{"podcast":{"title":"First Principles","slug":"first-principles-7708985","podcast_index_feed_id":7708985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4765221373","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06eebd2a-0779-11f1-826e-37926ac18342/image/fca7c8febd1441fc3b0d54084418b06d.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Adrian Wells","episode_count":324,"summary":"First Principles isn't another business podcast recycling the same startup stories. Adrian Wells takes the fundamentals that actually matter and breaks them down like you're having coffee with the smartest professor you ever had. Wells spent twelve years teaching philosophy and critical thinking before ditching the lecture hall for the microphone. Turns out, the same principles that help you think clearly about ancient Greek ethics also work pretty well for modern business decisions. Who knew? Every episode strips away the latest trends and buzzwords to focus on the core ideas that don't change. How to actually evaluate evidence when everyone's throwing around statistics. Why most \"revolutionary\" business advice is just old wine in new bottles. The thinking patterns that separate smart decisions from lucky guesses. You won't get hyped-up success stories or flavor-of-the-month strategies. Instead, you'll learn how to think through problems the way philosophers have for centuries, applied to the stuff that matters in your work and life right now. Multiple new episodes drop daily, so there's always something fresh when you need it. Follow now if you're ready to think better, not just…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T16:19:48.696188+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"Dr. Martha Beck: Why Your Anxiety Gets Worse When You Try to Think Your Way Out","slug":"dr-martha-beck-why-your-anxiety-gets-worse-when-you-try-to-think-your-way-out","published_at":"2026-07-19T15:03:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/dr-martha-beck-why-your-anxiety-gets-worse-when-you-try-to-think-your-way-out","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN3620359652.mp3?updated=1776257562","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN3620359652.mp3?updated=1776257562","summary":"What if the anxiety trick that works best is actually the opposite of what your brain wants to do? Instead of thinking your way out, Dr. Martha Beck (Oprah's life coach for over 20 years) says the secret is dropping into your body. In this episode, Adrian Wells breaks down Beck's simple technique that helped her process childhood trauma when traditional therapy couldn't. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The vagus nerve discovery that flips anxiety treatment on its head • Beck's 3-step \"drop into your body\" technique you can use anywhere • Why your gut sends more signals to your brain than your brain sends down • How childhood trauma gets stored in your nervous system (not just your thoughts) 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners dealing with anxiety who want science-backed techniques that actually work in real time. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces Beck's counterintuitive anxiety approach [02:15] The vagus nerve discovery that changes everything [04:30] Why talk therapy wasn't enough for Beck's trauma [06:45] The exact \"drop into your body\" technique step-by-step [09:00] How anxiety shows up physically before you're even aware [11:30] Practical ways to use this technique today 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: anxiety relief, Dr Martha Beck, vagus nerve, trauma recovery, mindfulness techniques Find all episodes at First Principles -------------- Keywords: personal development, performance optimization, celebrity interviews, anxiety management Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"What if the anxiety trick that works best is actually the opposite of what your brain wants to do? Instead of thinking your way out, Dr. Martha Beck (Opra…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1065,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/dr-martha-beck-why-your-anxiety-gets-worse-when-you-try-to-think-your-way-out/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/dr-martha-beck-why-your-anxiety-gets-worse-when-you-try-to-think-your-way-out.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}