My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now.
If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves?
I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow.
So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism!
Let’s grow together.
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Revisited: Why Relationships Are the Secret to a Long, Happy Life with Psychotherapist Esther Perel
Oct 13, 2026
Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27.
Until then, we’re revisiting some of our favorite…
Revisited: Your Instincts Know What You Want with Happiness Expert Arthur Brooks
Oct 06, 2026
Team Simon here! A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, and brand-new episodes return October 27. Until then, we're revisiting a few conversations we keep coming back to.
This week it's Arthur…
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Revisited: The Power of Saying "Screw It" with Rob Lowe
Sep 29, 2026
Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a few weeks off and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism on Tuesday, October 27. Until then, we're revisiting some of our favorite…
What Mentally Strong People Do on Their Worst Days with Psychotherapist Amy Morin
Sep 22, 2026
Be honest: you've taken a mental health day that made you feel worse. You stayed in bed, you avoided the thing, and by evening it was still waiting for you—with less of the day left to face it.
Amy…
The Dating Advice Making Us Worse at Love with Relationship Expert Amy Chan
Sep 15, 2026
The internet is flooded with advice for dating in the smartphone age: know your type, trust the spark, watch for red flags, protect your peace, never settle.
It sounds like self-respect, but…
Why Trying to “Sound Smart” is Losing You the Room with Strategic Story Producer Rob Willis
Sep 08, 2026
Have you ever sat through a presentation and felt your attention just start to…drift? Chances are, it wasn't the content. It was the delivery.
A year ago, Rob Willis was a corporate trainer with…
Your Limits Are Learned (And They Can Be Unlearned) with Brain Coach Jim Kwik
Sep 01, 2026
This might sound familiar: you read a full page, get to the bottom, and realize you absorbed none of it. There's a stack of books beside your bed you fully intend to finish. And the only phone number…
How to Trust Yourself When Everyone Has an Opinion with Love Thy Nader's Mary Holland Nader
Aug 25, 2026
Maybe this sounds familiar: you finally get the opportunity you've been waiting for, and the voice in your head says, "I'm not ready, I don't belong here."
Now imagine hearing that voice with…
What Happens When You Bet on Yourself with Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt
Aug 18, 2026
Maybe you know the feeling: everyone around you seems to be getting ahead, and every hour you spend on something "frivolous" — the hobby, the detour, the game on a Sunday afternoon — feels like…
How to Say the Hard Thing and Keep the Relationship | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 5
Aug 11, 2026
Every lasting relationship has survived at least a few hard conversations.
But most of us would still rather not have them... So we put them off and tell ourselves the tension will fade on its…
Why Being Right Is Costing You Trust | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 4
Aug 04, 2026
Everyone says they want more accountability at work… yet few of us think we're the ones who need to learn how to be more accountable.
Most of us believe we already know how to own a mistake. We've…
What Is Your Team Afraid to Tell You? | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 3
Jul 28, 2026
Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest things we do at work and most of us just... avoid it.
But avoiding feedback has a cost. Everything you need to grow is already in the room and it's…
The Secret to Better Conversations Isn't Talking | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 2
Jul 21, 2026
The fastest way to improve your relationships isn't talking. It's listening.
Most of us hear what's being said. Very few of us know how to make someone feel heard.
Feelings at Work is a special…
The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1
Jul 14, 2026
Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek.
Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration…
Why We Fall for the Wrong Person with Couples Therapist Dr. Harville Hendrix
Jul 07, 2026
Maybe this sounds familiar: you fall hard for someone, and over a year later you're fighting about the very things that drew you to them in the first place. And you can't figure out how the person…
How to Tell If Fear Is Protecting You or Holding You Back with Extreme Athlete Nelly Attar
Jun 30, 2026
We tell ourselves the reason we never chase the big dream is that we're not ready, not brave enough, doomed to fail.
Nelly Attar would tell you she felt all of that too… but she chased them…
Remembering Bob Chapman: The Mentor Who Changed My Life
Jun 23, 2026
Sixteen years ago, an unknown CEO running a manufacturing company in the Midwest saw my TED Talk and recognized something in it. He sent me a letter and we made plans to meet. What started as a…
The AI Skills Nobody is Teaching (And Everyone Needs) with AI Expert Ethan Mollick
Jun 16, 2026
Be honest: AI makes you a little nervous.
Maybe you're afraid it'll take your job. Maybe you're overwhelmed by all the advice about prompts and agents and which chatbot to use. Or maybe you're…
How to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck with Dr. Ellen Langer
Jun 09, 2026
Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to…
What Happens When You Stop Optimizing and Start Committing with Former LA Lakers President Tim Harris
Jun 02, 2026
In a world of job-hopping, side hustles, and an endless LinkedIn feed, Tim Harris did something almost no one does anymore. He stayed put.
Few executives spend an entire career helping build a…
Revisited: Choose Your Seven Humans Wisely with Author Fredrik Backman
May 26, 2026
Hello from Team Simon! We're taking a quick break this week and will be back with brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism next Tuesday.
Until then, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes —…
How to Stop Being Socially Awkward (According to Science) with Behavioral Scientist Vanessa Van Edwards
May 19, 2026
Maybe this sounds familiar: you leave a party and spend the rest of the night convinced everyone was upset with you. Or you replay something you said in a meeting for days and second-guess every last…
Stop Telling Us Everything Happens for a Reason with Anti-Victim Tom Nash
May 12, 2026
We often comfort ourselves with the idea that things happen for a reason, or define our struggles as a test of strength. Tom Nash might ask you to reconsider.
Tom is a speaker, former DJ, and…
The Real Reason You Feel Empty (Even When Life Looks Good) with Musician Mike Posner
May 05, 2026
If at some point, you've looked at your life—your job, your relationships, your achievements—and thought: “is this it?” This episode is for you.
Mike Posner had that moment at 30. His life, by every…
The Real Reason Young People Don't Have 'The Hunger' for Work (And What Leaders Need to Hear) with Generations Expert Dr. Eliza Filby
Apr 28, 2026
Admit it, you've complained about at least one other generation. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—somehow, they all end up with reputations built around what's wrong with them.
Dr. Eliza Filby has…
The Leadership Advice Nobody Follows (But Everyone Should) with Top Leadership Expert Don Yaeger
Apr 21, 2026
The most successful leaders, coaches, and teams in history share one counterintuitive secret: their main focus wasn’t winning. And yet… they won more than everyone else.
My guest, Don Yaeger…
Why This Baseball Team Has a 4.2 Million Person Waitlist With Savannah Bananas Founder Jesse Cole
Apr 14, 2026
We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love?
Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and…
Ken Burns and the Art of Telling the Whole Story
Apr 07, 2026
We live in a world that pushes us to simplify everything: right or wrong, good or bad, this or that. It makes things and our place in the world easier to understand.
But the truth is rarely simple……
What Happens When You’re Naive Enough to Try with KIND Founder Daniel Lubetzky
Mar 31, 2026
Naiveté is one of the most powerful assets an entrepreneur can have. In fact, I think some of the most meaningful things in the world only exist because someone was naive enough to try.
Daniel…
AI Can Do Everything… Except This (Why Humans Still Win) With Restaurateur Will Guidara
Mar 24, 2026
As businesses race toward faster systems, smarter tools, and total automation, something critical is getting lost: human connection. And ironically, the rise of AI is making that gap impossible to…
