Heart UK

The James Smith Show

I chat to people smarter than me, hopefully, you'll enjoy listening.

James Smith

Olly Staniland joins James Smith to break down what actually makes a YouTube video work. Olly works on James's YouTube channel and, like James, studied under Ed Lawrence. They go through real thumbnails and analytics from James's channel, why one video with 80,000 views made nothing while another with 60,000 made thousands, how Matt Armstrong and Carwow built huge channels by repeating one format, and the status games that drive what people click and buy.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Olly Staniland's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@ollystaniland

Olly Staniland On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/olly_staniland/



He explains:

◼️ Why you should package the title and thumbnail before you film

◼️ How to steal winning title formats from other niches

◼️ Why more views doesn't always mean more revenue

◼️ The split-testing rules that stop your metrics misleading you

◼️ Why long-form viewers trust you more than short-form followers



Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:32 What Makes a Good YouTube Video?

02:46 Package First, Then Film

06:01 The Big Mistake Creators Make on YouTube

07:34 Stealing Titles From Other Niches

11:53 What Is YouTube Actually For?

15:38 Why You Can't Pivot a Big Channel

16:05 Views vs Revenue on the Business Channel

21:11 Split Testing and Misleading Metrics

24:11 Long Form vs Short Form Trust

26:07 Ed Lawrence and the $1,000 Phone Call

31:32 Who Actually Watches YouTube

33:48 Why End Screens Matter

35:39 How YouTube Made James a Better Business Owner

37:35 Scripting vs Riffing

40:31 AI Slop and Copied Scripts

42:00 Dial-Up, The Pirate Bay and LimeWire

44:56 Why Nobody Writes Their Own Emails

46:23 Should You Pay Someone to Run Your Channel?

47:15 Building an Offer for the Boys

54:16 Launch It Before You Build It

55:18 Why Transformation Videos Work

58:13 Matt Armstrong's Car-Build Empire

01:02:35 Raffling the Cars

01:06:48 The AdSense Maths

01:08:37 Carwow's Same-Video-Forever Format

01:11:08 The Status Games We All Play

01:15:47 What Status Has to Do With What We Buy

01:19:51 From Top Lad at Uni to the Real World

01:23:30 Status and Health

01:24:36 Tough Love for Starting a Channel
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Unfortunately, Growing On YouTube Just Changed FOREVER (Olly Staniland)

Ross Edgley joins James Smith for a reunion years in the making. Ross is the ultramarathon sea swimmer who swam around Great Britain and then the whole coast of Iceland. 

Ahead of his new book How To Hero, he opens up about losing his dad, waking up in hospital after failed swims, and being told doctors had never seen blood work like his on a living person. He also explains the brain science of why some people keep going when everything hurts and others tap out.



🎬 Edits Course: https://jamessmith.business/ig-edits

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith  

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 



Ross Edgley's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@RossEdgley

Ross Edgley On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rossedgley/



He explains:

◼️ The part of your brain that decides whether you grit it out or quit

◼️ Why purpose has to outweigh pain if you want to finish hard things

◼️ How your reward system crashes when results don't show up

◼️ Why running on anger and self-talk burns out over long efforts

◼️ What Viking berserkers and Icelandic sagas teach us about heroism



Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:41 Reunion and Ross's Biggest Night Out

02:24 How Becoming a Dad Changes Everything

06:50 Why People Aren't Having Kids Anymore

09:29 Does Family Switch Off Your Stress Response?

11:17 Loch Ness, Lake Trasimeno and Waking Up in Hospital

14:15 Swimming Through 12 Hours of Darkness

14:45 Why Iceland Produces So Many Physical Freaks

17:32 CrossFit Champions, Vikings and Eddie Hall

19:46 Water Polo: One of the Hardest Sports on Earth

23:57 Getting Crushed by Roger Gracie

27:41 The Brain Region Behind Grit or Quit

29:53 Everyone Is Scared Before They Compete

32:52 Arousal, Warm-Ups and Competing Your Own Way

33:43 Berserkers and the Viking Battle Frenzy

36:37 Nasal Breathing and Building CO2 Tolerance

39:21 When Training Past Your Body's Alarms Goes Wrong

42:23 James Freezing His Sperm Before Tour

43:03 Losing His Dad and the Myth of Sisyphus

48:03 Khabib, Grief and Finding a Reason to Get Up

50:37 How Jiu-Jitsu Gave James's Training Purpose

52:40 Swimming on the Spot for Four Hours in Iceland

55:43 Why Feedback Keeps People Going

58:39 Everyone Needs a Cheerleader

01:00:20 Why Ross Would Never Step Into a Cage

01:02:39 Goggins, Gratitude and Ross's Shadow Self

01:05:55 James Trains to Ruin Other People's Days

01:07:39 Are All High Achievers Psychopaths?

01:08:43 Thor, Odin and Why Heroes Aren't Pretty

01:10:43 Building Your Ego, Then Destroying It

01:12:05 A Million Followers and Feeling Nothing

01:13:42 The $50,000 Vegas Trip

01:15:48 Ross's Ayahuasca Experience in the Amazon

01:23:07 James's First Time on Ketamine

01:29:06 Hating Therapy and Low Testosterone

01:29:45 How Amazon Tribes Worked Out Ayahuasca

01:31:02 Icelandic Folklore and Living With Nature

01:32:19 James's Mushroom Trip and Duty to the Flame

01:39:29 How Psychedelics Led James to Fatherhood

01:42:58 When Psychedelics Go Wrong

01:45:43 Modafinil, Clenbuterol and Two Weeks in Barcelona

01:47:39 Fuelling the World's Longest Non-Stop River Swim

01:49:38 GLP-1s, Digestion and Losing Muscle at Sea

01:52:59 Getting Destroyed by a Competitive Eater

01:55:25 James's Boring Meal Prep Strategy

01:57:47 Hernias, Snapped MCLs and Getting Older

02:01:40 Stem Cells and Extending Your Career

02:05:18 Do Peptides Actually Work?

02:08:03 Should England Rugby Use Hype Videos?

02:12:49 Mike Tyson's Stare

02:14:03 Training With Volkanovsky and Tom Aspinall

02:17:05 How To Hero Release Date
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Ross Edgley: How To Become DANGEROUSLY Self-Motivated

Alan Barratt on entrepreneurship, business ownership, and the reality of building a brand from the ground up.



Everyone wants the freedom of being an entrepreneur, but few are ready for the weight of total responsibility. Alan Barrett, the founder of Grenade, joins me to discuss what it actually takes to succeed in the protein bar market. He shares the unfiltered truth about being unemployable, taking full ownership of your outcomes, and navigating the friction that comes when you start disrupting major industry players.



🎬 Edits Course: https://jamessmith.business/ig-edits

👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🤼‍♂️ Wear Adapt BJJ: https://adaptjj.com/

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business



Try Grenade: https://www.grenade.com/

Grenade on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teamgrenade

Allan Barratt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/al_barratt/


Chapters:

0:00 Trailer

1:20 How Alan and James actually met

3:23 Richard Branson: "I don't know where there is"

5:24 Starting Grenade on a 500 pound loan

9:27 Selling supplements gym to gym

11:29 The first protein flapjack

15:36 When the supplement industry was the Wild West

17:38 Positioning against the chocolate bar

21:40 Making a bar people could actually afford

25:46 Why most people should not be entrepreneurs

27:48 Selling the first business

31:50 Doing right by people pays you back

35:52 Fitness plus military: where the name came from

37:42 The fat burner that started it all

41:46 The fight for the Grenade trademark in America

45:02 The bottle, the shape and a copycat industry

49:10 Borrowing a 17-tonne gun to steal the show

53:11 Demand outstripping supply

57:18 Beating Twix into the UK top 20

59:20 Mars complains to Nielsen

1:01:13 No disruption in chocolate for 40 years

1:01:40 The phone call from Giovanni Ferrero

1:03:23 Ferrero or Cadbury: a two-horse race

1:07:26 Choosing Mondelez, and going full circle to Birmingham

1:11:34 The lawyer who got it badly wrong

1:15:36 Cashing half, rolling half back in

1:19:37 What Grenade is worth now

1:23:41 What America teaches you about packaging

1:25:43 When one can bursts across 50 pallets

1:29:51 Fifty countries that supposedly share a language

1:33:55 Where Grenade goes next

1:35:59 The Cadbury Creme Egg protein bar

1:40:05 Those companies are gone. Grenade is still here

1:44:10 Hitching the caravan to the Ferrari
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$1b Founder: The Truth About Building A 10 Figure Business (Alan Barratt)

Rebecca Oliver-Mooney joins James Smith for a conversation that starts with a left-handed can and ends up somewhere far more uncomfortable. Founder of the Raising The Glass network and a drinks industry buyer who has sat on the other side of the table from hundreds of challenger brands, Rebecca explains why most founders put half their message where the shelf will hide it, why GLP-1s are about to reshape what food and drink gets made, and why menopause is the category nobody has been willing to build for yet.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋️‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Rebecca Oliver-Mooney On LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-oliver-mooney-65730614/



She explains:

◼️ Why retailers cover the bottom half of your packaging, and what belongs up top

◼️ What GLP-1s actually do to appetite, and why the shame is the bigger problem

◼️ Why menopause is the next outcome-led category in food and drink


Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:26 The Left-Handed Can

03:07 Why Retailers Hide Half Your Packaging

03:42 Ingredients vs Benefits On Pack

04:43 The Conversation About Hiding The Eye

06:19 What Raising The Glass Actually Is

07:55 Was I Being Hypersensitive?

08:44 The Free Mentoring Platform

10:16 Do Men Really Interrupt More?

11:53 Two Women Founders Getting On Shelf

14:18 Toy Trucks And Gendered Play

17:29 Changing Your Political Stance

18:16 Algorithms And Echo Chambers

19:50 Women Coming Into Neutonic

21:26 Electrolytes And The Salt Brands

23:50 GLP-1s: The Real Conversation

24:38 Do You Still Eat On GLP-1s?

28:07 The Shame Around The Medication

30:36 Never Being Hungry Again

32:13 Two Extreme Views On Telling People

36:08 GLP-1s Compared To Insulin

39:20 When Only One Of You Can Afford It

40:53 Wealth, Connections And Starting Again

46:25 Are Men More Driven To Seek Status?

47:59 The Iceberg Model

48:48 Imposter Syndrome

51:11 Raising Investment

53:33 This Candidate Is Probably Going To Be A Man

55:58 Equality vs Equity

58:25 The Employee Who Was Caring For His Mum

59:08 HRT And Dr Louise Newson

01:01:30 Menopause Behind Closed Doors

01:03:32 Anabolic Steroids And Crashed Estrogen

01:04:43 Nothing Is Explained At School

01:06:21 Menopause As The Next Category

01:10:20 Calm, Energy And What Sells

01:15:08 How Buyers Actually Pick Products

01:18:18 The Category Diamond

01:19:06 Smoke And Mirrors For Challenger Brands

01:21:29 Find Your Tribe

01:23:01 You Deserve To Be In The Room

01:25:13 Fake It Till You Make It: The Power Pose
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The Truth About GLP-1s, Menopause, And Female Founders (Rebecca Oliver-Mooney)

Jason 'Foxy' Fox joins James Smith, on his wife's birthday no less, for an unfiltered and very funny conversation that swaps the usual topics for a proper sit-down with the boys. A former UK Special Forces operator and the longest-serving member of the SAS: Who Dares Wins directing staff, Foxy opens up about becoming a dad again at 50 after seven years of IVF, missing his son's birth over a WhatsApp video call, and why newborn sleep deprivation hits harder than anything the military threw at him.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Jason Fox On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jason_carl_fox/

Jason Fox On X - https://x.com/jason_carl_fox

Ultra 4 Charity - https://ultra4charity.com



He explains:

◼️ Why newborn sleep deprivation is worse than military exercises

◼️ What it's really like to be away working when your child is born

◼️ How Ultra 4 Charity makes ultra marathons accessible for everyone



Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Baldness, Hair Transplants and Finasteride

07:05 How Fatherhood Feels Different Second Time Around

08:08 James's Son Blocked From Entering the UK

09:22 Missing His Son's Birth Over WhatsApp

12:22 Older Parents and Seven Years of IVF

14:59 James's Adoption and the Stolen Cheque

17:22 Ibiza Chaos and Writing a Will

19:31 The Pregnancy Complication That Forced an Early Birth

21:37 James's Emergency C-Section Story

24:20 Special Forces vs Newborn Sleep Deprivation

25:10 The Sleep Coach That Actually Worked

28:11 Being Away Filming SAS: Who Dares Wins

30:10 Sam Burgess: Headlocks and Falling Off the Wagon

35:44 Is London Still Worth It?

39:08 Ultra 4 Charity: Running for Veterans

41:42 How Jiu-Jitsu Gives Veterans Purpose

42:27 Foxy's Muay Thai and BJJ Journey

45:08 Snapping His Leg on a 300ft Tower

48:25 Getting Caught by a 'White Belt'

50:14 Rolling With a GB Judo Black Belt

53:57 Why Strikers Scare James

55:43 The Shoplifter Who Sang for the Queen

58:00 Teaching Young Leaders About Mental Health

59:10 James Nearly Joined the Army

01:00:29 Has Britain's Attitude to the Military Changed?

01:02:15 Veteran Support and Military Respect

01:03:07 The ThruDark Story

01:07:37 The Blocked Urethra That Led to Sepsis

01:13:36 In Praise of NHS Emergency Care

01:14:54 A Bali Moped Crash and NHS Hallways

01:18:11 Foxy's Only Real Goal in Life

01:20:41 Adult Circumcision and Other Injuries Down There

01:22:11 The Schoolyard Punch and Gaps in Body Armour

01:23:57 MrBallen's Grenade Story

01:26:41 From an IED Blast to a UK High Street in 16 Hours

01:28:45 Calm in Chaos, Chaos in the Calm
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The Truth About Balding, Booze, And Being A Dad At 50 (Jason Fox)

Frank Greeff joins James Smith fresh off a $180 million exit for a raw conversation about tax, talent and why the game never really ends. Frank breaks down the $6.2M tax bill from selling his last business, the proposed Australian capital gains changes that would have doubled it, and why, hand on heart, he isn't sure he'd have started his last company if those rules had existed first.



Check out Kinso on YouTube :   @KinsoAI  

Follow Frank Greeff on intagram : https://www.instagram.com/frankgreeff_/

Try Kinso: https://www.kinso.ai/



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Chapters:

00:00 The $6.2M Tax Bill

03:05 Australia's Proposed Capital Gains Changes

04:19 How Indexation Doubles the Tax to $12M

05:31 "Show Me the Incentive, I'll Show You the Outcome"

06:53 Capital Gains Isn't Income Tax

07:39 The Trickle-Down Effect of Building Businesses

08:55 Gaming the System & the "Nurses and Teachers" Trap

11:13 Killing the Entrepreneurial Spirit

12:44 Why the Rich Leave: Dubai & $1.5M a Year

14:46 The UK £100k Tax Trap

15:50 Becoming a Reddit Hit Piece

16:43 Three of His Network Have Already Left

18:51 New Zealand: No Capital Gains Tax

20:05 Why Australia Is an Entrepreneur's Dream

20:56 Hostels, Sleepwalking Lies & the Woolworths Confession

22:44 How Hard It Is for Brits to Stay in Australia

24:31 Locked Out in the Pandemic

25:50 The "Plane That Couldn't Land"

28:38 Dinner With Tony Abbott & Chris Williamson

31:06 Payroll Tax: The "Temporary" 1950s Tax

31:57 Daniel Priestley & the Lifestyle Business

32:44 The Dinner Bill Analogy: When the Rich Leave

34:31 What Kinso Actually Does

36:29 Filtering Spam & Rebuilding Context

38:39 Fundraising Stories: The Dubai Deck

40:05 Why WhatsApp Is King

41:05 Inside Kinso's Beta & Manual Onboarding

42:53 The Netflix Content Strategy (11.9M Views)

44:48 Thinking Like a Media Company

45:53 The Character Arbitrage

47:56 15 Reels a Day & Trial Reels

49:41 Instagram Edits & the Sauna Guy

50:36 The Nicotine Pouch Trick Shot Ad

51:59 Trying Neutonic on Camera

53:56 TikTok Shop: 45,000 UK Sales

55:56 The Fake "Caught Cheating" Reels Model

57:24 Retail Blows His Mind

58:12 Rate of Sale & the Language of Retail

01:00:43 Business as a Coping Mechanism

01:02:16 Money as a Byproduct of the Game

01:03:35 Relief, Not Happiness, When You Hit Goals

01:04:44 The Pregnancy Analogy & a Live Negotiation

01:07:30 Do You Ever Get Bored?

01:08:20 The Post-Sale Support Group Dinner

01:10:49 Buying the RS6 & Feeling Nothing

01:11:49 What Necker Island Was Really Like

01:13:22 Losing the Ability to Enjoy Things
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What Actually Happens To Your Taxes? : Frank Greeff

Andrew Jenkins, the Traitors star, joins James Smith for a raw conversation about resilience, identity, and rebuilding a life after everything is taken away. At 21, Andrew was pronounced dead at the scene of a catastrophic car accident, lost half his skull and over half his blood, and was told he'd never walk, talk, or recognise anyone again. He walked out of that hospital and then spent 15 years suffering in silence behind a good body, a nice house, and a successful banking career.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com





Andrew Jenkins On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/andrewjenkinsofficial/

Andrew Jenkins On YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@andrewjenkinsofficial

Andrew Jenkins's Website – https://www.andrew-jenkins.co.uk/



He explains:

◼️ Why failure is how you learn and why cotton-wool parenting is failing kids

◼️ How he attached his identity and his father's love to a rugby ball

◼️ Why the people with the biggest smiles are often struggling the most

◼️ How to get to the root cause instead of papering over the cracks

◼️ Why talking doesn't make you weak it makes you stronger



Chapters:

00:00 The Hidden Cost of Success

01:13 First Impressions from The Traitors

01:50 The Real Problem With Resilience

02:37 Why Business Owners Are Terrified to Fail

03:22 No More First, Second or Third at School

04:29 The Coach Who Told Him the Brutal Truth

06:43 The Dream of Playing Rugby for Wales

06:54 Attaching His Dad's Love to Rugby

08:08 James's Rugby Days and Welsh "Supplements"

09:14 The Catastrophic Car Accident

11:02 Told He'd Never Walk Again

11:56 "I Guarantee I'll Walk Out of Here"

12:40 Brain Injury, CTE and Rugby

13:37 The Other Four People in the Car

14:38 Living With the Trauma

15:52 Great on the Outside, Hating Himself Inside

16:25 Losing His Identity and His Dad

18:39 How One Concussion Can Change a Person

19:30 His Son's Concussions and a Parent's Fear

20:45 Finding Another Outlet for Competition

23:12 Sport, Business and Meritocracy

24:11 Climbing the Wrong Ladder

25:36 Does More Money Make It Worse?

28:01 Why One Bad Day Can Wreck the Privileged

29:26 Growing Up in the Graveyard of Ambition

30:43 James Being Locked Out of Australia

32:35 Happiness Is an Internal Job

35:57 Happiness vs Pleasure and the Hedonic Treadmill

37:31 Why Every Goal Feels Empty

38:59 Talking Yourself Through Your Emotions

40:08 Root Cause Analysis for Mental Health

42:02 The Chimp Paradox and Self-Awareness

42:58 Environment vs Brain Chemistry

43:54 Menopause, Women and Suicide

44:26 TRT, Testosterone and Low T

47:24 Crashing Your Estrogen — The Male Menopause

48:38 James's Own Low Testosterone Story

49:58 Talking to His Son About Drugs

52:36 The Four Ways He Measured Masculinity

53:35 Telling His Parents the Truth

55:08 Being the Responsible One

55:55 Why We Should Educate Kids Honestly About Drugs

57:39 The Truth About Ketamine

58:26 Alcohol vs Everything Else

1:01:54 Psychedelics as Mental Health Treatment

1:03:23 Amsterdam After His Mother Passed

1:04:52 LSD in the Park and a Friend's Breakthrough

1:05:42 Acid at a Wedding

1:07:35 Closing Advice: Believe in Yourself

1:09:03 Creating a Second Path

1:10:14 Surround Yourself With the Right People

1:11:00 Breaking Stigmas — Talking Makes You Stronger

1:12:36 Meeting the Man Who Saved His Life

1:13:07 Where to Find Andrew
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Traitors Star Andrew Jenkins: The Problem With Mental Health

Tom Hawley joins James Smith to expose the deliberate machinery behind a cost-of-living crisis most people don't even know is happening to them. The co-founder of Azura Financial, one of Australia's top 10 brokerages and a three-time Residential Broker of the Year, Hawley argues that inflation isn't a natural force but a policy choice, a quiet tax on your purchasing power that hits lower and middle-income earners hardest precisely because they can't see it.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Tom Hawley on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tom_hawley_/

Azura Financial – https://www.azurafinancial.com.au



Chapters:

00:00 The Hidden Tax Nobody Voted For

01:13 What Is Inflation Really?

04:11 Why Governments Want Your Money to Lose Value

06:44 Capital Gains: How the Goalposts Just Moved

08:01 Why High-Growth Investment Gets Punished Most

09:08 James's Plan to Dodge the Tax Man

10:30 Is the Stock Market Even Worth the Risk Now?

13:35 Are Australia's Politicians Thick or Deceptive?

15:35 Did Labor Politicians Just Commit Insider Trading?

16:50 Pulling the Ladder Up on Negative Gearing

19:42 Australia Is in Economic Trouble

22:43 The Immigration Trap: Six Years Locked Out

27:59 The 457 Visa That Vanished Overnight

31:18 What GDP Growth Actually Hides

32:37 The Festival Trick That Explains the Economy

35:24 Printing Money Is Just Diluting You

38:03 Government Waste and the $70,000 Plaque

41:14 Three Tiers: Government, Employment, Self-Employed

45:09 The Curse of Never Switching Off

47:59 Chasing a Billion-Dollar Exit for Neutonic

50:02 Why the Journey Beats the Payday

53:03 A Petrolhead's Defence of Buying the Car

57:31 Why Ripping It for Ten Kids Is Worth It

01:00:00 Smiles Per Mile vs Saving It All

01:02:25 The Revolver Logic of Retirement

01:04:20 Should You Buy a House or a GT3?

01:08:02 Why Buy When the Market Feels Worst

01:11:48 The Leverage Play Explained

01:13:18 Will Gen Z Just Inherit It All Anyway?

01:15:00 Are We Heading For a Death Tax?

01:17:08 The Welfare Trap: Better Off Not Working

01:21:33 You Get Less of What You Tax

01:23:49 Will Australia Lose Its Entrepreneurs?

01:24:54 Tall Poppy Syndrome vs the American Way

01:27:38 Closing Advice for the Everyday Punter

01:28:51 What the Government Must Do to Save the Australian Dream
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Why The Aussie Economy is F*cked

Diren Kartal joins James Smith for an honest, often hilarious conversation about what running a small business actually does to you once the money is coming in but the freedom isn't. Diren is a personal trainer and Turkey's number one fitness coach with over 1.2 million followers, and despite bringing in hundreds of thousands a year he can't shake the feeling that none of it sticks. Together they unpick the tax trap that's bleeding British high-earners dry, the brutal "valley of death" stage of scaling, his secret ADHD diagnosis, and why the two of them keep eyeing the exits to Australia, Dubai and Turkey.



👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith

📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Diren Kartal's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/DirenKartal

Diren Kartal On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/diren.kartal/



He explains:

◼️ Why he can earn hundreds of thousands a year and still not feel a penny of it

◼️ The HENRY trap, and why earning over 100k in the UK can quietly leave you worse off

◼️ The secret ADHD diagnosis and meds that finally turned the noise off and let him focus

◼️ Why the rich borrow against their assets instead of selling, and never pay the tax

◼️ Why short-form scrolling left him "depressed and disgusted" and long form is the real comeback



Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Running A Small Business

01:25 Bringing In Hundreds Of Thousands And Feeling Nothing

01:52 HENRY: High Earner, Not Rich Yet

03:21 The Cost Of Living In London Right Now

04:07 Every Tax Under The Sun

05:25 Why The Shops Keep Shutting Down

06:27 Business Rates Are The Real Killer

07:39 Going All-In And How Tough It's Been

07:56 Is AI A Disruptor Or A Distraction?

09:00 Why AI Still Can't Replace The Human Bit

10:27 The Real Reason People Stopped Posting

11:58 Living It vs Looking Like You're Living

12:51 The Steven Bartlett Problem

14:19 Being Unapologetically Yourself

15:10 Short Form Is Dying, Long Form Is Back

17:00 The Will Kennedy Trust Lesson

18:03 The Diren Kartal Experience

20:27 Thinking Fast And Slow: Give Him An A-Task

22:00 Why Men Talk Shoulder To Shoulder

23:54 The Front End Is Easy, The Back End Breaks You

25:36 Long-Term Memory, Terrible Short-Term Memory

26:23 The Pressure Nobody Warns You About

27:45 You Don't Want Your Son To See You Fail

28:28 Council Estate Vibes And The Fear Of Going Back

29:25 Getting The Psych Test

30:25 Six Months On ADHD Meds

32:20 Manufacturing Stress To Motivate Yourself

34:30 Is There A Real Return On The Meds?

35:35 Escaping The Desk Job To Build Another One

36:53 The 150 Grand Website Regret

37:50 Australia Is Bad, The UK Is Worse

40:04 289,000 Businesses Set To Fail This Year

41:20 Boomers Hate To Hear How Good They Had It

43:50 Why Earning More Can Leave You With Less

45:12 Your Favourite Part Of Britain Is Leaving It

46:23 Do The Elites Just Find The Loopholes?

47:04 Stop Making The Top Earners Feel Like Villains

49:05 Why Hating Landlords Makes No Sense

51:32 How Politicians Punish The Young To "Help" Them

53:16 Will He Stay In Australia?

53:43 How The Rich Borrow Against Assets And Pay No Tax

55:01 The Stuff They Never Teach You In School

56:17 The Money Chat That Changed Everything

57:43 The Valley Of Death: 12 To 30 Employees Is Hell

58:38 If He Did It Again He'd Stay Small

59:06 We're Both Hypocrites About Debt

01:00:17 Tripling The Money As An Investor

01:02:20 The Adapt Story And Building A Brand With Mates

01:04:26 What's Missing From Jiu Jitsu

01:07:28 Just Wanting To Look Good On The Mats

01:08:35 Taking The Piss Out Of Jiu Jitsu Culture

01:09:06 Becoming The Joe Wicks Of Turkey

01:10:47 Should You Get Assessed For ADHD?

01:11:33 Meds, Music And Feeling Like You're On Psychedelics

01:12:36 Raising A Son Without The Noise

01:13:23 Wrapping Up

 

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The Problem With Running A Small Business: Diren Kartal

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Chris Voss's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@NegotiationMastery⁩  

Chris Voss On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thefbinegotiator/  



Chris Voss joins James Smith for a masterclass on the psychology of negotiation, trust, and getting what you want without ever splitting the difference. A former FBI hostage negotiator and the bestselling author of Never Split the Difference, Voss breaks down why most people negotiate badly, how loss aversion quietly runs the room, and why the goal is never to win the moment but to build something that lasts.



He explains:

◼️ Why splitting the difference leaves everyone feeling cheated

◼️ How to catch a liar off guard and then get them to tell the truth

◼️ Why predictability, not charm, is what actually builds trust

◼️ The grocery store move that turns a stranger into an ally

◼️ Why walking away only works when you genuinely mean it



Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Splitting the Difference

02:23 Why We Overreact to Loss

03:26 The Emotions You're Born With

03:59 Loss Aversion, Jiu Jitsu and the Submission

05:20 Catching Liars in Their Own Web

06:14 How a Polygraph Really Works

08:01 Shu Ha Ri and the Art of Mastery

10:34 Sending Students Into the Wild to Practice

11:15 The Three Commodities in Every Negotiation

12:36 The Broccoli Sprouts Masterclass

13:30 Priming and the Power of Pattern Interrupt

15:10 Why Using Someone's Name Defuses Violence

18:33 The Hardest Part Isn't Catching the Lie

20:25 Short Term Loss vs The Loss That Kills You

22:32 Why Entrepreneurs Make Weak Negotiators

23:18 How to Actually Ask Your Boss for a Raise

26:03 The Hidden Power of Deference

27:21 The Sales Tricks That Have Been Weaponised

29:49 Why Honest Sellers Win More Deals

31:33 Predictability Is Trust in Disguise

33:15 Inside the Black Swan Community

35:47 Buying a Car With Empathy Instead of Ego

37:19 Is Walking Away a Skill or a Bluff?

40:29 Relationships Are Ongoing Negotiations

42:17 Never Be So Sure You'd Miss Something Better

44:50 Cadence, Silence and Sounding Important

46:08 Using Humour to Disarm a Cold Room

48:25 Deactivating Fear Instead of Fighting It

50:10 Negotiation, Dating and the Renewals Process

52:11 Should You Ever Touch During a Negotiation?

53:13 Where to Start If You Want to Get Good

55:35 The 48 Hour Challenge That Will Change Your Day
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The Problem With Splitting The Difference: Chris Voss

Sonny Webster joins James Smith for an honest conversation about what training, money and ambition actually look like once you hit your 30s. A British Olympic weightlifter who competed at Rio 2016, Sonny is now a fitness entrepreneur building global training platforms, and he doesn't hold back on the realities of optimisation culture, the TRT debate.



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Sonny Webster's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@sonnywebsterGB

Sonny Webster On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sonnywebstergb/



He explains:

◼️ Why training after 30 becomes a completely different ball game

◼️ How peptides and GLP-1s are quietly reshaping the fitness industry

◼️ What moving to Dubai really costs (and why money evaporates faster)

◼️ Why handing over money is the thing that actually makes people change

◼️ Where testosterone sits for the everyday athlete who'll never compete



Chapters:

00:00 The Testosterone Debate and Sonny's WADA Ban

00:57 Why Training After 30 Hits Like a Brick Wall

02:10 Olympic Lifting for Longevity, Not Platforms

04:15 Going Sober and the Death of the Wild Weekend

05:07 Peptides, TRT and the World of Optimisation

06:26 Why GLP-1s Make You Hate Alcohol

07:50 Grabbing the Low-Hanging Fruit First

08:32 Becoming a Slave to Your Wearables

12:24 How Dubai Changed Sonny's Physique

16:22 Tax-Free Living and the Money That Evaporates

18:45 Going Back to the UK and Embracing London

20:54 Why Your Friendship Circle Shrinks in Your 30s

23:31 Sonny's Goals: Minimal Effective Dose

26:27 Body, Business, Relationships, You Can't Have All Three

28:05 The Power of a Business Coach and Cutting the Noise

30:16 Why Paying for Something Makes You Actually Do It

31:00 Why Free Codes Create the Worst Clients

32:32 No Transformation Without the Pain

34:48 As Close to 50 as I Am to 23

35:34 Testosterone, the Enhanced Games and Masters Lifting

38:28 The Track Car Logic of TRT

40:34 The Double Standards of Optimisation

41:31 Are We the Peak Optimisation Generation?

43:34 Relationships, Freedom and Finding Hannah

44:56 Having Kids and Knowing When You've Got "Enough"

49:30 The Fair Points Podcast and Missed Opportunities

51:52 Taboo Topics and Creating a Safe Space

52:36 Building a Legacy in Dubai

56:14 Speed Cameras, Statham and Going Bald Gracefully

59:14 The Russian Banya Near-Death Experience

01:01:45 Scaling The Lifting Zone and the Clothing Brand

01:03:09 Wrapping Up
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The Problem With Training After 30: Sonny Webster

Paul Mort joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on work-life balance, building a business you don't want to escape, and why most people are chasing a version of freedom they haven't earned yet. A two-time Master Coach of the Year, bestselling author, and podcast host, Paul Mort makes the case that work-life balance isn't a time problem or a workload problem; it's a clarity problem, and you can't hit a target you can't see.


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Paul Mort's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@paulmortofficial

Paul Mort on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/paulmort/



He explains:

◼️ How boundaries — not balance — are what actually protect your life

◼️ Why a great hire is an investment, not a cost

◼️ What a "shitty job" teaches you that Gen Z has been sold out of

◼️ Why you should buy back time before you buy the Ferrari



Chapters:

00:00 The Real Problem With Work-Life Balance

03:10 You Haven't Earned Chapter 20 Freedom Yet

04:45 Boundaries Are How You Protect What Matters

06:26 Hire People Who Manage You, Not the Other Way Round

08:55 Bringing Other Humans Into the Business

09:45 Death By a Thousand Requests

12:27 A Ferrari or a Member of Staff?

13:45 Why a Great Hire Is an Investment, Not a Cost

14:30 Has Gen Z Been Sold a Pipe Dream?

15:07 Why James Only Hires People Who've Had a Shitty Job

16:50 The Hires That Went Wrong

17:32 Your Biggest Haters Are Former Fans

20:25 Chasing Clout and Why It's Never About You

21:13 When the Comments Feel Like the Whole World

22:39 Defending Your Friends but Not Yourself

25:49 Practising Gratitude as Success Gets Complicated

27:01 Your Values Shift — and That Becomes a Boundary

29:14 Lying to Yourself About Being Happy "Later"

30:09 Could You Actually Retire? And Would You?

32:38 The Curse of the Creator-Led Business

34:06 The Fear of Losing Relevancy

35:02 Paul's 18-Month Disappearance and Comeback

35:54 Doing Less of the Stuff You Hate

36:51 The 2014 Ad That Turned James Into a Marketer

38:17 Why the Old Marketing Still Works

39:35 What Gen Z Doesn't See About the Grind

41:56 Eating Shit: Empty Seminars and Worse

42:08 The Boot Camp Disaster Story

42:47 The Hidden Work-Life Balance of a 9-to-5

45:11 A Shrinking Runway With the Kids

45:31 Jealous of People Sinking Beers at the Airport

47:34 Shedding Your Old Skin

47:42 Four Years Booze-Free and Training at Lunchtime

49:14 The Eight Sleep Obsession

53:57 Japanese Toilets and Things You Don't Value Till You Try

55:25 Why a Nice Car Is Integral to How You Feel

58:54 Being Sensible With Money to Buy Back Freedom

58:43 Swapping Time for Money, Money for Time, Money for Money

59:14 The Retirement Gamble Nobody Talks About

01:00:41 Diminishing Returns and Setting Up Your Kids

01:02:56 Getting Kicked Out of School and the Job Centre Story

01:04:48 Raising Kids to Know What Hard Work Feels Like

01:06:02 How Do You Feel About Tax?

01:08:00 Is the UK a Good Place to Build a Business?

01:09:02 Strong Opinions From People Who've Never Done It

01:10:18 Brown Belt Humility and Getting Touched Up by Pros

01:11:33 Getting Outclassed by Your Own 15-Year-Old Son

01:12:34 Seasons of Training — and the Hypocrisy of It

01:13:11 Why "Work a Bit Less" Is Too Vague to Work

01:14:08 How Do You Grow a Business in 3.5 Days a Week?

01:15:03 Ask Better Questions, Set Clearer Goals

01:15:44 What Paul's Working On: The 90-Day Transformation Returns
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The Problem With Work-Life Balance: Paul Mort

Tom Bilyeu joins James Smith to discuss how broken the modern economy really is. The host of Impact Theory and co-founder of Quest Nutrition argues that inflation is theft, that you cannot save your way to success anymore, and that elites are quietly funneling wealth from the working class.



He explains:

◼️ Why a balanced budget changes every policy argument

◼️ How property markets get fixed by deregulation, not taxes

◼️ Why men should be encouraged to go hard in the paint

◼️ How AI is shrinking headcount while multiplying output

◼️ Why paying down debt can quietly beat the stock market



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Tom Bilyeu's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu

Tom Bilyeu On Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/



Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Not Understanding The Economy

02:30 Inflation Theft and The Hidden Wealth Transfer

03:10 Australia's Capital Gains Tax Bombshell

05:03 The Negative Gearing Property Trap

08:01 Why The Stock Market Is Basically Gambling

11:19 Tom's Advice For An Ambitious 22-Year-Old

13:11 Why Society Now Hates Male Ambition

15:39 Women, The Patriarchy and Sexual Selection

17:48 Why People Demonise Billionaires

21:41 The American Buying Mentality vs The UK

23:14 What Actually Made America Great

26:42 Generational Amnesia and Forgotten Hardship

30:43 Living in Los Angeles and California

33:01 Can The Whole World Live The American Dream?

35:46 Japan, Assimilation and Shared Values

38:38 American Political Corruption as Entertainment

42:01 Human Nature, Greed and AI Government

45:00 Why AI Is The New Internet Moment

45:59 How AI Is Transforming Tom's Business

49:09 Video Games, VR and Escaping Reality

54:04 Addictive Personalities and Gaming

55:34 The Simple Financial Playbook

58:06 The Truth About Paying Down Your Debt

1:01:46 Should You Be Buying Bitcoin?
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The Problem With Not Understanding The Economy: Tom Bilyeu

Lara Acosta joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation about LinkedIn, the corporate world, and what it really takes to build a personal brand that actually moves the needle. A LinkedIn growth expert and founder who's helped thousands of professionals turn themselves into trusted authorities, Lara breaks down why most people are doing LinkedIn wrong — and why the platform isn't the problem, corporate is.



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Lara Acosta's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@Laraacosta 

Lara Acosta On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/laraacostar/  



She explains:  

◼️ Why LinkedIn isn't cringe — corporate is  

◼️ What's actually changed in the algorithm and how to ride it  

◼️ Why AI slop is killing engagement (and why Lara doesn't care)  

◼️ How to micro-dose failure instead of betting the house  

◼️ Why following your skill beats following your passion every time  



Chapters:  

00:00 The Real Problem With LinkedIn  

01:16 Why LinkedIn Feels So Cringe  

03:19 James's Years in the Corporate Trenches  

05:46 Hacks to Leave Work Early Without Being Noticed  

08:06 Sales, Recruitment, and the Posh Hotel Voice  

11:11 What's Actually Wrong With the Algorithm  

12:48 Carousels and Picture-First Posting  

14:21 The Great LinkedIn Articles Debate  

21:06 The Three-Hour Workday Conspiracy  

24:05 Social Loafing and Bloated Departments  

26:06 Cocaine, Cider Hands, and Surviving Corporate  

28:18 Three Weeks at Activision Doing Nothing  

30:35 Failing First Year of University  

33:00 The Birmingham Housemates Story  

35:00 Failing Spanish as a Native Speaker  

38:31 The AI Slop Problem on LinkedIn  

40:29 Why Engagement Prompts Actually Work  

43:53 Entrepreneur vs Business Owner in Britain  

45:45 The Texas Barbecue New Tonic Story  

50:15 The Zero Sum Mentality Trap  

52:57 Lara's NPower Door-to-Door Scam Job  

56:00 James in a Prom Suit Selling Energy  

58:32 One in a Hundred and the Power of Rejection  

01:01:35 Enjoying Every Stage of Business  

01:02:55 The Problem With Remote Working  

01:09:03 Giving Your Team Rope to Climb or Hang  

01:10:44 The Problem With Leadership on LinkedIn  

01:15:32 The Goalposts That Never Stop Moving  

01:16:00 James's Complacency in Lockdown  

01:19:13 Closing Takeaways: Follow Skill Not Passion  



This conversation is part LinkedIn masterclass, part corporate exorcism. Lara's clear-eyed take on the platform — what the algorithm rewards, what AI is doing to the feed, and why most leadership content is fake — meets James's lived experience of faking pisses to scroll Twitter, calling Cornwall County Council 100 times a day, and getting binned from a job he never figured out. The result is a candid look at why so many people stay stuck in jobs they hate, and a practical case for micro-dosing failure until you build the life you actually want.
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The Problem With Linkedin: Lara Acosta

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Ali Maclean's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@alimacleans
Ali Maclean On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/alimacleans/

Ali Maclean joins James Smith for a no-holds-barred conversation on combat sports, mental toughness, and why being "soft" is the most dangerous thing a man can be. A career MMA fighter-turned-coach, Ali argues that combat sports are the most underrated self-development tool on the planet — a Trojan horse that forces men to confront their ego, communication, fitness, and their own appetite for controlled violence.

He explains:
◼️ Why combat sports are a Trojan horse for self-development
◼️ How fear and excitement live in the same nervous system — and how to use it
◼️ Why "everything you learn at white belt is a lie" about strength in jiu-jitsu
◼️ How injuries quietly build a better grappler than ego ever will
◼️ Why the path of inaction is the only outcome worth fearing

Chapters:Chapters:
00:00 Heights, Fear and What's Coming
01:35 The Problem With Being Soft
03:00 The Three Types of Men: Unprepared, Half-Capable, Capable
04:25 Why Walking Away Is Real Self-Defense
06:55 Jeff Cooper's Awareness Levels — White, Yellow, Orange, Red
09:30 Losing the Ego When a Knife Comes Out
11:30 Baseball Bats, Knives and What You Can Actually Do at Home
12:55 We All Secretly Love Violence
14:08 The Rugby Club Bare-Knuckle Champion Story
17:00 Walking Into a Bar When You've Never Been Hit
18:50 Getting Kicked in the Balls at School (and Other Reality Checks)
20:00 Why Violence Isn't Suffering — It's a Teacher
22:00 Decorum in Street Fights vs Nights Out
24:50 Why Jiu-Jitsu Is the Best On-Ramp to MMA
26:50 The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 — Getting Humbled on Live TV
29:30 Words Only Hurt If They're Slightly True
30:30 Why Hate Comments Are a Performance Indicator
33:40 Banter Is Just Practiced Confrontation
34:50 The DOSE Cascade From Combat Sports
36:30 Combat Sports as a Trojan Horse for Self-Development
38:50 The Lockdown Touch Crisis and Loving Brock Lesnar
42:00 What WWE Taught Us About Building an Audience
45:50 Bodybuilding vs Combat Sports Beauty Standards
49:00 Why Injuries Make You a Better Grappler
51:30 James's MCL Tear and a Front Headlock Game
52:40 The Most Underrated Body Part to Train: Your Neck
54:00 The Osteopath Magician and the Expectation Effect
55:50 Strength in Jiu-Jitsu — Everything You Learn at White Belt Is a Lie
57:30 The Guillotine Is About Hope, Not Submission
58:00 Soul-Stealing — How High-Level Strikers Break You
1:01:30 Grip Fighting Decides the Match
1:01:50 Going Out Too Hot — A Cautionary Comp Story
1:03:08 Everyone Backstage Is Scared (Even GSP and Darren Till)
1:05:00 Cus D'Amato: Fear Is a Raging Fire
1:05:50 Flow State and the Day James Caught a Knee Bar
1:08:08 Sauna, Ice Bath and the Daily Battle With Yourself
1:09:30 Stoicism, Discomfort and Seeking Mental Toughness
1:12:00 The £4,000 Missed-Flight Lesson
1:14:50 Ali's Fear of Heights Confession
1:17:00 Fear as the Compass to Where You Should Go
1:18:09 Soft Is the Path of Inaction
1:19:20 Ali's Honest Take on His MMA Career
1:20:30 Ali's Coaching: Strong, Fit, Capable Men
1:21:25 How James's Mentorship Changed Ali's Marketing
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The Problem With Being Soft: Ali Maclean

Paul Sloane joins James Smith to dismantle the myth of bad luck and reveal why the most successful innovations in history happened entirely by accident. A Cambridge engineer, former IBM marketer, and bestselling author, Sloane argues that what most people write off as misfortune is actually a hidden opportunity, and the people who notice it are the ones who change industries.


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Paul Sloane's Website – https://www.destination-innovation.com 

Paul Sloane On X – https://x.com/PaulSloane


He explains:

◼️ Why most "bad luck" is unrecognised opportunity

◼️ The four traits that actually lucky people share

◼️ How psychological safety unlocks radical ideas in any team

◼️ Why polymaths produce more creative solutions than specialists

◼️ The one question every business must be able to answer



Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:15 The Two Problems With Bad Luck

02:37 J.K. Rowling, Trains and Hidden Opportunities

04:26 The Four Traits of Lucky People

05:32 Why Superstition Is the Wrong Direction

06:34 Penicillin, Velcro and Happy Accidents

08:48 Why Successful People Never Blame Others

10:23 Mindset, Identity and Why Dating Felt Different

12:01 Testing Thumbnails and the 4K Trick

14:17 The Brutal Role of Timing in Success

15:14 Building Psychological Safety for Wild Ideas

17:22 James on Steroids, Status and Being 22

20:00 Why Carwow's YouTube Strategy Is Genius

24:02 Innovation vs Creativity Defined

24:22 Doing Something Different Every Day

25:45 Closing Open Loops and the Zeigarnik Effect

27:37 The Random Greyhound Approach to Travel

29:37 James's Red Bull Can You Make It Story

32:37 Wilson Greatbatch and the Pacemaker Accident

34:26 Why Polymaths Find Better Solutions

35:26 Using AI to Introduce Useful Randomness

37:27 Red Bull's Trojan Horse Marketing

39:51 Productive Boredom and Shower Thoughts

44:55 Survivorship Bias and the Quiet Years of Work

46:23 The Cellar Door Lateral Thinking Puzzle

47:45 The Most Important Question in Business

50:02 Why People Really Leave Money to Charity

52:27 Polarising Marketing on the Tube

55:29 Paddy Power and the Blind Football Advert

58:13 The C-Word and Brave Brand Choices

01:01:28 Burger King's Left-Handed Hamburger Hoax

01:02:24 ASDA Opticians and the Swiss Referee

01:07:56 Rory Sutherland, HS2 and Demolishing Birmingham

01:08:59 Edward de Bono's Ford Car Parks Idea

01:12:24 The Case for Self-Driving Cars

01:16:49 AI, Useless Jobs and Paying People Properly

01:20:42 Will Self-Driving Cars Steal Our Thinking Time?

01:21:54 Who This Book Is For
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The Problem With Bad Luck: Paul Sloane

Lucy Lord joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the air fryer sitting unused on 70% of UK kitchen counters and ends up tearing apart everything from protein marketing scams to the slow death of the British night out. A best-selling cookbook author and the woman behind Supper Club, Lucy is back with her third book, Love Your Air Fryer, and makes the case that cooking your own food is the most underrated act of self-care left in the modern world.


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Lucy Lord's Website – https://www.lordlucy.com

Lucy Lord On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lordlucy/

Lucy Lord on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@lordlucyfoodstory⁩  



She explains:

◼️ Why the air fryer is the most underutilised tool in your kitchen

◼️ How cooking is the lowest-hanging fruit for looking and feeling better

◼️ The protein con quietly corrupting your supermarket shop

◼️ Why "increasing your surface area for luck" works in dating, business and life

◼️ How "touching your future" rewires what you think you're capable of



Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:00 The Air Fryer Problem No One Talks About

03:50 Why Cooking Is the Most Underrated Form of Self-Care

06:37 Air Fryer vs Oven — Why the Oven Is Becoming Obsolete

11:19 The Apple vs Probiotic Soda Con

12:54 Skipping the Foundations and Chasing the Trends

15:33 The Protein Ball Scam Exposed

19:23 Protein Water, Huel and the Death of the Real Meal

22:05 Why Britain's Grab-and-Go Culture Is Broken

23:15 James's Brutally Honest Review of Japan

27:44 Karoshi — Japan's Death From Overwork Crisis

29:09 The Birth Rate Collapse Hitting the Western World

32:11 Hustle Culture Is Stealing Men's Best Years

34:35 The 200 Dates That Led James to Tay

37:11 Lucy on Whether She Actually Wants Kids

39:01 Increasing Your Surface Area for Luck

39:45 Volume vs Intensity — The Dating Strategy That Works

43:52 GLP-1s, Smartphones and the Death of the Night Out

45:55 The Quiet Crisis of Men Disappearing From University

47:03 The Mumps, the Missed Lectures and James's Year of Chaos

50:21 Is a University Degree Even Worth It Anymore?

53:13 Inside Lucy's New Book — Love Your Air Fryer

58:39 Why James Is Forcing Lucy Onto YouTube

01:04:02 The Random Idea That Sold 3,500 Hats

01:06:28 How to Start a YouTube Channel With Just an iPhone

01:10:18 The Advice You Give Is the Advice You Need

01:10:33 Why James Avoids Gratitude

01:12:18 The Car as Forced Gratitude

01:13:04 Touching Your Future — The Concept That Changed Everything

01:17:46 Where to Find the Book, the Hats and Supper Club


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The Problem With Air Fryers: Lucy Lord

Michael Morris joins James Smith to dismantle the popular myth that tribalism is humanity's curse. A renowned cultural psychologist and Columbia Business School professor, Morris argues that our tribal instincts aren't hardwired hatred for outsiders, they're the very adaptations that allowed humans to outcompete Neanderthals, build civilisations, and cooperate at scales no other species can match.



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He explains:

◼️ Why tribal instincts are the glue of human cooperation, not division

◼️ How the peer, hero, and ancestor instincts shape every group you join

◼️ Why dating apps and social media distort our perception of attractiveness

◼️ How cults and extremist groups exploit our conformist psychology

◼️ Why ordinary Germans went along with the Nazis — and why you probably would too



Chapters:

00:00 The Myth of Hardwired Tribal Hatred

01:51 What's Actually Wrong With Tribalism

03:30 Defining Tribal Instincts Properly

05:08 The Three Waves: Peer, Hero, Ancestor

07:07 Why Humans Evolved Differently to Apes

10:17 Do Chimpanzees Have Culture?

12:02 How Culture Shapes Political Systems

15:22 The Overlooked Positives of Tribalism

19:05 The Small Tribes All Around Us

22:04 How Leaders Actually Change Culture

24:02 Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Story

28:21 Cannibalism and Neanderthal Inbreeding

29:28 The Trolley Test of Human Decency

33:41 How Homo Sapiens Outcompeted Neanderthals

36:48 Why Groups of Humans Become Apex Predators

37:35 Modern Family Structures and Dating Apps

40:06 The Body Dysmorphia Crisis Online

44:10 Social Media as a Funhouse Mirror

45:14 James on American Political Polarisation

47:11 The Addiction of Virtue Signalling

49:19 Hot Takes and the Race for Status

51:36 Where Status Sits in Tribal Psychology

54:21 Why We Imitate Celebrities and Heroes

56:01 The Asch Experiment and Conformity

59:04 Heaven's Gate and the Mechanics of Cults

01:00:58 The Decline of Young Men's Social Groups

01:03:16 Would You Have Been a Nazi?

01:05:36 The Milgram Shock Experiment

01:06:47 Why Tribalism Is the Solution, Not the Problem

01:10:00 Where to Find Tribal


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The Problem With Tribalism: Michael Morris

Anthony "Staz" Stasziker, a former special forces officer, shares essential life advice on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the problem with living a comfortable life. Staz highlights that true success, much like military training in special ops, is not easily achieved but requires dedication. It's about putting in the effort, not just romanticizing the idea.



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Follow Staz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stazthrudark/

Check out Thrudark: https://www.thrudark.com/

Check out Thrudark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThruDark



Chapters

00:00 - Why Comfort Is Making Us Weak

01:33 - The Friction We Desperately Need

06:34 - How Jiu-Jitsu Changed Everything

08:12 - Leaving Special Forces With Nothing

12:14 - The Hidden Force Controlling Your Life

19:28 - Are We Raising a Generation of Losers?

25:02 - From Failed Footballer to Elite Sniper

31:34 - What They Don't Tell You About Special Forces

41:53 - The Future of War Is Terrifying

51:59 - The Real Reason Men Are Falling Apart

56:04 - The Trauma Nobody Talks About

01:00:57 - The Drug Curing PTSD Overnight

01:06:34 - Why He Climbed Everest in 7 Days

01:22:19 - Buried Alive on the World's Highest Mountain

01:43:38 - What He Learned at 29,000 Feet
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The Problem With Comfort: Anthony (Staz) Stazicker CGC

Ian Leslie joins James Smith to unpack the uncomfortable truth about honesty: we can't actually handle it. A bestselling author and host of the Where Shall We Meet podcast, Ian argues that lying isn't a bug in human nature but an evolutionary feature — the very thing responsible for our big brains, our creativity, and our capacity for art. 


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Ian Leslie On Substack – https://ianleslie.substack.com/

The Ruffian Podcast by Ian Leslie - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qm30smGRQjhEPUMq49uU8



James opens up about being honest with his employees, hiring a brutally candid editor for his next book, and how a rugby coach telling him he "played like shit" taught him more than any polite feedback ever could.



He explains:

◼️ Why lying is a sign of intelligence, creativity and empathy in children

◼️ How the online world breeds dishonesty

◼️ Why office politics is passive aggression at scale

◼️ How trust is the prerequisite for any productive disagreement

◼️ Why sport is civilisation's greatest cage for our warrior instincts



Chapters:

00:00 Why Lying Is Hardwired Into Our Intelligence

01:22 The Problem With Honesty Is We Can't Handle It

03:14 The Invention of Lying and Useful Deception

06:12 Why Lying Sits in Our Moral Grey Zone

08:37 When Your Child Should Start Lying to You

10:48 Autism, Theory of Mind and Honesty

12:01 Conformity as a Form of Social Lying

14:30 Self-Deception and the Lizard Brain

15:59 Cults, Ideologies and Online Group Lies

19:37 Interrogation Tricks and Cognitive Load

22:05 Telling Stories Backwards to Catch Liars

22:46 The Jiu-Jitsu Ringworm Test

25:18 Artists as Legitimised Liars

26:24 Bob Dylan's Reinvention and the Line Between Lying and Art

27:18 Embellishment, Storytelling and Social Incentives

28:50 Advertising as a Lie We Collude In

30:08 Dating Dynamics and Honesty With Women

32:29 Why Honesty Is Your Best Bet in the Long Run

34:09 The Woman Who Lied About Her Age

36:04 Botox, Makeup and Physical Deception

38:13 Height, Ethnicity and the Online Dating Filter

41:13 How Digital Breaks Humans Into Packets

41:56 Why Workplaces Are Full of Bullshit

44:14 Office Politics as Passive Aggression at Scale

45:06 James Getting Dropped From His Rugby Team

47:22 Hiring a Brutally Honest Editor

48:40 Trust as the Prerequisite for Honesty

50:00 The Two Channels of Every Difficult Conversation

52:19 Jiu-Jitsu, Conflict Resolution and Primal Urges

55:06 Sport as Civilisation's Substitute for War

57:37 Michael Jordan as a Roman Warrior

57:58 John Jones and the Beautiful Cage of MMA

58:24 The Ashes, the Barmy Army and Sportsmanship

01:00:24 The Gilded Cage of Rules and Norms

01:01:13 Zero-Sum Games and Honest Feedback

01:03:09 Why Participation Medals Miss the Point

01:05:16 Giving Brutal Feedback on Content

01:07:16 Have You Earned the Right to Be Honest?

01:08:26 Ian's Book: John and Paul — A Love Story in Songs

01:11:22 The Creative Power of Love



This conversation takes a candid look at why deception is woven into the fabric of human intelligence, the corrosive cost of workplaces where nobody says what they think, and the trust that has to exist before honesty can actually land. Ian's perspective on disagreement, creativity and the relationship channel beneath every argument offers a sharp counterpoint to James's trademark bluntness — and the result is a conversation that will change how you think about every hard conversation you've ever avoided.
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The Problem With Being Honest: Ian Leslie

James Haskell joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about life after professional sport, the chaos of building multiple businesses, and what it actually takes to stay relevant when the game is over. A former England rugby star, Sunday Times bestselling author, and DJ, Haskell pulls no punches on the mental cost of reinvention — and why his obsession with performing has never really left him.



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James Haskell on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jameshaskell

James Haskell's music – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ry5gHsT7l1X84yGPZeVIj

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – https://open.spotify.com/show/1LJJ9KUF4aAjcSPimyKfp3


James opens up about the fear of failure that drove him through rugby, the strange emptiness that follows success, and why 40 felt like the moment everything had to change. From DJing in a music industry that doesn't return emails, to launching Black Eye Gin with a £1.50-per-bottle charity model, to finally getting his testosterone tested — this one covers ground most people won't.



He covers:

◼️ Why being your own business is feast or famine — and how to future-proof it

◼️ The DJ career no one takes seriously (yet)

◼️ Building undeniable proof against self-doubt

◼️ Why catastrophising your future can be a legitimate motivational tool

◼️ What testosterone at level 3 actually feels like — and what TRT changed

◼️ The email list gap that's costing him (and you) real money



Chapters:

00:00 There Are a Lot of Lost Men Out There

01:23 The Problem With Being Your Own Business

03:22 Life After Rugby — Planning vs Panic

05:05 Finding What You Actually Want to Do

05:30 The DJ Career: 12 Years, 31 Records

07:22 MMA, Surgeries and the Body Paying the Price

09:24 Going Back to Basics in 2026

10:18 Why Haskell Got Into DJing

12:01 Building Undeniable Proof Against Self-Doubt

13:31 Imposter Syndrome, Evidence Bases and Therapy at 17

15:35 Creating Common Enemies as Motivation

18:06 Catastrophising as a Motivational Mechanism

18:44 Defining What Success Actually Looks Like

19:21 Why Very Wealthy Men Lose Their Money

20:01 The Rocky Montage Years: Fear of Failure as Fuel

20:52 Learning to Sit In the Moment

22:00 The Music Industry Is a Wild West Shambles

24:50 The 50 Cent Tour Story — Music vs Every Other Business

27:03 Drug Culture, Harm Reduction and the Honest Conversation

30:49 What He'd Tell His Daughter About Drugs

32:02 Social Media, Innocence and Raising Kids Today

33:39 Does Civilisation Correct Itself?

35:40 On Politics, Reform and Weak Leaders

37:13 Hair Transplants, Prince William and Shaving Your Head

39:14 The James Haskell Effect on Rugby Back Rows

41:47 Henry Pollock, Pranks and the England Camp

44:03 The Witch Teeth Prank at the Dentist

45:24 The 2007 World Cup — and Ronny Ring's Band of Brothers Moment

49:01 Maidenhead RFC, Getting Dropped and a Mate's Game of His Life

53:41 Black Eye Gin — The Charity, the Recipe and the Origin

57:06 Rugby, UFC and Sports That Don't Apologise for Themselves

59:55 Trying Neutonic for the First Time

01:01:05 Building an Event That Combines Sport, Music and Fitness

01:07:19 Peptides, BPC-157 and Healing a Torn Bicep

01:09:05 Testosterone at Level 3 — Getting on TRT

01:20:32 The Relevancy Trap and Running Active Businesses

01:22:38 The Infinity Pool Story — Getting the Balance Right

01:26:36 Why Haskell Doesn't Have an Email List (Yet)

01:27:46 The Email Marketing Masterclass He Didn't Ask For

01:37:57 What's Coming Next: Music, DJ Gigs and the Tequila Launch



This is one of those conversations that goes everywhere — rugby war stories, music industry chaos, drug policy, fatherhood, hormones, hair transplants, and the uncomfortable truth that being very good at performing doesn't automatically make you good at business. Haskell is funnier, more self-aware, and more switched-on than most people give him credit for — and this is the version of him you don't usually get to see.
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The Problem With Being Your Business: James Haskell

Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success.



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Dr Julie Smith's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DrJulie 

Dr Julie Smith On Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/drjulie/ 



James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking.



She explains:

◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem

◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper

◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others

◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill)

◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity



Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better

04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent

07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper?

12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy?

13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia

15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help

17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback

18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand?

20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park

21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions

27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up

29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics

32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself

34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split

38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life

41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life

44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work

45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It

53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves

55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism

57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation

01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It

01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure

01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome

01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book

01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today

01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps



This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced.
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The Problem With Trying to Feel Better: Dr Julie Smith

Connor Beaton joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about self-sabotage. Far from being a simple lack of discipline, self-sabotage is a sophisticated survival strategy your brain uses to maintain control. Beaton explains why your psyche would rather choose a familiar disaster over an unfamiliar victory, keeping you locked in a cycle of destructive behavior to protect a fragile sense of identity.



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They dismantle the myth that dark motivation is a sustainable fuel for success and expose the biological cost of running on shame. From adoption trauma and attachment theory to the high-stakes world of elite performance, this conversation uncovers the invisible weights that stop men from being present in their own lives.



He explains:

◼️ Why your brain actively avoids healthy new habits

◼️ How shame-based fuel creates a performance ceiling

◼️ What happens when achievement replaces human connection

◼️ Why mastery and addiction share the same neurology

◼️ How radical transparency prevents relationship resentment



Chapters:

00:00 The Psychology of Working With Men

03:37 The Real Problem With Self-Sabotage

04:11 Sabotage as a Protective Strategy

05:37 James’ Experience With Wild Weekends

07:15 Reinforcing Your Negative Identity

08:06 Carl Jung and The Shadow

09:11 Why Your Brain Prefers Familiarity

11:16 The John Jones Sabotage Pattern

12:46 Relational Trauma and Attachment Issues

13:45 Breaking Your Nervous System Set Point

16:02 George St-Pierre on Real Courage

17:51 James' Battle With Cognitive Dissonance

19:52 The Truth About Cocaine Habits

23:00 High Performers and The Control Trap

24:18 Dark Motivation: Using Shame as Fuel

26:42 Why Success Often Feels Empty

27:23 James’ Story of Adoption and Spite

30:35 Shifting From Spite to Family

32:48 Dating Volume and Almond Croissants

35:43 Healing Trauma Through Your Children

43:43 Rebuilding Trust and True Intimacy

47:14 Addiction as an Attachment Issue

49:33 Mastery vs The Addictive Tendency

53:07 Learning to Let Go of Control

57:17 The Dangers of Mental Masturbation

59:12 Diminished Versions of Yourself

01:02:14 Learning to Choose Your Regrets

01:04:02 The Psychological Fear of Retirement

01:08:40 The Cost of Professional Relevancy

01:12:19 Communicating Trade-offs in Relationships

01:15:51 Modern Dating’s Silent Plague

01:17:46 Re-infusing Choice into Relationships

01:21:53 Navigating the Psychological Map




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The Problem With Self Sabotage: Connor Beaton (ManTalks)

Rugby legend Johnny Wilkinson joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with perfectionism, why the pursuit of "perfect" is a quiet crisis that creates a dangerous lie of future salvation while destroying your current reality. Wilkinson explains how living in a constant state of survival and impending doom reshapes our biology and threatens the very essence of human potential.



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Johnny Wilkinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonnywilkinsonofficial/



They discuss the myths around "mastery" being a finished destination, the toxic nature of avoiding failure, and the real reasons behind the mental time bomb that elite performance often hides. From the pressures of a World Cup final to the quiet struggle of starting a business, this episode explores how the need for control can break down the whole system of human performance.



We Cover:

⬛ Why Perfectionism is a Survival State not a Success Strategy

⬛ How the Myth of "Making It" Destroys Human Curiosity

⬛ Why Mastery Requires Self-Awareness over Mechanical Replication

⬛ How to Harness Pressure as Energy instead of Enduring it as Truth

⬛ What Happens when You Stop Chasing Outcomes and Start Healing the Gut



Chapters:

00:00 Intro: Harder Than a World Cup Penalty

00:32 Who Is Johnny Wilkinson?

01:19 What Is the Problem With Perfectionism?

03:01 Nobody's Perfect: Is the Journey the Point?

05:34 Regression to the Mean & the Pressure of Kicking

07:07 Martin Johnson, Teammates & Carrying the Weight

09:46 Pressure Is Just a Thought — Reframing It Entirely

12:29 The Bell Curve of Arousal in Sport

14:15 Growing Up in Survival Mode

16:43 Opening the Door to Yourself

19:14 Identity, Expectations & Tipping Over

20:40 Missing a Kick in Front of the England Camp

23:39 From Running Away to Owning the Space

25:51 One Living — Born From a Changing Room in Toulon

27:02 Why Johnny Started a Health Brand

31:37 When Your Body Can't Keep Up With Your Mind

34:48 One Living: The Rebrand Story

38:31 Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset in Business

40:45 Listening to Your Body Like You Listen to a Kick

43:30 Stress, Food Choices & What You Actually Want

49:06 What One Living Really Stands For

53:13 Opening Doors: The Philosophy Behind the Brand

57:44 The Virtue of Suffering — Is Misery Masculine?

59:16 Thoughts as Truths & the Stray Cat Problem

1:03:46 The Mind Gym: Switching Energy States

1:07:03 Cold Water, Nature & Resetting Your Energy

1:08:59 The One Living Shots Explained

1:11:39 Stop, Breathe, Drink: A Philosophy for Life

1:14:13 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find One Living
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The Problem With Perfectionism: Jonny Wilkinson

Michael Taylor, a professional trader and author, joins James to break down why most finance gurus are full of it. They discuss the red flags of get-rich-quick trading schemes, how brokers make money when you lose, and why Forex attracts scammers. Michael explains the difference between real investing and fake lifestyles, the dangers of blindly following trading signals, and why most people fail at currency trading. Whether you're thinking about investing in your 20s or deciding between paying off your mortgage versus building wealth through stocks, this conversation cuts through the BS and gives you real talk about money.



👁️ Try Neutonic: ⁠https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith⁠

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📝 Business Mentoring: ⁠https://www.jamessmith.business ⁠

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Michael Taylor's YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@UCG4DcZXrpIKwmgdXNU1iUgQ 



THIS PODCAST IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE



Timestamps

00:00 Finance Gurus and Lamborghini Scams

00:12 Professional Trader Michael Taylor Interview

00:24 Casino Risk Management vs Trading

01:07 Problems with Fake Finance Influencers

02:32 Chauffeur Knowledge and Information Replication

03:55 Broker Commission Models Explained

05:06 Red Flags in Trading Education

06:13 Forex vs Stock Market Fundamentals

09:04 Why Forex Trading Is Dangerously Hard

10:15 Survivorship Bias in Finance Content

11:50 Mortgage Payoff vs Stock Investment

12:16 Calculated Risk and Personal Finance

14:02 Global Equities Beat Interest Rates

15:21 Why People Avoid Financial Education

16:12 Wealthy People Talk About Money Differently

17:44 Taking Responsibility for Your Finances

18:36 James Smith's Investment Journey Begins

19:07 Getting Lucky in the Stock Market

20:54 Borrowing Money to Invest Early

22:33 Finding Your Sweet Spot in Stocks

23:24 Balance Sheet Analysis for Beginners

25:46 Shorting Businesses and Ethics

27:26 Identifying Cash Flow Problems Early

28:40 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Allocation

31:23 Long-Term Investing vs Day Trading

32:03 Social Media as Interest Savings Account

32:22 2008 Financial Crisis Impact

34:34 Market Crashes Create Opportunities

36:11 Pandemic Trading During Market Chaos

37:45 First Steps for New Investors

39:05 Picking Individual Stocks Strategy

40:25 Emotional Investment Decisions

41:31 Tax-Efficient Investment Accounts UK

44:02 Lifetime ISA Government Top-Up

45:04 State Pension Won't Exist

46:36 Compounding Interest Over Decades

51:04 Warren Buffett Started at 15

52:40 Starting Late at 35

54:20 Inflation Erodes Purchasing Power

55:11 Fiscal Drag and Wage Stagnation

56:00 Property Ladder vs Stock Market

57:06 Stamp Duty Killing UK Stock Market

59:18 IPO Market Decline in UK

01:00:17 Making LSE Attractive for Listings

01:02:07 Class of 2020 IPO Disasters

01:03:35 Reviving the UK Stock Market

01:05:28 Boring Businesses Make Real Money

01:06:03 Newborn Investment Fund Idea

01:07:05 Private School vs Index Funds

01:09:10 Spending Strategy and Fun Money

01:11:02 Business vs Personal Investment Accounts

01:16:03 Main Dos and Don'ts of Investing

01:20:04 Delayed Settlement Promotes Gambling

01:22:17 Intraday Trading Is Mostly Gambling

01:27:25 Supporting Small Businesses Locally

01:33:46 How to Make Six Figures Book

01:35:16 Klarna Buy Now Pay Later Problems

01:37:50 Building Wealth Through Solid Businesses
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The Problem With Finance Gurus: Michael Taylor

Konstantin Kisin joins James Smith to discuss the problem with Net Zero, a quiet crisis where ideological virtue signaling is actively making the West poor, weak, and strategically irrelevant.



Kisin explains how our obsession with carbon metrics functions as a dangerous accounting trick that exports British industry to China while gaslighting citizens into accepting a lower standard of living. They strip back the myths of modern activism to expose a deeper civilizational time bomb: a generation suffering from historical amnesia and a lack of meaning, now being incentivised toward economic suicide by a government that prioritizes "waffle" over the survival of its own industrial base.



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We cover:

⬛ Why Net Zero is an accounting trick that exports emissions and imports poverty

⬛ The "Status Game" behind climate activism and doomsday narratives

⬛ How the welfare state traps young men in a cycle of dependency and video games

⬛ Why mass immigration is used to conceal the reality of a shrinking economy

⬛ The urgent need to prioritize cheap, reliable energy over ideological virtue signals



Timestamps:

00:00 Net Zero's Economic and Geopolitical Failures

05:42 Energy Prices and Carbon Accounting Illusions

07:18 Why Ideologies Appeal to Lost Generations

10:00 Status Games Drive Activist Movements

12:22 Greta Thunberg and Incentive Structures

15:13 Personal Branding and Business Mentorship

16:21 Historical Amnesia and Educational Gaps

19:03 Travel Exposes Western Privilege and Safety

22:30 Direction of Travel Matters More Than Absolutes

25:03 Parasites Need Problems to Solve

31:33 Soviet Subversion and Western Self-Destruction

34:38 Israel-Palestine Through an Ideological Lens

37:53 Ukraine Support and European Weakness

41:03 National Pride Erosion and Military Service

45:00 Podcast Success Takes Years of Investment

51:34 Welfare Dependency Traps Young Men

58:01 Video Games Cannot Replace Real Life Achievement

1:02:15 Long-Form Conversations Change Political Discourse

1:09:06 Police Officers Make Split-Second Life-Death Decisions

1:23:25 Economic Solutions: Energy, Taxes, and Growth

1:28:30 Illegal Immigration and British Values

1:34:21 Integration Over Diversity Politics

1:39:50 Wealthy Brits Leaving Due to Cultural Hostility
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The Problem With Net Zero: Konstantin Kisin

Ffion Davies joins James Smith to reveal the problem with women in jiu-jitsu, a sport often gatekept by a "sausage fest" mentality and dangerous myths about self-defense. Davies, a six-time world champion, exposes why the current narrative is failing women and how the lack of equal pay is a quiet crisis threatening the sport's growth. They confront the reality of the "big strong dude" syndrome, the biological discrepancies in training, and the high-stakes battle for financial respect in elite competition.



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📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 

🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



Ffion's Online Training Membership: https://ffiononline.com/

Ffion Davies on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ffioneiradaviesbjj

Ffion Davies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffiffipengtinginlondon



We cover:

⬛ Why the "Self-Defense" Narrative is a Dangerous Lie

⬛ Equal Pay, ADCC & The Battle for Financial Respect

⬛ Why Athleticism is a Trap for Beginners

⬛ The Truth About Skin Infections & "Ballgate"

⬛ Why You Should Learn from Purple Belts, Not Just Legends



Chapters:

00:00 Breaking Barriers for Female Grapplers

2:56 Challenges Facing Women in the Sport

6:33 Building Trust and Community in Training

10:02 Reframing Motivation for Jiu-Jitsu

15:19 Realistic Expectations for Beginners

17:23 First Experiences and Gym Challenges

22:53 Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu Training Differences

29:35 Judo People Are Unique Athletes

36:05 Gi vs No-Gi: Technical Differences

45:56 Skin Infections and Training Hygiene

52:26 Armor Gym: A New Training Environment

59:56 Seminar Dynamics and Rolling Etiquette

1:01:57 Competing in Adult Divisions

1:04:06 Encouraging New People to Try Jiu-Jitsu

1:09:44 The Global Jiu-Jitsu Community

1:12:36 Fion Davies' Current Projects
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The Problem With Women in BJJ: Ffion Davies

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Max Olesker joins James Smith to discuss the problem with following your passion. Why an unstructured life can lead to an intellectual and spiritual vacuum if you aren't prepared for the consequences. Olesker explains that pursuing a calling without a strategy is a dangerous gamble that often ends in physical and financial ruin.



We cover: 

⬛ Why "Follow Your Passion" is a Strategic Dead End

⬛ The Brutal Reality of Pro Wrestling & Performative Pain

⬛ Navigating the Rigorous Path to Orthodox Conversion



Chapters:

0:00 The Problem With Passion

5:40 The "Yes Man" Lifestyle

9:13 The Cost of the Ring

16:13 Wrestling & Social Media

26:36 The Comedy Flow State

36:07 The Creativity Grind

40:45 Identity & Heritage

47:12 Rigorous Conversion

1:08:19 The Shabbat Detox

1:15:16 The Surgical Finale

1:36:23 Making The Cut


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The Problem With Following Your Passion: Max Olesker

Property expert and investment strategist Ravi Sharma joins James Smith to reveal the problem with the global housing market. 

This is no longer just a hurdle for first time buyers; it is a systemic time bomb that is stripping away financial agency and threatening the future of social mobility. The quiet crisis of skyrocketing prices is not an accident of the market, but the result of a rigged system that prioritizes corporate incentives over human survival.



Ravi Sharma's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PersonalFinancewithRaviSharma



We cover: 

⬛ Why Housing Affordability is a Global Crisis 

⬛ Property, Pensions and the Rigged System 

⬛ The Truth About Mortgages and Wealth Building 

⬛ Renting for Freedom vs Buying for Status 



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0:00 Housing Market Reality Check

0:36 Housing Affordability: A Persistent Challenge

1:56 Personal Journey in Property and Renting

7:06 Landlord Perspectives and Property Investment

12:05 Mortgage Strategies and Wealth Building

19:16 Overcoming Financial Anxiety and Fear

23:11 Property vs. Other Investment Options

28:04 Challenging Traditional Financial Advice

34:01 Leveraging Offset Mortgages Strategically

40:24 Emotional vs. Rational Property Decisions

45:05 Property Investment Process Explained

49:52 Breaking Free from Emotional Financial Traps

54:35 Ethical Considerations of Property Investment

59:36 Advice for Younger Generations

1:02:24 Renting as a Path to Personal Freedom

1:07:54 Financial Decisions and Life Constraints

1:10:16 Investment Strategies for Different Scenarios
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The Problem With Housing Affordability: Ravi Sharma

In this episode, George Horne (known online as @thetinmen) joins James Smith to confront the uncomfortable reality of The Problem with Men’s Mental Health. Beyond the surface-level "men need to talk" slogans, George reveals a quiet crisis of structural failings that range from biased family courts to a suicide rate that continues to climb despite increased awareness.



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The Tin Men on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpIPgsoOjI8dgQ9fOlmc7TQ 

Follow The Tin Men on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetinmen



We cover: 

⬛ Why Structural Issues Trump "Talking" for Men 

⬛ Family Courts & The Fatherlessness Epidemic 

⬛ Why Men Need Shoulder-to-Shoulder Therapy 

⬛ The Biological Necessity of Roughhousing & Combat



Timestamps:

00:00 The Problem With Mental Health

03:52 What We Miss About Men

07:37 Mental Health Beyond The Brain

09:21 Obesity As Mental Health Analogy

12:04 Status, Identity, And Fatherhood

14:16 Custody Battles And Male Suicide

17:07 Domestic Violence Misconceptions

21:30 Why Men Don’t Leave Abuse

25:15 Bad Research And False Narratives

30:27 Hiring Bias Against Men

35:53 The Motherhood Pay Gap Explained

40:55 Representation And Media Stereotypes

44:34 Fatherhood As Mental Health Anchor

49:26 Masculinity And Meaning

52:08 Community As Mental Health Treatment

56:06 Movement, Touch, And Men

01:00:16 Why Jiu Jitsu Builds Purpose

01:05:51 Boys, Violence, And Discipline

01:10:10 Fatherlessness And Gangs

01:15:13 Why Fathers Aren’t At Home

01:22:19 Rethinking Solutions For Men

01:29:04 Men’s Charities And What’s Next
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The Problem With Men's Mental Health: George from TheTinMen

Adam McDonald joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with hydration, electrolytes and why the $100 million hydration industry is selling a dangerous lie that is creating a quiet crisis in cardiovascular health. McDonald explains how modern marketing has convinced healthy individuals to consume toxic levels of sodium under the guise of "optimisation" while ignoring the actual biological requirements of the human body.



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They Cover:

⬛ Why Electrolyte Supplements Are The New BCAAs

⬛ How Excess Sodium Fuels The Silent Killer of Blood Pressure

⬛ The Myth of Morning Dehydration and Salt Water Rituals

⬛ Why Glucose Outperforms Salt for Real World Hydration

⬛ The Psychological Trap of Wearable Data and Health Anxiety



00:00 Hydration Myths Explained

01:09 Why Electrolytes Get Hyped

03:04 The Real Hydration Problem

06:36 Sodium Vs Table Salt

07:55 Do BJJ Athletes Need Electrolytes?

10:35 Why You Can’t Replace Sweat

12:58 When Hyperhydration Helps

13:08 Water Loading And Peeing

15:56 Electrolytes For Multi-Match Days

17:54 Morning Salt Myth Debunked

20:13 Sugar Fear In Sports Drinks

23:29 Flavor Beats Fancy Formulas

28:07 Blood Pressure Tracking Basics

32:04 Health Anxiety From Metrics

33:49 Eight Sleep Worth The Money

37:05 Falling Asleep To Podcasts

39:58 How Powerful Placebo Is

42:27 Mouth Taping Reality Check

45:17 Sleep Stack That Helps

49:47 Peptides And Injury Recovery

52:38 GLP-1s And Fat Loss Ethics

57:09 Food Noise Relief On GLP-1s

59:37 Hair Loss Drugs And Transplants

01:08:37 Biohacking Hype Calling Out

01:11:41 Why Marathoners Spit Drinks

01:13:51 Greens Powders Under The Microscope

01:18:14 Proprietary Blends Exposed

01:21:07 What A Better Greens Mix Needs

01:22:43 Coaching, Research, And Perfectionism


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The Problem With Hydration: Adam Mcdonald

Lara Acosta joins James Smith to discuss the problem with personal branding. While millions of entrepreneurs chase the "influencer" dream, a quiet crisis of ego and AI-generated slop is destroying genuine market value. This obsession with being interesting rather than useful is a dangerous lie that is threatening the future of human agency and business growth in 2026.



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Follow Lara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraacostar



We cover: 

⬛ Why Introverts Will Win Personal Branding In 2026 

⬛ How High Ticket Pricing Creates A Halo Effect 

⬛ Why Writing Is The Ultimate Skill For Manipulation 

⬛ What Happens When You Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics 

⬛ How To Reinvent Your Identity Through Radical Change



Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:59 The Problem With Personal Branding

02:28 How Lara Built LinkedIn

03:49 Be Useful, Not Interesting

05:29 Ego Is Slowing Growth

08:52 Retrospective Storytelling Wins

12:07 Hooks Plus Visual Hooks

15:15 Ghostwriters And AI Slop

20:09 Turning Attention Into Income

24:24 How To Raise Prices

31:06 Why High-Ticket Works

36:41 Message Beats Equipment

40:09 Mastering Problem Awareness

52:17 The Cost Of Visibility

58:10 Why 2026 Belongs To Writers

71:18 SMPB + 4321 Framework

77:38 Email Lists Beat Platforms
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The Problem With Personal Branding: Lara Acosta

Elliot Bewick joins James Smith to reveal the problem with Gen Z. This generation is currently trapped in a quiet crisis where skyrocketing anxiety rates and plummeting fertility are threatening the future of social stability. Bewick explains why modern connectivity has become a dangerous trap that trades genuine competence for manufactured authenticity.



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He explains:

◼️ Why skyrocketing suicide and anxiety rates are destroying mental health

◼️ How Instagram turned human connection into a predatory and exhausting status game.

◼️ What happens when there are no incentives to work

◼️ How the West has become obsessed with victimisation 



Timestamps

00:00 The Crisis Facing Gen Z

03:15 The Problem With Content Ideation

05:07 The Reality of Gen Z Mental Health

07:56 How Young People Climb Status

09:39 The Impact of COVID on Gen Z

12:37 Modern Social Media Status Hierarchies

17:02 The Trap of Manufactured Authenticity

20:48 The Ethics of Steroid Disclosure

25:09 Why Jiu-Jitsu Cures Body Dysmorphia

31:25 Performative Difficulty vs True Hardship

39:58 The Looming Loneliness Epidemic

43:51 Why Modern History Was Worse

48:10 The Trench Visualization for Perspective

54:26 The Practice of Secular Grace

59:51 Hard Work vs Generational Privilege

01:01:51 The Global Housing Crisis Reality

01:05:01 The Pending Depopulation Crisis

01:07:08 Why Men Are Losing Purpose

01:11:18 The Rise of Masculinity Outlaws

01:16:00 Modern Career Opportunities for Gen Z

01:19:17 How to Build a Legacy


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The Problem With Gen Z: Elliot Bewick

In this episode of The Problem With Podcast, James Smith sits down with Damien Jordan, the voice behind the hugely popular YouTube channel Damien Talks Money,  for a no-nonsense conversation about money, taxes, investing, and the uncomfortable truths most people ignore.



Damien breaks down why the average person feels poorer despite “doing everything right,” how inflation and fiscal drag quietly erode wealth, and why property, pensions, and taxes are stacked against younger generations. From inheritance tax and housing shortages to crypto hype, market timing fears, and whether moving abroad actually solves anything. This episode challenges how you think about money and the system around it.



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🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com



We cover:

⬛ Why Inflation & Tax Quietly Kill Wealth

⬛ Property, Pensions & The Rigged System

⬛ Investing Fears, Crypto Hype & Reality

⬛ Living Now vs Chasing Retirement



Timestamps

00:00 Real Returns After Inflation

02:55 Bank Money Creation Explained

06:55 Fiscal Drag Tax Trap

09:06 UK Vs Australia Taxes

11:49 Is Inheritance Tax Fair?

16:10 Untaxed Housing Windfalls

17:15 Why Homes Stay Scarce

21:33 Aging Population Pension Crunch

26:24 Retirement Vs Living Now

35:06 Mortgage Payoff Vs Investing

40:39 Beating Market Timing Fear

43:14 Crypto Hype Vs Bitcoin

47:00 Invest In Business Growth

52:17 HENRY 100K Tax Cliff

56:05 Wealth Tax Reality Check

59:12 Moving To Dubai Debate

65:04 UK Debt And Spending Truth

68:24 Daily Pain Of Commuting




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The Problem With Saving For Retirement: Damien Talks Money

Demographer and author Paul Morland joins James Smith to reveal the uncomfortable truth about the problem with population collapse - why falling birth rates are creating aging societies, economic decline and a quiet crisis at the heart of the modern world. Morland explains how a lack of children is reshaping nations, destroying communities and threatening the future of humanity itself.



They discuss the myths around “overpopulation,” the cultural shifts stopping people from having families and the real reasons behind the demographic time bomb no one wants to talk about. From housing and technology to feminism and social media, this episode explores how comfort, distraction and misplaced priorities have turned reproduction into a global taboo.



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He explains:

◼️ Why population collapse will bankrupt countries

◼️ How culture and comfort are killing fertility

◼️ Why the “too many people” myth is a dangerous lie

◼️ How governments can (and must) incentivise family life

◼️ What happens when a society stops having children



timestamps

00:00 Why Population Decline Matters

02:00 Korea’s Aging Population Spiral

05:14 Can Earth Support More People?

08:34 Humans As The Ultimate Resource

11:22 Demography Everyone Misunderstands

14:07 The Global Fertility Collapse

18:55 Choice Vs Biological Fertility

22:10 Why People Stop Having Kids

25:33 Housing, Work, And Modern Life

27:07 Incentives Can’t Fix Culture Alone

31:16 Welfare, Taxes, And Family Penalties

34:20 Why Fertility Isn’t Political

36:49 Women, Work, And Family Timing

41:12 How Workplaces Must Change

49:21 Dating Apps And Relationship Breakdown

57:31 Teaching Fertility Earlier

62:44 East Asia’s Status Trap

68:26 Immigration Or National Decline

80:46 What Population Collapse Looks Like



Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.



I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith



I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business



Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 



For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com
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The Problem With Not Having Kids: Paul Morland

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I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business 

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Scientist and author Dr. Andrew Steele joins James Smith to tackle the problem with aging and why dying of “old age” might one day be seen as a preventable condition. Andrew breaks down the science of longevity, the myths around “anti-aging,” and the difference between fundamental research and influencer nonsense. He explains how new medical breakthroughs could help humans live healthier for far longer, but also why the hype around biohacking and “forever pills” is getting dangerously ahead of the science.



They explore the ethical, political, and even economic implications of extending human life, from billionaire-funded immortality labs to the fear that longevity could deepen inequality. Andrew reveals what the real science shows about genes, lifestyle, and luck; why exercise is still the best anti-aging treatment we have; and how new drugs like GLP-1 agonists could transform global health and longevity.



He explains:

◼️ Why 90% of deaths in rich countries are caused by aging

◼️ The truth about genetic luck vs lifestyle choices

◼️ How longevity drugs could revolutionise healthcare

◼️ Why “anti-ageing” influencers are misleading the public

◼️ The shocking economics of living to 100… or beyond



Chapters

00:00 Why Men Die Earlier Than Women

01:31 The Real Problem With Aging

02:36 Separating Longevity Fact From Fiction

05:23 What Your Face Reveals About Health

08:50 How Much Do Genetics Actually Matter?

12:32 Do Weight Loss Drugs Slow Aging?

16:48 The Stigma Of Weight Loss Drugs

19:01 James’ Experience Taking Weight Loss Drugs

22:37 Is Taking Ozempic "Cheating"?

27:02 The Reality Of Maintaining Weight Loss

31:26 Why Modern Diets Are Failing

35:26 The Future Of Longevity Medicine

39:36 Will Longevity Increase Retirement Age?

43:01 The Problem With Bryan Johnson’s Protocol

46:44 Is Biohacking Just An Eating Disorder?

52:01 The Dangers Of Over-Optimizing Health

56:36 Does Health Anxiety Shorten Lifespan?

01:01:46 The Truth About HRT For Women

01:06:51 Does Testosterone Shorten Men’s Lives?

01:12:50 Why Eunuchs Live Longer Than Men

01:17:56 The Philosophy Of Living Forever

01:27:11 The Most Effective Longevity Habits

01:29:56 Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity?

01:38:36 The Most Promising Anti-Aging Drug

01:45:36 The Economic Case For Curing Aging



Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.



I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith



I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business



Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 



For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com
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The Problem With Aging: Andrew Steele

Check your testosterone levels: https://www.manual.co/smith

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AI researcher and ControlAI founder Connor Leahy joins James Smith to confront the problem with artificial intelligence - from misinformation and manipulation to the terrifying speed at which machines are learning to outthink their creators. Connor, one of the world’s leading voices in AI safety, explains how we’re building systems that are more intelligent than humans…and why we don’t really understand how they work.



They discuss the future of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence), exploring what happens when machines evolve faster than we can control them. Connor breaks down the moral, political, and psychological implications of AI, from fake online identities and emotional manipulation to the emerging arms race between nations and corporations desperate to be first.



He explains:

◼️ Why AI is already outpacing human understanding

◼️ How propaganda and algorithms shape reality

◼️ The dangers of AI “boyfriends” and emotional manipulation

◼️ Why superintelligence could end human control

◼️ What governments and people must do before it’s too late



Chapters

0:00 – Why the Future of AI Looks Dangerous

0:31 – What ASI Really Means for Humanity

1:29 – The Core Problem With Modern AI Systems

3:02 – How AI Is Built and Why We Can’t Control It

6:04 – The Hidden Dangers of Social Media + AI Manipulation

10:09 – AI vs AGI vs ASI Explained Simply

17:01 – How Fast AGI Could Turn Into Superintelligence

22:22 – Utopian vs Dystopian Futures With AI

29:02 – AI Relationships, Loneliness & Digital Partners

47:18 – Why AI Could Replace Human Connection & Autonomy



Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.



I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith



I help small businesses make money online:

https://www.jamessmith.business



Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 



For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Problem With The AI Apocalypse: Connor Leahy

Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.



📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith



👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 



💪For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com



💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business



Psychologist and relationship coach Sadia Khan joins James Smith to unpack the problem with dating apps, modern relationships, and the illusion of infinite choice. Together they explore why technology has made commitment harder, attraction more confusing and why everyone - men and women alike - are struggling to connect in an age of endless swiping.



Sadia reveals the psychology behind sex appeal, status and loyalty, explaining how dopamine, dating culture and false advice online are reshaping human relationships. From incel culture and OnlyFans to the fear of rejection and emotional detachment, this is a raw, unfiltered conversation about what’s gone wrong with love… and how to fix it.



She explains:

◼️ Why dating apps destroy genuine connection

◼️ How “too many options” kills commitment

◼️ The truth about sex appeal and attraction

◼️ Why men and women misunderstand each other online

◼️ The rise of transactional relationships in the digital age



00:00 – The Problem With People Being Single

01:48 – Three Main Problems: Options, Bad Advice & Monogamy

03:28 – Dating Apps: The Illusion of Choice

05:07 – Genetics, Status & What Women Actually Want

08:08 – The Secret Ingredient: Sex Appeal

11:19 – The Three A's: Attraction, Admiration, Adoration

13:32 – Women and Lust: The Sex Response

16:13 – Sexual Dominance vs Sexual Submission

19:30 – Anxiety Kills Sex Appeal

21:11 – OnlyFans: Manipulating Vulnerable Men

24:40 – Sex Workers and Materialistic Values

28:41 – Masturbation in Healthy Relationships

31:39 – The Sex Toy Epidemic

34:36 – Low Testosterone Nearly Ruined My Relationship

38:29 – Stress, Overtraining & Catastrophic Thinking

41:44 – Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone

44:13 – Why Genetics Matter: The TRT Debate

46:17 – Fat Acceptance vs Reality

49:38 – Why Staying Together Requires No Alternatives

51:14 – Two Types of Men: Loyal to the Woman vs Loyal to the Wife

52:35 – The Dubai Dating Scene Explained

55:34 – Why Russian Women Dominate Men in Dubai

58:38 – Escort Culture & Naive Men

1:01:12 – Corrupt Women vs Good Women

1:04:20 – The Danger of Being 39 and Single

1:08:05 – Four Things to Look For Before Having Kids

1:11:49 – Prenups: A Revealer of Character

1:15:12 – Why Your Partner Needs Financial Independence

1:18:05 – AI Relationships: Glamorizing Loneliness

1:19:22 – New Book: The 10 Red Flags

1:20:56 – Closing RemarksClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
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The Problem With Being Single: Sadia Khan

Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments. Please check out the links below.



📍I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith

👁Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

💪For a free trial of my online personal training app, go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

💰I help small businesses make money online: https://www.jamessmith.business


Neuroscientist TJ Power joins James Smith to expose what social media, smartphones, and endless screen time are doing to our brains. From dopamine burnout to digital addiction, he explains how technology hijacks motivation, focus, and happiness - and what we can actually do to fix it.


TJ, who left academia after seeing the mental health crisis up close, breaks down how constant stimulation from phones, porn and social media rewires the brain’s reward system. He reveals the science behind low mood, lost confidence, and why so many people feel “flat” despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before.


He explains:

◼️ How dopamine addiction quietly kills motivation

◼️ Why boredom is the key to rebuilding focus

◼️ The neuroscience of porn, pleasure, and productivity

◼️ Why young people are more anxious, distracted, and disconnected

◼️ Practical steps to reset your brain and regain control

Timestamps:

00:00 – The Problem With Spending Time on Screens

01:28 – What is Dopamine and Why Do We Crave It?

03:48 – The Four Brain Chemicals: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins

07:09 – Gaming vs Scrolling: Active vs Passive Dopamine

10:08 – Video Games as Life Training

12:23 – Hunter Brain vs Farmer Brain

13:24 – The Trap of Productive Addiction

15:12 – The Man at the Train Station Doing Nothing

18:10 – Four Weeks Without TV or Content

21:23 – Evening Scrolling: Sacred Time or Mental Drain?

24:21 – The UK Safety Act and Porn Age Verification

28:09 – The Million Dollar Scrolling Hypothetical

32:56 – Dating Apps, Height Requirements & Modern Standards

36:33 – Seven Days Without Porn Challenge

40:18 – The Utility of Not Wanking Before a Date

43:46 – Should There Be Hard Blocks on Porn Access?

48:52 – Porn's Impact on First-Time Sexual Expectations

53:05 – Alcohol, Socialising & Why Young People Aren't Drinking

58:43 – The Two-Day Phone Detox in Melbourne

1:02:44 – Small Daily Detoxes vs Big Detoxes

1:06:34 – Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals

1:10:12 – Four Plants That Need Watering: Practical Advice

1:15:46 – Escaping Reality Through Screens

1:19:28 – Relationships: When Your Partner Won't Change

1:24:30 – Falling in Love With AI

1:28:03 – Producer vs Consumer Dopamine Addiction

1:34:00 – The Purpose of Having Kids

1:35:31 – The Creator's Confession: Dopamine Hypocrisy

1:39:04 – Mental Health Crash After Bad Post Performance

1:43:48 – Living Without Knowing Your Bank Balance

1:48:50 – Closing Challenge: One Screen-Free Evening
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The Problem With Dopamine: TJ Power

Ed Lawrence joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about the problem with making money online, the illusion of quick success and the hidden grind behind overnight wins.

From starting 12 years ago with terrible videos to generating $300,000 from a single YouTube upload, Ed reveals how the "make money online" promise is sold as easy… but requires years of eating shit instead.

They discuss the reality of building a business, the trap of chasing views over revenue, the burnout of ad-dependent income and why most people give up right before the breakthrough.

Ed opens up about parasites nearly killing his business, the obsession required to succeed and learning to build a sustainable income through content, tracking and understanding what actually converts rather than what goes viral.

He explains:

◼️ Why making money online takes 10x longer than you think

◼️ How to escape the 9-5 without going broke

◼️ The trap of building followers who never buy

◼️ Why 800 views can make $33,000 (and millions of views can make nothing)

◼️ How YouTube teaches you every business skill you need



Timestamps:

00:00 – The Problem With Making Money Online

02:14 – Why Side Hustles Fail vs Full-Time Focus

05:08 – The Trap of "Free" Gym Memberships

06:33 – The Truth About Business Ownership

08:48 – Don't Start a Business Just for Money

11:05 – Building Followers vs Making Money

13:17 – The Stress of Ad Revenue Dependency

16:38 – YouTube is Not a Search Platform

19:15 – Binge-Watching by Design

24:13 – YouTube Makes You Better at Everything

29:35 – Fail as Fast as You Can

32:56 – Packaging Boring Content

37:13 – Everything Has Been Done Before

41:55 – Copy Your Own Outliers

44:41 – Views Don't Equal Money

49:13 – The 10-Year Overnight Success

53:05 – Getting Stuck in Your Comfort Zone

56:12 – The Parasite Wake-Up Call

59:11 – Is AI the Biggest Opportunity Ever?

1:02:00 – Bitcoin vs Gold vs Traditional Money

1:04:09 – Stop Researching Investments, Build Your Business

1:05:13 – Closing Remarks



Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.



I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here: https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here: https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com

 
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The Problem With Making Money Online: Ed Lawrence

George Mack joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation that will change how you think about ambition, success, and the hidden traps of productivity.

They dive deep into the concept of agency (why some people take control of their lives while others stay stuck) and how it shows up across business, relationships, happiness, and identity.

From the “busy trap” to the myth of hustle culture, George unpacks the subtle ways we self-sabotage under the illusion of progress. He questions whether high agency is even healthy… or just a sophisticated form of burnout.

James and George explore the psychology of success, the role of genetics, language and culture in shaping mindset, and how becoming a parent can snap you out of your grind obsession.



He explains:

◼️ Why high agency can be a hidden mental illness

◼️ The real reason some people stay stuck (and how to escape)

◼️ How productivity becomes a trap disguised as progress

◼️ Why writing things down on a whiteboard might change your life

◼️ What jiu-jitsu teaches us about fear, ego, and self-awareness



Timestamps:

00:00 The Problem With Low Agency

02:04 The Jail Cell Test

05:16 Can You Train Agency?

09:05 Context-Dependent Agency

15:15 Life in Austin, Texas

18:04 UK Cynicism vs American Naivety

24:06 The Happiness Paradox

30:02 Language Shapes Thinking

36:07 Hater or Inspired? The Choice Is Yours

42:07 The Busy Trap

46:03 The $1,500 Chicken Sandwich Story

51:34 Parenthood: The Ultimate Agency Hack

59:58 Jiu-Jitsu and Personal Growth

1:03:02 The Gap and The Gain

1:07:26 Warren Buffett's Investment Exercise

1:12:25 Practical Agency Hacks

1:17:20 The A1 Paper That Changed Everything

1:29:11 Eat Frogs, Lick Toads

1:32:35 Why Jiu-Jitsu Hits All Four Brain Chemicals

1:35:31 Closing Advice

Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.



I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:

https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here:

https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:

https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com




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The Problem With Agency: George Mack

Rapper Professor Green joins James Smith for an unfiltered conversation about the problem with fame, the illusion of success and the hidden loneliness behind recognition. 

From growing up in Hackney to playing Glastonbury, Professor Green reveals how fame promised to fix everything… and nearly broke him instead.

They dive into the darker side of success, the pressure to perform, the loss of privacy and the mental health toll of living as a public persona. 

Green opens up about his late autism and ADHD diagnosis, the self-sabotage of success and learning to rebuild a life grounded in honesty, fatherhood and self-awareness rather than applause.



He explains:

◼️ Why fame magnifies your problems instead of solving them

◼️ How childhood trauma shapes ambition and anxiety

◼️ The reality of addiction, ego, and escapism in celebrity culture

◼️ Why becoming a dad finally made him stop performing

◼️ How self-understanding saved his life
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The Problem With Fame: Professor Green

Comedians Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell, hosts of the hit podcast Screen Rot, join James Smith to dissect the madness of the modern internet - where everyone’s a brand, outrage is currency, and idiots become superstars overnight. 

From online fame to fake authenticity, steroids to OnlyFans, they unpack the comedy and chaos of living in a world that never logs out.

Jacob and Jake, two of the UK’s freshest stand-up voices, bring their signature blend of humour and insight to questions that define our time: Is the algorithm killing culture? Why does everyone need a platform? And can you stay sane while being online for a living?



They discuss:

◼️ Why the internet rewards bad behaviour

◼️ How outrage, moral superiority, and “hot takes” became entertainment

◼️ The rise of online characters - from influencers to politicians

◼️ The dark side of the creator economy and performance-enhancing everything

◼️ What the future of comedy, fame, and humanity might look like



Welcome to "The Problem With" where each week we look into a problem to get a better understanding of it. This podcast has no sponsors, only my businesses and investments, please check out the links below.

I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:
https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here:
https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:
https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Problem With The Internet: Jacob Hawley & Jake Farrell

Dr. Louise Newson, world-leading menopause specialist and hormone health expert, joins James Smith to expose the truth about hormones, testosterone, and modern medicine’s biggest blind spot. 

From the history of contraception to the stigma around testosterone and the rise of synthetic hormones, Dr. Newson argues that hormonal health isn’t a “women’s issue”, it’s a foundation of human health we’ve ignored for decades.

Dr. Newson is a GP, menopause specialist, and founder of the Balance Menopause app, used by millions worldwide. In this powerful conversation, she reveals how hormones influence mental health, metabolism, fertility, and performance… and why balancing them could prevent depression, dementia, and chronic disease.

She explains:

◼️ Why testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone” and how it transforms mood and energy
◼️ The dark history of contraception and its lasting health impact
◼️ How inflammation and modern diets disrupt hormonal balance
◼️ Why women are prescribed antidepressants instead of HRT
◼️ The real science behind hormone replacement, fertility, and GLP-1 drugs
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The Problem With Hormone Therapy: Dr Louise Newson

Will Storr, award-winning author and science writer, reveals why the Buddhist rejection of ego and ambition completely misunderstands human nature, and how status is the hidden force driving everything we do. 

In this episode of The Problem With… James and Will unpack the uncomfortable truth: without wanting, striving, and competing for recognition, civilisation itself would collapse.


Will Storr is the author of The Status Game and The Science of Storytelling, and his work spans psychology, neuroscience, and culture. 

He explains why our obsession with hierarchy and belonging is baked into evolution, how status loss drives everything from online hate to violence and suicide, and why “connection and respect” are as fundamental to survival as food and water.


He explains:
◼️ Why Buddhism gets human motivation wrong
◼️ How every person plays invisible “status games” daily
◼️ Why humiliation can trigger violence 
◼️ How storytelling and culture shape our sense of self
◼️ The link between status, social media, and modern mental health


I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:
https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here:
https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:
https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Problem With Buddhism: Will Storr

Daniel Priestley, bestselling author and leading entrepreneur, explains why AI is the most disruptive force of our lifetime - bigger than social media, mobile phones, or even the internet itself. 

He reveals why businesses that fail to adapt by 2027 will be left behind, how personal brands and communities will survive the AI wave, and why now is not the time to rest.

Daniel Priestley is an internationally recognised speaker, author of five bestselling books including Key Person of Influence, and founder of multiple multimillion-dollar companies. 

In this episode, he shares powerful frameworks and predictions that every entrepreneur, creator, and professional needs to hear as AI reshapes the economy.

He explains:

What to look out for as indicators of change; Big Tech reactions.

Why “your business is already dead”—and how to reinvent it with AI.

The “sponge vs. icing” framework: how humans add the only value AI can’t.

Why 2027 marks the turning point from “AI toy” to total disruption.

The Loops & Groups model: running high-output businesses with lean teams.

How to future-proof your career by becoming a director, not a doer.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:20 - The problem with.. Business & AI

3:12 - Reluctance to change

10:38 - How to think about AI

15:04 - Loops & Groups

18:26 - Positive Lifestyle Changes

24:20 - Is University Over?

32:33 - AI & Farming

37:32 - Wages & Productivity

42:48 - Personal Brands

56:50 - The Dog Trainer

1:03:14 - Staying Motivated

#theproblemwith #jamessmithpodcast #ai 

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I'm on a mission to help men check their levels of Testosterone, more info here:
https://www.manual.co/smith

Please check out and try Neutonic here:
https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 

For a free trial of my online personal training app go here:
https://www.affordableonlinecoaching.com 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Problem With Not Using AI: Daniel Priestley

The Problem With… isn’t here to give easy answers - it’s here to ask the uncomfortable questions behind today’s biggest trends and taboos.

Each week, host James Smith digs into what’s really going on - from AI to wellness culture - through unfiltered chats with experts and insiders to uncover the truth behind the noise.

New episodes every Tuesday 6PM BST.
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