Awaken Out Of Context

Maurice Schweitzer is a Wharton professor whose research explores trust, deception, negotiation, decision-making and the way we manage how other people see us. In this conversation, we start with a deceptively simple question: what makes you, you? From there we get into how culture and travel shape identity, whether AI can deceive us, why humans lie, and the strange line between dishonesty and kindness.

We also explore the downside of goal setting, why ambitious targets can sometimes encourage unethical behaviour, and how easy it is to lose sight of the bigger goal while chasing the one directly in front of us. Maurice also talks about impression management, authenticity, prosocial lies, the cost of bad feedback, and his latest work on how the metaphors we use can shape the way we understand the world.

If this one's got you thinking about goals, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

Chapters:

00:00 What makes you, you?
02:51 How travel and culture change who we are
06:37 AI, context and what makes us human
11:30 Can AI be deceptive?
15:44 Why do humans lie?
20:22 British small talk and socially acceptable deception
22:50 Prosocial lies: when kindness and honesty collide
25:33 The hidden cost of polite dishonesty
30:58 Surprise parties, proposals and “good” deception
35:25 Can goals make us unethical?
41:26 Goal hierarchy, values and knowing when to stop
43:46 Work, travel and competing priorities
46:07 Impression management and authenticity
49:33 How metaphors shape the way we think

🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com
Maurice Schweitzer:
Wharton: https://oid.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/schweitz/
X: https://twitter.com/me_schweitzer
Friend & Foe: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205841/friend-and-foe-by-adam-galinsky-and-maurice-schweitzer/

If you’re going through a period of high stress and you can’t just take time off, this episode is about how to create genuine pockets of peace anyway. I’ve been experimenting with some ridiculously simple ways of switching off properly after work, and somehow I’ve ended up having some of the most peaceful moments I’ve experienced in years.

A lot of it comes down to removing stimulation; shutting the laptop, turning the phone off and basically doing nothing for a bit. That’s also led to some pretty strange moments of presence, including feeling weirdly connected to a dog and walking through the sea thinking the waves felt almost alive. It’s not about learning to tolerate an unsustainable life; it’s about finding peace while you’re working your way through a difficult chapter.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 Can stress and peace exist at the same time?
01:30 Making the most of limited downtime
02:54 “But you live in paradise”
03:31 Knowing when to stop working
04:45 The simplest way I’ve found to switch off
08:47 Getting your phone out of the equation
11:25 Replacing your phone with a journal
12:38 When ordinary life starts feeling vivid
13:48 “I felt like a dog”
15:55 When the ocean felt alive
17:56 Extreme work needs extreme rest
18:48 Don’t use this to tolerate an unsustainable life
19:26 Eustress, “dick stress” and losing the plot
20:00 Stress doesn’t have to disappear to feel peace

🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

Ed Latimore is a professional heavyweight boxer, Army National Guard veteran, physics graduate and writer. In this conversation, we explore AI, learning, identity, fatherhood and why “efficiency is a false god.”

We also discuss chess, dyslexia, creativity, sobriety, digital life, personal constraints and how difficult experiences can become unexpected advantages.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 Trailer
00:52 Fatherhood & Becoming the Dad He Never Had
06:00 Authenticity in the Age of AI
13:06 Why Ed Loves Chess
20:06 How Boxing Taught Ed How to Learn
34:00 AI, LLMs & the Hard Work of Thinking
45:01 “Efficiency Is a False God”
55:18 Reading, Dyslexia & Intelligence
1:04:04 Why Constraints Become Advantages
1:18:22 Old Identities & What We Choose to Resurrect
1:29:03 Likability & Emotional Control
1:34:37 What’s Next for Ed Latimore

🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

https://x.com/EdLatimore
https://edlatimore.com/about
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edlatimore/
https://www.youtube.com/@EdLatimore1

This was my first HYROX of 2026 and the first since the back injury I picked up in Bali a couple of months ago. As a result, I was nowhere near the level of training I was used to before a race. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I didn't expect to be surrounded by the medical team.

Join me as I journey from Phuket to Bangkok for this Thailand vlog. I also ventured around Bangkok for 4 days and show you some of the sights along the way. This is not your typical Bangkok travel vlog, so don't expect all the tourist spots. It mainly involves me wandering around hot and flustered, getting lost, and an emotional visit to Khao San Road, 9 years after my first-ever backpacking trip, where it all began.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ky3sQEMwUM&list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5B

Chapters:

0:00 Are you okay?
0:15 Phuket Airport (and the gangster taxi driver)
1:04 I've left it in the taxi
2:29 Faster is safer
3:15 First morning in Bangkok
4:06 Pre-race prep is not going well
4:41 Khao San Road, 9 years on
5:43 I don't deserve to be here
6:57 Race morning
7:55 No gels. Haribo it is
9:04 HYROX Bangkok (the race)
9:16 The medic
10:11 The day after
11:17 Honest reflection on the result
12:05 Grab bike to Sukhumvit
15:45 The crash
17:35 Massage
18:29 Khao San at night
19:01 Meet Kevin
21:01 Aging documentary filmmaker

🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

This week I handed over the keys of my email to ChatGPT and it got me thinking about the challenges and opportunities of AI. I thought it might be useful for you to hear the perspective of an employer, podcaster, creator, and my observations on how it's changing the world of travel and outcomes for non-native English speakers.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 intro: i feel like AI continually solves one problem but then creates another
00:09 why I'm changing my mind on receiving AI-generated podcast invitations
03:41 my predictions on the future of email as AI monitored emails become the new norm
04:52 my experiences this week during a staff recruitment drive, and the effects that AI is having for both myself and applicants
08:35 non-native English speakers are learning from cheaply generated AI-slop TikTok content. Is this a good or bad?
10:35 if everything can be instantly translated, is there now zero incentive for non-natives to learn English?
13:07 the beginnings of a huge drop in the price of AI and the effect this will have on society
13:37 OpenAI vs Anthropic: why competition for these two behemoths is great for consumers and business owners
14:45 what do I mean when I say “insight over knowledge”?
15:22 closing thoughts

🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com