Chantel Prat studies how different brains make sense of the world. Her work starts from a simple idea: every experience leaves a mark. The inputs we consume shape how we think, what we notice, and ultimately who we become.

The conversation explores why people often choose familiar rewards over uncertain opportunities to learn. Chantel explains the tension between exploration and exploitation, why curiosity is essential for growth, and how fear can prevent us from engaging with new technologies like AI.

They also discuss theory of mind, cognitive offloading, and what happens when we increasingly rely on AI for thinking. The goal is not simply to do better work, but to use AI in ways that help us become better versions of ourselves.

Key Takeaways:

• Curiosity requires safety
  When people feel threatened, they become defensive rather than exploratory. Fear gets in the way of learning.
• Better inputs create better outputs
  Every experience leaves a footprint on the brain. The ideas, conversations, and information we consume shape how we think and who we become.
• We naturally favor certainty over exploration
  Our brains are biased toward familiar rewards, even when something new may offer greater long-term value.
• Curiosity starts with admitting you might be wrong
  Learning requires recognizing that you do not already have the answer. Without that openness, exploration never begins.
• Use AI to become better, not just produce more
  The most important question is not what AI can do for you, but what you still want to get better at yourself.

Chantel Prat: linktr.ee/chantelprat
The Neuroscience of You: The-Neuroscience-of-you/book

00:00 Curiosity Versus Threat
00:31 Meet Chantel Prat
01:02 Why Input Shapes Brains
04:08 The Output Pressure Trap
05:52 Exploration Versus Exploitation
10:05 Average Brains And Teams
15:35 Theory Of Mind Defined
22:12 Practicing With AI Feedback
24:31 Offloading Thinking To AI
29:50 Humans In The Loop
35:16 Age And Tech Reactions
42:15 Why Curiosity Requires Safety
48:15 Personal Codex And AI
50:54 Becoming More Yourself
54:34 The Debrief

📜 Read the transcript for this episode:

For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:

Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
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Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup and the newly released Incorruptible, joins Beyond the Prompt to explore why most companies drift from their original mission over time. The conversation dives into governance, shareholder primacy, Anthropic’s unusual structure, and why AI makes these questions more important than ever.

Eric Ries argues that most companies are built on a contradiction. Founders say they care about customers and impact, but legally, the company is structured to serve shareholders first. Over time, that mismatch tends to win.

The conversation explores what that looks like in practice, why it is so hard to fix, and how a small number of companies have tried to design around it from the beginning. Eric reflects on advising Anthropic in its earliest days and what it actually takes to protect a mission as a company scales.

A big part of the discussion is how governance gets treated as a legal formality when it is really a design problem. In the age of AI, Eric argues that the principles baked into a company’s structure early on may determine whether it stays true to its mission or slowly drifts away from it.

Key Takeaways:

• Mission drift is often built in from day one
  Founders may say they care about customers and impact, but legally the company is structured to serve shareholders first. Over time, that mismatch tends to win.
• Governance is one of the highest leverage founder decisions
  If the structure is misaligned early on, founders can lose control of the company and its mission no matter how strong the original vision was.
• The system is stacked against mission-driven founders
  Even well-intentioned founders operate inside structures designed to prioritize short-term shareholder returns. Most do not realize it until it is too late.
• “Why not try?” is more powerful than it sounds
  Eric’s argument is not that fixing governance is easy. It is that most founders never even ask the question.
• AI makes this more urgent than ever
  As AI systems act more autonomously, the principles built into a company early on will shape whether it stays true to its mission or drifts away from it.
  

Eric's new book:
Amazon: Incorruptible
Website: incorruptible.co
Socials:
X: x.com/ericries
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/ericries
The Lean Startup: theleanstartup.com

00:00 Mission vs Shareholder Value
00:32 Meet Eric Ries
01:37 Why Anthropic Needed Governance
06:47 The Long-Term Benefit Trust
10:00 Why Great Companies Drift
13:47 From Lean Startup to Incorruptible
18:14 Is It Too Late To Fix?
23:06 Governance As A Superpower
25:48 The Lies Founders Tell Themselves
28:49 The Rise Of Shareholder Primacy
33:09 The Unaccountability Machine
35:51 Profit vs Human Flourishing
37:24 The ROI Trap
38:26 The H-E-B Loyalty Story
41:14 Principles Beyond Metrics
42:54 AI, Thick Data, And Human Judgment
46:43 The Debrief

📜 Read the transcript for this episode: why-your-favorite-brand-stopped-caring-about-you-eric-ries-author-of-the-lean-startup/transcript

For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:

Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
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Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.

Ryan Holiday argues that while AI can generate outputs, it cannot generate wisdom. Drawing on a story from Seneca about a Roman who used educated slaves to sound intelligent, he compares outsourcing thinking to outsourcing exercise: the value comes from becoming the kind of person who can do the work, not simply producing the answer.

The conversation explores the difference between useful cognitive offloading and surrendering judgment entirely. Ryan explains that while tools like GPS may replace navigation skills without much consequence, writing, decision-making, and critical thinking shape the person on the other side of the process. AI, he argues, tends to amplify existing tendencies. People satisfied with mediocre work will settle faster, while people pushing for exceptional work can use AI to refine and challenge their thinking.

Throughout the episode, Stoicism serves as a counterweight to both panic and hype. Change and uncertainty are constants throughout history, not exceptions. Ryan reflects on leadership, family, adaptability, and skepticism, arguing that in a world where AI can confidently produce both insight and nonsense, the ability to question, verify, and think independently becomes increasingly valuable.

Key Takeaways:

• You cannot outsource wisdom
  AI can generate answers, but judgment and understanding still come from doing the work yourself.
• AI amplifies who you already are
  People who settle for mediocre work will do so faster with AI. People who push for better work can use it to deepen and refine their thinking.
• Bullshit detection is becoming a core skill
  As AI produces increasingly convincing answers, skepticism and verification become essential.
• Change is not new
  The Stoics viewed uncertainty and disruption as constants of human life. AI may feel unprecedented, but humans have always had to adapt to major change.
• Agency matters more than ever
  You cannot control technological change, but you can control how you respond to it and how you choose to use it.
  

Ryan's website: ryanholiday.net
Daily Stoic: dailystoic.com/podcast/

00:00 Intro: You Can’t Outsource Wisdom
00:29 Meet Ryan Holiday
02:03 The Dream Was To Work Less
03:07 Who Actually Gets The Time?
06:32 Leadership, Culture, And Family First
08:38 How Will You Measure Your Life?
10:11 The Stoic View Of Change
14:44 AI Hallucinations And Shameless Confidence
17:21 You Cannot Outsource Wisdom
19:08 Cognitive Offloading Vs Real Understanding
20:22 Ego, Flattery, And AI
22:52 AI As Editor And Thought Partner
24:59 Mediocre Vs Exceptional Work
31:15 Why Bullshit Detection Matters
38:06 Stoicism, Agency, And Adapting To Change
43:31 The Debrief

📜 Read the transcript for this episode: you-cant-outsource-wisdom-bestselling-author-ryan-holiday-on-what-the-stoics-have-to-say-about-ai/transcript

For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:

Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley

Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.