In this episode of The Brilliant Podcast, host Tristan Ahumada talks with Toby Stuart, professor at UC Berkeley and author, about status dynamics and why anointment quietly shapes nearly every decision we make.

They examine how social status, endorsements, social proof, and algorithms influence markets, media, startups, venture capital, and even scientific recognition. Using examples that span wine critics, art dealers, Silicon Valley investors, AI platforms, and product reviews, this conversation explains why value often shifts overnight without the product changing at all.

Topics include cultural markets, inequality, media trust, affiliate marketing, Amazon reviews, status games in startups, AI-driven recommendation systems, and why merit alone rarely succeeds without recognition.

This episode is less about motivation and more about understanding the invisible forces already steering your choices.

Listen carefully. You’re part of this system too.

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Toby E. Stuart is the Leo Helzel Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. He is Faculty Director of the Berkeley-Haas Entrepreneurship Program; Faculty Director of the Institute for Business Innovation; and Distinguished Teaching Fellow. Previously, Stuart was Charles Edward Wilson Professor at Harvard Business School; Art Samberg Professor and Faculty Director of the Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia University’s Business School; and Fred Steingraber-A.T. Kearney Professor of Leadership & Strategy at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He has also served on the faculty of the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship group at MIT Sloan School of Management. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. He holds an A.B., summa cum laude, in economics from Carleton College. At HBS and CBS, Stuart led the required courses in Entrepreneurship and in Corporate Strategy, respectively.

Connect with Toby: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-stuart-90a37432/

Website: https://tobystuart.com/

Get his book: https://www.amazon.com/Anointed-Extraordinary-Effects-Social-Winner-Take-Most-ebook/dp/B0DV6QWCVQ

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anointed-toby-stuart/1146889900?ean=9781668001875

#StatusDynamics #SocialStatus #Anointment #SocialProof #BrilliantPodcast #TristanAhumada #TobyStuart

If you think your high commission checks equal wealth, you’re adorable, and probably wrong. Most real estate agents are masters at making money and absolute disasters at keeping it. In this episode of the Brilliant Podcast, Tristan Ahumada sits down with Steph Wagner, author of Fly, to explain why your "leaning out" strategy is a financial train wreck waiting to happen.

We are moving past the "pink tax" and the cringey budget spreadsheets that never work anyway. Steph shares her brutal "rock bottom" moment and explains why financial independence isn't a dollar amount, but a refusal to be a victim of your own bank account. We dive into the 45/20/35 model, the dangers of phantom money, and why your emergency fund is more important than your next car lease. Stop treating your income like a refillable cup and start building a net worth that actually lets you sleep at night.

Stop being forgettable and broke. Hit subscribe and tell us your "aha" moment in the comments.

ABOUT STEPH WAGNER

Steph Wagner is a nationally recognized thought leader in women’s wealth and financial empowerment whose work blends personal experience with professional expertise. After a successful career in private equity, she faced financial hardship as a single mother, a journey that inspired her mission to help women take control of their financial futures.

Today, Steph serves as National Director of Women & Wealth at Northern Trust, where she leads the firm’s advisory practice for women and oversees the Elevating Women platform, a nationwide program dedicated to building financial confidence and community.

She is the author of Fly! A Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom and Building a Life You Love, a book that combines memoir and practical financial guidance to empower women at every stage of life.

Steph’s insights on money, resilience, and wealth have been featured in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, and more. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her family and continues to champion financial literacy and independence.

Website: https://stephlwagner.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steph_l_wagner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephlwagner/

Grab her book: Author of Fly! A Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom and Building the Life You Want

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Womans-Financial-Freedom-Building/dp/1637747659

#realestate #wealth #financialfreedom #realtorlife #investing #brilliantpodcast #moneygoals #financialliteracy #stephwagner #fly

Welcome back to the Brilliant Podcast, where we don’t just talk about the future—we accidentally bump into it while gaming.

In this episode, Tristan Ahumada sits down with Bastian Bergman, Co-Founder & COO of Solsten and author of Press Play, to explain why gaming is no longer “interesting” or “experimental”, it’s unavoidable. If that makes you uncomfortable, good. Growth usually does.

We talk about gaming marketing strategy, brand engagement through gaming, and why participation, not passive scrolling, is the real competitive advantage. Fortnite, Roblox, Duolingo, Peloton, Adidas, and the New York Times, this conversation explains how play, psychology, and game mechanics are quietly changing how brands earn attention, loyalty, and trust.

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Bastian Bergmann is the Co-Founder and COO of Solsten, a company that uses AI and psychology to help businesses truly understand what makes their customers tick. Instead of just looking at basic numbers, Bastian’s work helps brands figure out the "why" behind human behavior. He is also the author of the book Press Play, where he shares how to build better companies by focusing on the human side of technology. With a background in starting and growing new ventures, Bastian has become a go-to expert for leaders who want to build products that people actually care about. He focuses on making the business world feel more human, even as it becomes more automated.

Grab his book: https://www.amazon.com/Press-Play-Com...

Instagram: / technicallyentertaining

LinkedIn: / bastian-bergmann-93a9a325a

#GamingMarketing #BrandStrategy #Gamification #FutureOfMarketing #CommunityBuilding