What if the four massive crises facing humanity right now are actually your greatest opportunity to completely reinvent your future, and you have way less time than you think to act?

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why the four biggest global trends are colliding simultaneously and how to survive them.
  
• Why treating your career as a straight vector is a massive mistake, and how to live your life in "chapters" instead.
  
• The power of "respectful curiosity" to solve complex problems and navigate diverse cultures.
  
• The crucial difference between blind optimism and true hope—and why hope requires agency.
  
• Why building a team requires surrounding yourself with people who excel at the things you hate doing.
  

Blair Sheppard is a globally recognized leadership expert, the former Dean of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and the former global head of strategy and leadership for PwC. He is the author of Ten Years to Midnight and his latest book, Reinventing the World. You can find his books online to help you navigate this massive era of global change.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

03:20 - The "Great-Granddaughter" Test for Major Life Decisions

06:10 - Traditioned Innovation & Reinventing the World

07:44 - The 4 Tidal Waves: Climate, Demographics, Fracturing, & Tech

11:48 - The Right Way to Use AI as Your "Eccentric Best Friend"

16:17 - Fixing the Global System & Changing Outdated Assumptions

20:22 - Building Complementary Teams & Resolving Paradoxes

22:05 - The Asymmetry of Global Aging & The Future of Education

34:41 - Optimism vs. Hope: Why You Need Agency to Succeed

47:00 - Living Your Life in Chapters, Not a Straight Vector

56:52 - 3 Non-Negotiable Habits: Care, Curiosity, & Joy

58:46 - Final Advice: We Don't Have Time, Act Now

Take a screenshot of this episode right now and share it to your Instagram Story! Tag me and Blair, and tell us one "chapter" you are excited to start in your own life. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% SMARTA every day!

What if the most prestigious college degree in the world is actually a quarter-million-dollar trap holding you back?

Today, we are tearing down the traditional paths to success with Dave Guttman, an executive mentor who literally ripped up his original Wharton MBA on a podcast to prove how little utility it actually holds. As I settle into my new life as a university student here in Dublin, Dave's brutal honesty about the education system, resilience, and what actually builds wealth is a massive, paradigm-shifting wake-up call.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why you are almost always the warden of your own ‘prison’, and how to use the key to let yourself out.
  
• How to enter the top 5% of any skill in the world with just 17 minutes a day.
  
• The three non-negotiable areas you must master today: 1. AI, 2. personal branding, and 3. networking.
  
• How to stop making emotional choices by forcing yourself into “Observer Mode”
  
• Why surviving a terminal cancer misdiagnosis at 24 completely redefined his holistic view of success.
  

David Guttman is a highly successful CEO, entrepreneur, and executive mentor who has operated across 45 different industries. A former Division 1 college wrestler, David guides leaders to build massive, nine-figure businesses by focusing on the lifetime value of customers, unshakeable integrity, and holistic health rather than just short-term profit.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

03:25 - Resilience, Focus, & Community

05:48 - You Are the Warden of Your Own Prison

11:01 - Why He Ripped Up His Wharton MBA

13:37 - Why 80-90% of Businesses Fail from Poor Leadership

16:24 - Top 5% in the World: The 17-Minute Daily Rule

18:14 - The 3 Skills You Must Learn: AI, Brand, & Network

23:52 - Maximizing the Lifetime Value of Your Customers

25:05 - Surviving a Terminal Cancer Misdiagnosis at 24

27:37 - "Observer Mode" for Making Hard Business Decisions

32:24 - 3 Non-Negotiable Habits: Exercise, Sleep, & No Alcohol

35:17 - Final Advice: Stop Being in Such a Rush

If David’s perspective shifted your mindset today, take a screenshot right now and post it to your Instagram Story!

Tag me and David, and let us know which of the 3 pillars (AI, personal brand, or network) you are focusing on this week. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% smarter every day!

What if everything you have been taught about finding the "perfect" career path is not entirely true?

Welcome back to The SMARTA Podcast! In Episode 106, we are flipping the script on uncertainty. I am sitting down with Steven D'Souza, the 2026 Business Book Awards winner for Leadership Book of the Year!

Steven teaches at institutions like Oxford and IE Business School, and he is here to prove that "not knowing" is actually your greatest competitive advantage.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How Steven sold 8,000 copies of a book he hadn't even written yet just by talking to strangers.
  
• Why the concept of "Shadows at Work”, the hidden parts of yourself running the show, is sabotaging your success.
  
• How to spot your shadow through repetitive patterns and disproportionate reactions.
  
• Why you need to stop rushing to figure your life out and build "negative capability" instead.
  

In this episode:

• 00:00 - Welcome
  
• 03:00 - The Power of Not Knowing, Service, & Social Capital
  
• 04:29 - How to Sell 8,000 Books Before You Even Write Them
  
• 12:50 - Why You Need to Start Talking to Strangers
  
• 18:51 - Shadows at Work: The "Me That I Don’t See"
  
• 23:40 - How to Spot Your Shadow: Triggers & Repetitive Patterns
  
• 30:07 - Why You Don't Need to Have It All Figured Out By 30
  
• 36:47 - The Path is Made by Walking
  
• 40:39 - The Life-Changing Habit of an Unplugged Morning Walk
  
• 47:46 - Negative Capability: Learning to Live with the Questions
  
• 52:33 - Life-Changing Books & Final Advice: Trust Yourself
  

AD get your free PR audit now at www.laurenstijssen.com/power-audit

If this episode helped you embrace the unknown, take a screenshot right now, post it to your Instagram Story, and tag me and Steven! Let us know what your next brave step is. Don't forget to hit subscribe to keep growing 1% smarter every day!