{"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":"What James Smith Gets Wrong About Building Confidence (He's Right Though)","slug":"what-james-smith-gets-wrong-about-building-confidence-he-s-right-though","published_at":"2026-09-09T16:12:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/what-james-smith-gets-wrong-about-building-confidence-he-s-right-though","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1120387116.mp3?updated=1776258044","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1120387116.mp3?updated=1776258044","summary":"Think confidence comes from positive self-talk and visualization? James Smith just torched that entire self-help industry in under 15 minutes. Adrian Wells breaks down why Smith's \"100-minute confidence formula\" actually works when everything else fails. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The brutal truth about why affirmations make you less confident (backed by actual psychology research) • Smith's exact 100-minute system that turned him from broke and overweight to fitness empire builder • How your brain processes 35,000 daily decisions and why each tiny promise you keep builds unshakeable self-belief • The difference between confidence (fake it till you make it) and self-efficacy (proving you can handle anything) 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners tired of surface-level confidence advice who want the science behind what actually works. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian introduces the confidence paradox that's fooling millions [02:15] Why positive thinking research shows the opposite of what gurus claim [04:30] Smith's broke-to-millionaire story using pure discomfort training [07:00] The 100-minute formula broken down step by step [09:45] How micro-promises compound into massive self-trust [12:30] Three things you can start doing today to build real confidence Smith's approach isn't pretty or Instagram-friendly. It's about deliberately choosing discomfort, keeping tiny promises to yourself, and proving through action that you can handle whatever comes next. No mantras required. The research is clear: self-efficacy beats positive thinking every single time. Smith just figured out how to build it systematically. 🔔 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. 🔍…","meta_description":"Think confidence comes from positive self-talk and visualization? James Smith just torched that entire self-help industry in under 15 minutes. Adrian Well…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1267,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/what-james-smith-gets-wrong-about-building-confidence-he-s-right-though/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/what-james-smith-gets-wrong-about-building-confidence-he-s-right-though.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}