Podcast · 72 episodes
People I (Mostly) Admire, page 2
by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher · English
Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt tracks down other high achievers for surprising, revealing conversations about their lives and obsessions. Join Levitt as he goes through the most interesting midlife crisis you’ve ever heard — and learn how a renegade sheriff is transforming Chicago's jail, how a biologist is finding the secrets of evolution in the Arctic tundra, and how a trivia champion memorized 160,000 flashcards. To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
All episodes, page 2
18. Robert Sapolsky: “I Don’t Think We Have Any Free Will Whatsoever.”Robert Sapolsky’s research on chronic stress and violence, beginning with his decades-long baboon studies, then moving to how stress physiology affects health and how biology challenges ideas of free…18 Apr 2026 · 42 min · 21 chapters
17. Emily Oster: “I Am a Woman Who Is Prominently Discussing Vaginas.”Emily Oster discusses how economists can translate evidence into everyday decisions, especially in pregnancy, early parenting, and COVID-era school reopening.11 Apr 2026 · 42 min · 20 chapters
16. Joshua Jay: “Humans Are So, So Easy to Fool.”Joshua Jay, a magician and magic historian, argues that humans are easy to fool but audiences can be moved through storytelling.4 Apr 2026 · 42 min · 19 chapters
15. Tim Harford: “If You Can Make Sure You're Not An Idiot, You've Done Well.”Tim Harford discusses how to interpret statistics and data honestly, using examples from Florence Nightingale’s Rose Diagram, public-policy claims, and the difficulty of measuring gun-related…28 Mar 2026 · 42 min · 20 chapters
13. Yul Kwon: “Don't Try to Change Yourself All at Once.” (UPDATE)Yul Kwon’s life story and advice on incremental self-change, using “tit-for-tat” game theory in high-stakes environments (Survivor), and how discomfort can drive growth; plus his later work in AI…21 Mar 2026 · 43 min · 18 chapters
12. Sue Bird: “You Have to Pay the Superstars.”Sue Bird discusses how elite performance is built (realistic self-assessment, “smart” practice, home-court and fan effects, clutch/pressure), and then shifts to WNBA economics and labor policy, plus…14 Mar 2026 · 39 min · 18 chapters
11. Paul Romer: “I Figured Out How to Get Myself Fired From the World Bank.”Paul Romer discusses economic growth driven by knowledge (non-rival ideas), why incentives and evidence matter more than theory alone, his “charter cities” proposal for development, and his…7 Mar 2026 · 34 min · 13 chapters
10. Suzanne Gluck: “I'm a Person Who Can Convince Other People to Do Things”Suzanne Gluck, partner at WME, discusses how literary agents spot books, negotiate publishing deals, and use persuasion to get authors and editors to say yes—highlighting her role in the Freakonomics…28 Feb 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
8. Peter Attia: “I Definitely Lost a Lot of IQ Points That Day”A conversation with physician and longevity researcher Peter Attia about self-experimentation, longevity pillars, nutrition (sugar, ketosis, fasting), sleep, nicotine, and lessons from COVID policy…21 Feb 2026 · 39 min · 21 chapters
7. Caverly Morgan: "I Am Not This Voice. I Am Not This Narrative."Spiritual teacher Carole “Caverly” Morgan discusses Zen mindfulness as “not this voice, not this narrative,” and how she built Peace in Schools to teach teens to recognize negative inner dialogue,…14 Feb 2026 · 39 min · 18 chapters
6. Nathan Myhrvold: “I Am Interested in Lots of Things, and That's Actually a Bad Strategy”Nathan Myhrvold (former Microsoft CTO) discusses how hard problems require new perspectives/tools, why progress in fundamental physics is constrained by limited empirical clues, and how technological…7 Feb 2026 · 48 min · 31 chapters
5. Susan Wojcicki: “Hey, Let’s Go Buy YouTube!”Interview with Susan Wojcicki (YouTube CEO) on her path into tech, how Google’s ad system worked, YouTube’s acquisition by Google, and YouTube’s approach to “trust and safety” (hate speech,…31 Jan 2026 · 31 min · 20 chapters
4. Ken Jennings: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird”Ken Jennings discusses what makes “weird” interests valuable, how trivia knowledge works in the brain, Jeopardy strategy and performance, and how parenting and misinformation shape kids’ beliefs.24 Jan 2026 · 42 min · 20 chapters
3. Kerwin Charles: “One Does Not Know Where an Insight Will Come From”Conversation with Kerwin Charles (Yale SOM dean) on his life, research on public health (tuberculosis), labor-market decline (video games/social media and young men “doing nothing”), decision-making,…17 Jan 2026 · 39 min · 18 chapters
2. Mayim Bialik: “I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is”Mayim Bialik discusses how she built a nontraditional life across child acting, neuroscience PhD research, motherhood, and later TV/production, arguing for mindful, science-informed approaches to…10 Jan 2026 · 46 min · 21 chapters
1. Steven Pinker: "I Manage My Controversy Portfolio Carefully”Steven Pinker discusses why human progress is real, how rationality should be taught, and what to do about climate change; he also covers violence decline, language complexity, and learning languages…3 Jan 2026 · 43 min · 18 chapters
173. Steve Levitt Says Goodbye to People I (Mostly) AdmireSteve Levitt’s farewell to People I Mostly Admire, reflecting on how interviewing changed him, what he learned from guests, and why education reform (mastery learning + engagement) is his new focus;…20 Dec 2025 · 51 min · 22 chapters
Ninety-Eight Years of Economic Wisdom (Replay)A replay of People I Mostly Admire featuring economist Robert Solow (Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 1987) discussing economic growth, “stationary” (non-growing) economies, climate/environment…13 Dec 2025 · 49 min · 13 chapters
172. A New Kind of UniversityMichael Crow, president of Arizona State University (ASU), explains ASU’s “new American university” model: scalable, inclusive access paired with research excellence and community impact, plus how…6 Dec 2025 · 52 min · 18 chapters
171. Measuring Pollution on Parallel EarthsHow economists measure the health effects of air pollution using “natural experiments,” and how that evidence is turned into policy tools.22 Nov 2025 · 56 min · 21 chapters
Suleika Jaouad’s Survival Mechanisms (Replay)Encore of Steve Levitt’s 2024 conversation with Suleika Jaouad about surviving cancer and what comes after: being taken seriously, authentic conversations, isolation and journaling (including the…15 Nov 2025 · 59 min · 33 chapters
170. Finding the God ParticleBrian Cox explains why the Higgs boson (“God particle”) matters, how the Large Hadron Collider detects it, and why Higgs-like ideas connect to other cosmic mysteries; the episode also shifts to black…8 Nov 2025 · 59 min · 21 chapters
169. Decoding the World’s First WritingThe origins and decipherment of cuneiform, the world’s oldest known writing system, and how a Babylonian flood tablet predates and influenced the Noah story; includes discussion of building a replica…25 Oct 2025 · 50 min · 16 chapters
Is There a Fair Way to Divide Us? (Update)Moon Duchin, mathematician and professor18 Oct 2025 · 1 h