Neuroscientist explains why school crushes creativity—and how to fix it—teaching “primal intelligence” and special-operations tactics you can use at work, at home, and in the classroom to think and innovate better.

Guest Bio: Dr. Angus Fletcher is a neuroscientist and professor of Story Science at The Ohio State University. He studies how intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense work in the brain and advises U.S. Special Operations, Fortune 50 firms, and schools on creativity and resilience. His new book is Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know.

Topics Discussed:

• Creativity decline starting ~3rd grade; standardized testing & sit-still schooling
• Data vs. volatile reality; limits of AI/logic vs. human neural tools
• Special Operations creativity pipeline; training vs. selection
• “Why”-free inquiry (who/what/when/where/how) to deepen relationships & learning
• Unlearning dependency on external answers; experiential learning
• Personal story as plan/plot; fear, anxiety, and outsourcing your story
• Jobs, Shakespeare, and intensifying uniqueness; innovation beyond “grind” and “hack”
• “Eat your enemy”: learning asymmetrically from competitors
• Medication, signals, and growth; tuning anxiety as a sensor
• Myths like left-brain/right-brain; labels vs. open-ended growth

Main Points:

• Schooling often conditions “there’s a right answer and the teacher has it,” which suppresses creativity and initiative.
• Data predicts yesterday; real life is volatile. Human neurons support non-computational tools—intuition, imagination, common sense—vital for innovation.
• Creativity can be trained: Special Ops methods and experiential learning reliably build it.
• Skip “why” in discovery conversations to avoid premature judgments; stay curious with who/what/when/where/how.
• Reclaim your personal story; fear pushes people to borrow others’ plans, which erodes meaning.
• Innovation strategy: identify exceptions and intensify them (Jobs), and “eat your enemy” by absorbing rivals’ unique strengths.
• Emotions are signals; meds can be triage, but durable growth comes from engaging hard experiences.
• Left/right-brain personality labels are misleading; biological growth thrives on branching diversity.

Top Quotes:

• “School trains kids to solve math problems, not life problems.”
• “Skip the ‘why’—the moment you jump to why, you stop learning.”
• “Your story is your plan. Fear makes you outsource it.”
• “Anxiety is a calibrated sensor, not a flaw.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Homeowner-advocate Shelly Marshall explains why many HOAs function like private governments—often stripping owners’ rights—and how to protect yourself (or avoid them entirely).

Shelly Marshall is a homeowner advocate and author of HOA Warrior. After battling abusive HOA boards in her own community, she’s spent 15+ years researching HOA law, advising homeowners, and pushing for reforms nationwide. She can be reached at info@hoawarrior.com and hoawarrior.com. She can be reached at info@hoawarrior.com and hoawarrior.com.

• How Shelly became an HOA advocate after a hostile board takeover
• Boards changing rules without homeowner votes; covenant enforcement gaps
• Liens, fines, special assessments, and foreclosure risk
• Why management companies and industry trade groups (e.g., CAI) shape incentives
• Legal exposure: joint liability, collateralization, and lack of transparency
• Horror stories: lawns, hoses, swing sets, condemned structures, and jail time
• Buying vs. renting; LLCs for limited protection; why “one election away from disaster”
• What due diligence (doesn’t) solve; legislative reform efforts and limits
• Practical survival tips if you’re already in an HOA

• Buying into an HOA is entering a business partnership with neighbors; your property can be leveraged, and you share liabilities.
• Boards often wield broad power, sometimes changing or selectively enforcing rules with limited transparency.
• Fines, fees, and special assessments can exceed mortgages and trigger foreclosures—even for minor “violations.”
• Industry actors (management companies, banks, attorneys) have financial incentives that can work against homeowners.
• Litigation is costly and asymmetric; few attorneys take homeowner cases.
• If you must buy, an LLC (cash purchase) offers better protection; otherwise, renting avoids systemic risks.
• If you’re already in an HOA: pay first, appeal later; avoid being labeled a “troublemaker”; document everything.
• Legislative fixes help only marginally; structural incentives remain misaligned.

• “You don’t buy a home in an HOA—you buy into a business with all your neighbors.”
• “They can change the rules after you’ve moved in, often without your vote.”
• “One election away from disaster—every single time.”
• “Your house can become collateral for loans you didn’t know existed.”
• “Pay the fine first, fight later—escalation is how homeowners lose homes.”
• “My advice? Don’t buy into an HOA. If you must live there, rent.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

Thanks for listening!

A spirited debate between Chadwick Turner and Emmanuel Maggiori on whether AI is a transformative technology or overhyped disruption, exploring its impact on jobs, society, and the economy.

• Dr. Emmanuel Maggiori – London-based software engineer, writer, and speaker. Author of Smart Until It’s Dumb, Siliconned, and The AI Pocketbook. Has spent a decade building machine learning systems for large-scale applications.
• Chadwick Turner – Seattle-based creative technologist and strategist, founder of Burnpiles, a consultancy helping organizations innovate with AI, immersive media, and digital strategy. Formerly led business development at Amazon and Meta.

• Hype vs. reality of AI as transformative vs. disruptive technology
• Historical parallels with VR, no-code, and industrial revolutions
• AI’s limitations: hallucinations, lack of extrapolation, long-tail problem
• Job disruption: automation, creative agencies, translators, paralegals, truckers
• Economic theory of production, labor, and technology’s role in growth
• Education: cognitive decline, plagiarism, and assessment challenges
• AI plateaus: “peak AI” without methodological breakthroughs
• Business realities: building sustainable products vs. hype-driven failures

• Chadwick’s Position – AI is likely the most disruptive technology in history, with potential 10/10 impact if breakthroughs arrive. Even at today’s plateau, it will reshape industries, automate repetitive work, and disrupt the economy.
• Emmanuel’s Position – AI is overhyped and limited by methodological flaws (hallucinations, lack of reasoning). Impact is real but moderate (4/10), closer to previous overhyped tech cycles. Most jobs won’t be fully automated away.
• Overlap – Both agree that:
  • Repetitive, low-stakes jobs are most at risk.
  • Businesses often misunderstand AI’s limits.
  • Future resilience requires critical thinking, adaptability, and business strategy, not just technical skills.

• Chadwick: “This is the first time we’re actually going into the keep of society—the human mind, repetitive processes, thinking capabilities. We’ve never had a technology like that at this scale.”
• Emmanuel: “AI learns by repetition—it’s good at interpolating, not extrapolating. Without a new methodology, hallucinations and long-tail failures won’t be solved.”
• Chadwick: “Content isn’t king. Great content is king. Same with software—plenty of tools exist, but only compelling, well-executed ideas will win.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

Thanks for listening!