A Bit of Optimism – Details, episodes & analysis

We talk a lot about building successful things. But what does it actually take to build something people love? Jesse Cole has built an entirely new genre of entertainment: The Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League. They’re a viral sensation, selling out stadiums across the country, and have over 4.2 million fans on their  ticket waitlist. On the surface, Banana Ball looks like a wild and entertaining version of baseball. But underneath it all is something much more disciplined: an obsession with the fan experience.  Jesse calls his approach Fans First and it’s more than a slogan and the title of his book… It’s a standard. Every minute of the two-hour games are crammed with attention grabbing spectacle. It’s a full-blown live experience designed for every seat in the stadium: players dance, fans are part of the show, trick plays defy the laws of physics, there are multiple sing-alongs… all during an actual baseball game.  In this conversation, we talk about building something new for others, from embracing years of failure (including selling just two tickets in the first three months), to creating experiences that make people feel included, joyful, and valued. We also discuss how he took inspiration from Disney and PT Barnum, the importance of affordable in-person experiences, and how his team reviews every single detail after every show to get better the next day. Because what Jesse’s building goes beyond just entertainment. It’s a place where people can feel seen for generations to come. And in a world that often moves too fast to build things with care… Those human details might be what matter most. This… is A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- To learn more about the Banana Ball League or sign up for the ticket waitlist, check out: https://bananaball.com/  Or if you want all things Savannah Bananas, head to: https://thesavannahbananas.com/  ---------------------------

We live in a world that pushes us to simplify everything: right or wrong, good or bad, this or that. It makes things and our place in the world easier to understand. But the truth is rarely simple… in fact, it’s often messy and deeply human. For 50 years, Ken Burns has mastered his craft, becoming one of the most prolific and respected documentary filmmakers. His documentaries notably resist easy answers. From The Civil War to The Vietnam War to Baseball, Ken has shaped how we understand American identity, political memory, and our shared history. His latest project, The American Revolution, is a six-part PBS series that tells the story of America’s founding. He revisits the revolution through multiple human perspectives, which reveals new complexity to a familiar story. Ken’s guiding principle is simple: “it’s complicated.” And that philosophy shows up in everything he does. Because the most honest stories hold opposing truths at the same time. In this conversation, Ken and I explore why storytelling matters more than arguments, how simplifying the world can help us understand it—but also distort it—and why empathy lives in the space between what’s included in a story and what’s left out. We also dive into why human behavior hasn’t changed much over time, what mistakes humans keep repeating, how embracing complexity might help us better understand each other, and what history can teach us about who we are and who we’re still becoming. If you’ve ever struggled to make sense of a complicated world, or felt frustrated by how quickly we reduce people to labels, this episode is a powerful reminder: understanding lives in our ability to see the whole story. This… is A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- If you want to watch “American Revolution” the six-part, 12-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt on PBS, head to: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution ---------------------------

We’re often told that the secret to success is grit - more discipline, more perseverance, more individual effort. And grit does matter. But what if it’s only half the story? In today’s world, we’ve become experts at tracking achievement, yet novices at nurturing belonging - and the cost of that imbalance is showing up everywhere from burnout to loneliness. Few people are better equipped to help me make sense of that tension than today’s guest, Angela Duckworth. Angela is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, a MacArthur “Genius” Award winner, and the bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Angela is one of those people I could talk to for hours and we cover a lot of ground, but our conversation isn’t just about grit or performance. It’s about something deeper: why belonging gives achievement meaning and why human beings are actually wired to thrive together. In this episode, Angela and I explore how a culture obsessed with individual success quietly erodes teamwork, trust, and wellbeing. We talk about the loneliness epidemic among young people, why grit is so often misunderstood, and why character isn’t just about what you do for yourself, but what you do for others. Along the way, we unpack why the smartest people don’t always make the best teammates, how incentives shape behavior in ways we rarely notice, and why purpose and people—not willpower—are what sustain us over time. If you’ve ever felt burned out, disconnected, or wondered why success doesn’t feel as satisfying as you thought it would, this conversation is a reminder that meaning doesn’t come from standing alone at the top—it comes from being part of something bigger than yourself. This is… A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- To buy Angela’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, head to: https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-book  ---------------------------

If great leaders are those willing to suffer for their beliefs, Leopoldo Lopez is certainly a great leader. After he led the massive 2014 Venezuelan protests that swept the nation, the regime of Nicolás Maduro sentenced Leopoldo to over a decade of political imprisonment. He suffered four years of solitary confinement and psychological torture before he escaped.  Leopoldo tells me about his time in prison and how he cultivated the mental strength to endure. The story of how he smuggled himself into exile is a truly remarkable one. Most of us will never experience military prison, but what Leopoldo discovered about surviving enormous stress is something each of us can learn from.  This…is A Bit of Optimism. To find out more about Leopoldo and his work, check out: worldlibertycongress.org

Life as a nightclub promoter in New York City was an unending cycle of drinking, drugs, models, and fast cars. After ten years, Scott Harrison's vices caught up with him, and a health scare forced him to reflect on his life. Scott felt decadent, wasteful, and morally bankrupt. He decided to completely reverse course. Scott spent the next 2 years in West Africa on board a nonprofit hospital ship, where he saw a level of human suffering that led him to his true calling. Today, solving the global water crisis is Scott's life's work, and he's built one of the most trusted nonprofits in the world to do just that. His organization charity: water has raised over $750 million, helping more than 17.4 million people access clean drinking water. Scott shares with me the painful road that led to his transformation and why living a life of service can be a path toward redemption. This...is A Bit of Optimism If you would like to help solve the global water crisis, visit: charitywater.org For more on Scott, check out: his book Thirst

Great communicators aren't born that way. They're self-made. Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose new book, Supercommunicators, explores how some people have unlocked the secret language of connection. Charles and I discuss what makes these "supercommunicators" unique, why we need stories to convey ideas, and how being honest once saved a CIA recruiter his job. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Charles's work, check out: his book Supercommunicators charlesduhigg.com

In a divided society, idealists believe we can overcome our differences. Alexandra Hudson is one of those idealists. Disillusioned by the backstabbing she witnessed in federal government, she began to research how we can repair the divisions keeping us apart.  We discuss what being civil means in a dog-eat-dog culture and why building a more connected community can start on the front porch. This...is A Bit of Optimism. To learn more about Alexandra and her work, check out: her book: The Soul of Civility alexandraohudson.com

When life gets tough, true friends ask for help. Christina Tosi is that kind of friend. She's someone I can trust with anything and someone I can cry with. She also happens to be a world-class pastry chef, a genius dessert maker, and the founder and CEO of Milk Bar.  We reflect on the art of asking for help and how sometimes all we need from a true friend is 8 minutes of their time. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Christina and her work, check out:  https://www.christinatosi.com/ https://milkbarstore.com/ For more on the power of an 8-minute phone call, check out this New York Times article. And, by the way, I wanted to share Christina's recipe for making an Ice Cream Loaf. It's magic.  You will need: 2 cups (1 pint) of softened ice cream 1 cup of self-rising flour 1 egg Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the melty ice cream, self-rising flour, and egg. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick clean. Enjoy.

Awkwardness gets a bad rap, but the trait is often an indicator that someone is extraordinary.   Psychologist and author Ty Tashiro has spent a great deal of time studying (and living!) social awkwardness. He's fascinated by how the same traits that cause us social embarrassment can also drive exceptional accomplishment.  As a fellow awkward person myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Ty about the advantages of being awkward, what the socially fluent can learn from awkward people, and the best way to navigate conversations in loud clubs. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Ty and his work check out:  His book: AWKWARD: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome. tytashiro.com

What makes humanity unique? Dr. Michael Muthukrishna is fascinated by why our species behaves the way it does. In his book, A Theory of Everyone, Michael seeks to answer some of the deepest questions humans have about ourselves and how our cultures came to be. Why do humans create culture? What do all our societies have in common? And how can this knowledge help us build a better future? This...is A Bit of Optimism. In our conversation, Michael references a paper published in Science titled "The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation." You can read it here. To learn more about Michael's work, check out: michael.muthukrishna.com