When the wildfires struck Los Angeles, turmoil quickly consumed the city. People were desperate for clear, reliable information—unsure of evacuation routes or how to track the fires as they spread in a history-making wind storm. Then, we found Watch Duty. This intuitive app became our lifeline.
Today
What Grit Really Teaches Us About Happiness with Professor Angela Duckworth
We’re often told that the secret to success is grit - more discipline, more perseverance, more individual effort. And grit does matter. But what if it’s only half the story?In today’s world, we’ve become experts at tracking achievement, yet novices at nurturing belonging - and th ... Show More
56m 5s
Jan 27
Matthew McConaughey on How to Fall Back in Love with Your Life
In a world defined by constant change, reinvention isn’t optional - it’s essential. We often assume reinvention comes from bold leaps or lucky breaks, but actor and author Matthew McConaughey’s story suggests a quieter approach can be far more powerful.In this episode, Matthew jo ... Show More
59 m
Jan 20
Revisited: Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt
Hello from Team Simon! We’ll be back next week—January 27, 2026—with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism. We’re excited to bring you new guests, conversations, and opportunities to learn.Until then, we’re diving back into the archives to revisit one of our favorite episodes f ... Show More
56m 18s
Apr 2025
Purpose Isn’t Found, It’s Built with Aaron Hurst
In episode 230 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy is joined by Aaron Hurst, bestselling author of The Purpose Economy and a pioneer in the field of meaningful work. Together, they explore the idea that purpose isn’t something we find, but something we intentionall ... Show More
1h 6m
Feb 2025
A more compassionate capitalism, with Cotopaxi’s Davis Smith
<p>Cotopaxi founder Davis Smith believes business can be a force for change. He built a world-class outdoor brand around a simple but powerful motto: Do Good. In this conversation with host Jeff Berman, Smith shares the spark of inspiration that set Cotopaxi in motion, the hard-w ... Show More
30m 36s
Apr 2025
From Cop to Millionaire: How Paul Alex Built a 7-Figure Business with Automation
<p>We sat down with Paul Alex, the founder of MerchantAutomation.com and a former award-winning detective, to talk about his incredible journey from law enforcement to building multimillion-dollar businesses. In this interview, Paul shares how he made the bold decision to leave a ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2025
Building AI tools to outsmart wildfires
In 1994, Joaquin Ramirez took a job with a wildland fire-fighting crew in his native Spain. That year, Spain saw some of the most destructive fires in its history, and Joaquin quickly realized he just wasn’t cut out to be a wildland firefighter.He left the crew, but he kept think ... Show More
21m 12s
Dec 2024
S10 Bonus: Andrey Kudievskiy, Distillery
Andrey Kudievskiy has always been fascinated by technology, and when asked about himself, he identifies as an entrepreneur. He has been a software engineer, database developer, administrator and then jumped accidentally into management. Outside of his professional life, he is mar ... Show More
32m 58s
Jul 2024
694: How to Build a "People-First" Culture (with Unicorn Founder and CEO of One Planet Group, Payam Zamani)
Welcome to an interview with the author of Crossing the Desert: The Power of Embracing Life's Difficult Journeys, Payam Zamani. In this episode, Payam shares the most important lessons he learned from building a record-breaking billion-dollar IPO called AutoWeb, and how it fell a ... Show More
47m 40s
<p><strong>When I think about Elie Medawar, </strong>four ideas come to mind:</p>
<ul>
<li>Behavioural flexibility<br>
</li>
<li>Leveraging strengths<br>
</li>
<li>Learning machine<br>
</li>
<li>Contagious enthusiasm<br>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Elie started Medbox at a very challeng ... Show More
