The Jordan Harbinger Show

Siddharth Kara (@siddharthkara) is a British Academy Global Professor, an Associate Professor of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at Nottingham University, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the author of the New York Times bestseller Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives. What We Discuss with Siddharth Kara: Cobalt is an essential component of every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today — the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. About 75 percent of the world's supply of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often by peasants and children in subhuman conditions who suffer and often die for their trouble. The environmental impact of cobalt extraction, including deforestation and pollution, that leaves behind toxic pits and wasteland unfit for sustaining life. The complex web of actors involved in the exploitation of Congo's mineral resources, including smugglers, traders, and corrupt governmen

Neil Woods (@wudzee0) spent 14 years as an undercover drugs operative, gaining the trust of some of the most violent, unpredictable criminals in Britain. Now he's an active member of the international drug policy reform movement, and author of Good Cop, Bad War and Drug Wars. What We Discuss with Neil Woods: The complex logistics of undercover law enforcement operations. The skills of persuasion and manipulation an undercover operative relies on to get the job done and stay alive in the process. Neil's close calls and epic failures while working undercover that he somehow managed to survive. How the pressure placed on police departments to get results makes corruption almost inevitable — even among officers committed to doing the right thing. Why, after spending 14 years trying to win the war on drugs, Neil now advocates an evidence-based drug policy and related criminal justice reforms. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/806 This Episode Is Brought To Y

Are the diet pills and supplements you take to offset that midnight chalupa habit doing you any favors? You wouldn't be alone in wondering. All over the world, people buy pills or supplements in hopes of preventing disease, improving their health, and losing weight. But do any of them really work? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: With 40% of Americans being obese, 70% overweight, and 100% duped by corporate greed for an easy, instant solution, it's no wonder diet pills and supplements are pitched as the greatest thing since sliced bread (and the bread is probably how you got like that). A self-administered injection of semaglutide (popularly branded as Wegovy or Ozempic) can provide up to 17% weight loss at a cost of over $1,300 per month.

Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. While you're smart enough to know the house always wins when wagering, you have a sneaking suspicion that the girlfriend doesn't. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. [Thanks to Cor

Martin Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Positive Psychology Network. He is the author of 20+ books including Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child; his latest (co-authored with Gabriella Rosen Kellerman) is Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection ? Now and in an Uncertain Future. What We Discuss with Martin Seligman: Studies have shown that optimistic people with highly positive emotions live between six and eight years longer than their more pessimistic peers. Personality traits, past experiences, and current circumstances can all play a role in shaping an individual's outlook on life — and their tendency to veer toward optimism or pessimism. How Martin's five-year-old daughter inspired him to stop being a grouch and shift his professional priorities in a more positive direction — all because of her own commitment to stop whining. How, by focusing on strengths, resilience, and positive

Michael Santos (@MichaelGSantos) survived 26 years as a federal prisoner, hosts the Prison Professors podcast, and is the author of Earning Freedom!: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term. What We Discuss with Michael Santos: How Michael Santos got sentenced to 45 years in federal prison when he was just 23 years old — not for committing a violent crime, but for establishing himself as a cocaine entrepreneur at the height of the War on Drugs (and committing perjury just made things worse). What this conviction meant to Michael's relationship with his family — and his wife. The three-prong plan Michael applied to the sudden wealth of time he had on his hands to find a way to reduce his sentence and hit the ground running when he finally got out. How the system is designed to trip up attempts inmates make toward self-improvement and rehabilitation. How Michael made his first million behind bars. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/802 This Episode Is Brought T

While mandated by some religious and cultural traditions for thousands of years, and not without certain benefits to health, is circumcising newborns before they're old enough to consent wrong? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Male circumcision is the oldest known human surgical procedure, with historical records and archeological evidence dating the practice back to ancient Egyptians in the 23rd century BCE. While circumcision is mandated by numerous cultural and religious traditions and enacted for health reasons in certain parts of the world, is the practice of altering someone's body before they're old enough to give consent wrong? Some medical professionals believe the preventive health benefits of elective circumcision of male newbo

Sexually abused by your own brother at a young age, and aware of your own proclivities to possibly abuse others younger than yourself, you wonder if seeking therapy to alleviate how you feel might get you in trouble if you ever sought security clearance for a government job. What should you do? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: Will seeking therapy for your own issues related to being sexually abused as a child result in denial of security clearance for a government job? Multiple rounds of job interviews — with zero results — have taken their toll on your mental health. How ca

Marina Nemat (@marinanemat) is a human rights activist who survived torture and imprisonment in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution. She chronicled her ordeals in Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison. What We Discuss with Marina Nemat: How life for women in Iran prior to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution mirrored their contemporaries in the United States. Why most of the populace optimistically thought the Islamic Revolution was ushering in much-needed changes over the first few months — and what happened when things started to quickly turn sour. How 16-year-old Marina got on the regime's radar and wound up in Tehran's notoriously brutal Evin Prison. The torture Marina endured while imprisoned, and the ultimatum she was forced to accept in lieu of execution. Why Marina was eventually released from prison, and what she's done with her time since then. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/799 This

Forrest Galante (@ForrestGalante) is a wildlife biologist, conservationist, co-host of The Wild Times Podcast, and TV presenter for Extinct or Alive and Mysterious Creatures. He is also the author of Still Alive: A Wild Life of Rediscovery. What We Discuss with Forrest Galante: What happened when an Amazonian shaman insisted Forrest snort an unknown powder from a monkey bone to keep him safe on the journey ahead? How growing up as an almost feral, shoeless child on a farm in Zimbabwe prepared Forrest to survive in the wilderness (and why he doesn't have an accent anymore). How Forrest wound up as a successful contestant on Naked and Afraid, which led him to leave his job as an ant-counting biologist and continue his conservation efforts in a more visible medium: television. How does Forrest go about finding animals in the wild that have been presumed extinct? How did Forrest and his crew survive trudging around the mangrove jungle on Ramree Island where hundreds of Japanese soldiers had been eaten alive

Every year around Halloween, millions of teenagers, drunk adults, and terrified believers gather around Ouija boards to contact "The Other Side." We've all been a part of it, and we know we weren't moving that little thing, but it was definitely moving. So what’s really going on here? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: How a pair of sisters playing a prank on their parents in upstate New York escalated into a spiritualism craze that took the 19th century United States — and then the world — by storm. The Medieval Chinese origins and evolution of what we know today as the Ouija board. How the spiritualism craze boosted the Ouija board's adoption into millions of households (even outselling Monopoly in 1967). The indelible marks the Ouija board

Your creepy brother-in-law has been using explicit pictures of you — which he obtained through a nanny cam he secretly installed in your bedroom eight years ago — to anonymously threaten you with blackmail. Your sister was in the process of divorcing him and turned his laptop over to the police as evidence, but you fear she may be getting back together with him and may no longer be willing to cooperate when you press charges. To top it off, it's been three months since the police were involved and there's been no progress in holding this would-be scammer accountable. What can you do now? We'll try to answer this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanha

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Find part one here!] What We Discuss with Alastair Smith: How do dictators come to power and remain in power even when their policies serve only themselves and not the people under their "leadership?" Why do the majority of people living under dictatorships suffer in impoverished squalor, and how does foreign aid empower these dictators rather than help the general populace? Why do dictators consistently hate freedom, the media, and seemingly their own citizens? Why does bad behavior so often make for good politics — even in the most progressive nations? Are our own governments beyond saving, or can we use lessons learned here to make them work for us? And much more... Full

Alastair Smith is the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at New York University, professor of political science in the Wilf Family Department of Politics, and co-author (with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita) of The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics. [This is part one of a two-part episode. Please check back later in the week for part two!] What We Discuss with Alastair Smith: How do dictators come to power and remain in power even when their policies serve only themselves and not the people under their "leadership?" Why do the majority of people living under dictatorships suffer in impoverished squalor, and how does foreign aid empower these dictators rather than help the general populace? Why do dictators consistently hate freedom, the media, and seemingly their own citizens? Why does bad behavior so often make for good politics — even in the most progressive nations? Are our own governments beyond saving, or can we use lessons learned here to make them work f

Are you dead wrong to trust the funeral industry in having your best interests at heart when it's time to shuffle off your mortal coil? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: The average cost of a funeral is over $11,000. Lack of regulation and high prices lead to some families not being able to afford funerals. As a result, about 88,000 bodies go unclaimed each year. Grieving people may not have the emotional energy or knowledge to compare prices, leading to exploitation by funeral companies — like Service Corporation International (SCI), whose prices are 47 percent to 72 percent higher than competitors. 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid are used in the US each year, which potentially get into the drinking water. 1.4 million cremations rec

A number of red flags have you rethinking the effectiveness of your shrink. Shouldn't they make you feel more capable of facing the world and understanding your place in it instead of less capable and more confused? Is it time for you to shop for a newer, better therapist? We'll try to help you answer this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: A number of red flags have you rethinking the effectiveness of your shrink. Is it time for you to shop for a newer, better therapist? [Thanks once again to clinical psychologist Dr. Erin Margolis for helping us with this one!] You'r

Mark Manson (@IAmMarkManson) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and the subject of a new feature film that goes by the same name. What We Discuss with Mark Manson: Mark and Jordan discuss how they evolved beyond their roots in the seedy pickup artist (PUA) scene to help people from all walks of life transcend insecurities and discover their true potential — or at least derive entertainment from some books and podcasts. Mark experiences the ups and downs of becoming a viral sensation: from seeing his book publicly enjoyed by Congressional representatives and Hollywood movie stars to discovering that Putin's using it as an excuse to tighten Russia's censorship laws. The dangers of delusional positivity — just because believing something makes you feel good doesn't make it real, which means you're going to be especially disappointed when it's time to acknowledge what is real. Our brains want there to be an easy, fix-all formula for happiness that we can get from

Florence Williams (@flowill) is a journalist and the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, and Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey. What We Discuss with Florence Williams: How "real" is heartbreak? Real enough that our brains react to the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way they react to physical pain. The chronic loneliness brought about by heartbreak can increase the risk of early death by as much as 26 percent. Just as you wouldn't expect results from "wishing" a toothache away, ignoring the distress caused by heartbreak can exacerbate existing medical problems and create new ones — from inflammation to diabetes, heart disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Differences between the causes and symptoms of heartbreak as typically experienced by women and men. What we can do to mitigate the pain if we find ourselves suffering from heartbreak. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be foun

Is chocolate your guilty pleasure? Until you listen to this episode, we can almost guarantee you're not feeling guilty enough about it! But don't fret, because we'll also provide resources to help alleviate some of that guilt and allow you to become part of the problem's solution! Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: How the production and consumption of chocolate perpetuates a range of negative impacts, including child trafficking, labor exploitation akin to slavery, deforestation, and climate change. The chocolate industry brings in $100 billion annually, but the farmers who produce it make less than $1 a day toiling long hours in the grueling heat, constantly exposed to poisonous pesticides in unsafe conditions. High demand for labor is met

If the people back home choose to believe negative stereotypes about your true love from another land and the nature of your relationship, it's a damn shame — for them. On this Feedback Friday, we'll delve into why it's almost always okay to blow off the cockamamie opinions of people who should probably be minding their own business! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: People in your town are bound to assume a number of negative stereotypes when you bring your true love from abroad home. But is that really your problem? What resources best prepared Jordan and Jen for their first child? What can you do whe