The Mindful Wealth Podcast (2026)

27/05/2022

Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy by Robert H. Frank

From New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, a compelling book that explains why the rich underestimate the importance of luck in their success, why that hurts everyone, and what we can do about it. Summary from Princeton University Press

We discuss this book in episode 26! Find more book recs from us at mindfulwealthpodcast.com

25/05/2022

“A tax has two effects, it raises revenue & it discourages the thing you tax. Why do we tax payrolls? Do we think it's a bad thing for companies to hire workers?” - Robert H. Frank

Historically, a tax has been placed for two different reasons. To raise income, to discourage the thing that has been taxed or some combination of both. Robert H. Frank wonders why this idea hasn’t been brought back to the forefront of economic thought. “Why do we tax payrolls? …What a crazy thing to tax when we could tax noise, we could tax congestion, we could tax carbon. Mindful Wealth Podcast guest Robert H. Frank talks about everything from taxes to inequality to contagious human behavior in episode 26.

Listen to the whole episode at mindfulwealthpodcast.com.

18/05/2022

“Human behavior of all sorts is highly contagious. Smoking is very contagious. Eating healthily is contagious. Bicycling is contagious. You see, putting solar panels on your rooftop, that's contagious too.” - Robert H. Frank

One of our guests on the podcast, Robert H. Frank also writes for New York Times and The Atlantic. In episode 25 we talked about contagious behavior and how it can be both a force for bad habits and good things too. This article from The Atlantic confirms that behavior, even good things like solar panels, is indeed contagious. And can impact things for the better, like working against climate change. Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/climate-change-peer-pressure/605515/

Listen to the whole episode at mindfulwealthpodcast.com.

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17/05/2022

This is part two of our interview with guest Robert H. Frank. He’s an economist and professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. He writes and speaks on the topic of wealth inequality in the US and contributes to the economic view column at the New York Times.
In this half, we delved deeper into some of Robert’s books, the idea of cascade spending, and the debate between merit and luck.

Listen to the whole episode at mindfulwealthpodcast.com.

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13/05/2022

With a timely new foreword by Robert Frank, this groundbreaking book explores the very meaning of happiness and prosperity in America today. Although middle-income families don't earn much more than they did several decades ago, they are buying bigger cars, houses, and appliances. To pay for them, they spend more than they earn and carry record levels of debt. Robert Frank explains how increased concentrations of income and wealth at the top of the economic pyramid have set off "expenditure cascades" that raise the cost of achieving many basic goals for the middle class.
Check out this book and Find more book recs from us at mindfulwealthpodcast.com

11/05/2022

Big is one of those relative concepts. This episode’s guest, Robert Frank reminds us that “you can have big at one scale, or you can triple everything and still just have big; that’s wasteful.”

Inequality is a big issue. In this episode of the Mindful Wealth Podcast, we discuss wealth, taxes, and contagious human behavior. Do you think that wasteful behaviors can be contagious too?

Check out our thoughts at mindfulwealthpodcast.com.

04/05/2022

“Every policy I recommend I would defend as being nonpartisan because if adopted, it would make the [economic] pie bigger..to be able to divide it so that everybody gets a bigger slice than before.” - Robert H Frank

Economic policies and pie? Robert H. Frank, an economics professor from Cornell University, explains possible economic solutions using one of our favorite American desserts. Tune in to learn more from the Mindful Wealth Podcast.

03/05/2022

Robert H. Frank is an economist and professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. He writes and speaks on the topic of wealth inequality in the US and contributes to the economic view column at the New York Times. We’re excited to speak with him in the next couple of episodes! We covered the meaning of wealth, human behavior, taxes, and more in our interview.

Head to mindfulwealthpodcast.com to listen to the full episode!
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29/04/2022

Battling Eight Giants: Basic Income Now
By: Guy Standing

Inequality. Insecurity. Debt. Stress. Precarity. Automation. Populism. Extinction. These are the Eight Giants. All citizens have a right to the wealth created by capitalism, and all – left or right, rich or poor – can benefit from a dynamic and ecologically grounded economy created by the guarantee of subsistence to all.

Follow the link in the bio to learn more about Standing and get your copy.

27/04/2022

“If we’re going to get to true wealth, we have to work on recognizing the full humanity of all of us and setting aside our identities as consumers to reengage our identities as neighbors, friends, and citizens and come together to safeguard our human rights.”
- Teva Sienicki

25/04/2022

Every pilot has shown a reduction in stress, mental illness, and physical illness. Improvements in productivity, motivation, and risk-taking. “Basic income,” as Guy points out, “Strengthens social solidarity. It makes people more tolerant. It makes people more altruistic.”

Listen to the full episode: mindfulwealthpodcast.com

22/04/2022

The band Massive Attack produced an audio/visual album in 2020. They had collaborators on each of the three individual tracks, including our most recent Mindful Wealth Podcast guest, Guy Standing.

“Now, when they asked me, I thought, What on earth? Why are they asking me, a boring economist, to do a music video on the precariat and basic income? And it's sort of really caught a nerve somewhere. That sort of thing doesn't happen to someone like myself again. But I'm very pleased I did it…it gave me an opportunity to do, in a short form, these arguments about what basic income is all about. And I thank massive attack for inviting me to do that.”

20/04/2022

Guy Standing believes that human wealth is the ability to learn and be social, to have the freedom and the security to use our time and resources as we like.

He spoke with us about his life’s work understanding global class, income, and poverty systems and structures. In episode 24, he outlined the basis and rationale behind basic income structures. As a leading expert in the field, Standing describes how all citizens have the right to benefit from the wealth of capitalism and an ecologically grounded economy. Basic income is grounded in building a collective idea of human wealth, the ability to learn, and the right to basic security.

19/04/2022

Empathy is at the core of being human. Anyone in the position of chronic insecurity, poverty, loss of rights, and uncertain wages cannot be held to the same moral standard. You can’t be free without the same material resources that allow one to be moral.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe now at mindfulwealthpodcast.com

19/04/2022

Guy Standing Part 2! Don't miss this follow-up to our last episode.
Guy Standing is an economist, researcher, and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network, Guy Standing spoke with us about his life’s work understanding the systems and structures of global class, income, and poverty. In episode 24, he outlines the basis of and the rationale behind basic income structures. As a leading expert in the field, Guy Standing describes how all citizens have the right to benefit from the wealth of capitalism and an ecologically grounded economy. Basic income is grounded in building a collective idea of human wealth, the ability to learn, and the right to basic security.

Listen to the whole episode at mindfulwealthpodcast.com and be sure to check out Guy Standing Part 1 if you missed it.

18/04/2022

We spoke with Guy Standing about insecure society, chronic uncertainty, and, of course, the pandemic. Shocks to the system - things that we cannot predict nor protect ourselves against. In these circumstances, we see more and more “othering,” “nastiness” of one another that stems from things like fear and ignorance. Things that stem from not participating in the life of a community, a city, a state, or a country. That education, to teach people to participate in life, in citizenship, is lacking compared to how our society teaches people how to make more money, be in business studies, or be successful in the financial market.

This involves redefining true wealth, human wealth. Guy Standing believes that human wealth is the ability to learn and be social, to have the freedom and the security to use our time and resources as we like.

Listen to the full episode anywhere you get your podcasts {Link in the Bio}

15/04/2022

The Precariat
The New Dangerous Class SPECIAL COVID-19 EDITION
By: Guy Standing

Guy Standing investigates this new and growing group, finding a frustrated and angry new underclass who are often ignored by politicians and economists. The rise of zero-hours contracts, encouraged by fat-cat corporations as risk-free employment and by silicon valley as a way of outsourcing costs and responsibility, has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. At the same time, in its lockdown experience, the western world realizes the true value of these nurses, carers, and key workers.

The answer? The return of income security and meaningful work - the principles 20th century capitalism was built on. By making the fears and desires of the Precariat central to economic thinking, Standing shows how concepts like Basic Income are not just desirable but inevitable, and plots the way to a better future.

Follow the link in the bio to learn more about Guy Standing and to get your copy.

13/04/2022

“I just encourage everybody to get involved as a citizen and as a neighbor and to learn to have conversations across differences. Practice that Sonder and be curious and empathetic. I think that the more we can engage with one another and be problem solvers, the further we'll get.”
-Teva Sienicki

The Mindful Wealth Podcast

27/05/2022

25/05/2022

18/05/2022

17/05/2022

13/05/2022

11/05/2022

04/05/2022

03/05/2022

29/04/2022

27/04/2022

25/04/2022

22/04/2022

20/04/2022

19/04/2022

19/04/2022

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