A Bit of Optimism

Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a one-hour lunch turned into three, then four days touring factories together across the Midwest, and an idea I had only imagined turned out to already exist in reality.

That CEO was Bob Chapman. Over five decades, Bob grew an unassuming manufacturing company in the Midwest into a global proof point that leadership grounded in humanity can scale and outperform. Bob saw the people in his company as human beings in his care, people he felt responsible to help become healthy, fulfilled, and whole. His belief was simple and profound: when people are cared for at work, they build happier families, stronger communities, and a better world. He called it Truly Human Leadership. 

In the years that followed, Bob became something more: a mentor, a close friend, the central figure in my book Leaders Eat Last, and one of the people who shaped how I think about leadership itself.

In September 2025, I returned to one of Bob's factories in Phillips, Wisconsin, with a camera crew, to capture Bob's incredible legacy in his own words. Six months later, Bob passed away.

As a tribute to this great man, we're releasing the full conversation, in its entirety, for the first time.

In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why Bob believed in seeing every person as someone’s precious child

 ➡️ How Barry-Wehmiller rewrote the rules and
➡️ The university Bob built to teach his employees skills they were never taught
➡️ What impact a caring workplace can have on an employees life
➡️ The real difference between a prosperous company and a healthy one
➡️ Why Bob believed layoffs meant your business has failed
➡️ Why the greatest act of charity has nothing to do with the checks you write
➡️ What changed in Bob over the fifteen years Simon knew him
➡️ The letter Simon sent Bob years ago that ended up framed on his office wall

As Bob said, "You can retire from a job, but you can't retire from a calling." He never did. This conversation is a chance to hear why, in his own words.

This… is A Bit of Optimism.

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To buy Bob’s book, Everybody Matters, head to: https://simonsinek.com/optimism-press/everybody-matters 

To read about Bob in my book, Leaders Eat Last, head to: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last 

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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 The Letter That Changed Everything: Meeting Bob Chapman
00:05:23 Bob's Revelation: Seeing People as Somebody's Precious Child
00:08:05 Building a University to Teach Caring: The Three Transformative Classes
00:09:32 The Healing Power of Listening: Why 95% of Feedback Was About Marriage and Kids
00:16:42 Recognition Done Right: Catching People Doing Good
00:20:55 The 2008 Recession Test: Shared Sacrifice Over Layoffs
00:23:07 "Layoffs Means Your Business Has Failed"
00:26:02 You Don't Need to Justify Caring: Safety of the Soul
00:27:53 12% Compound Growth for 25 Years: The Business Case for Humanity
00:29:53 "Our Product Is Our People"
00:34:55 From Selfish to Servant: Simon's Challenge That Sparked a Movement
00:36:26 People's Universal Truth: They Want to Know They Matter
00:38:00 Bob Has Gotten Softer: The Personal Evolution of a Leader
00:40:00 You Cannot Retire From a Calling: Carrying a Message That Heals
00:43:10 Heart Counts, Not Head Counts: The Language of Humanization
00:46:01 The Greatest Act of Charity: How You Treat People You Lead
00:49:38 The Promise: Carrying the Torch for Generations to Come

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous.

Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're just quietly hoping it'll all slow down. 

Ethan Mollick says we're underestimating our own agency in the age of AI. Instead of worrying about what AI will do to us, we should focus on what we choose to do with it.

Ethan is a Wharton professor, the author of the bestseller Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, and the writer behind “One Useful Thing,” one of the most popular newsletters on AI, work, and education. He's spent twenty years studying how people actually use technology, and he's become the go-to voice for making sense of AI without the hype or the doom. And in his new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, he explores what comes next as AI moves from a tool we prompt to a presence we live and work alongside.

In this conversation, Ethan shares the practical playbook most of us are missing and makes the case that our experience, taste, and point of view aren't things AI replaces. They're exactly what make us better at using it.

In this episode you'll learn: 

➡️ Why young people are NOT "AI natives" (and why experience is the real AI advantage) 

➡️ The $20 decision that instantly upgrades how you use AI 

➡️ Why AI agrees with everything you say + the simple prompt that fixes it 

➡️ How to make AI write in YOUR voice instead of sounding like everyone else 

➡️ The "jagged frontier": what AI is surprisingly bad at (and why that's your opportunity) 

➡️ Why taste may become the most valuable skill of the AI era 

➡️ How much agency we really have over where AI takes us

Ethan believes that the future of AI isn't something that will just happen to us… It's something we get to build together.

This… is A Bit of Optimism.

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To pre-order Ethan’s new book, Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, head to: https://co-existence.ai/ 

Want to hear more from Ethan? Check out his Substack “One Useful Thing”: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/ 

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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 Why are AI Experts Are Either Doomers or Zealots?
00:02:05 From Video Games to AI: Ethan's Unexpected Journey
00:09:16 AI's Profound Impact on Knowledge Workers
00:14:50 How AI Kills Traditional Talent Pipelines
00:15:57 Why AI Art Doesn't Bother Me, But I'd Never Hang It on My Wall
00:20:40 How To Overcome AI's Complication of Competitive Edge
00:22:06 The 20 Dollar Investment That Changes Everything
00:24:40 The 84 Percent Rule: Why AI Can Now Do Your Seven-Hour Job in 15 Minutes
00:25:59 Your Voice Matters More Than You Think: Why AI Can't Replace Taste
00:19:53 The Discomfort-Avoidant Generation Meets the Efficiency Machine
00:13:08 Why Young People Are Worse at Using AI
00:43:35 The Brain We're Sacrificing: From Phone Numbers to Critical Thinking
00:51:39 Two Prompts That Will Transform How You Use AI
00:52:58 How to Use AI As Co-Intelligence
00:54:57 The Agency You Have Right Now: It's Not About Policy, It's About How You Use It

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen Langer, that certainty is making us miserable… and possibly making us sick.
Dr. Langer is a psychologist, Harvard professor, and the "Mother of Mindfulness." In her book The Mindful Body, she makes the case that the way we think directly shapes the way we heal, age, stress, and recover. Her conclusion: the mind and the body were never two separate things to begin with. And we have far more agency over both than we've been led to believe
In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ What mindfulness (and mindlessness) really is
➡️ The one question that can dissolve stress almost instantly
➡️ Why the story you tell yourself is more powerful than what actually happened
➡️ The study that proved people lost weight without changing their diet or exercise
➡️ The difference between nervousness and excitement (and why it matters)
➡️ Why certainty is a sign of mindlessness (not intelligence)
➡️ How your body heals faster or slower based on what you believe
➡️ Why "fighting" an illness is the wrong mindset
➡️ The simple reframe that turns every negative trait into a strength
➡️ Why confident people don't need to rely on certainty
In this conversation, Ellen makes the case that virtually all of us are mindless almost all of the time. And the moment you recognize that, everything opens up. Your health, your relationships, your ability to recover from hardship.
The obstacle, it turns out, has always been the assumption that there was nothing left to question.
This… is A Bit of Optimism.
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To buy a copy of Dr. Ellen Langer’s books The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health and Finding Happy, head to: https://www.ellenlanger.me
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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 Stress Is a Story We Tell Ourselves
00:01:27 What Mindfulness Actually Means
00:02:59 Why Everything You Know Is Probably Wrong
00:04:29 One Plus One Doesn't Always Equal Two
00:06:59 Are We Wired for Stress or Taught to Be Stressed?
00:08:16 When Ellen's House Burned Down: Finding Gifts in Tragedy
00:13:19 Is This a Tragedy or an Inconvenience?
00:19:24 Nervous or Excited? The Olympic Athletes' Secret to Reframing Stress
00:22:26 The First Step to Mindfulness: Embracing Uncertainty
00:23:15 Behavior Makes Sense From the Actor's Perspective
00:33:24 Context, Context, Context: Who Gets to Decide?
00:42:41 Mind Over Matter: The Stories That Started It All
00:46:24 The Counterclockwise Study: Turning Back Time in Five Days
00:47:07 The Chambermaid Study: When Work Becomes Exercise
00:49:47 Wounds Heal Based on Perceived Time, Not Real Time
00:52:01 Are We Mindless Almost All the Time?

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
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Website: http://simonsinek.com/
Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
Simon’s books:
The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/
Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/
Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/
Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/
Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/

In a world of job-hopping, side hustles, and an endless LinkedIn feed, Tim Harris did something almost no one does anymore. He stayed put.
Few executives spend an entire career helping build a dynasty. Tim Harris spent 35 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, rising to President of Business Operations and helping transform the franchise into a global brand. Through championship eras, iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and decades of change in professional sports, Tim's influence was felt not on the hardwood, but in the culture, leadership, and business excellence that powered one of the NBA's most storied organizations.
In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why clarity of role is the most underrated tool in any leader's arsenal
➡️ The three unspoken words that silently destroy any team 
➡️ What Kobe Bryant taught Tim about mindset (+ why it matters off the court)
➡️ How the Lakers built one of the most powerful brands in sports
➡️ What elite athletes do differently + how it translates directly to business 
➡️ What caring, high-performing leadership actually looks like 
➡️ Why giving away free tickets to strangers was a brilliant + caring business decision
➡️ The cost of short-termism + what we lose when we stop playing the long game
Even a brand as iconic as the Lakers wasn't built by championships alone. Tim says its foundation was built one small, genuine human moment at a time. 
This… is A Bit of Optimism.
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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 You Have to Love Them in Order to Win
00:01:54 Why Tim Stayed 35 Years With One Company
00:04:30 From Soccer Player to Lakers President: Tim's Unlikely Journey
00:07:54 Coaching as Leadership: Don't Play on the Field
00:09:39 The Long Game vs Day Trading Success
00:11:00 The Underrated Tool of Clarity of Role
00:13:29 Kobe's Compartmentalization: Nice Guy Off Court, Competitor On Court
00:15:19 The Mental Game: What Separates Elite Athletes From Everyone Else
00:22:08 The Three Unspoken Words That Ruin Any Team
00:24:16 Meeting People Where They Are
00:36:45 Caught You Being a Laker: Empowering Employees to Create Magic
00:30:31 The Empty Seat Philosophy: Turning Sunk Costs Into Memories
00:31:35 Building Brands One Tiny Act at a Time
00:38:42 Remember That Business Is Always Human
00:42:04 The Jenga Theory: Every Interaction Either Builds or Destroys Your Brand
00:46:31 Caring Structure: What People Actually Crave at Work
00:47:26 Never Miss Your Kid's Game: The Accountability Agreement
00:50:09 Learning From Legends: Phil Jackson and the Human-First Philosophy
00:48:48 The Work Happens in the Dark: What Made Kobe and LeBron Great
00:50:56 Stop and Look at the Joy: Championship Lessons and Kobe's Legacy

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Credits
Footage: NBA Entertainment
Photos: http://bit.ly/43Fb37Z (Full List)
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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
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Website: http://simonsinek.com/
Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful
Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek

Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a quick break this week and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism next Tuesday. 

Until then, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes — when bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman joined the show to talk about the thing he's spent his whole career writing about: the quiet, radical power of showing up for people.

And Fredrik says great friendships aren't found by luck. They're built deliberately, repeatedly, and, sometimes, inconveniently by people who choose to do the work.

Fredrik is the internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (adapted into the film A Man Called Otto), Anxious People, and the Beartown series. His book, My Friends, is a love letter to the relationships that quietly shape who we become.

In this conversation, Fredrik opens up about his best friend of over 30 years and what 30 years of real friendship actually requires. His words will have you thinking hard about the friends you might be taking for granted.

In this episode you'll learn: 

➡️ Why great friendship is a skill + what the work actually looks like 

➡️ The concept of your "people” vs. “humans" 

➡️ Why your friends are your best editors

➡️ The friendship rule that changed how Fredrik's entire friend group thought about relationships

➡️ The unexpected value of quantity of time vs. quality of time 

➡️ How to be genuinely happy for someone else 

➡️ The difference between healthy self-deprecation and low self-esteem 

➡️ Why the work in a relationship is never solely on the relationship — it's always on you

A great relationship isn't a stroke of luck. It's a choice you make every day, in small ways, often when it's inconvenient. This conversation is a reminder of why it's worth it.

This… is A Bit of Optimism.

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To buy Fredrik’s book, My Friends, visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Fredrik-Backman/411545926 

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Chapters
Chapters

00:00:00 We Don't Need Algorithms to Find Our People
00:02:45 Fredrik's Viral Speech: Fueled by Pure Panic
00:05:55 The Power of Authenticity: Why Imperfection Resonates
00:07:29 Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely
00:08:56 The Friend Who Taught Him Everything
00:15:43 Quality Time vs Quantity Time: The ROI of Presence
00:17:53 The "I Want To," Not "I Have To" Philosophy
00:20:55 Your Friends Are Your Best Editors
00:13:23 Writing as Self-Editing
00:15:06 Learning to Be Happy for Others
00:22:41 The Gift of Time: Showing Up When It Matters
00:23:56 Be A Great Friend, Get Great Friends
00:28:55 The Work Is On You: Relationships and Self-Growth
00:36:23 Algorithms Would Never Match Us: The Value of Difference
00:34:21 Trying Is Everything
00:35:55 People vs Humans
00:37:18 Self-Deprecation vs Low Self-Esteem
00:39:22 The Jantelagen: Swedish Humility Law
00:45:26 The Fear of Disappointing People
00:48:00 Expectations vs Reality: Letting Go of Fantasy
00:49:00 Understanding Bullies: Finding What We Have in Common
00:51:21 Fighting Narcissism: Surrounding Yourself With Better People
00:52:08 Being Comfortable Not Knowing: The Gateway to Learning
00:55:28 The World's Best Cardamom Bun Debate

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Website: http://simonsinek.com/

Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful

Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek