The Fred Pinto Podcast

05/29/2025

“Intellectuals hate progress.”

Today’s top thinkers and politicians feed us negative ideas like their careers depend on it (maybe they do?).

We then scroll from one moral panic to the next, out of one rabbit hole and into another - and call it “staying informed”.

Modern information networks hack the worst parts of our psychology – our negativity bias, our herd instincts, and our natural inclination to make cognitive errors – and feed a highly distorted map of the world back to us.

I was lucky enough to discuss this and other topics with Dr. Steven Pinker recently.

We discussed why we’re not wired for truth, why negativity isn’t just a bug, how ideology sells false certainty, why progress doesn’t just happen naturally, and why reason may be seen uncool … but it’s more critical than ever.

Dr. Pinker brings not just a clarifying lens, but also a healthy dose of optimism – humans have solved tons of problems in our past, and we can solve more IF we renew our commitment to reason, common sense, and high scientific standards.

Anyone tired of the screaming headlines, the tribal loyalty tests, and the mediocrity of online debates, and interested in a return to common sense should give this conversation a listen!

Out on YouTube and all the podcast platforms:

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Dr. Steven Pinker is Johnstone ...

04/10/2025

Why are the generations so different from one another?

It wasn't always this way. But technology has sped up social change, and increasingly fuels a "Tower of Babel" problem - we don't just dress and talk differently than other generations ... we have increasingly have legitimately different ways of looking at the world.

I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jean Twenge, whose latest book Generations is the ultimate deep dive into the data on how the generations differ on matters like education, life goals, mental health, political views, income, sexual attitudes, and broader social values.

She dispels the stereotypes (though they do tend to contain some truth), identifies underlying trends, and ultimately helps us humanize and better understand other generations. Her work is absolutely critical to creating better social dynamics and not enclosing ourselves in the generational biases we were born into.

Full episode on YouTube and on all the podcast platforms!

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Dr. Jean Twenge is a professor ...

03/07/2025

Descartes famously said "I think, therefore I am", proposing the primacy of thought over existence - but is it really so?

Since the 1980's, neuroscientists have been exploring the "embodied cognition" framework, understanding the brain and the body as one deeply interconnected system of cognition.

For example, one Swedish study shows that cardiovascular fitness predicts cognitive performance, another one shows that physically gesturing helps children solve a complex puzzle better and faster, and Alia Crum's lab at Stanford shows that the way you think about stress directly impacts stress hormone markers.

It isn't "I think therefore I am", it seems to be more - I am, therefore I think and move synergistically!

I recently interviewed neuroscientist, philosopher, and chief scientist at the Flow Research Collective, Dr. Michael Mannino. We discussed the nature of cognition, group flow, free will, and how religion "doesn't even come close" to the crazy insights modern science is unveiling.

Link to the full length interview below, and available everywhere!

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Dr. Michael Mannino teaches at ...

01/24/2025

What does “optimal experience” consist of?

Research shows it has little to do with social media scrolling, adopting the "right" political stances, or even the endless state of rest most people crave for in "retirement".

This is a fascinating new area of psychological study called engagement, also known as flow.

Researchers describe this as a state where we not only feel our best, but also perform our best. They radically improve performance (in sports, they're those "in the zone" moments), improve our overall happiness, and enhance our resiliency to face life's inevitable curveballs.

But new studies using PET and fMRI scans show they can only be accessed in very particular ways: push too hard, or too little, and you're knocked out of flow. And a very specific "flow cycle" must be followed to cultivate this tool as part of a broader lifestyle. Peak performers in many sectors - from sports, to entertainment, to business - are already very familiar with flow, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't learned about it yet to do so ...

My guest in this special episode of the podcast, 11-time best-selling author, award-winning journalist, and executive director of the Flow Research Collective, Steven Kotler, has probably done more to popularize what flow states are, and how anyone can access them, than anyone else in the world.

I've been studying Steven's and the FRC's work for years, and it's totally revamped my career and life more generally ... not least of which by helping me finally get rid of the recurrent burnouts I used to experience ...

In this conversation, we discuss how he became obsessed with this topic after healing from a debilitating 3-year bout with Lyme disease with the help of flow (and surfing, more specifically), what the flow triggers all have in common, where Mamba mentality and spirituality intersect, and how to build a high flow lifestyle.

Anyone interested in peak performance and lifestyle optimization will surely learn something useful from this one; Steven is a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom on this topic.

It's out on all the podcast platforms - here's the link to the YouTube full-length interview: https://youtu.be/fN_mrMHAy9Q?si=4hEiM4QJ6WXpVl8h

Hope you all enjoy it!

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Steven Kotler is a New York Tim...

12/10/2024

As Mark Twain once advised, never let school get in the way of your education.

I had a great time chatting with tech entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author, and podcast host of the James Altucher Podcast, James Altucher.

We discuss why people often learn best outside of classrooms, his process for launching new products, how to embrace fear as a tool for innovating, his public spat with Jerry Seinfeld on whether New York City is dying, and a lot more.

You can check out the full interview in the link below (also out on all the podcast platforms).

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.James Altucher is an entreprene...

10/23/2024

Building teams is hard.

Creating cultures where large numbers of individuals thrive is even harder.

It's also extremely valuable.

This is why John Rockefeller once said he'd pay more for the ability to "deal with people" than any other skill.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Claude Silver - Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, and a true master of this elusive discipline.

She had a very unique spin on it - focusing on psychology fundamentals, and balancing empathy with high, competitive standards.

The story she shared of how she created her position within the company in particular was super compelling, and cuts to the heart of Gary Vaynerchuk's philosophy and leadership style.

I work with lots of entrepreneurs, and I know team and culture building is always one of their toughest challenges - Claude's practical wisdom in this area is absolutely invaluable, as it is to anyone building human beehives! Hope y'all enjoy - it's out on all the podcast platforms.

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Claude Silver is the Chief Hear...

09/13/2024

"I'm not going to find God. He's not hiding under a rock. Like, that's not how it is."

So what do we really mean when we talk about "God"?

Check out my conversation with religious iconographer and host of The Symbolic World, Jonathan Pageau.

Jonathan pushes past the simplistic ideas of fundamentalists and new atheists alike and challenges us to look for clues to divinity in the way we perceive the world itself.

He came down to the studio on the heels of his multi-city tour with Jordan Peterson, and we discussed the transcendent power of art, Walter White's moral dilemma, how political activism acts as a substitute for transcendence and much more.

This was legitimately one of my favourite conversations ever - anyone interested in religion, philosophy and mythology should check it out!

Out on Youtube and all podcast platforms.

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Jonathan Pageau is a religious ...

06/27/2024

This is my interview with social psychologist Dr. Daniel Yudkin- one of the lead researchers behind the amazing Hidden Tribes of America study.

We discuss why he left academia, how psychedelics and secular festivals boost social bonds, why even as babies we punish those closest to us the harshest, how the culture war spreads a kind of mass hysteria, and much more.

A refreshing change from the culture war nonsense that’s monopolizing our attention !

05/15/2024

Very few people have spoken “truth to power” as effectively as my guest in this episode of the podcast, Glenn Greenwald.

After breaking the legendary Ed Snowden / NSA story, he’s rattled the cage ceaselessly, drawing the ire of powerful agencies and politicians on both sides of the aisle.

His work goes far beyond mere partisanship - it’s rooted in a firm grasp of civil liberties and how the powerful can water them down (usually for “our safety”) in the era of big government and big tech - it was a true honour gathering his insights and stories from a life dedicated to this purpose at the highest level.

On a personal note, it was humbling experiencing Glenn’s level of integration, clarity, and depth of insight around these issues … definitely felt that “there are levels to this game” ! And regardless if you agree with him on the “issues of the day”, it definitely feels like we need courageous and honest people paying the price of truth more than ever …

Hope you all enjoy and learn as much as I did - the podcast is available on YouTube and all the platforms, if you want to receive a monthly email with my latest podcast or article, feel free to subscribe to my Substack here: https://fredpinto.substack.com/p/the-price-of-truth-with-glenn-greenwald

https://youtu.be/bqQtQNzK4kc?si=lPbPJe-Kp8UMlvnS

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Glenn Greenwald is an award-win...

04/12/2024

In the lead-up to the UFC momentous this weekend, I had the privilege of interviewing the undefeated 🐐 of MMA journalism - my fellow Montrealer, the one and only Ariel Helwani!

Had lots of fun unpacking his approach to craft, particularly how entertainment and ethics can work together. If only political journalists took their integrity this seriously!

Also big shout out to my son Sacha Pinto for making it happen - needed those Herzliah strings to pull it off 😂

You can check it out on YouTube or your favourite podcast platform …

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Ariel Helwani is a sports journ...

04/02/2024

Political discussion has become toxic - black-and-white shouting matches designed to outrage and entertain rather than solve anything.

It can all easily make us forget that a better way is possible ... if we just take the time to honestly check the data, and unpack issues rationally.

I recently had the honour of interviewing Bjørn Lomborg
, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

Along with a team of world-class researchers - including seven Nobel laureates - he's paving the way toward a more rational, data-driven approach to analyzing policies.

We discuss his views on climate change, how democracies so easily fall for excess promises, the amazing opportunities for affordable progress right in front of us, and much more. Hope you all enjoy it!

Out now on all the podcast platforms and YouTube:

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Dr. Bjørn Lomborg is president ...

03/05/2024

I've become slightly obsessed with the emerging body of research around mindsets—how tiny, subtle shifts in beliefs and expectations can change our lives, down to measurable biological markers.

It's not limited to placebos ... our beliefs reflect reality back to us in endless ways, and end up powerfully shaping our lives.

I recently interviewed Tom Bilyeu - a unicorn entrepreneur and the founder of Impact Theory - who studies and applies mindsets from a practical perspective, to promote personal growth and business success.

Had a ton of fun in this one - full interview is on all the podcast platforms and here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=SwUHIhlGBSA

And for links to some of the coolest studies on mindsets, check out my substack article here: https://fredpinto.substack.com/p/optimizing-our-beliefs-tom-bilyeu

For more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Guerrilla Wisdom Substack at https://fredpinto.substack.com/.Tom Bilyeu is ...