logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
1h 56m

Sunita Sah (on defiance)

Armchair Umbrella
About this episode

Sunita Sah (Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes) is an author, award-winning, tenured professor at Cornell University, and expert in organizational psychology. Sunita joins the Armchair Expert to discuss living up to the Sanskrit meaning of her name, why Milgram’s electric shock experiment pushed her to pursue psychology, and how some of the wildest and offtrack people she knows are doctors. Sunita and Dax talk about how speaking up when you see something happening to someone else is a communal act, how Dax goes straight from tension to defiance, and whether defiance is evolutionarily maladaptive. Sunita explains the five elements that define a true yes, how we can reduce stress by clarifying and acting in alignment to our values, and tells the story of her mother’s defiance that surprised her and taught her hope. 

Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
Toby Stuart (on social status)
Toby Stuart (Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World) is an organizational theorist, professor of business administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and author. Toby joins the Armchair Expert to discuss attending Harvard Bus ... Show More
1h 36m
Oct 7
Mom's Car: Jackie Tohn
On this week’s episode of Mom’s Car, we welcome longtime pal and Nobody Wants This supporting star Jackie Tohn. Jackie, Dax, and Best Friend Aaron Weakley talk through comparisons between the smells of broccoli and feet, being a part of the most streamed comedy of all time, getti ... Show More
54m 49s
Oct 6
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen (The Book of Sheen, Two and a Half Men, Platoon) is a Golden Globe Award-winning actor. Charlie joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the lore of having not one but two of his cars stolen and pushed into a ravine, a two-decades-delayed apology to Dax, and why hiring ... Show More
2h 8m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
715: How to Stand Up for Yourself, with Sunita Sah
Sunita Sah: Defy Sunita Sah is an award-winning professor at Cornell University and an expert in organizational psychology, leading groundbreaking research on influence, authority, compliance, and defiance. A trained physician, her research and analyses have been widely published ... Show More
36m 9s
Aug 4
Why You Say Yes When You Shouldn’t — And How To Say No When It Matters Most | Dr. Sunita Sah
A conversation with a Cornell professor who is attempting to rebrand the concept of defiance. Dr. Sunita Sah started her career as a physician but then switched over to organizational psychology. At Cornell, she conducts research on influence, authority, compliance, and defiance. ... Show More
1h 10m
Sep 24
Part Two: The Rise of Cancel Culture, Distrust in Science & Misinformation: Dr. Steven Pinker Reveals The Hidden Psychology That Threatens Society.
The Rising Risks of Cancel Culture & The Psychology & Language That Built It! In this explosive episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Steven Pinker (renowned Harvard psychologist and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows) joins Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen for a ... Show More
54m 41s
Apr 2025
Melanie Klein, Symbol Formation, and Autism: A Psychoanalytic Conversation with Dr. Ben Morsa
What happens when the ego fails to form a symbol? In this episode of Acid Horizon, we're joined by Dr. Ben Morsa, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalytic thinker working at the intersection of queer theory, neurodiversity, and mental health. Together, we dive into Melanie Klei ... Show More
1h 18m
Mar 2025
Kara Swisher
This week on Reclaiming, we welcome renowned tech journalist and industry expert Kara Swisher. Kara offers a thoughtful prediction on the political landscape under Trump and Musk. She drops a provocative take on AI's gender problem and why she believes men are at the heart of it ... Show More
50m 30s
Feb 2025
CAT BURNS: AUTISM MADE ME FEEL I WAS DOING LIFE WRONG
Cat Burns released a song on TikTok during lockdown, and quickly rose to becoming one of the UK’s best-selling female artists and a three-time BRIT Award nominee. At just 24, her success is remarkable, but what struck me most was her wisdom and self-awareness. As someone who is a ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2020
Book: Trauma and Recovery, Part Two
Dr. E shares about a book she discovered through a class with the ISSTD.  She explores what she has learned about Charcot, Janet, and Freud.  She gives the historical context of their rivalry, and how that later connected to research with veterans who had endured combat.  She tel ... Show More
55m 24s
Feb 2025
Psychology Researcher: Why Always Being Good Can Be Incredibly Bad for You | Dr. Sunita Sah
Are you living a life true to your deepest values or just going along with what others expect? Sunita Sah, author of Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes, reveals how our cultural conditioning to comply holds us back from authenticity. Learn the stages of healthy def ... Show More
54m 40s
Mar 2025
Jameela Jamil
Content Warning: This episode includes discussions about [topics, e.g., weight, body dysmorphia, mental health], which some listeners may find sensitive. Please take care while listening, and feel free to explore other episodes if this isn’t the right one for you today. David Ten ... Show More
1h 16m
Sep 9
Top Neuroscientist's New Research on After Death Communication: Dr. Tara Swart’s Exploration of Consciousness, Intuition & Extra-Sensory Abilities
Can You REALLY Talk to the Dead? MIT Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart Says Yes—And Brings the Science to Prove It What happens when one of the world’s leading MIT neuroscientists, Dr. Tara Swart (Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and author of THE SIGNS: The New Science of How to Trust Y ... Show More
1h 41m