{"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":"What Running 10,000 Miles Across Africa Actually Did to My Mind","slug":"what-running-10-000-miles-across-africa-actually-did-to-my-mind","published_at":"2026-07-22T22:57:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/what-running-10-000-miles-across-africa-actually-did-to-my-mind","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN7744307964.mp3?updated=1776258338","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN7744307964.mp3?updated=1776258338","summary":"What if the hardest part of running 10,000 miles across Africa wasn't the physical pain, but admitting you oversimplified an entire continent for social media? In this episode, Adrian Wells sits down with the truth behind one of the most viral adventure stories of our time. Russ Cook gained millions of followers documenting his 352-day journey through 16 African countries. But the real story is messier, more complex, and more honest than what made it to Instagram. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Cook says he \"hasn't told the whole truth\" about his African experience • How viral content creation forces you to simplify complex realities • The stark differences between countries that his audience never saw • What 10,000 miles of running actually taught him about storytelling vs. truth 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners who question what's behind the viral stories everyone's sharing, and anyone curious about the gap between social media narratives and reality. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the \"Hardest Geezer\" controversy [01:45] Why Cook admits he oversimplified Africa [03:30] The countries that nearly broke him (that followers never heard about) [05:15] How gaining millions of followers changed his storytelling [07:00] The infrastructure realities that don't make good content [09:30] What he'd do differently knowing what he knows now [11:00] The mental challenge that outlasted the physical pain Cook's honesty about the compromises content creators make is refreshing. He doesn't hide from the fact that 16 countries with vastly different political situations, infrastructure challenges, and cultural contexts got flattened into digestible daily updates. Sometimes the most interesting story is why the story we heard isn't the whole story. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follo…","meta_description":"What if the hardest part of running 10,000 miles across Africa wasn't the physical pain, but admitting you oversimplified an entire continent for social m…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1274,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/what-running-10-000-miles-across-africa-actually-did-to-my-mind/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-running-10-000-miles-across-africa-actually-did-to-my-mind.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}