Audience of One

By Spencer Kier

Technology

What's Audience of One about?

Exploring my curiosity through conversations with leading thinkers and builders.

We talk about philosophy, learning, tech, parenting, entrepreneurship, health, and more.

Follow Spencer on Twitter (twitter.com/SP1NS1R) and Substack (spencerkier.substack.com)

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Audience of One episodes:

03.21.2024
#056 - Dylan O’Sullivan on Lying to Yourself, Timelessness, Discipline, & Writing
Dylan O’Sullivan is a curator, editor, and writer at O'Shaughnessy Ventures and Essayful. Dylan and I talk about writing, taste, discipline vs. inspiration, timelessness vs ephemerality, boredom and solitude vs. the internet, inciting a digital renaissance, not lying to yourself,...
03.15.2024
#055 - Steve Schlafman on Lostness, Downshifting, & Becoming
Steve Schlafman is a venture capitalist turned transition coach. We talk about lostness, transformation, curiosity, mindfulness practices, his new Downshift program, being a husband and father, and more. — (00:59) Lostness, navigating liminal identity space, personal transformations (18:31) Head and heart, mind and...
02.29.2024
#054 - Matt Clifford on Talent Investing & AI Uncertainty
Matt Clifford is a co-founder of Entrepreneur First and leads their AI efforts, as well as chair of ARIA, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency. We talk about EF, talent investing, ambition, why we don’t have more Thiel Fellowships,...
02.07.2024
#053 - Joscha Bach on Modeling Reality & Self-Organizing Software
Joscha Bach is a cognitive scientist and AI researcher. We talk about our relationship with & models of reality, creativity and curiosity, animism and self-organizing software, stages of development, and more. — (01:25) The dream world; how we interact with & perceive...
01.31.2024
#052 - Gabe (@VividVoid_) on Identity, Art, Authenticity, & Courage
Gabe (@VividVoid_ on Twitter) is a writer and coach, and former Marine. We talk about inferiority, art, nothingness, spirituality, courage, fear, alignment with The Void, representations of reality, exposure therapy, Quality, and more. — (00:52) You’re not inferior to anyone else (06:14) Art...
01.24.2024
#051 - Nathan Baugh on Storytelling, World Building, Fiction, & The Internet
Nathan Baugh writes fiction and the World Builders newsletter. We talk about writing, non-fiction vs. fiction, storytelling and world building devices, Kurt Vonnegut and other authors, getting the most out of technology and the internet, and more. — (00:47) Why writing (02:46) Loops...
01.18.2024
#050 - Billy Oppenheimer on Writing, Research, Boredom, & Putting in The Work
Billy Oppenheimer writes the Six at 6 newsletter, and has been a writing and research assistant for Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, and Rick Rubin. We talk about research, naive optimism, working for legendary writers and creatives, boredom, his newsletter, curation...
01.10.2024
#049 - John Coogan on AI, Ozempic for Risk Taking, Tech Media, & Curiosity
John Coogan is the co-founder of Soylent and Lucy, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Founders Fund, and a YouTuber and podcaster. We talk about AI, pioneering vs. wire-heading, identifying problems to solve, the need for more risk takers, satisfying curiosity, techno optimism,...
12.27.2023
#048 - Sasha Chapin on Awakening, Meditation & Writing
Sasha Chapin is a writer, coach, and the co-founder of a fragrance line. We talk about his book, awakening, meditation, Deep Okayness, coaching, writing, fragrance, and more. — (00:54) Writing a book on meditation & awakening (04:30) What is awakening, and is there...
12.20.2023
#047 - Ryan Hashemi on All Things YouTube
Ryan Hashemi is the founder of Hashemi Studios, which helps businesses and creators grow on YouTube, as well as the former Chief Strategy Officer of Jubilee Media, a media company provoking understanding and human connection. Ryan and I talk about...
12.13.2023
#046 - Chris Bakke on Memes, Hiring, X, & Startups
Chris Bakke is a serial entrepreneur, most recently selling his company, Laskie, to Elon Musk and X (Twitter). We talk about satire and memes, X/Twitter, authenticity, hiring and the labor marketplace, how Laskie got acquired, criteria for finding problems to...
12.06.2023
#045 - Arjun Khemani on Education, Knowledge Creation, & The Internet
Arjun Khemani is a HS drop out and works at Airchat, an audio messaging network founded by Naval Ravikant and Brian Norgard. Arjun and I talk about education, knowledge creation, Airchat, the power of the internet, and more. Given that Arjun...
11.29.2023
#044 - Jack Raines on Writing, Finances, Satire, & Regrets
Jack Raines is the writer of the Young Money blog, Editor-in-Chief of Exec Sum, and a Columbia MBA student. We talk about alternative life paths, the importance of travel, how to think about finances, writing, satire, university, prioritizing fun, and...
11.22.2023
#043 - Michael Mayer on Self-Disgust, Media, Tech, Failure, & Durability
Michael Mayer is the co-founder and CEO of Bottomless and owner of a popular pseudonymous Twitter account. We talk about Twitter and media, habits and cultivating a sense of disgust, failure, technology and startups, distinguishing what’s important from the noise,...
11.15.2023
#042 - Danny McMahon (@Dodford) on Film, Inspiration, Storytelling, & Creativity
Danny McMahon (@Dodford on YouTube) is a filmmaker and documentarian, known for his portraits of pop culture icons. We talk about filmmaking and art, storytelling and inspiration, simplicity and experimentation, identifying your talent, and psychology. — (00:37) Why documentaries & the ease...
11.08.2023
#041 - Rory Sutherland on Perception, Innovation, Creativity, & Change
Rory Sutherland is an author and the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy. We talk about perception vs. technological improvements, creativity, the battle between efficiency and invention, how we’re neither rational nor irrational, changes in advertising and social norms, evolutionary biology, and...
11.01.2023
#040 - Kevin Espiritu on Audience-Content Fit, Paradoxes, & Growth
Kevin Espiritu is the Founder and CEO of Epic Gardening. We talk about content creation, developing your passion, the pareto principle, paradoxes, creating cinematic universes, the global food supply chain, and more. — (00:42) Writing is a foundational skill across content (03:05) To...
10.25.2023
#039 - Wolf Tivy on New Governance, Higher Callings, & Agency
Wolf Tivy is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Palladium Magazine. We talk about governance and building new institutions, religion and higher callings, virtuosity, agency, and more. — (00:16) How do you build a new governing bodies, polities, or political institutions? (18:46) Wolf’s religious...
10.18.2023
#038 - Chris Turner on Homeschooling, Learning, Meaningful Work, & Entrepreneurship
Chris Turner is the founder and CEO of Moonrise, a co-learning space for homeschoolers and creative kids. We talk about the public education system, homeschooling, taking kids seriously, the internet as curriculum, skills for navigating the future, finding meaningful work,...
10.04.2023
#037 - Kyle Harrison on Investing in People, Talent Vortexes, Writing, & Tradition vs Progress
Kyle Harrison is the General Partner at Contrary Capital, as well as a writer. We talk about hype cycles, talent vortexes, investing in people, battles between tradition and progress, building systems, writing, and much more. — (00:46) Acceleration of FOMO and hype...
09.27.2023
#036 - Jackson Dahl on Compulsion, Futurism, Art, Curators, & Community
Jackson Dahl is a venture capitalist and was on the founding team of esports company 100 Thieves. We talk about finding your compulsion, oscillating between interest areas, navigating accelerating technological change, the relationships between creators and audiences, building community online...
09.20.2023
#035 - Tyler Denk on Creators, Ambition, Uniqueness, & Choosing the More Difficult Path
Tyler Denk is the co-founder and CEO of newsletter platform Beehiiv, and was the second employee at Morning Brew. We talk about newsletters, creators, running a startup, standing out, taking the path less traveled, ambition, authenticity, and uniqueness. — (00:46) Why build...
09.13.2023
#034 - Xavier Helgesen on Holding Companies, The Publishing Industry, & Building Things That Last
Xavier Helgesen is the co-founder of Enduring Ventures, a long-term holding company. He also co-founded Better World Books and was the founding CEO of Zola Electric. We talk about holding companies, the publishing industry, capital allocation, focus, reinventing ourselves, building...
09.06.2023
#033 - Emmett Shear on Practice, Agency, Coordination, & Positive Sum Games
Emmett Shear is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, ex-interim CEO of OpenAI, and a visiting partner at Y Combinator. We talk about agency, meta learning, deliberate practice, coordination problems, parasocial relationships, positive sum games, and more. Please enjoy. — (00:51)...
08.30.2023
#032 - Nick on Presence, Fearless Authenticity, & Relationships
Nick (AKA Critter / @becomingcritter) is a writer and podcaster. We talk about presence, skepticism, religion, fearless authenticity, balancing seriousness and fun, relationships, and podcasting. Please enjoy. — (03:01) Seeking mystery & divinity (08:54) Skepticism, presence, and realizations about conceptions like time (23:36) Impermanent...
08.23.2023
#031 - Matt Bateman on Montessori, Pedagogy, Capability, & The Good Life
Matt Bateman is the Vice President of Pedagogy at Higher Ground Education. We talk about a pedagogy, Montessori, capability and agency in children, experimentation in education, how young education is as a science, the importance of work, and a conception...
08.16.2023
#030 - Nicole (@startingfromnix) on Writing, Introspection, Identity & Pursuing Meaning
Nicole (@startingfromnix) is a writer. We talk about writing, introspection, being heart- vs. head-heavy, what’s core to your identity, pursuing meaning over ego, living in the present, depth and endurance, and more. — (00:41) Writes helps you clarify your thoughts (02:49) The taste...
08.09.2023
#029 - Jake (@0FJAKE) on Sabbaticals, Finding Your Work, Pseudonymity, & Challenging Norms
Jake (@0FJAKE) is a podcaster, writer, and the former Chief of Staff for Balaji Srinivasan. We talk about sabbaticals and taking the time to find your work, pseudonymity and authenticity, status, challenging norms, the benefits of audio, and more. — (00:44) Taking...
08.02.2023
#028 - Dwarkesh Patel on Standing Out, Curiosity, Talent, & The Future
Dwarkesh Patel is the creator of the Lunar Society newsletter and podcast. We talk about curiosity, talent, podcasting and research, status games, finding what to work on, standing out from the crowd, and AI & futurism. — (00:42) Starting a podcast out...
07.26.2023
#027 - Tom Morgan on The Hero’s Journey, Curiosity, Complexity, & Value
Tom Morgan is a writer and director at Sapient Capital. Tom and I discuss curiosity, Joseph Campbell's Hero’s Journey and the call to adventure, Brett Anderson’s work and the movement of reality towards complexity, the question of what is value,...
07.19.2023
#026 - Eric Wollberg on Lucid Dreaming, Consciousness, & Epistemological Metaphysics
Eric Wollberg is the co-founder and CEO of Prophetic, a consumer neurotechnology company building Halo, a non-invasive device for inducing and stabilizing lucid dream states. Eric and I talk about why he’s working on this problem, consciousness, the dream state,...
07.12.2023
#025 - Ben Wilson on Greatness, Addiction to the Craft, Horatio Nelson, & Podcasting
Ben Wilson is the creator and host of How to Take Over The World, a podcast which analyzes the lives of some of the greatest people to ever live. He’s also the founder of PodRamp and the producer of the...
07.05.2023
#024 - Anne-Laure Le Cunff on Lifelong Experimentation, Redefining Ambition, & Mindful Productivity
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an ex-Googler, writer and founder at Ness Labs, and PhD candidate in Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College in London. We talk about treating life as a series of experiments, mindful productivity, redefining ambition, combining perspectives...
06.28.2023
#023 - Justin Welsh on Intentional Lifestyle Design, Content Creation, & Shiny Outcome Syndrome
Justin Welsh is a former startup exec turned solopreneur & creator helping people launch, grow, and monetize their internet businesses. We talk about long term thinking, playing your own game, content creation, status, the value of travel, and more. — (00:47) Why...
06.21.2023
#022 - Molly Mielke on Career Experimentation, Agency, Introspection vs. Action, & Investing in People
Molly Mielke is a writer and the founding partner of Moth Fund, an early-stage venture capital firm aiming to increase the agency of exceptional individuals through investments and grants. We talk about rapidly "career sunk cost fallacy", increasing agency, investing...
06.14.2023
#021 - Adam Ryan on Workweek, Knowledge Creators, & Thinking In Decades
Adam Ryan is the co-founder and CEO of Workweek, a collective of industry-expert creators aiming to create business content their audiences actually enjoy. Adam and I talk about all things Workweek and the B2B knowledge/creator space. — (00:37) Individuals over institutions (03:35) Is...
06.07.2023
#020 - Zach Pogrob on Meta-Obsession & Building The Next Disney
Zach Pogrob is a creator. He’s a writer, the man behind the animated videos on the @behaviorhack Instagram and TikTok accounts — which have amassed over 1.5M followers — and the leader of the “obsession movement” on Twitter. Zach and I...
05.31.2023
#019 - Andrew Rose on Friends, Community, Isolation, & Fearlessness
Andrew Rose, along with his wife, Priya, are building The Neighborhood in New York City, with the goal of bringing together 1000 forward-looking, abundance-minded friends within walking distance of one another. Andrew and I talk about community building and bringing friends...
05.25.2023
#018 - Rich Bartlett on Coordination, Optimism, Commitment, & Agency
Rich Bartlett helps people grow high-trust communities & decentralised organisations. He’s the co-founder of tech co-op Loomio, community building network Microsolidarity, management consultancy The Hum, and director of the social impact collective Enspiral. We talk about microsolidarity, fellowship and belonging, being optimistic and...
05.10.2023
#017 - Gurwinder Bhogal on Identifying Bugs in "Human OS" & Finding Truth
My guest today is Gurwinder Bhogal. Gurwinder writes The Prism, a blog covering the ways technology and psychology conspire to fool us, and how we can withstand the assault on our senses. We talk about writing, bugs in our psychological...
05.04.2023
#016 - Alpha Barry on Temple, Autonomous Cities, & The Death of The Nation State
Alpha Barry is the founder of Temple, which builds cities to make the world more prosperous and beautiful, as well as Monolith, which founds and funds companies building Africa’s industrial economy. We talk about his vision for Temple and Monolith,...
04.19.2023
#015 - Visakan Veerasamy on Scenes, Deviants, Introspection, & Writing
Visakan Veerasamy (AKA Visa) is a writer, both on Twitter and through his books Friendly Ambitious Nerds and Introspect — both of which I highly recommend. We talk about writing; networks, scenes, and subcultures; deviants and outliers; being introspective; and...
04.12.2023
#014 - Ava (@noampomsky) on Writing, Authenticity, Finding Your Thing, & Relationships in the Age of AI
Ava (@noampomsky) is the writer of the Bookbear Express Substack, where she discusses human interaction and relationships through the lens of her own life. We talk about writing, reading, how a massive audience can change your writing, vulnerability, finding your...
04.05.2023
#013 - Isabel on Intuition, Vulnerability & Humility
Isabel is a writer, both on Twitter (@isabelunraveled) and through her Mind Mine blog/newsletter. We talk about building your intuition muscle, being rational vs. gut-led, vulnerability, the importance of humility, and more. — (00:37) Isabel’s background (04:26) Gradual vs. discrete change (05:53) Nurturing intuition...
03.29.2023
#012 - Michael Ashcroft on Cultivating Awareness, Unlearning, & Direct Experience
Michael Ashcroft is a climate and energy consultant turned Alexander technique teacher. Michael talks and teaches about awareness through his blog and course, “Expanding Awareness”. We talk about what Alexander Technique is and isn't, how to cultivate awareness, effortless effort, the...
03.22.2023
#011 - Lenore Skenazy on The Importance of Childhood Independence
Lenore Skenazy is the author of the Free Range Kids book and blog, and president of Let Grow — all of which focus on promoting childhood independence. We talk about how society and parents fears are disconnected from statistics, the...
03.17.2023
#010 - Kyle Kowalski on Meaning Crises, Human Development & The Birth Lottery
Kyle Kowalski is an ex-marketing executive and founder of Sloww where Kyle synthesizes lifelong learning that catalyzes human development. We talk about meaning crises, psychological development, ikigai, the birth lottery, agency, and more. — (00:26) Kyle’s background (07:31) Why it took him 2.5...
03.14.2023
#009 - Colin Keeley on All Things Hold Co’s & Buying Digital SMBs
Colin Keeley is the co-founder of Verne, a holding company for SaaS businesses, and the creator of IndiePE, a course for people to learn how to buy their first small business. This episode is a great primer on hold co’s...
03.10.2023
#008 - Zohar Atkins on Bridging The Secular & Religious
Zohar Atkins is a rabbi and thinker. He’s the author of the blogs “Etz Hasadeh” and “What Is Called Thinking?”, and host of the "Meditations with Zohar" podcast. Zohar and I talk about academia, Judaism, content creation, and bridging philosophy...
03.07.2023
#007 - Travis Jamison on Hold Co's, Barbell Investing, & The Big Picture
Travis Jamison is a serial entrepreneur and investor. Among other things, Travis owns an SEO agency (Smash Digital), a holding company for cash flowing businesses (Smash.VC), and an online investing community and newsletter (Investing.io). Travis and I talk about how he...

What's Audience of One about?

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Audience of One episodes:

#056 - Dylan O’Sullivan on Lying to Yourself, Timelessness, Discipline, & Writing

#055 - Steve Schlafman on Lostness, Downshifting, & Becoming

#054 - Matt Clifford on Talent Investing & AI Uncertainty

#053 - Joscha Bach on Modeling Reality & Self-Organizing Software

#052 - Gabe (@VividVoid_) on Identity, Art, Authenticity, & Courage

#051 - Nathan Baugh on Storytelling, World Building, Fiction, & The Internet

#050 - Billy Oppenheimer on Writing, Research, Boredom, & Putting in The Work

#049 - John Coogan on AI, Ozempic for Risk Taking, Tech Media, & Curiosity

#048 - Sasha Chapin on Awakening, Meditation & Writing

#047 - Ryan Hashemi on All Things YouTube

#046 - Chris Bakke on Memes, Hiring, X, & Startups

#045 - Arjun Khemani on Education, Knowledge Creation, & The Internet

#044 - Jack Raines on Writing, Finances, Satire, & Regrets

#043 - Michael Mayer on Self-Disgust, Media, Tech, Failure, & Durability

#042 - Danny McMahon (@Dodford) on Film, Inspiration, Storytelling, & Creativity

#041 - Rory Sutherland on Perception, Innovation, Creativity, & Change

#040 - Kevin Espiritu on Audience-Content Fit, Paradoxes, & Growth

#039 - Wolf Tivy on New Governance, Higher Callings, & Agency

#038 - Chris Turner on Homeschooling, Learning, Meaningful Work, & Entrepreneurship

#037 - Kyle Harrison on Investing in People, Talent Vortexes, Writing, & Tradition vs Progress

#036 - Jackson Dahl on Compulsion, Futurism, Art, Curators, & Community

#035 - Tyler Denk on Creators, Ambition, Uniqueness, & Choosing the More Difficult Path

#034 - Xavier Helgesen on Holding Companies, The Publishing Industry, & Building Things That Last

#033 - Emmett Shear on Practice, Agency, Coordination, & Positive Sum Games

#032 - Nick on Presence, Fearless Authenticity, & Relationships

#031 - Matt Bateman on Montessori, Pedagogy, Capability, & The Good Life

#030 - Nicole (@startingfromnix) on Writing, Introspection, Identity & Pursuing Meaning

#029 - Jake (@0FJAKE) on Sabbaticals, Finding Your Work, Pseudonymity, & Challenging Norms

#028 - Dwarkesh Patel on Standing Out, Curiosity, Talent, & The Future

#027 - Tom Morgan on The Hero’s Journey, Curiosity, Complexity, & Value

#026 - Eric Wollberg on Lucid Dreaming, Consciousness, & Epistemological Metaphysics

#025 - Ben Wilson on Greatness, Addiction to the Craft, Horatio Nelson, & Podcasting

#024 - Anne-Laure Le Cunff on Lifelong Experimentation, Redefining Ambition, & Mindful Productivity

#023 - Justin Welsh on Intentional Lifestyle Design, Content Creation, & Shiny Outcome Syndrome

#022 - Molly Mielke on Career Experimentation, Agency, Introspection vs. Action, & Investing in People

#021 - Adam Ryan on Workweek, Knowledge Creators, & Thinking In Decades

#020 - Zach Pogrob on Meta-Obsession & Building The Next Disney

#019 - Andrew Rose on Friends, Community, Isolation, & Fearlessness

#018 - Rich Bartlett on Coordination, Optimism, Commitment, & Agency

#017 - Gurwinder Bhogal on Identifying Bugs in "Human OS" & Finding Truth

#016 - Alpha Barry on Temple, Autonomous Cities, & The Death of The Nation State

#015 - Visakan Veerasamy on Scenes, Deviants, Introspection, & Writing

#014 - Ava (@noampomsky) on Writing, Authenticity, Finding Your Thing, & Relationships in the Age of AI

#013 - Isabel on Intuition, Vulnerability & Humility

#012 - Michael Ashcroft on Cultivating Awareness, Unlearning, & Direct Experience

#011 - Lenore Skenazy on The Importance of Childhood Independence

#010 - Kyle Kowalski on Meaning Crises, Human Development & The Birth Lottery

#009 - Colin Keeley on All Things Hold Co’s & Buying Digital SMBs

#008 - Zohar Atkins on Bridging The Secular & Religious

#007 - Travis Jamison on Hold Co's, Barbell Investing, & The Big Picture