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. Abby Maronio, who trains federal agencies including the Secret Service, shares insights on influence and social engineering. She distinguishes between ethical influence and manipulation, emphasizing that intention matters - influence builds trust and relationships while manipulation causes psychological harm for personal gain. The conversation explores practical tactics for pro-social engineering, including self-disclosure, managing ego, handling emotions, and creating genuine connections. Real-world examples range from handling difficult customers to Disney's environmental influence strategies.
- Distinguishing Influence from Manipulation
- Managing Ego and Emotional Reactions
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1253: Organ Donation | Skeptical Sunday
Dec 07, 2025Summary Preview
This episode dives deep into the complex world of organ donation, exploring both the life-saving potential and systemic challenges of transplantation. Jessica Wynn walks through the science, ethics, logistics, and surprising facts about organ donation - from living donations to xenotransplantation to synthetic organs. The discussion covers how the matching system works, common myths that prevent people from registering as donors, black market trafficking concerns, and the remarkable medical advances that allow everything from face transplants to pig organs to save human lives.
- The Organ Shortage Crisis and System Overview
- What You Can Donate and Living Donation
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Jordan Harbinger and Gabriel Mizrahi tackle complex listener dilemmas in this Feedback Friday episode, recorded while Jordan travels through Japan. The show addresses three major challenges: a police officer escaping a toxic marriage with a narcissistic spouse who attempted suicide, a professional wrestling with job offers while managing a trespassing conviction from his past, and an introvert seeking to improve workplace networking and social connections. Throughout, they emphasize the importance of protecting yourself, making strategic career decisions, and building authentic relationships despite personality challenges.
- Escaping a Toxic Marriage with a Narcissistic Partner
- Legal and Practical Advice for Protecting Yourself
1251: Jimmy Wales | Building Trust the Wikipedia Way
Dec 04, 2025Summary Preview
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, discusses how the world's most influential encyclopedia emerged from a collaborative vision inspired by open-source software. He explores Wikipedia's trust-building mechanisms, the crisis of parallel realities fragmenting society, and why transparency and assuming good faith remain critical not just for Wikipedia, but for rebuilding trust across institutions. Wales shares insights on resisting government pressure, navigating political bias accusations, and why traditional journalism still matters in an age of AI hallucinations and social media chaos.
- The Birth of Wikipedia and Why Collaboration Works
- Wikipedia Restores Faith in Humanity Through Radical Trust
1250: Scott Galloway | Notes on Being a Man
Dec 02, 2025Summary Preview
Scott Galloway joins the show to discuss the collapse of young men in modern society, examining loneliness, declining economic prospects, educational gaps, and the crisis of male role models. The conversation explores what happens when half the population gets written off, the structural forces behind male decline, and practical advice for men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to build successful lives despite these challenges.
- The Crisis of Young Men and the Gag Reflex Around Discussing It
- The Critical Importance of Male Role Models
1249: Rehab and Recovery | Skeptical Sunday
Nov 30, 2025Summary Preview
This Skeptical Sunday episode challenges mainstream narratives about addiction and recovery, examining whether the disease model and 12-step programs like AA are truly evidence-based or simply culturally dominant. Nick Pell explores alternative recovery methods, the business of rehab, and research showing that most people naturally age out of substance abuse without formal treatment, while emphasizing that different approaches work for different people.
- The Minnesota Model and How 12-Step Programs Became Dominant
- The Scientific Evidence Behind AA and 12-Step Programs
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This Feedback Friday episode tackles three challenging dilemmas: a woman facing a years-long harassment campaign from an unstable ex-business partner, an accountant struggling to train an employee with memory issues, and a hearing aid business owner who's too respectful to effectively network and sell her services. Jordan and Gabriel provide practical legal advice, workplace management strategies, and sales techniques while addressing the deeper psychological patterns behind these challenges.
- Escaping a Harassment Campaign from an Ex-Business Partner
- Legal Strategy and Documentation for Restraining Orders
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Dr. Eric Cole, a former CIA cybersecurity expert, discusses the urgent state of global cyber warfare, revealing how foreign adversaries have embedded themselves in critical infrastructure, how everyday devices spy on us, and why TikTok represents a sophisticated tool of psychological warfare. He exposes the massive scale of automated attacks targeting individuals and businesses, the vulnerability of critical systems running outdated software, and practical steps to protect ourselves in an increasingly dangerous digital landscape.
- The Reality of Constant Cyber Attacks
- Media Blind Spot: Why Cybersecurity Doesn't Make Headlines
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Mike Feldstein returns to discuss air quality in the aftermath of the LA wildfires, revealing the unprecedented contamination from burning homes, cars, and thousands of lithium batteries. The conversation explores the toxic reality of indoor air, the misleading mold industry, how synthetic fragrances hijack our sense of smell, and why CO2 levels in closed spaces impact cognition and sleep. Mike also shares his mission to create the healthiest school in America and make clean air accessible to everyone, especially newborns and children.
- LA Wildfire Aftermath: Unprecedented Toxic Contamination
- Real-World Air Filter Effectiveness: The Single-Variable Test
1245: Black Friday | Skeptical Sunday
Nov 23, 2025Summary Preview
This Skeptical Sunday episode examines Black Friday's evolution from a chaotic shopping day to a month-long consumer frenzy. Jessica Wynn explores the psychology behind the madness, revealing how retailers manipulate shoppers through fake scarcity, tiered manufacturing, and pricing illusions. The discussion covers the dark side of holiday shopping including violence, scams, worker exploitation, and the spread of this American phenomenon globally, while offering practical advice for navigating sales without getting trampled or scammed.
- Origins and Evolution of Black Friday
- The Psychology of Shopping Madness
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A Feedback Friday episode where Jordan and Gabriel address listener questions about relationship challenges and workplace dysfunction. The episode features updates from a previous listener about her first real relationship, advice for dealing with an incompetent boss, and guidance on communicating relationship standards. The hosts also share product recommendations and discuss parenting approaches for imparting wisdom to teenage children.
- Japanese Transgender Sex Worker Relationship Update
- Advice on Dealing With Incompetent University Administrator
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Former FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper Chris Whitcomb shares wild stories from his career spanning special operations, intelligence work, and black ops missions in Afghanistan and Somalia. From calculating his odds of survival in a warlord's compound to getting stranded at a bombed-out Mogadishu airport, Whitcomb discusses the psychology of extreme risk-taking, the reality of combat versus Hollywood portrayals, and the crucial importance of recognizing when a situation has become life-threatening before it's too late.
- The Warlord Meeting and Risk Calculation
- From Poetry to Hostage Rescue: An Unlikely Path
1241: Ketamine | Skeptical Sunday
Nov 16, 2025Summary Preview
Jordan Harbinger and researcher Nick Pell dive deep into the world of ketamine therapy, exploring its legitimate medical uses for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. Nick shares his personal experience with ketamine treatments for childhood PTSD, while they examine the science behind how it works, who it helps, and growing concerns about the commercialization of this powerful drug through mail-order clinics and aggressive advertising.
- Nick's Personal Experience with Ketamine Therapy
- The History and Medical Development of Ketamine
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In this Feedback Friday episode, Jordan and Gabe tackle three compelling listener dilemmas: a man who escaped a relationship with a mentally unstable partner who repeatedly threatened to kill him, a wife seeking advice for her husband being physically assaulted by a student with no administrative support, and parents of a 14-year-old struggling with long COVID and perfectionism. The hosts provide practical guidance on each situation while exploring the deeper psychological patterns at play.
- Show Introduction and Gabe's Travel Update
- Escaping a Dangerous Relationship: The Woman Who Threatened Murder
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Jordan Harbinger sits down with MIT computer scientist and author Rizwan Virk to explore the simulation hypothesis—the idea that our reality might be a computer-generated virtual world. They discuss evidence from quantum physics, the rapid advancement of AI and virtual reality technology, why this theory is taken seriously by figures like Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and what it means for questions of free will, consciousness, and how we live our lives. The conversation covers everything from video game design principles to UFO phenomena, religious metaphors, and the surprisingly short timeline to creating our own fully immersive simulations.
- Introduction to the Simulation Hypothesis
- The Probability Argument and Ancestor Simulations
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Legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns discusses his new 12-hour series on the American Revolution, calling it 'the most important event since the birth of Christ.' Burns challenges the sanitized myths surrounding America's founding, revealing it as a brutal civil war full of contradictions - freedom built on slavery, democracy emerging from violence, and ideals clashing with hypocrisy. He explores his meticulous filmmaking process, the personal tragedy that shaped his career, and why he believes the American Revolution isn't over - we're still living it.
- The Revolution as America's Most Important Event
- Democracy's Messy Origins and Authoritarian Temptations
1237: Light Pollution | Skeptical Sunday
Nov 09, 2025Summary Preview
This Skeptical Sunday episode explores light pollution - the excessive and misdirected use of artificial light that has erased the night sky for most of humanity. Host Jordan Harbinger and researcher Jessica Wynn discuss how artificial lighting has disrupted human health, wildlife ecosystems, astronomical research, and our fundamental connection to the cosmos. They examine the four types of light pollution (sky glow, light trespass, glare, and clutter), its environmental and social consequences, and practical solutions for reclaiming darkness.
- What is Light Pollution and How Did We Get Here?
- Historical Context and the Four Types of Light Pollution
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In episode 400 of Feedback Friday, Jordan Harbinger and Gabriel Mizrahi celebrate their milestone while addressing listener questions about consent in marriage, generational workplace communication issues, visa restrictions for student entrepreneurs, navigating early retirement in the Midwest, and more. The hosts blend personal anecdotes with practical advice on career development, relationships, and life challenges.
- 400th Episode Celebration and Gabe's Journey
- Navigating Consent and Coercion in Marriage