Ep. 37: More AI-ayayayay - Part 2: The Law (w. Cindy)
This week, Matti and Cindy shift from AI doomsday scenarios and regulation to the actual issues and harm happening today — and what our legal system can or cannot do about it.
Ep. 36: More AI-ayayayay - Part 1: The Threat (w. Cindy)
Remember a few episodes ago when we promised Cindy would be back for more AI conversation? Well, we keep our word around here.😊 This week, Matti and Cindy are diving headfirst into this increasingly complicated world. Could AI really pose an existential threat to humanity? Are the doomsday scenarios realistic, or are we getting ahead of ourselves? And even if the apocalypse isn’t around the corner, what about the threats we’re already facing: job displacement, fraud, election disinformation, and attacks on critical infrastructure?
Ep. 35: Why I Now Call It Antisocial Media
Social media was supposed to bring us closer together. So why are we becoming less social?
Ep. 34— New Technology, New Problems: Is It Worth It? (w. David)
Matti and David (America’s favorite brother-in-law) unpack the trade-offs of new technology, from smart glasses that can record strangers to AI agents that can manage our lives and cameras that seem to be everywhere. Technology keeps advancing, but are we always better off because of it?
Ep. 33: What If Your Best Years Are Yet to Come?
We’re rethinking what it means to get older — and discovering why some of life’s biggest milestones, accomplishments, and personal breakthroughs are happening later than ever. From the shifting goalposts of middle age to the surprising case for being a late bloomer, we explore why there’s no single timeline for figuring out your life.
Ep. 32: You Know Best
What if the thing you keep second-guessing is actually your intuition trying to tell you something? Matti explores why it can be so difficult to trust ourselves, and why we’re so quick to look outside ourselves for the “right” answer. From experts and algorithms to social expectations, self-improvement culture, and endless advice, there’s no shortage of voices telling us how we should live.
Ep. 31: The World Changed. Did College?
Matti takes a closer look at the changing landscape of higher education: the rising cost of college, declining enrollment, shifting birth rates, international students, online education, and the growing question of whether a traditional four-year degree still delivers enough value to justify the price.
Ep. 30: Are We Still Supposed to Act Professional at Work? (w. Cindy)
This week, it's all about the workplace. From helicopter parents calling recruiters on behalf of their adult children to workplace hookups, office shorts, Crocs, Zoom pants, and increasingly honest out-of-office messages, the rules at work seem to be changing.
Ep. 29: First Social Media, Then Content Creation… What’s Next?
In this episode, Matti explores how social media evolved into content creation, and what that shift has done to the way we compete for attention. Going viral used to be the exception; now, it can feel like the expectation. As feeds get more crowded and attention gets harder to capture, content is getting bigger, bolder, and much more extreme.
Ep. 28: What Happens When We Take Accountability?
Accountability is one of those words we throw around constantly. We want our leaders to be accountable. Our institutions. Other people. But what does accountability actually look like when we start examining it in the real world?
Ep. 27: What Do Kids Really Need from Us? - Part 2 (feat. Ethan Weiss, MS, LCSW)
In Part 2, Matti and Ethan's conversation focuses on what parenting actually requires - and why the answer may have more to do with support and community than deciding who is naturally “good” at being a parent.
Ep. 26: What Do Kids Really Need from Us? - Part 1 (feat. Ethan Weiss, MS, LCSW)
Matti is joined by psychotherapist Ethan Weiss, MS, LCSW of Yes & Therapy LLC to explore what happens when parenting starts to feel like something we should optimize.
Ep. 25: Protect People, or Prepare Them? (w. David)
America’s favorite brother-in-law is back! David joins Matti for a wide-ranging conversation about a surprisingly big question: when we care about someone, should we protect them from the world... or prepare them for it?
Ep. 24: Before Smartphones or After Smartphones… That is the Question
This week, Matti looks at life before smartphones, the rituals and experiences that once filled our days, and why some of those seemingly outdated things still hold so much appeal. He also explores the growing fascination with MySpace and the possibility that people are getting a little tired of an internet built around algorithms, ads, optimization, and constant competition.
Ep. 23: Continuing the AI Conversation - Part 2 (w. Cindy)
In Part 2 of our AI conversation, Cindy returns to discuss what happens when artificial intelligence moves from the classroom to the workplace.
Ep. 22: Continuing the AI Conversation - Part 1 (w. Cindy)
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Cindy is back, and we discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the classroom—from ChatGPT and homework to critical thinking, college, and the future of learning.
Ep. 21: Are We Losing Our Humanity? (w. David)
Matti and David explore how outrage can make it easier to dehumanize people we disagree with, why empathy shouldn’t depend on political affiliation, and whether our increasingly online lives have changed the way we communicate with one another. The conversation touches on political violence, social media, digital permanence, LGBTQ identity, public speculation, and the assumptions we make about people we don’t truly know.
Ep. 20—Beyond Monogamy: Love, Family, and Connection feat. Sophie Lucido Johnson
What makes a family? What makes a relationship? And can one person realistically meet all of our needs?
Ep. 19—Second Acts: What BlackBerry Can Teach Us About Reinvention feat. Wendy Battles
A simple question about BlackBerry's evolution turned into a much bigger conversation about reinvention:
What does it really mean to reinvent yourself? And why do some people embrace change while others struggle to let go of who they’ve always been?
Ep. 18: My Brother-in-Law Joined the Chat
As a teacher, parent, and mental health professional, David shares what he’s seeing firsthand when it comes to kids and social media, why he has mixed feelings about government bans, and how schools are navigating the growing push to keep phones out of the classroom.
We also dive into AI’s expanding role in healthcare, the surprising ways GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro may be helping beyond weight loss, and whether using them is “cheating” or simply leveling the playing field.