The Quiet Power of the Empathetic Leader with Navy SEAL turned rowing coach Gordon Schmidt

When morale problems affect a team, some leaders choose to make a big, rousing speech. But quite often, it’s the quiet leader who leads with empathy that sees a better emotional solution.Gordon Schmidt is a retired Navy SEAL with enough combat experience to understand that empathy is an operational advantage, not a weakness. After 20 years of military service, he started his second act as a high school rowing coach. According to Gordo, be it coaching rowers or leading soldiers, the emotional lessons he’s learned about leadership apply just the same.In this conversation, Gordo shares with me how to move on into a new chapter in life and why emotional intelligence in high-stress situations is often a leader’s only way out.This…is A Bit of Optimism.For more on Gordon and his work, check out:San Diego Rowing Club

Happiness is a choice. But it’s not always an easy choice to make.Mo Gawdat had to face an impossible choice. Before he was a bestselling author and podcast host, Mo worked a lucrative career as Chief Business Officer at Google X. He reached the heights of business influence and amassed a fortune by 29. And yet, he was miserable. It was only after the tragic death of his 21-year-old son Ali that Mo was forced to confront the truth.Mo now dedicates his life, work, and research to figuring out how human beings can be happier, and he’s on a mission to make 1 billion people happy. He sat down with me to share what he’s learned – that happiness is both a choice and our default setting, how to trick our brains out of survival mode, and why the happiest emotions we feel are rooted in the present, not the past or future.This…is A Bit of Optimism.To learn more about Mo and his work, check out:mogawdat.com

🚨  Chomp Alert! 🚨We saw your comments — loud and crunchy. Turns out not everyone wants front-row seats to mouth sounds. Who knew?Skip to 29:29 to dodge most of the chewing. We promise, after that it’s just a few graceful nibbles of Basque cheesecake. 🧀🍰😅_____________________________________We turned the studio into a restaurant for the day—because when Phil Rosenthal’s in the house, you don’t just talk about food, you eat it!Phil—the genius behind Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil—joins us for a heartfelt, hilarious meal where we dive into everything from sitcoms and food shows to gratitude, creativity, and finding joy in the everyday. Sure, we talk about the evolving world of television and the secrets to mastering great storytelling—but this episode isn’t just about food and show business. Phil reveals the best life advice he’s ever received—and it might just change the way you live.As lovers of the LA food scene, we also used this episode as a chance to highlight and support some of our favorite local restaurants. Because nothing pairs better with great conversation than a table full of incredible local bites.Breakfast Burritos: Civil Coffee Fried Chicken: Anajak Thai (surprise guest experience from owner and chef Justin Pichetrungsi) Hand Rolls: The JointLiver Pâté: Petit TroisBasque Cheesecake:  PasjoliWatch the new season of Somebody Feed Phil on NetflixCheck out more of Phil’s work: philrosenthalworld.com---------------------------This episode is brought to you by True Classic!I really love their T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes!Check out their clothes at: trueclassictees.com 

Magic moments do happen in real life. If you ask Brad Meltzer, magic happens when ordinary people choose to do the extraordinary. Brad is a prolific writer and bestselling author. He’s published over 70 books in nearly every genre you can think of—thriller novels, biographies, children’s books, film and television. He’s written comic books for iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman. And in 2024, his commencement speech at the University of Michigan went viral for its simple, powerful message—to shock the world, unleash your kindness.In this conversation, Brad tells me how his journey from a writer drowning in debt to bestselling author would not have been possible without the extraordinary kindness of a few ordinary strangers. He shares how other people’s negativity can become inspiration, why fictional heroes inspire us so much, and how ordinary people change the world. This…is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Brad and his work, check out:his book, Make Magicbradmeltzer.com

My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism. Let’s grow together.

What if this podcast turned into a baking show?For Christina Tosi’s third visit to A Bit of Optimism, we decided to find out. So we headed to Milk Bar to make compost cookies from things in my own pantry and my favorite beer bread from scratch! Christina’s not just my best friend—she’s the founder of Milk Bar, host of Bake Squad on Netflix, a cookbook author, and a fan favorite on this podcast. She lives by one simple question: what if?In this experimental episode, we dug into some big ideas about creativity, uncertainty, and the magic of trying something new. Recipes below!This...is A Bit of Optimism.You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube here.For more on Christina and her work, check out:christinatosi.com----------------------------Simon's Compost Cookie Recipe (makes 15-20 cookies):16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature1 cup granulated sugar2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar2 tablespoons glucose syrup1 large egg1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon kosher saltMaltesers85% dark chocolateOptimism Coffee groundsGranolaSpace/Astronaut Ice CreamKettle Corn Pop ChipsFor the full step-by-step recipe, visit Milk Bar's website!Beer Bread Recipe:3 cups self-rising flour1 teaspoon kosher salt4 tablespoons honey (or to taste)12 oz beer (Samual Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout is Simon's preference!)2 tablespoons butter (and save a little for the top)Mix ingredients slowly togetherBake at 350 for 45-60 mins until baked through----------------------------This episode is brought to you by True Classic!I really love True Classic T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes! Check out their clothes at: trueclassictees.com

We're taking some time off to bring you even more episodes of A Bit of Optimism that you're going to love! In the meantime, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes, like this one with couples counselor Shawn McBride. 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

We're taking some time off to bring you even more episodes of A Bit of Optimism that you're going to love! In the meantime, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes, like this one with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger.We all want to live a happy life. But what does the research say about how to achieve it?For more than 86 years, researchers at Harvard University have been trying to figure out how humans can live happier lives.  In one of the longest-running and most comprehensive studies of human happiness, Harvard tracked 724 teenagers through every stage of their adult lives since 1938. Some of them are still alive today and the findings are clear: lasting happiness isn’t about wealth or fame—it’s about something much deeper.Robert Waldinger, a professor and psychiatrist, has directed the study for over 20 years. His TED Talk about it went viral with nearly 50 million views, and in 2023, he wrote a book about it - The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.I asked Robert to share what the study has revealed about happiness over the decades, how its insights have shaped his own life, and the one essential ingredient for a joyful, meaningful existence.This…is A Bit of Optimism.To learn more about Robert and his work, check out:The Harvard Study of Adult Developmentrobertwaldinger.com 

Sometimes in life, we must stop and ask ourselves, “Where am I you going next?” Other times, it’s more fun to do a podcast takeover.No one has ever interviewed me quite like Cal Fussman. Cal has a gift – he pulls things out of you that you didn’t even know were there. A prolific Writer At Large for Esquire, Cal has interviewed legends like Muhammad Ali and Mikhail Gorbachev, and he’s the host of the podcast Big Questions. So, to mark 15 years since writing Start With Why, I invited Cal to take over my podcast and ask me the questions I don’t usually get asked.Cal did get me to open up in this conversation, but not in the way you might expect. We talk about where I’ve been, where I’m going, the infinite game, creativity in AI…and why I’ve become so obsessed with friendship lately.This…is A Bit of OptimismFor more on Cal and his work, check out:Big Questions with Cal Fussman 

Sometimes in life, we choose the wrong path. When we feel like we're living a lie, it's hard to know what to do next.That’s where Suzy Welch comes in. She’s obsessed with helping people create lives worth living. A professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Suzy teaches a popular class called “Becoming You,” where she takes students down a brutal, but liberating, journey to live as their authentic selves. According to Suzy’s research, purpose is the key to unlocking the real you, but finding that purpose is often trickier than we imagine.I had a blast talking, and debating, with Suzy about what it means to craft a purpose-driven life. In this conversation, she shares with me the difference between passion and aptitude, the reason luck is overrated, and why so many people struggle to know their own values.To learn more about Suzy and her work, check out:her book, Becoming Youand The Becoming You Podcast with Suzy Welch