Meikles & Dimes is a podcast dedicated to the simple, practical, and underappreciated. Monologue episodes cover science-based topics in decision-making, health, communication, negotiation, and performance psychology. Interview episodes, called Layer 2 episodes, include guests from business, academia, health care, journalism, engineering, and athletics.
Episodes
Monday Apr 08, 2024
Monday Apr 08, 2024
Modupe Akinola is a business professor at Columbia Business School, and coach to Chris Hemsworth in the documentary Limitless. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Modupe worked at Bain & Company and Merrill Lynch.
Modupe examines how organizational environments- characterized by deadlines, multi-tasking, and other attributes such as having low status- can engender stress, and how this stress can have spill-over effects on performance.
Her work has been covered in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, WIRED, Scientific American, Forbes, The Economist, and The Huffington Post.
Modupe earned her undergraduate degree, MBA, and PhD from Harvard.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- We have so much control over how we experience life, and it's within our control to find ways to manage stress so that it doesn’t negatively affect others.
- If you’re feeling stressed, do a stress check on yourself to see how you can change and dial down that stress in a way that isn't contagious so that other people don't have a terrible day because you are having a bad one.
- If Modupe snaps at herself or someone else, she pauses and asks herself, “What’s going on?” That often helps her realize why she’s stressed so that she can deal with it.
- If you are stressed, pause, figure out why, and then ask yourself, “What do I need right now?”
- Modupe learned a simple phrase that has improved her relationship with her Mom when she’s stressed: “I’m busy right now, Mom, but I’ll call you this weekend.”
- Working as Chris Hemsworth’s stress coach reinforced for Modupe that everyone has stress, regardless of their fame or success.
Follow Modupe
X: https://twitter.com/ProfAkinola
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mnakinola/
Website: https://www.modupeakinola.com/
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Frank Blake is the former CEO and Chairman of Home Depot, where he led a massive company turn around during his tenure. Frank’s other leadership positions include serving as board member at Delta, general counsel at GE, general counsel for the EPA, deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, deputy counsel to Vice President George H. W. Bush, and law clerk for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Frank earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a law degree from Columbia.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- The single most underappreciated tool that leaders have is the recognition and gratitude they can express to people working for them, and doing it in a way that is memorable for the people who are recognized and celebrated.
- Frank recognized people by bringing them up on stage and telling stories about them that demonstrated great customer service.
- Frank recognized people by writing 200 handwritten personal notes every Sunday, thanking them for specific things they had done.
- Just as kids will root for athletes who take the time to sign autographs, Frank generated support from his team by writing them personal letters of recognition.
- Every business leader knows the phrase, “You get what you measure.” Frank’s corollary is, "You get what you recognize and celebrate."
- If I say to someone, “I want you to provide great customer service” that sort of vaporizes instantaneously. But if I share a story of great customer service, everyone understands it and can apply it.
- When you tell a story that illustrates great customer service, people start talking about the behaviors they're doing that are similar, and the behavior gets reinforced and you get real momentum in the organization.
- More often than not, leaders are unintentional and undisciplined about how they recognize and celebrate their employees.
- Frank learned the power of recognition when he worked for George H. W. Bush. As VP, George started every day by spending an hour typing out personal notes. As a staff member, when Frank got a note from the VP, he felt like he walked on air.
- You can surprise people by thanking them and doing it in a specific way.
Follow Frank:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankBlake
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-blake-1a99646/
Website: https://crazygoodturns.org/blog
Follow Me:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Monday Mar 25, 2024
Monday Mar 25, 2024
Laurie Santos is the teacher of the most popular class in Yale’s history, Psychology and The Good Life. She is the host of “The Happiness Lab” podcast, which has been downloaded more than 85 million times, and she is the creator of The Science of Well-Being on Coursera, which has more than four million enrollees.
Her work has been featured in the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine, Slate and O! Magazine, among others, and Time Magazine named her a “Leading Campus Celebrity.”
In this episode we discuss the following:
- We are not our thoughts, and we can change our thoughts. The way we think can affect our behavior in ways that we don't really expect.
- Rather than yell at ourselves like a drill Sergeant to motivate ourselves, it can be more effective to practice self-compassion by talking to ourselves like we would talk to our friend.
- To improve our happiness, we need to invest in social connection. Not only does investing in social connection make us happier, it makes us happier than we expect it will.
Follow Laurie
X: https://twitter.com/lauriesantos
Website: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/
Podcast: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/happiness-lab-podcast
Instagram: LaurieSantosOfficial
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Brent Dunn is an exceptional teacher, who has taught more than 6,000 students how to “Ace” the LSAT. During his 27 years of teaching, his students’ average score is above the 90th percentile.
In addition to teaching people how to be smarter, Brent teaches spin classes and pottery. He also made his own (and his daughter's) wedding cakes, has biked around Iceland, collected all of the original set of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, drove a Zamboni, and poked sticks into flowing lava. He is fluent in English, Finnish, and German, with basic proficiency in French, Spanish, Italian, and Icelandic.
Brent is also a writer, and in this second episode with Brent, we discuss the book he is writing, wherein he describes his philosophy on the purpose of life and how to achieve that purpose. I loved his manuscript so much that I gifted it to my wife for Christmas. And I am so grateful that Brent graciously agreed to discuss his book here today, and I’m motivated to be a better person because of his book and this conversation.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- For Brent the purpose of life is to experience joy. And he experiences joy when he sees growth in himself or others he loves.
- To increase our joy, we can increase our love for others.
- Combining these ideas led Brent to an equation: Joy = Growth X Love^2.
- Brent’s parting phrase: “I love you! Have fun! Do your best!”
Follow Brent
Website: https://acetestprep.com/
Volcano hunting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Se7FssokU
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Brent Dunn is one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had. And I’m sure thousands of other students feel the same way about Brent as I do. Brent teaches people how to be smarter, or at least how to think more logically and critically. And it is because of Brent that I was able to attend Stanford Law School.
Brent is the owner and founder of ACE Test Preparation, where he has taught more than 6,000 students how to “Ace” the LSAT. During his 27 years of teaching, his students’ average score is above the 90th percentile, and he even taught the first person who got a perfect raw score on the LSAT in the current format. Brent has lectured on the LSAT around the country, everywhere from Harvard to Hawaii.
In Brent’s free time he teaches spin classes and pottery. He also made his own (and his daughter's) wedding cakes, has biked around Iceland, collected all of the original set of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, drove a Zamboni, and poked sticks into flowing lava. He is fluent in English, Finnish, and German, with basic proficiency in French, Spanish, Italian, and Icelandic.
In this first of two episodes with Brent, we learn Brent’s history, including both how became a volcano hunter and an LSAT instructor. And then we get to learn from Brent the same methods of reasoning that he has taught thousands of students. It is these teachings on logic and reasoning, which Brent teaches so clearly and entertainingly, that have helped thousands of law students achieve their dreams of getting accepted to the most prestigious schools around the world.
This episode will be required listening for my children because it will make them smarter. It will help them think more clearly and enable them to spot logical fallacies that are so common in journalism, politics, business, and even in school.
I believe Brent has improved my brain more than anyone else on earth, so I hope you enjoy learning from Brent Dunn today, because I always do.
In this episode we discuss the following:
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Brent's rejection from a premier school, his acceptance, and his expulsion from chemistry for shooting projectiles toward his teacher
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Moving to Finland for a church mission
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Proposing to his girlfriend two weeks after their first one-on-one date
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Defaulting into a philosophy major
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Chasing volcanoes
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Becoming an LSAT teacher
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We also covered logical fallacies:
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inaccurate word strength
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insufficient evidence
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faulty comparisons
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fallacious appeals to authority
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ad hominem attacks
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confusing correlation with causation
Follow Brent
Website: https://acetestprep.com/
Volcano hunting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Se7FssokU
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Justin Tozer is a math and science prodigy who grew up on a farm where formal education was all but prohibited. Yet, somehow Tozer would make his way to the world’s most prestigious firms, first in Silicon Valley and later in Los Alamos at the world’s preeminent scientific lab.
Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- LK99 Superconductor
- Tozer going to work for GE Astro Space
- Tozer getting recruited to work for the National Lab in Idaho
Follow Me:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Justin Tozer is a math and science prodigy who grew up on a farm where formal education was all but prohibited. Yet, somehow Tozer would make his way to the world’s most prestigious firms, first in Silicon Valley and later in Los Alamos at the world’s preeminent scientific lab.
Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- How Tozer and his team at IBM invented MR technology
- How Tozer is better at talking to a horse than a human
Follow Me:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Justin Tozer is a math and science prodigy who grew up on a farm where formal education was all but prohibited. Yet, somehow Tozer would make his way to the world’s most prestigious firms, first in Silicon Valley and later in Los Alamos at the world’s preeminent scientific lab.
Yet no professional accomplishment compares to the countless lives Tozer has saved, changed, and enhanced.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- Two specific examples of youth he mentored
- The mental rules he uses to manage the stress of mentoring youth
- Internships he had while in college
Follow Me:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Monday Mar 04, 2024
Monday Mar 04, 2024
Marc Schulz is the associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, an 85-year study of individuals and families. He is also the author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.
Marc earned an undergraduate degree from Amherst College and a Ph.D. from California Berkeley.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed more than 2,000 people spanning more than 85 years. The one finding that stands out above all others: Relationships keep us happier and healthier through our lives.
- Relationships help us navigate stress, overcome challenges, deal with emotions, figure out our path, and connect us with our past. Relationships are also where we experience our most joy, and they also predict our health and happiness.
- The risk of mortality associated with loneliness is about the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
- One of the biggest problems with loneliness is that it’s quite prevalent. In the United States, in a given week, 20-50% of adults report being lonely. Given that loneliness is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes/day, the surgeon general talks about this is a public health crisis.
- In the past, people had to get out of their house to see whether the Jones’s where better off than them. But now we can socially compare ourselves from our phones. And most of us come out of those comparisons feeling worse about ourselves.
- By going more virtual and focusing on efficiency we miss out on informal connections, like talking to people in the hallway.
- Just as physical fitness is important predictor of health and happiness, so too is social fitness. By thinking about our social lives in terms of what’s working, and then prioritizing our positive social relationships, we can improve our happiness.
- When people in their 80s discuss their regrets, most regrets are centered on relationships. For example, losing contact with friends, or not being as kind as they could have been to the people they loved.
- Social fitness is all about making time for our friends and loved ones. Eating lunch with them, going on walks with them, or calling them. As the key finding from the 85-year Harvard Study of Adult Development shows, relationships keep us happier and healthier through our lives.
Follow Marc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-schulz-20663222a/
Website: https://www.brynmawr.edu/inside/people/marc-schulz
The Good Life Book: https://amzn.to/41ShAe3
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Andy Reid is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs where he has won three Super Bowls. After the most recent championship, his two star players had this to say about Andy as a leader:
First Travis Kelce: “I got the greatest coach this game has ever seen. He's unbelievable at not only dialing up plays and having everybody prepared, but he's one of the best leaders of men that I've ever seen in my life. I owe my entire career to that guy. I just love him man.”
Second Patrick Mahomes: “I believe he is the best coach of all time. For me, he brings out the best in me because he lets me be me. He doesn’t try to make me anyone else. I don’t think I would be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach.”
I can’t imagine two better endorsements of Andy and his leadership style.
In this episode we discuss the following:
- When Andy thinks about the most important things he’s learned about leadership, he thinks about his role models, from church leaders to LaVell Edwards.
- What Andy especially loved about LaVell Edwards is that he was never out of control, he was honest, he was a good teacher, and he was consistent.
- Andy is so good at applying lessons learned from LaVell Edwards, for example, keeping control of his emotions when getting “bumped to the other side of the 50” by Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl.
- Andy is so good at applying lessons learned from LaVell Edwards. For example, committing to always be honest with his players because he doesn’t believe you can be a good teacher if you’re not honest.
- One of Andy’s greatest leadership strengths: He knows his players. He remembers that Chris Jones was wearing a red tuxedo 8 years ago when Chris didn’t get drafted in the first round. He knows that Travis Kelce is the oldest player on the team. He remembers drafting Kelce in his first year at Kansas City and has watched him grow up.
- Andy’s greatest leadership strength: He loves his players. Andy loves Travis Kelce for his passion, even when getting yelled at and bumped in the Super Bowl. Andy loved Travis for putting his body on the line every play and for wanting to give more.Andy loves Chris Jones for committing to do all he could do to win the Super Bowl, and then reaching deep into no man’s land to make it happen. Andy loves Patrick Mahomes coming into the huddle every day saying, “Let’s be great!”
- It’s important for leaders to be calm, honest, consistent, teachers. But I think Andy is one of the greatest of all time for two additional reasons: He knows his players and he loves them.
Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/
Website: https://natemeikle.com