A Bit of Optimism

Team Simon here! We’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from 2025. But we'll be back in just two weeks with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on January 27, 2026. We think you’re going to love them!

Today, we’re going back to January of last year when Dr. Becky Kennedy joined us to discuss the hardest job in the world—parenting. It turns out, it’s also one of the best training grounds for leadership.

Dr. Becky Kennedy, ...

Happy New Year from Team Simon! We’re so excited to bring you more new episodes of A Bit of Optimism when we return on January 27, 2026. With your support, we’ll make 2026 an incredible year together. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from last year.

We kicked off 2025 with a guest most podcast enthusiasts probably have heard of—Mel Robbins. This insightful conversation answers an important question: ho...

Team Simon is revisiting some of the episodes you helped make our favorites of the year until A Bit of Optimism returns on January 27, 2026, with brand-new episodes.

We’re rewinding back to August, when talented polymath Elle Cordova joined the show and unpacked how we’re all wired to chase the next spark. We scroll, swipe, refresh, and repeat—but some of our brightest ideas sneak in when we stop chasing, let boredom settle in, and ...

Team Simon here! Thank you for being part of such an incredible year—and for helping us grow the podcast through your support, sharing it with others, and showing up week after week. We love seeing your comments and hearing what resonates with you.

A Bit of Optimism returns on January 27, 2026, with brand-new episodes we think you’re really going to enjoy. Until then, we’re revisiting a few of our favorite moments from the past year...

Team Simon here! As the year comes to a close, A Bit of Optimism is pressing pause for a short winter break. The show will return on January 27, 2026 and we can’t wait to be back with you.

But before we go, we want to say thank you. Truly.

This show exists because of you—the listeners who show up every week, share episodes and clips, leave thoughtful comments, start conversations, and carry these ideas into your own lives and workpla...

Often the biggest transformations we undergo don’t arrive as lightning bolts, but as quiet shifts we’ve been preparing for all along. For John Fox, the transformation from a 25-year career in high finance to becoming a chaplain wasn’t sudden at all. It was a slow burn—shaped by loss, reflection, community, and a deep desire to live a more meaningful life.

John’s successful finance career spanned decades. To the world, he was thrivin...

Life can change in an instant. One day you’re shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, and the next you’re sitting in your car with everything you own, and everyone you love, wondering what happens now.

Joan Howard grew up in Beverly Hills with every advantage until a series of crises left her homeless and living in her car with her mother and three dogs. What helped her rebuild wasn't luck or charity. It was kindness, consistency, and one si...

What if a great business was built like a handmade mixtape? A lovingly crafted experience that is as much a love letter from its founder as it is custom-tailored to its audience.

Before Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams became a household name, Jeni Britton was a 22-year-old art school dropout scooping her ice cream creations at a farmers market in Ohio. She didn’t have investors, connections, or a playbook. What she did have was a vision ...

Who would’ve guessed that one of the world’s best company cultures was hiding behind a can of WD-40? Of all the places to find a leadership masterclass, the blue-and-yellow can in your garage probably wasn’t on your list - but it’s time to put it there.

Garry Ridge - an Australian who brought his charm and curiosity across the Pacific  - joined WD-40 Company in the late ’80s and rose through the ranks, eventually serving as CEO for ...

What if great friendships aren’t found by luck but built through effort?

Bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman, the mind behind A Man Called Ove (adapted into the Tom Hanks film A Man Called Otto), Anxious People, and the beloved Beartown series, has spent his career writing about the quiet power of ordinary people. But in his real life, he learned one of his most important lessons from his best friend of 30 years: meaningful friends...

If you feel stupid while learning something new, you’re doing it right. But if you keep doing the same thing over and over hoping it’ll suddenly make sense - that’s on you. The trick isn’t to push harder; it’s to find a new teacher, a new explanation, a new way in.

That’s exactly how Matthew Broussard approaches comedy - and everything else. A stand-up comedian, math nerd, and former financial analyst, Matthew is obsessed with learn...

I’ve long imagined a world where people wake each morning inspired, feel safe wherever they work, and return home fulfilled by what they’ve created. That vision once felt like a dream - until I met Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, who quietly built it into reality. Over five decades, Bob has grown a humble Midwestern manufacturing company into a global business success story, proving that leadership grounded in humanity can sca...

We don’t usually look to Hollywood for lessons in career longevity. But it might be the perfect place to study it. Few industries move faster or cast people aside more quickly, and yet Rob Lowe has spent more than four decades defying those odds. His story isn’t just about surviving fame—it’s about overcoming adversity, finding joy in the work, and proving that authenticity is the only path to a career that lasts.

Across his career,...

The future is something we create, not just something that happens. To guide progress toward real good, we need bold, optimistic visions of what society can become.

Reid Hoffman makes the case for better science fiction - stories that don’t just entertain, but illuminate the futures we can strive for. As a serial entrepreneur and cofounder of LinkedIn, Reid brings a unique perspective on how storytelling shapes technology, society, ...

We’ve never had more freedom in our relationships—yet many of us feel more disconnected than ever. Marriage, family, and even the workplace have all been reshaped by shifting norms, new technologies, and rising expectations. Happiness, once a nice-to-have, is now the very glue that keeps both couples and teams together.

Few people understand these changes better than Esther Perel. For decades, she’s helped us rethink intimacy, navig...

Your instincts aren’t just whispers. They’re a compass pointing you toward the life you’re meant to live. But in a world obsessed with speed, metrics, and outcomes, most of us forget how to listen.

Arthur Brooks, bestselling author and Harvard Business School professor, teaches one of the most popular classes on happiness. But his insights come not just from research, but from a life of reinvention: from French horn player to schola...

We’re often told to do more, move faster, and chase the next big trend—but some of the most remarkable successes come from narrowing your focus, obsessing over one thing, and truly understanding the people you’re serving. 

Ben Francis knows this better than most.

He started Gymshark with nothing more than a sewing machine and a passion for making gym clothes that actually worked for him. From those humble beginnings, he built a billi...

“Nuclear” might make you wince—but the real problem isn’t the energy, it’s the branding. Safe, low-carbon, and scalable, nuclear could be a climate hero—if only we told the story right.

Isabelle Boemeke is on a mission to change how we think about nuclear energy. A Brazilian model turned the world’s first nuclear influencer, she created her alter ego, Isodope, to show a new generation the benefits of clean energy—while cutting throu...

We’re wired to chase the next spark - scrolling, swiping, refreshing - but some of our brightest ideas sneak in when we stop chasing, let boredom settle in and give our minds room to wander.

Elle Cordova knows the power of that pause. When the pandemic hit pause on her life as a touring musician, she stumbled into new creative territory - making offbeat comedy videos about delightfully nerdy topics like particle physics, grammar, an...