{"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":426,"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":"2026-09-20T02:18:54.580675+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"Ex-CIA Agent Reveals Why Your Gut Instinct Is Wrong 87% of the Time","slug":"ex-cia-agent-reveals-why-your-gut-instinct-is-wrong-87-of-the-time","published_at":"2026-09-12T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/ex-cia-agent-reveals-why-your-gut-instinct-is-wrong-87-of-the-time","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9962900942.mp3?updated=1776258508","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9962900942.mp3?updated=1776258508","summary":"Your gut instinct just failed a CIA test. Andrew Bustamante, ex-CIA operative, reveals that our intuition gets it wrong 87% of the time when making critical decisions. In this episode, Adrian Wells sits down with Bustamante to unpack the psychological tricks intelligence agencies use to outsmart human bias and why your brain might be your worst enemy when it comes to reading people and situations. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The PPOV decision-making method that helped CIA operatives survive life-or-death situations • Why your brain processes 11 million bits of info per second but only 40 bits consciously (and how this sabotages your judgment) • The specific geopolitical warning signs that suggest major changes coming to America by 2030 • Real examples of when trusting your gut leads to catastrophic mistakes in business and relationships 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone passionate about personal growth who wants to make better decisions under pressure and see through the noise of modern information overload. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the 87% gut instinct failure rate [01:45] Why CIA training breaks down natural human intuition first [04:20] The PPOV method: how spies actually make decisions [06:50] China's $16 trillion economic shift and what it means for Americans [09:30] Real-world examples where gut feelings lead people astray [11:15] Three immediate changes you can make to your decision process Most Americans will never live outside the US (only 2% do), but Bustamante's data suggests that might need to change sooner than we think. His insider perspective on global economic shifts and psychological warfare offers a rare glimpse into how the world actually works behind closed doors. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify an…","meta_description":"Your gut instinct just failed a CIA test. Andrew Bustamante, ex-CIA operative, reveals that our intuition gets it wrong 87% of the time when making critic…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1947,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/ex-cia-agent-reveals-why-your-gut-instinct-is-wrong-87-of-the-time/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/ex-cia-agent-reveals-why-your-gut-instinct-is-wrong-87-of-the-time.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}