What really separates elite performers from everyone else? In this episode of Preconceived, Zale sits down with former Navy SEAL officer Rich Diviney to challenge the myth of the "superhuman" SEAL and explore what truly drives performance under pressure. Rich explains the difference between skills and attributes, why SEAL training is designed to push candidates to their limits, and how qualities like resilience, adaptability, situational awareness, and compartmentalization determine success in uncertain environments. He also discusses the emotional impact of falling short of a goal and what failure can teach us about growth and identity.

Should we judge ourselves by how we perform in our toughest moments, or is that too simplistic? This conversation explores performance, self-awareness, and why the way we respond to adversity can shape who we become.

Learn more about Rich Diviney and explore his books - https://theattributes.com/

Want to learn about your own attributes? Take this Assessment - https://learn.theattributes.com/mastering-uncertainty

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us think we know cocaine — a glamorous party drug with a dark side, a scourge of the 80s, a straightforward villain in the story of addiction. But what happens behind the scenes - in the months of work and miles of travel that take the coca leaf of Central and South America to the consumers all around the world?

Emilia Ziosi is a researcher and science communicator whose work has focused largely on the cocaine trade.

In this episode, Zale and Emilia dig into the assumptions we carry about cocaine and where they actually come from, including:

- How cocaine was used medically for decades — and why that history got buried

- What's actually happening in the brain during cocaine use, and why the "addiction = weak willpower" framing misses the point

- The racial politics behind cocaine prohibition and how moral panic shaped drug policy

- Why cocaine's cultural image has shifted so dramatically across time and class

- What harm reduction gets right that abstinence-only approaches keep getting wrong

- Whether we're asking the right questions when it comes to drug policy reform

Preconceived is a weekly Society & Culture podcast where each episode challenges a widely-held assumption. Hosted by Zale Mednick. New episodes every week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually mean to thrive—not emotionally, but biologically? In this episode, neuroscientist Paul Zak breaks down the brain science behind emotional fitness, social connection, and the kinds of experiences that make life feel deeply engaging rather than merely comfortable. We explore whether thriving is a measurable state of the nervous system, why modern life may be quietly working against it, and how factors like immersion, awe, and human connection shape the way our brains function over time.

Learn more about Dr. Paul Zak at https://pauljzak.com/

Learn about his app at https://your6.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.