The Jordan Harbinger Show
(Apple's Best of 2018) In-depth conversations with people at the top of their game. Jordan Harbinger unpacks guests' wisdom into practical nuggets you can use to impact your work, life, and relationships. Learn from leaders (Ray Dalio, Simon Sinek, Mark Cuban), entertainers (Moby, Tip "T.I." Harris, Dennis Quaid), scientists (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye), athletes (Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Tony Hawk) and an eclectic array of fascinating minds, from art forgers and arms traffickers to spies and psychologists.
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Recent Episodes
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Dr. Abigail Marsh discusses the neuroscience behind psychopathy and extreme altruism, debunking common psychology myths and exploring how fear, empathy, and brain structure shape human behavior. She examines why some people lack empathy entirely while others risk their lives for strangers, challenging assumptions about nature versus nurture and revealing that effective interventions exist for helping those with psychopathic traits develop pro-social behaviors.
- The Replication Crisis in Psychology
- Heroism vs Fearlessness: The Cory Booker Story
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Jordan and Gabriel tackle listener questions about managing scars from self-harm, dealing with a negative wedding guest, navigating a toxic work partner, and Gabriel shares a personal update about becoming an uncle. The hosts provide practical advice on boundaries, communication, and handling difficult personalities while maintaining healthy relationships.
- Navigating Conversations About Self-Harm Scars
- The Destination Wedding Nightmare Guest
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Danny Wrench shares his extraordinary journey from a chess prodigy raised in a cult to becoming CEO of Chess.com during its explosive pandemic growth. He discusses surviving childhood abuse, the challenges of online cheating detection, and how the company captured 99% of the chess boom when COVID-19 and The Queen's Gambit created 400,000 new members per day. The conversation explores cult dynamics, AI's impact on chess, the infamous cheating scandals, and how trauma shaped his path to success.
- Chess.com's Pandemic Explosion and Infrastructure Crisis
- Bootstrap Unicorn: Building Without Investors
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Danny Wrench shares his remarkable story of growing up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness cult in Arizona, where spiritual manipulation intersected with his emergence as a chess prodigy. From communal poverty and family separation to being groomed as the cult's golden child through chess achievement, Danny reflects on the parallels between cult psychology and Soviet chess culture. He discusses his eccentric Russian coach Igor, the isolation of traveling alone to tournaments as a young teen, and how his journey ultimately led to running chess.com while unpacking the lasting trauma of his unconventional upbringing.
- Growing Up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness Cult
- Family Manipulation and Inappropriate Relationships
1288: Test Prep | Skeptical Sunday
Feb 22, 2026Summary Preview
Jordan Harbinger and Jessica Wynn examine the multi-billion dollar test prep industry, exploring whether SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, and other standardized test preparation materials actually help students or simply exploit anxiety for profit. They discuss the industry's evolution from simple study guides to expensive courses, the systemic inequalities it creates, the psychological toll on students, and whether these high-stakes tests even measure what they claim to measure.
- The Evolution and Explosion of Test Prep
- Systemic Bias and Inequality in Test Prep Access
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Jordan and Gabriel tackle complex ethical and personal dilemmas in this Feedback Friday episode, including a woman grappling with terminating a pregnancy before receiving normal test results, a mother seeking guidance for her exceptionally gifted but socially isolated son, an IT professional considering an employee buyout, and a daughter navigating toxic family dynamics after years of being excluded and scapegoated.
- Pregnancy Termination and Religious Guilt
- Supporting a Gifted Neurodivergent Child
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Derek Coburn challenges traditional retirement thinking, arguing that the standard model of retiring at 65 is broken and often harmful. He advocates for a 'work longer, save less' approach that allows people to enjoy life now rather than deferring happiness until retirement. The conversation covers practical financial topics including life insurance, disability insurance, and estate planning, while emphasizing the importance of presence with family, finding meaningful work, and avoiding the trap of sacrificing current well-being for a future that may never deliver the promised happiness.
- The Broken Retirement Model and Why Working Longer Is Actually Better
- The Real Cost of Missing Life Now: Family Time and the $50,000 Moments
1285: Passport Bros | Skeptical Sunday
Feb 15, 2026Summary Preview
This Skeptical Sunday episode examines the passport bros phenomenon—men who travel abroad seeking romantic relationships, believing foreign women are more traditional and Western women are problematic. Host Jordan Harbinger and researcher Nick Pell investigate whether these beliefs match reality, exploring economic myths about living abroad, cultural stereotypes, safety concerns, and what passport bros actually experience versus their expectations. The episode reveals a more nuanced picture than the stereotype suggests, while debunking common misconceptions about both Western and foreign women.
- What Are Passport Bros and Why Do They Exist
- The Economic Reality of Living Abroad
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Jordan and Gabe tackle three complex situations in this Feedback Friday episode: a woman dealing with her husband's escalating alcohol and substance addiction issues, a daughter concerned about her elderly father falling for online romance scams after his wife's death, and a listener navigating fertility coverage changes at work. Jordan also shares a personal update about his mother's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis and the emotional journey his family is facing.
- Update: Captain Save-A-Ho's Escape
- Married to an Addict: Alcohol, Lies, and Losing Attraction
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Ava LaRue, star of CSI Miami, and her daughter Kaya share the harrowing 12-year ordeal of being stalked by a violent psychopath who sent graphic rape and murder threats signed 'Freddy Krueger.' Despite FBI involvement, traditional forensic methods failed until genetic genealogy—the same technology that caught the Golden State Killer—finally identified their stalker in 2019. The case became FBI precedent-setting, but the trauma of hypervigilance, close calls including a break-in at school, and constant fear fundamentally changed their lives forever.
- The Beginning: From CSI Fame to Terror
- FBI Involvement and the Limitations of Technology
1282: The Vagina | Skeptical Sunday
Feb 08, 2026Summary Preview
In this educational episode, Jordan Harbinger and Jessica Wynn tackle the often-misunderstood world of female anatomy with humor and science. They explore everything from basic anatomical terminology to the history of medical sexism, debunking myths about vaginal health, size, and maintenance. The conversation covers menstruation, birth control, the cosmetic surgery industry, and why proper anatomical education matters for health, safety, and sexual satisfaction. Throughout, they challenge centuries of shame-based marketing and advocate for evidence-based understanding of female bodies.
- Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need Proper Anatomical Language
- Vaginal Anatomy 101: Understanding the Basics
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Jordan Harbinger and Gabriel Mizrahi tackle a range of listener dilemmas in this Feedback Friday episode, including dating a conspiracy theorist, managing an awkward speaker at work, and navigating marriage tensions when both partners work full-time with four young kids. They also share updates from listeners, discuss important life admin tasks like beneficiary forms and wills, and emphasize the importance of supporting the show's sponsors.
- Dating a Conspiracy Theorist
- Coaching an Awkward Speaker at Work
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1279: The Gold Standard | Skeptical Sunday
Feb 01, 2026Summary Preview
Jordan Harbinger and researcher Nick Pell explore the gold standard, examining its history, why countries abandoned it, and whether returning to it would solve modern economic problems. They debunk common misconceptions about gold-backed currency while analyzing the tradeoffs between the gold standard era and today's fiat money system, ultimately concluding that while our current system has flaws, returning to gold would likely cause catastrophic economic disruption.
- Introduction to the Gold Standard Debate
- Why Gold Became Money and the Gold Standard's Origins
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Jordan and Gabe tackle a variety of complex interpersonal challenges in this Feedback Friday episode, including a woman terrified her abusive brother-in-law plans to murder her sister in the Canadian wilderness, a father dealing with judgmental parents who undermine his parenting of adopted special-needs children, and someone trying to distance themselves from an impossibly insecure friend. The hosts also discuss the art of knowing when to share your goals versus keeping them private, and Jordan reveals he's secretly been taking salsa classes.
- Opening Banter: Jordan's Secret Dance Classes
- Sister Moving to Canadian Wilderness with Abusive Husband
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Jordan Harbinger interviews Isabel Boemke, a former fashion model turned nuclear energy advocate who goes by Isodope online. They explore why nuclear power has such a bad reputation despite being one of the safest, cleanest, and most efficient energy sources available. The conversation covers nuclear accidents, waste management, energy density, and why nuclear deserves a second look as we face climate change and growing energy demands.
- From Fashion Model to Nuclear Advocate
- The Origins of Nuclear Fear
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Jordan Harbinger and Dr. Coltan Scrivner explore the science behind morbid curiosity, examining why humans are drawn to horror, true crime, and disturbing content. They discuss how this fascination isn't a moral failing but rather an evolutionary adaptation that helped our ancestors learn about threats safely. The conversation covers the psychology of horror movies, the appeal of true crime (especially among women), how childhood scary play builds emotional resilience, and why video games don't cause real-world violence despite decades of moral panic.
- Defining Morbid Curiosity and Early Misconceptions
- The Horror Formula: Vulnerable Heroes vs. Powerful Villains
1275: Incels | Skeptical Sunday
Jan 25, 2026Summary Preview
Jordan Harbinger and Nick Pell explore the incel phenomenon beyond media stereotypes, examining who these men really are, how online communities evolved from support groups to toxic echo chambers, and what the data reveals about mental health, loneliness, and the dangers of young men with no stake in society.
- Origins and Evolution of Incel Culture
- The Elliot Rodger Turning Point
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Jordan Harbinger and Gabriel Mizrahi tackle three compelling listener dilemmas: a convicted felon being blackmailed by business partners using his past against him, a man uninvited from his stepbrother's wedding due to conflicts between their partners, and someone struggling with commitment issues as they consider a career change to therapy. Throughout the episode, they explore themes of extreme ownership, healthy conflict resolution, and understanding the psychological roots of avoidance patterns.
- Ex-Con Entrepreneur Facing Blackmail and Business Betrayal
- The Wedding Invitation That Never Came
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Jordan Harbinger interviews behavioral scientists Richard Schotten and Michael Aaron Flicker about the hidden psychology behind consumer behavior and branding. They explore how cognitive biases, emotional shortcuts, and clever marketing tactics influence what we buy, from Five Guys' single-focus strategy to Starbucks' pumpkin spice phenomenon. The conversation reveals how brands leverage behavioral science principles like scarcity, nostalgia, humor, and the pratfall effect to drive sales and reduce price sensitivity.
- The Power of Doing One Thing Well: Five Guys and Goal Dilution
- Cognitive Misers and the Health Food Paradox