This week, Dan and Sean dive into the deep end of economic uncertainty—from the philosophical origins of “the economy” to the lived reality of layoffs, inflation, and shifting trade routes. Why do oil rigs in North Dakota matter to the price of cheese? Are we witnessing demand destruction or just another panic? And what does “creative destruction” really look like when the grenades are turning into landmines?

Along the way: internal combustion nerdery, fourth turning fatigue, and a fair bit of macroeconomic exasperation.

If you’re feeling off-balance in today’s economy, you’re not alone. We're all just trying to stay afloat in choppy waters—and sometimes the best you can do is keep your head up and wait for the next swell.

Books Discussed:

• In This Economy? – Kyla Scanlon

• A Splendid Exchange – William J. Bernstein

• Amusing Ourselves to Death – Neil Postman

• The Fourth Turning – William Strauss and Neil Howe

• The Siege – Ben Macintyre

• The Fifth Risk (and a new companion) – Michael Lewis

Podcasts Referenced:

• Odd Lots

• Hidden Forces (Grant Williams + Demetri Kofinas – The Hundred Year Pivot)

• The Fed Guy (Joseph Wang)

Quote of the Week:
“They’re not grenades anymore—they’re landmines we’ve set for ourselves.”

Chapters:
00:00 – Weekend work and the managerial grind
01:00 – Oilfield layoffs and sour vs. sweet crude
04:00 – Why internal combustion is still the apex of engineering
06:00 – What does “economy” actually mean? (spoiler: it’s Greek)
10:00 – Sheep barons, trade routes, and the roots of specialization
14:00 – Consumer sentiment vs. reality: is the mismatch getting worse?
18:00 – Tariffs, inflation, and the risk of stagflation
24:00 – Layoffs, rate cuts, and the Fed’s boxed-in dilemma
30:00 – Budget gaps, fake fixes, and the math that doesn’t math
34:00 – The future of global trade (with or without us)
39:00 – Will the Fed move fast enough—or too late again?
45:00 – NIH cuts and the role of scientific “waste”
51:00 – A fresh read from Michael Lewis + other book recs
56:00 – The fourth turning isn’t over: the ecpyrosis continues
59:00 – Swimming, surfing, or just floating through it all
1:04:00 – Walmart’s margins and the myth of “just eating” tariffs
1:10:00 – Median income, optionality, and the meaning of wealth
1:13:00 – Outro: shifting sands and the promise (or threat) of change

Dan and Sean return to the mic with a message for the wanderers, the misfits, and the intellectually restless. This episode explores what it means to seek challenge instead of comfort, to embrace unfinished thoughts, and to carve out space for messy, real-time reflection. If you’ve ever felt like a mental nomad—curious but unrooted—this one’s for you.

Topics Covered:

• Why we sometimes feel allergic to routines

• The surprising difficulty of “simple” goals

• Building the room when you don’t fit the ones you find

• Podcasting as an act of unscripted exploration

• The value of talking through your thoughts before they’re fully baked

Hello show notes readers!

This week, we're trying something new in our mission to bring you insights from the world of entrepenuership. We're bringing in an outside expert to exlpore an area of entrepeneurship that some of you may have thought about - real estate!

This week, we’re joined by Lindsay Howard, broker and entrepreneur, for a deep dive into the real world of real estate — starting a family brokerage, surviving the NAR commission shakeup, why Zillow is the villain nobody asked for, and how the 6% mortgage panic is mostly a memory issue. We also talk through the hidden challenges of working with builders, why every new agent needs a second income stream, and what’s really driving the current buyer’s market. Plus: the forgotten days of Rolodex MLS listings and 15% mortgage rates.

Whether you are thinking about diving into real estate, or just wondering why every third house on your street has a "For Sale" sign, we hope this episode will help give you some new insights.

Thanks for listening to Unqualified Advice. If you're looking for a Houston-area agent — or just want to learn more about Lindsay — visit HowardHomeRealty.com.

In this episode, Dan and Sean delve into the complexities of tariffs, the decline of U.S. manufacturing, and the philosophical underpinnings of leadership. They challenge conventional narratives around NAFTA, explore the historical impact of events like the bombing of Dresden, and discuss the strategic philosophies of Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, and Donald Trump. The conversation also touches on the challenges of reshoring manufacturing, the intricacies of global supply chains, and the disparities faced by U.S. sellers on platforms like Amazon.

• Books:

  • The Maniac (historical fiction on John von Neumann)

  • A Splendid Exchange by William J. Bernstein

  • The Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu

  • The Art of War – Sun Tzu

  • The Art of the Deal – Donald Trump

• Substacks:
  • Market Memo: Seeing the Stag from Citrini Research -

• Companies:

  • Amazon

  • Apple

  • Craftsman

  • Chevron

  • Exxon

  • Unusual Whales

• 00:00 – Mustelid Mischief: A Ferret Allegory for Tariffs

• 01:18 – Who We Are: Sean and Dan Reintroduce Themselves

• 03:03 – Liberation Day and Tariff Mayhem

• 06:56 – Options, Whiplash, and Quiet Billionaires

• 09:21 – From Bretton Woods to Financialized Fragility

• 13:05 – The Myth of NAFTA and Manufacturing Decline

• 16:23 – America, Socks, and the Imaginary Labor Army

• 19:02 – Merchant Marines and Military Logistics

• 24:33 – Deep Supply Chains, Shallow Solutions

• 29:19 – Nukes and the Trigger Points of War

• 34:03 – The Compound Effects of Complexity

• 36:25 – The Tao of Strategy: Sun Tzu, Trump, and Lao Tzu

• 44:48 – Governance by Table: Three Philosophies Compared

• 48:20 – Amazon’s Tilted Playing Field and Ecom Frustrations

• 52:48 – Bezos vs. Jassy: Vision, Risk, and Systems Thinking

• 59:40 – An Economic NATO? Supply Chain Strategy for the Future

• 1:02:07 – Why We Can’t Make a Wrench

• 1:10:02 – Corporate Whiplash, Lead Times, and Stainless Steel

• 1:14:14 – The Stock Market Is Not the Economy

• 1:17:21 – Book Recs and Trading as Human Nature

In this episode, Dan and Sean navigate through numbness, nuance, and the uncomfortable edges of modern life. From tariffs and fentanyl policy to the messy mechanics of entrepreneurship, they discuss the complicated reality of staying engaged in a world that often feels overwhelming. Also on deck: what it really means to be an entrepreneur, thoughts on Prometheus Rising, unfair competition on Amazon, and a shoutout to 23andMe’s vanishing business model.

Oh, and if you see a quarter, pick it up.

Topics include:
– Volatility and numbness in 2025
– Dan’s new startup idea (inspired by Skype’s shutdown)
– Surviving tariffs, uncertainty, and unfair Amazon practices
– Fentanyl and the difference between drug policy and public safety
– Thoughts on Prometheus Rising and reality tunnels
– Survivorship bias, investing parlor games, and the danger of hindsight
– Trying not to get drafted

Books discussed:
– Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson
– Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens by John E. Mack
– The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
– References to ideas by Jim O’Shaughnessy and Ben Hunt

Hello show notes readers,

What is writing? What is art? Did I create this or did a robot and how would you be able to tell the difference? This week we coin the term "adverbious", hoping to prove we aren't robots and also to give you a tool to figure out who the robots are. We can't define it but we know it when we see it, if you know what I mean?

Later, we delve into Dan's masterful schedule management as an entrepreneur. Dan explains what it took to get there, what it takes to maintain, and why it is one of the biggest benefits of entrepreneurship.

Finally, we get a little woo and explore the work of Robert Anton Wilson. I share some early thoughts from Prometheus Rising and Dan provides some context from other authors.

As always, thanks for listening! We welcome your feedback! Find Dan at www.twitter.com/danielhatke or Sean at www.twitter.com/slowvsm.

📚 Books Discussed

• Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson
• The Expectation Effect by David Robson
• Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Hello show notes readers!

This week, Sean and Dan look into the rhythms of the oil and gas world — how things speed up, slow down, and sometimes just stop. They talk about layoffs making headlines, how organizations expand and contract like they’re breathing, and what it feels like to be on the inside when that happens. Sean explains why fewer rigs don’t always mean less oil, and why the people most affected aren’t always the ones you’d think.

They get into how managers try (sometimes awkwardly) to protect and coach people, what it’s like to get blindsided, and why being chased by a metaphorical predator might not be all bad — at least for keeping you sharp. The converstion takes a detour into parenting, classrooms, and whether pulling your kid out of tough situations helps or hurts in the long run.

Plus: what homeschooling has in common with org charts, why messy code and stuck loops are part of building anything, and a few thoughts on agency, grace, and figuring out when to hold on or let go.

• Prometheus Rising – Robert Anton Wilson; explores consciousness, reality tunnels, and mindset shifts.
• Factfulness – Hans Rosling; emphasizes how the world is improving despite negative perceptions.
• The Fifth Risk – Michael Lewis; highlights essential but overlooked government jobs and inefficiencies.

• Neville Goddard: https://youtu.be/zXsZnDakDVA

00:00 - Weather and Cyclicality

01:07 - Oil Layoffs & Market Trends

02:55 - Why the U.S. Exports Oil

06:38 - Fracking & Efficiency Gains

07:34 - The Workplace "Breathes"

12:47 - The Role of Fear & Agency

16:52 - Education & Homeschooling Trends

28:38 - AI, Coding, and Debugging Frustrations

40:57 - AI Slack Bots for Work Productivity

50:43 - Prometheus Rising & Reality Tunnels

55:15 - Telepathy Tapes & The Tower of Babel

1:02:00 - Manifestation & The Power of Thought

1:06:02 - Government Jobs & Bureaucracy Debates

1:17:05 - Wrapping Up: Big Topics & Future Thoughts

Hello dear show notes reader,

We're 25 episodes in! Woo hoo! (Imagine Leslie Knope. Now read the italicized bit again.)

As the author of these show notes, I feel like 25 should be a significant number, but I also don’t have any valid reason why. Nonetheless, I felt inspired to make these show notes really shine!

What’s good about this episode?
While editing, I had two realizations:

1. Dan is a better podcast host than I am. (I’ll deal with that emotionally later.)
2. This episode’s format unintentionally gave me a meta-analysis moment—right here, in these show notes.

Here’s what I mean: we both read long quotes from books we’ve been chewing on. When one of us shares a quote, we know a follow-up question is coming—something like "What do you think?" Since we expect it, we listen more actively, playing with the idea in real time instead of waiting for our turn to speak. By the time the sharer is done, the listener is already mentally off to the races, turning the quote over, looking for angles. That made for some damn good back-and-forths.

What’s bad about this episode?
The prep work. As you will hear, we listened to the auidobook version of The Sovereign Individual, by Jame Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg, and neither of us enjoyed it. But we hope you enjoy our discussion about this slog of a book.

• The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg
• The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe
• Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson
• The Tao Te Ching by Laotzi
• Three-Body Problem by Liu Xicin

[00:00] "Should We Just Move to a Tax Haven?"
[02:11] "Books That Should Have Been Shorter"
[04:33] "Did They Predict the Future?"
[06:48] "The Doomers Strike Again"
[10:16] "Technology Changes Power, but Does It Decentralize It?"
[17:59] "The Cyber Economy That Wasn’t"
[24:39] "Populism, Power, and the Small Guy’s Revenge"
[32:40] "Why Build a Few Big Things When You Can Build a Million Small Ones?"
[41:52] "Has the Outrage Faded?"
[45:31] "Should Governments Pay for Performance?"
[54:11] "The Future of Democracy and Its Critics"
[58:39] "Loneliness, Power, and the Failure of Community"