you know all the good stuff. Over the last 5 years, we’ve made a habit of seeking discomfort and creating videos about it. We’ve had the unthinkable honor of traveling around the world, conquering everyday fears - with friends, strangers, celebrities, and each other.    In this show, we’re going to reflect on some of the experiences we’ve never shared before, digging into our own personal archives. We’ll also be chatting with expert guests and friends to find out why this idea of “seeking discomfort” is so powerful.   We’re super excited to bring you this show. Subscribe wherever you’re seeing this trailer. New episodes drop weekly—starting very, very soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices