Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchYou Don't Learn Helplessness - You Learn Control
Episode 1310
In 1967, a study on shock avoidance gave us "learned helplessness," and for nearly fifty years that was the prevailing explanation for why people giv…
3 hours ago
Why Reducing Complexity Is A Sign of Seniority
Episode 1308
As you grow as an engineer, something counterintuitive happens: the systems you build get simpler, not more complex. In this episode, I explore why s…
2 weeks ago
A Pragmatic Definition for Accountability
Episode 1307
Accountability is a word you'll hear in your performance reviews, from your manager, and increasingly as you step into leadership. It's also one of t…
3 weeks ago
Using Substition to Make Decisions Simpler
Episode 1306
There's a cognitive trick our brains play whenever we face a hard question or a difficult decision: we quietly swap the hard thing for something easi…
1 month, 1 week ago
Your Single Most Important Tool for Managing the Uneven Downsides of Risk
Episode 1305
The skills you build and the tools you master matter, but they aren't your most important asset when things go wrong — and something eventually will.…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Why Can't You Go Faster With AI? Focus on the Friction to Find Out
Episode 1304
If you are a manager, a lead engineer, or anyone growing into more responsibility, this throwback episode is built for you. We keep hearing the same …
2 months, 1 week ago
Software Engineering Principles That Still Hold Up in an Agentic World - Old Lessons Made New
Episode 1303
The skills problem isn't going anywhere — it's just wearing new clothes. In this episode, I unpack how the lessons we learned decades ago (limiting w…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Principles Oriented Thinking as a Durable Skill in an AI First World
Episode 1302
The skills that survive every industry shakeup aren't the ones you can Google — they're softer, harder to name, and far more durable. In this episode…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
What the Science Actually Says About Effective Feedback
Episode 1301
A lot of what we've been talking about lately is durable skills — the abilities that last regardless of how our tools and tech environment change. In…
3 months ago
Rebuilding Your Mental Models In the Midst Of an AI Tech Revolution
Episode 1300
Right now, the questions we have about our careers feel existential. We keep coming back to the same theme: how do you prepare for an industry that's…
3 months, 1 week ago