Once Upon a Stranger: Can Small Talk Lead to a Bigger Life? (#305)

What if those brief conversations - with a barista, a neighbor, or someone sitting next to us - matter far more than we realize?Gillian Sandstrom, a University of Sussex psychologist and author of Once Upon a Stranger, explores why we're so reluctant to talk to people we don't know, what happens when we do, and how seemingly small interactions can add up to a richer, happier, and more connected life.

The wind stops blowing. The sun goes down.What happens next?Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz explains why the transition to clean energy may be far more complicated than most people realize.In one of the most clear-eyed conversations about our energy future, Moniz pulls back the curtain on what it will actually take to build energy that is clean, reliable, and affordable - and why some of the hardest challenges have little to do with solar panels or wind turbines.He reveals which emerging technologies - from hydrogen to nuclear fusion - could reshape the future of energy, why storage remains a major hurdle, and what many people misunderstand about renewable power.What will it really take to keep the lights on in a low-carbon world?

We think of North Korea as a communist dictatorship. But Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal’s China Bureau Chief and former Korea Bureau Chief, says that misses the real story.He argues North Korea functions more like a religion -  complete with rituals, worship, and a ruling family treated like immortals. Once you hear it, you can’t unsee it.His new book is Korean Messiah. 

When people think about war, they picture missiles and mushroom clouds.But what if the greatest threats today are the ones most people never see coming?Christine Wormuth, former U.S. Secretary of the Army and current leader of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, explains why some of today’s biggest dangers are quieter, harder to detect, and easier to unleash than most people realize.

Most people see the world as the U.S. vs. China.But the real power shift is happening elsewhere.Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security and a former senior advisor at the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department, shows which countries are quietly shaping the next world order - and why the biggest power shifts are happening far from the spotlight.

Inflation, interest rates, AI, tariffs, the dollar…Most people treat them as separate stories but actually, they’re not.Former Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jason Furman explains how these forces are all connected - and why most people are missing the bigger picture.What’s really driving inflation, why the dollar’s power may be slipping, and why the biggest risk isn’t what most people are watching.A conversation about the hidden forces shaping the economy - and what comes next.

“We trained a whole country.”It sounds like an exaggeration.It’s not - according to Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China.So what actually happened in China?

Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, CEO of Cleveland Clinic and a leading heart surgeon, explains how medicine is already changing in ways most people don’t see.He has spent his career performing complex heart surgeries and now leads one of the world’s top hospitals.A conversation about what’s changing in care and what it means for patients right now.

Iran briefly showed it could choke off a waterway carrying nearly a fifth of the world’s oil.That’s the visible threat.The real risk may be something else entirely.Former Deputy National Security Advisor and U.S. Special Representative to Iran Elliott Abrams breaks down where Iran's strategy backfired, whether those in power in Tehran can hold on, and why the most dangerous consequence could outlast the war itself.He is senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.--------------------------Exciting news!We’ve been nominated for a Webby Award — one of the top honors for podcasts.  If you enjoy the show, you can vote for 3 Takeaways here: (Just takes a minute - sign in with Apple or Google, no need to provide your email)   https://wbby.co/57427N(Voting ends tomorrow)Thank you! 😊 👏

We’re entering a world where life itself could become programmable.What if creating new forms of life becomes as simple as writing code? Geneticist Adrian Woolfson explains how close we are — and why the consequences could be extraordinary.--------------------------Exciting news!We’ve been nominated for a Webby Award—one of the top honors in podcasts.  If you enjoy the show, you can vote for 3 Takeaways here: (Just takes a minute - sign in with Apple, no need to provide your email)  https://wbby.co/57427N(Voting ends April 16)Thank you!