{"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":"The Google Engineer Who Cracked Happiness for 51 Million People: Mo Gawdat","slug":"the-google-engineer-who-cracked-happiness-for-51-million-people-mo-gawdat","published_at":"2026-07-11T13:54:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/the-google-engineer-who-cracked-happiness-for-51-million-people-mo-gawdat","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9205634595.mp3?updated=1776257953","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9205634595.mp3?updated=1776257953","summary":"What if a Google engineer could crack the code to happiness the same way he debugged software? Mo Gawdat did exactly that, and his scientific approach has now reached 51 million people worldwide. In this episode, Adrian Wells breaks down how personal tragedy led Mo to engineer a happiness formula that actually works. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Mo's happiness equation: why perception minus expectations equals your emotional state • How achieving everything on his success checklist (millions earned, dream job at Google) still left him miserable • The tragic catalyst that transformed Mo from tech executive to happiness researcher • Why 51 million people have embraced his engineering approach to wellbeing 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners who want practical frameworks for better living, not feel-good platitudes. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the Google engineer turned happiness guru [02:15] Mo's million-dollar problem: success without satisfaction [04:45] The happiness equation that changed everything [07:30] How personal tragedy became his life's mission [09:00] From 51 million reached to your daily practice [11:30] Engineering principles applied to human emotions Most happiness advice feels fluffy. Mo's doesn't. He treats emotions like code problems: identify the bug, understand the system, implement the fix. It's philosophy meets engineering, and the results speak for themselves. The timing couldn't be better. While everyone's chasing the next productivity hack or business strategy, Mo figured out the foundation everything else sits on. How you actually feel about your life. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next breakthrough insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: h…","meta_description":"What if a Google engineer could crack the code to happiness the same way he debugged software? Mo Gawdat did exactly that, and his scientific approach has…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1282,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/the-google-engineer-who-cracked-happiness-for-51-million-people-mo-gawdat/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/the-google-engineer-who-cracked-happiness-for-51-million-people-mo-gawdat.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}