Be Necessary with war journalist Sebastian Junger

Seven years after ISIS killed her son, Diane Foley met with one of his killers. Somehow, she was able to find the humanity in her son's murderer.  ISIS held journalist James Foley hostage for 2 years before publicly executing him in 2014, when they uploaded a YouTube video of James's beheading. After her son's murder, Diane Foley started The Foley Foundation, working to free American hostages held abroad, teach journalist safety, and inspire people to act with moral courage. I asked Diane how she found the moral courage to meet ISIS terrorist Alexanda Kotey and see him as a human being. If Diane could find the grace to connect with her son's murderer, the rest of us can find the moral courage to see the good in those with whom we so vehemently disagree. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Diane and her work, check out: her book American Mother The Foley Foundation            See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humility stems from confidence. Confident leaders can admit when they're not the smartest person in the room. Blake Hall exemplifies the type of leadership we need more of in business. A former Army Ranger, Blake was awarded the Bronze Star for leading his platoon in combat during the Iraq War. Now he's the CEO and co-founder of ID.me, a digital wallet that simplifies online identity verification. I sat down with Blake to discuss how his combat experience informed his journey as an entrepreneur and why the smartest leaders lead with humility.This...is A Bit of Optimism.To learn more about Blake and his work, check out: id.me            See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jump from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue doesn't happen overnight. Over 25 years, John Burke transformed Trek Bikes into a global powerhouse — one mom-and-pop bike store at a time.The key to John's success is simple but powerful. Create value for others first, and you too shall be rewarded.  John and I discuss why the best way to win isn't to focus on "winning," but to focus on "play," and how the principles of The Infinite Game have guided his leadership. And he tells me why creative leadership is exactly what's missing in American government.This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about John and his work, check out: his book, A Bold Plan For America TrekBikes.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

War reporters risk their lives to document conflict. And yet, after a career living on battlefields, Sebastian Junger's closest brush with death was surviving an aneurysm. Sebastian's story of his sudden internal hemorrhage and making sense of what he saw while dying is the subject of his new book In My Time of Dying. As someone who usually writes as an outside observer, it's an atypical and personal exploration of death.I was privileged to speak with Sebastian about the fragility of life and why being necessary to others is one of our highest needs of all. This...is A Bit of Optimism.To learn more about Sebastian and his work, check out:sebastianjunger.comhis book, In My Time of DyingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting a company from scratch isn't easy. Doing it multiple times seems downright impossible. Eric Ryan is one of those serial entrepreneurs. Most known as the co-founder of Method soaps, he's also the founder of Olly vitamins, Welly first aid kits, Cast jewelry, and he has more ventures planned.  I sat down with Eric to ask him about his creative process. What follows is a conversation about serial creativity and why reinvention is the key to repeating creative success. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Eric and his work, check out: methodproducts.com      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2005, Neil Strauss published The Game, a book about his years living in the pickup artist community. The Game sold millions of copies, stirred up huge controversy, and made Neil a bestselling author.  Neil has totally reinvented himself since writing The Game, and I wanted to talk with him about walking away from that identity of success. This led to a much deeper conversation about what success even is. Is meaning tied to outcomes, or is intention enough?  Neil and I don't see eye-to-eye on everything in this conversation, but I love talking with him because he challenges my ideas. I hope this episode challenges you as well, to continue questioning what the definition of success should be.  This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Neil and his work, check out: neilstrauss.com The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Society treats marriage like the end goal of human intimacy. Platonic friends can never be as important as romantic partners. What would life look like if we made friendship the goal? Journalist and producer Rhaina Cohen tackles this question in her book The Other Significant Others. She tells the stories of people who made platonic friends the closest people in their lives, doing things together like buying houses, executing a will, and raising children. I wanted to talk with Rhaina because redefining what friendship means in our lives lets us connect in new and deeper ways outside the rigid boundaries of a marriage or relationship. And it might take the pressure off our romantic partners to fulfill every one of our social needs.This...is A Bit of Optimism.To learn more about Rhaina and her work, check out: rhainacohen.com her book The Other Significant OthersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not just what we eat but how we eat it that counts. Eating the same meal in a different order can dramatically change how we feel! Glucose Goddess is the viral Instagram account of Jessie Inchauspé, who's inspired millions of people to change how they eat. With simple and easy dietary hacks, Jessie teaches people how to prevent glucose spikes -- large influxes of sugar into our bodies that make us tired, stress our organs, and cause us to age. Since adopting her eating habits, my energy has never been better. I was thrilled to talk with Jessie about creating Glucose Goddess and her personal story behind showing people a better way to eat.This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Jessie and her work, check out: @glucosegoddess glucosegoddess.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships are hard. No matter how much we like, respect, or love someone, conflict seems inevitable. But even as we fight and disagree, we can also learn the skills we need to resolve our problems. For over two decades, Shawn McBride has helped thousands of couples do the work to strengthen their relationships. And he has tons of practical advice. Shawn sat down with me to discuss the three biggest problems couples face, why I'm a huge fan of his Instagram, and how love can keep relationships afloat, but it's often not enough.This...is A Bit of Optimism.For more on Shawn and his work, check out: @couples_counseling_center@shawnmcbridespeaksand couplescounselingcenter.org  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loneliness is now an epidemic, with devastating impacts on our health. How can we rekindle the deep human connection we need now more than ever? For Rabbi Sharon Brous, this question is the focus of her work. Considered one of the most influential rabbis in the U.S., she's founded her own congregation and has led multiple White House faith events. In her new book, The Amen Effect, Sharon explores how grief and heartbreak can be gateways to truly seeing each other.Sharon and I talk about what it means to be present to someone else's pain and how a 2,000-year old ritual taught her the meaning of healing together. This...is A Bit of Optimism.For more on Sharon and her work, check out:her book The Amen Effect her congregation iKARSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.