We open a new arc with The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, shifting from a year of habits and happiness into a practice of inner freedom rooted in Toltec wisdom. The smoky mirror story sets our theme: clear the fog, see the light, and rebuild beliefs that actually serve.

• framing freedom as the progression after happiness and habits
• why Toltec roots and the smoky mirror metaphor matter
• decisions that pinch and how projection clouds advice
• images of light versus labels and roles
• polarization as fog and the role of attention
• how emotions shape thoughts, thoughts shape beliefs
• next steps into domestication and belief work
• plan to explore each agreement in depth

If you are interested in getting the book, Zach will have some links in our show notes for you
We hope that you will share these episodes with those that you think will get value from it as well

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We pause between books to invite you to read with us and announce The Four Agreements as our next deep dive into practical personal freedom for work and life. We share why slow, deliberate reading changes behavior, and offer a complimentary Agile Brain assessment to support the journey.

• reason for a pause and invitation to catch up
• announcement of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• link promise to buy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble
• personal freedom as a leadership cornerstone
• why ancient Toltec wisdom applies to modern work
• four agreements as a simple, durable framework
• reading slowly vs consuming summaries
• savoring lessons and implementing week by week
• year theme moving between modern and ancient ideas
• impact on community, family, and teams
• shoutouts to producers and contributors
• invite to binge past seasons and join the journey

To receive your complimentary Agile Brain assessment, send either of us a message saying you want the free Agile Brain assessment

Support the show

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

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We map a four-sided pyramid of human needs—self, social, material, spiritual—and explore how foundations enable higher aims like purpose and transcendence. Research, culture, and real stories show why ethics, community, and conscious reflection turn values into action and bias into empathy.

• defining the four opposing life domains
• why foundations like safety and justice come first
• evidence from goal research and world cultures
• how self leads to social, then to spiritual
• in‑group bias, polarization and the contact effect
• ethics as the hinge between ideals and action
• integrating needs into a coherent life purpose
• practical steps to reflect, rebuild and align

Please get a copy of The Emotionally Agile Brain by Dr. JD Pincus. From now till the end of this calendar year, we’re gifting complimentary Agile Brain assessments, with optional deep dives with certified coaches.

Support the show

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

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We trace how justice, ethics, and transcendence shape a meaningful life and why chasing happiness fails while purpose endures. JD Pincus shares research, history, and a practical tool to surface unmet needs and align action with values.

• defining the spiritual domain and why it matters
• rules to ethics to transcendence as a growth ladder
• evidence for principle-driven sacrifice across species and cultures
• history’s awakenings fueling social change and justice
• trauma’s link to purpose and giving
• the hedonic treadmill versus durable well-being
• moral gray areas, disgust, and context effects
• risks of ends-justify-means thinking
• AI, misinformation, and ethical decision-making
• how Agile Brain reveals unmet emotional needs
• applying insights at work and in life

For anyone listening today, we would love to give you a complimentary assessment from Agile Brain. For those that want to go even deeper, we can talk with people about having a discovery call on the assessment results with a certified coach
Make sure they can go to any online bookstore and Amazon to get The Emotionally Agile Brain

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

We explore why inclusion, connection, and recognition are the social motives that make work and life feel meaningful, and how loneliness quietly harms health, teams, and trust. Stories from reality TV to school lunchrooms reveal why sincere care and specific praise beat trophies every time.

• inclusion as the base of belonging
• connection deepening care and trust
• sincere recognition versus programs
• grief as real social pain in the brain
• loneliness risks and health impacts
• layoffs, survivor guilt, and community
• social media comparison and FOMO
• caring leadership, burnout, and loyalty
• moving from self to service and purpose

Friends, get this book, The Emotionally Agile Brain by Dr. JD Pincus. You can get it wherever you like to purchase your books online.

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

We explore how autonomy enables immersion and why true success is a byproduct of meeting core emotional needs, not a shortcut to status. Stories of lottery winners, creatives, athletes, and leaders reveal why skipping foundations backfires and how failure becomes fuel.

• autonomy as permission, resources, skill, and influence
• immersion as real employee engagement and deep work
• flow state conditions and practical workplace fixes
• failure as essential to mastery and learning
• power paradox and healthy team-based success
• redefining success beyond status and comparison
• agile brain assessment, coaching, and action planning
• inclusion, safety, and authenticity as precursors to focus

If you're listening to this episode, if you would like a complimentary assessment and a discovery call about your results from your assessment, please reach out to me
If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with others
Share your comments about what you're learning with us

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

We explore how psychological safety enables authenticity, and how authenticity unlocks potential. JD Pincus connects fear, narcissism, imposter syndrome, and conspiracy thinking to a broader model of self, social, material, and spiritual domains, leading to transcendence.

• Safety as the basis for authentic expression
• Apprenticeship and voice development before mastery
• Redefining self-actualization as attitude, not fame
• The four domains reframed with an integrated self
• Evidence-based case for spiritual well-being
• Student mental health pressures and system strain
• Fear as information and the SM case study
• Fight, flight, anger and self-control under stress
• Authenticity versus narcissism and emotional stunting
• Imposter syndrome as a brake or motivator
• Stress, prevention energy and conspiracy belief
• Transcendence beyond self and resolving opposites
• Coaching questions to assess talents and next steps

We do a monthly forum the first Wednesday of each month. It’s free. Join us and bring your questions

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

We launch a special seven-part series with Dr. JD Pincus exploring the 12 emotional needs that shape decisions, leadership, and fulfillment. Emotions lead, thoughts explain, and leaders thrive when they surface needs and align habits with values.

• origin story from punk band to psychologist
• scope of the book and why the bibliography matters
• emotions as primary drivers over rational intention
• CBT and habit loops for rewiring behavior
• naming and working with the 12 emotional needs
• limits of over-rationalized leadership cultures
• fulfillment, Ikigai, and non-striving compared
• marketing’s promise versus authentic need satisfaction
• preview of next session on safety, authenticity, potential

Get the book. Go to agilebrain.com to take a free assessment. If you’d like a debrief of that assessment, you can reach out to me. Zach has information in the show notes as well as how you can reach out to me.

Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify.

Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.