I listened to 18 podcasts this week, and somehow they took me from particle physics and things that supposedly shouldn’t exist… to 21-year-old AI millionaires… all the way to one much bigger question:

Is the American Dream still alive?

This week on This Week in My Headphones, we’re talking AI again—but this time I wanted to get practical. What AI tools are people actually using? What can they really do? And with people claiming AI has made it easier than ever to build something, make money, and completely change your career, are we entering a new era of opportunity—or something else entirely?

I’ll also get into the newest Golden Ticket winner on Kill Tony, share my Podcast of the Week—Andrew Huberman's appearance on The Diary of a CEO—and an idea I’m kicking around for a future Protocols study-group podcast.

Then, for the first time, I’m joined by a guest.

Kari Kennedy, a 20-year veteran of banking and finance, joins me to tackle a theme that keeps showing up in my headphones: What does the American Dream actually mean in 2026, and is it still achievable?

We talk homeownership, building wealth, economic mobility, financial freedom, creating a better life for your kids, and whether “work hard and you’ll get ahead” still works the way we were taught it does.

Plus: CERN physics, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Seedance, Grok Bot, Nvidia, AI entrepreneurs and plenty more from the 18 podcasts that made it into my headphones this week.

This Week in My Headphones with Kevin T.

Hear something you agree with—or completely disagree with? Let me know. And send me a podcast you think should be in my headphones next week.

Full Podcast List:

The Tim Dillon Show - #510 – Lindsay Clancy, Darline Graham,& The American Woman

Bad Friends – Incel Interior Decorator

Julian Dorey Podcast – #468 - YouTuber “Sabbatical (TommyBeard)” on Devil Worshippers, The Aztecs, Samarra Holy Site & DarkDiscovery in Argentina

The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett – Top White HouseAdvisor: The US Empire is DYING and Socialism is Coming Next! / David Friedberg

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg – Nvidia’sHistoric Quarter, SaaS Comeback, Bessent vs Druck, America’s Debt Crisis,Cancer Vaccine

Brooke and Jeffrey – Full Show 8/31/26 – 9/4/26

Kill Tony - #783 – Gary Owen + Brian Simpson

The Ben Shapiro Show – Ep. 2498 – My Response to PiersMorgan and Milo Yiannopoulos

The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett – Andrew Huberman:My Exact Routine to Optimize Brain & Body, I Do All Of These Every Day!

Jack Neel Podcast – AI Insider: “You Can Make $1M in aWeek!” The 3 Hidden AI Gold Rushes in 2026

Huberman Lab – Dr. Gina Poe – Essentials: Use Sleep toEnhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State

The Joe Rogan Experience - #2549 – Jared Diamond

The Tucker Carlson Show – The Truth About the Biggest Act ofDomestic Terrorism in American History

Danny Jones Podcast #428 – Daniel Whiteson - CERN Physicist:“We Found Something That Shouldn’t Exist”