Work for Humans wants to understand what people want from work – but every perspective is different. One person’s dream job is another person’s nightmare, making it challenging to define fulfilling work. Derek Sivers captures this struggle in his book, How to Live, which presents 27 drastically different yet equally valid life views. Through his work, Derek guides others in shaping their own meaningful and unique lives.

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker known for founding CD Baby, the largest seller of independent music of its time. After selling CD Baby for $22 million in 2008 and donating all the money to charity, Derek began writing and sharing his insights on business, creativity, and living a fulfilling life.

In this episode, Dart and Derek discuss:
- How our beliefs direct our actions
- The 27 ways to live from Derek’s book
- Crafting a company’s personality
- Using beliefs as a listening tool at work
- Derek’s biggest surprise in writing How to Live
- Nature vs. nurture
- Data models as philosophical experiences
- And other topics…

Derek Sivers is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker known for founding CD Baby, once the largest seller of independent music. Derek sold CD Baby for $22M in 2008 and donated all the money to charity, transitioning to writing and sharing insights on business, creativity, and personal development. His books, such as How to Live, offer practical advice and philosophical reflections on living a meaningful life. His latest book, Useful Not True, will be released in 2024.

Resources mentioned:
How to Live, by Derek Sivers: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Conflicting-Answers-Question/dp/B09JBMN6Q7
Useful Not True, by Derek Sivers: https://sive.rs/u
“50 Conversations in Bangalore and Chennai,” by Derek Sivers: https://sive.rs/meet-chbg

Connect with Derek:
https://sive.rs/

Paul Zak has been on a quest for two decades to understand the neuroscience of human connection, human happiness, and effective teamwork. From the Pentagon to Fortune 500 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, Paul’s research has now led him to found Immersion Neuroscience, the first company to track and measure real-time immersion in experiences. His latest book, Immersion, uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences.

Paul J. Zak is an acclaimed professor, speaker, and neuroscientist who is ranked in the top 0.3% of most-cited scientists worldwide. During his career, he started the interdisciplinary fields of neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. Paul has written three general audience books, is a 5-time TED speaker with over two million views, and has spoken to audiences across 30 countries, including recent talks at NATO Supreme Headquarters, Google, Facebook, and Harvard University.

In this episode, Dart and Paul discuss:
- What it means to be immersed in your work experience
- Work as a social-emotional hub
- How oxytocin creates trust, empathy, and care at work
- 2 things you need to create an extraordinary experience
- The research behind effective advertising
- Neuromanagement
- The connection between autonomy, mastery, and job satisfaction
- Scientific reasons why dogs are better than cats
- And other topics…

Paul J. Zak is an acclaimed professor, speaker, and neuroscientist who is ranked in the top 0.3% of most-cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. His two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 500 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. During his career, he has also started several interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books, is a 5-time TED speaker with over two million views, and has spoken to audiences across 30 countries.

Paul is the founder of Immersion Neuroscience, the first company to track and measure immersion in experiences in real time. His latest book, Immersion, identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences.

Paul holds his doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and completed post-doctoral training in neuroimaging at Harvard University. He has taught at Caltech, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, and USC Law and is a current professor at Claremont Graduate University.

Resources mentioned:
Immersion, by Paul J. Zak: https://www.amazon.com/Immersion-Science-Extraordinary-Source-Happiness/dp/1544531958

Connect with Paul:
https://www.getimmersion.com/
https://pauljzak.com/

Matt Higgins was a struggling teen, working at McDonald’s for $3.75/hr to put food on the table for his ailing mother. When he saw the pay increase offered to college students, he decided to do something unorthodox; he dropped out of high school, got his GED, and enrolled in college. Adults tried to talk him out of it, but Matt knew this was the right choice for him.

This was Matt's first "burn the boats" moment, but it wasn't his last. In fact, Matt believes this burn-the-boats mindset has defined his career, and has led him to places like Shark Tank, Harvard Business School, and beyond. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans to discuss the Burn the Boats philosophy.

Matt is the co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, a private equity firm that incubates and invests in enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a current executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and the author of Burn the Boats.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- How backup plans subvert our potential
- Emotional intelligence and intuition in decision-making
- Using anxiety to drive us
- Assessing opportunity costs
- Extracting value from negative situations
- Acting early and taking risks for greater results
- Elon Musk and Twitter
- And other topics…

Matt Higgins is an operator, investor, business builder, and co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures. Matt Began his career as the youngest press secretary in New York City, later becoming an executive for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. As CEO of RSE Ventures, Matt and co-founder Stephen Ross have helped establish enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League.

Matt received his bachelor’s degree from Queens College and his JD from Fordham University. He was a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank and is an executive fellow at Harvard Business School. In 2019, Matt received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for making it his mission to share his wealth of knowledge with those less fortunate. Matt recently published his first book, Burn the Boats, to continue to inspire others to toss Plan B overboard and go all in on Plan A.

Resources Mentioned:
Burn the Boats, by Matt Higgins: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X

Connect with Matt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-higgins-rse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhiggins/?hl=en
www.BurntheBoatsBook.co