Simplify
Blinkist
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 Simplify Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Simplify episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Simplify for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Simplify episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
10/12/23 • 32 min
Our obsession with beauty and appearance may be deeply rooted, but at this moment, things seem to be reaching a whole new level. Facetune and features like skin smoothing, jaw reduction, and eye enhancement that are standard on social apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and even Zoom, as well as the ubiquitous advertisements for a flawless face and body, are turning our bodies into projects to work on forever.
This and much more prompted American journalist and podcaster Elise Hu to research and write her book, Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture From the K-Beauty Capital, which she describes as “part memoir, part social commentary, part reportage." As a former NPR correspondent in Seoul, she has experienced firsthand the dangers of the unyielding, strict beauty standards in South Korea, the world's most cosmetically advanced country, and what happens when beauty becomes associated with morality and the image of a “good person.”
In this episode, Elise shares with us her unique research on technological change, consumerism, and the undeniable political, economic, and social capital of good looks worldwide. Most importantly, her book and this conversation not only scrutinize the real financial, physical, and emotional costs of beauty work, but also serve as a call to join the fight for bodily autonomy and culture change focused on endless self-improvement as the best path to empowerment.
Caitlin and Ben's book recommendations:
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
The Aesthetic Brain by Anjan Chatterjee
Elise's book recommendations:
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A by Eve Babitz
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code beauty.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at [email protected] [4].
This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist
11/16/23 • 25 min
We might say that “age is just a number,” but if we're really honest with ourselves, a lot of us still think of “old” people as stubborn hoarders who eat dinner (too) early and are forever talking about their aches and pains. Why is that? And could there be another way?
These questions prompted Steven Petrow, an award-winning journalist and author to begin compiling a list of things he won’t do when he gets old shortly after his 50th birthday. The list, which included “You won’t have to shout at me that I’m deaf” and “I won’t blame the family dog for my incontinence," was mainly based on all the things he thought his then-70-something parents were doing wrong. The list became first an essay and then a book, now praised as an "essential guide on how to age with grace, wisdom, humor and hope."
In this episode, Steven and Caitlin tackle ageing with honesty and compassion, exploring together how we can live a little better and a little more gracefully than the generations before us. The beauty of intergenerational friendships, (internalized) ageism, and perennials are just a few of the topics covered—with the beauty of the interview lying in the shared conclusion: everyone benefits immensely from understanding people for who they are, not how old they are.
Book recommended by Caitlin:
Wiser by Dilip Jeste and Scott LaFee
Books recommended by Steven:
How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
This is Not Going to End Well by Daniel Wallace
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code petrow.
If you'd like to receive the Simplify newsletter with great insights, questions, and quotes from each episode to get a look back or a taste of what’s to come, you can sign up here: https://substack.com/@simplifybyblinkist?utm_source=profile-page.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller. You can write us all an email at [email protected] [4].
This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist
05/20/21 • 38 min
For a lot of us, our job is a profound expression of selfhood. That means that when we lose a job, or when a business fails, we might feel like failures, too. And in today’s uncertain economy this happens a lot more than anybody would like.
In this episode, Farai Chideya, author of The Episodic Career https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-episodic-career-en [1], offers a new perspective on how to approach your career path so that you can both survive and thrive at work in the age of disruption. When you understand that you're not your job, but rather that it’s a thing that you do, it's much easier to bounce back, make a pivot, or even temporarily earn less on your way to doing work that really fulfills you.
Sci-Fi podcasts recommended by Farai:
1. Clarkesworld
2. Escape Pod
3. StarShipSofa
Books mentioned by Caitlin and Ben:
1. How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric (The School of Life)
2. What Color Is Your Parachute: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success by Richard N. Bolles with Katharine Brooks
3. The Multi-Hyphen Life: Work Less, Create More, and Design a Life That Works for You by Emma Gannon
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code REBOOT.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at [@caitlinschiller][3], Ben at [@bsto][4]. Simplify is produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Ines Bläsius, and Marta Medvešek. Thanks to Odysseas Constantinou for audio engineering chops and music.
[1]: https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-episodic-career-en
[2]: https://www.blinkist.com/simplify
[3]: https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller
[4]: https://twitter.com/bsto
Trailer: Simplify Season 6
Simplify
09/19/19 • 2 min
In Season 6 of Simplify, we're going deep. Our authors and experts touch on how to harness joy from the world around us, why a lack of real human connection makes us depressed, and the evolutionary reasons we feel feelings in the first place. You'll hear from Susan Cain, Johann Hari, Sonya Renee Taylor, Ingrid Fetell Lee, and more.
If you haven’t subscribed, make sure to do so before the first new episode drops on September 26th. If we’re lucky enough to already count you as a Simplify fan, then please spread the word and tell your friends. It really does help! Send us feedback, suggestions, or questions about anything you’ve heard or would like to hear at [email protected]. And if Twitter’s your thing, you’ll find Caitlin @CaitlinSchiller and Ben @bsto.
02/14/19 • 39 min
If you've got a pulse and like eating food, you've likely either been on a diet, or felt obligated to start one. Yet the fact remains that diets, in the traditional cut-and-count-calories format, rarely work long term. That's where Melissa Hartwig Urban comes in.
On this episode of Simplify, the co-creator of nutrition phenomenon The Whole30 talks with Caitlin about how to get free of diets forever, why your weight doesn't count, and how changing the way you eat can change everything. Plus, she offers up her tip on how to make brussels sprouts so good that you won't miss the kettle chips in your life one bit.
Melissa Hartwig Urban is a Sports Nutritionist who specializes in helping people change their relationship with food and create healthy habits that last. Her program, The Whole30, has spent considerable time on the NYT's bestseller list and helped thousands of people reset their health.
For more info, including links to everything discussed in the episode, check out this link: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-nutrition-melissa-hartwig-urbann
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/en/nc/friends/][3] and typing in the code whole30.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at [@caitlinschiller][4], Ben at [@bsto][5] and Terence at [@terence_mickey][6]
That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on [Soundcloud][7] and [Facebook][8].
[1]: https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/a-really-good-day-en/
[2]: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-nutrition-melissa-hartwig-urbann
[3]: https://www.blinkist.com/friends/?v=whole30
[4]: https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller?lang=en
[5]: https://twitter.com/bsto
[6]: https://twitter.com/terence_mickey?ref_src=twsrc%5Eappleosx%7Ctwcamp%5Esafari%7Ctwgr%5Esearch
[7]: https://soundcloud.com/niceaux
[8]: https://www.facebook.com/niceaux
12/28/17 • 45 min
In this bonus episode of Simplify season 2, we talk with Eli Finkel. Finkel is a writer and social psychologist at Northwestern University. He's also the author of the new book The All-or-Nothing Marriage.
On this episode, Caitlin Schiller talks to Finkel about where the ideas in the book came from. Finkel explains how he discovered that marriage is tied to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: throughout history, the main purpose of marriage was tied to survival, but today we’re asking for much more. We want our marriage to make us better people; to help us realize our best selves.
He and Caitlin dive into social psychology, long-term passion, and a couple of “love hacks” that can get you and your partner back on track.
After the interview, Ben Schuman-Stoler and Emily Phillips discuss the key takeaways of the interview and make a booklist for anyone who wants to read more about changing your mindset (which has more to do with good relationships than you think!).
For more info, including links to everything we discussed in the episode and a voucher to use Blinkist for free, go to http://blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-marriage-eli-finkel.
Quick reminder: This season, we are collecting your voices! It's not as creepy as it sounds, we promise. We just would love to hear how you would answer one of the questions we always ask our guests: “What have you discovered was much easier than you initially thought it was?” You can just record your answer with any voice memo app and email it to us at [email protected].
If you want to say hi to Ben and Caitlin in the meantime, you can find them on Twitter: @bsto and @CaitlinSchiller. Let them know what you're reading!
Thanks to Nico Guiang for our fantastic intro and outro music. Listen to more on Soundcloud or check him out on Facebook.
02/08/24 • 55 min
Today, we bring you Simplify's first ever crossover episode with the #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: Acquired!
For nearly 9 years David Rosenthal—today's guest—and his co-host Ben have been sharing the strategies and history of 200+ of the world's most successful businesses. From Sequoia to Sony, through to TSMC, Amazon, The New York Times, the NBA and Oprah, Acquired's hosts go deep—sometimes 3 hours deep!—into the details of each business's ups and downs.
In this episode of Simplify, we had the unique chance to tap into David's unique wisdom and expertise and ask: what are the patterns you've seen across these success stories?
Caitlin and David focus on 3 big lessons from David's gleaned through years of research and immersion. He shares one powerful lesson on customers, one on product, and one that extends out to collaborations. They scrutinize and highlight the insights and attitudes that have helped some of the world's most notable companies thrive. What’s more, with an experience of two hosts and expert interviewers, they reach some everlasting wisdom on quality, connection, and authenticity— applicable both in business and life!
Check out Blinkist's exclusive collection that offers concise and insightful Blinks, revealing the secrets behind Nike's global triumphs, tailored for listeners of the Acquired podcast.
Recommended by Caitlin and Ben:
Powers of Two by Joshua Wolf Shank
The Everything Store by Brad Stone
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code acquired.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at [email protected] [4].
This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist
01/26/23 • 1 min
We’ve been making Simplify pretty much the same way since 2017: we focus on a great book and its author, and try to dig out the most helpful ideas. Nearly six years in, we’re wondering: how might we make Simplify even better for all of you?
So, we thought we'd ask! Click this link to take the survey: https://try.blinkist.com/simplify-learner-survey/ [1]
Tell us what you're curious about lately, what you've been reading, and which authors you’d like to hear from. It’ll probably only take you about two minutes, but it will help us a lot.
Thank you for listening, thanks for answering those questions, and look for more new Simplify very, very soon.
Email us at [email protected] [2]
Find Caitlin on Twitter @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [3]
Ben's at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [4]
Or find the survey also at Blinkist's instagram https://www.instagram.com/blinkist/ [5]
Simplify is produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, and Odysseas Constantinou, who also made the music and has been helping us sound like adults since 2017.
[1]: https://try.blinkist.com/simplify-learner-survey/
[2]: [email protected]
[3]: https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller
[4]: https://twitter.com/bsto
[5]: https://www.instagram.com/blinkist/
Daniel Maté: Normal Is a Myth
Simplify
09/07/23 • 41 min
The systems we live in suggest that a successful human life depends on denying pain, endless hustle, stress, and sustaining trauma—and making it all look easy. The only problem is that human nature objects. Psychological and physical suffering seem to be increasing while illness and trauma continue to define how we live.
But, what's in it for our culture? Why and how do we breed disease—and why do we call that normal?
Educator, mental chiropractor, musical theater pro, and co-author of The Myth of Normal Daniel Maté (yes—the son of Gabor Maté!) sits down with Caitlin to unpack how the norms and assumptions we have about who people are, what they need, and what health, trauma, illness, and healing look like in a toxic culture. In this conversation, Daniel offers us the best macro perspective on the effects of trauma on people and our society—and what steps can be taken to reverse the damage.
Today's episode featured...
Do Scale by Les McKeown
Stolen Focus by Johan Harrari
10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy
Remember His Name: Unmasking the Faceless God of the West by Angela Natividad
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code normal.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at [email protected] [4].
This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Phoebe McIndoe, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist
10/23/19 • 39 min
What would the world look like if we were free of body shame and instead living in a state of radical self-love? Radical Self-Love Champion and author of The Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor, explains what her utopia would look like in this week’s episode of Simplify.
As Sonya explains, our language and mindset about our bodies impact us in ways that we are often entirely unaware of. Increasing our awareness of this factor enables us to better understand our own low moments, but also helps to explain major historical and societal harm.
Listen in to learn more about how something as small as what we picture when we hear the word "body" can lead to much bigger consequences, and what we can do to avoid repeatedly making these same mistakes.
For more info, including links to everything discussed in the episode, check out this link: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-self-acceptance-sonya-renee-taylor/ [2]
Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify][3], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code RADICAL.
Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at [@caitlinschiller][4], Ben at [@bsto][5].
Simplify is produced by Caitlin Schiller with unparalleled co-hosting by Ben Schuman-Stoler. Thanks to Ines Bläsius for production assistance and Christoph Meyer for audio engineering chops. The new Simplify theme is by the one and only Odysseas Constantinou.
[1]: https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-body-is-not-an-apology-en
[2]: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-self-acceptance-sonya-renee-taylor/
[3]: https://www.blinkist.com/simplify
[4]: https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller?lang=en
[6]: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/simplify-sonya-renee-taylor-transcript/
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Simplify have?
Simplify currently has 95 episodes available.
What topics does Simplify cover?
The podcast is about Non Fiction, Learning, Health & Fitness, Self Improvement, Personal Development, Podcasts, Books, Education and Nonfiction.
What is the most popular episode on Simplify?
The episode title 'Tiffany Dufu: Do What You Do Best, Drop The Rest' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Simplify?
The average episode length on Simplify is 33 minutes.
How often are episodes of Simplify released?
Episodes of Simplify are typically released every 7 days, 18 hours.
When was the first episode of Simplify?
The first episode of Simplify was released on Jul 5, 2017.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ