{"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 Secret Service Agents Know About Lies That You Don't","slug":"what-secret-service-agents-know-about-lies-that-you-don-t","published_at":"2026-09-10T12:45:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/what-secret-service-agents-know-about-lies-that-you-don-t","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9891557075.mp3?updated=1776258363","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9891557075.mp3?updated=1776258363","summary":"Can you spot a liar? Most people think they can, but research shows we're only right about 54% of the time-barely better than flipping a coin. In this episode, Adrian Wells sits down with former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras to reveal the psychology-based techniques that actually work for detecting deception. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why focusing on body language is the wrong approach (and what to watch for instead) • The verbal patterns that expose lies every single time • How liars give themselves away with too much detail or too little-never just right • The specific questions that make deceptive people crack under pressure 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone passionate about personal growth who wants to read people more accurately in both professional and personal settings. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the myth of lie detection [01:30] Why we're terrible at spotting lies (the 54% problem) [04:00] Secret Service training: verbal cues over body language [07:00] The \"too much, too little\" detail pattern [10:00] Questions that expose deception instantly [12:00] How to apply these techniques in real life Poumpouras breaks down exactly how she was trained to read people during high-stakes security situations. This isn't about becoming paranoid or suspicious-it's about developing the same analytical skills that protect world leaders. The techniques she shares work because they're rooted in how our brains actually construct lies, not the Hollywood myths about crossed arms and avoiding eye contact. 🔔 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: lie detection, body language, psychology, Secret Service training, de…","meta_description":"Can you spot a liar? Most people think they can, but research shows we're only right about 54% of the time-barely better than flipping a coin. In this epi…","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-secret-service-agents-know-about-lies-that-you-don-t/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-secret-service-agents-know-about-lies-that-you-don-t.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}