The Jordan Harbinger Show

Jordan Harbinger

(Apple's Best of 2018) In-depth conversations with people at the top of their game. Jordan Harbinger unpacks guests' wisdom into practical nuggets you can use to impact your work, life, and relationships. Learn from leaders (Ray Dalio, Simon Sinek, Mark Cuban), entertainers (Moby, Tip "T.I." Harris, Dennis Quaid), scientists (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye), athletes (Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Tony Hawk) and an eclectic array of fascinating minds, from art forgers and arms traffickers to spies and psychologists.

  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    1293: Abigail Marsh | How Fear Separates Saints from Psychopaths Part 2

    Psychopathy is treatable, altruism is contagious, and 'sociopath' is a word we should probably retire. Abigail Marsh makes the case here on part 2 of 2. [Find part 1 here!]

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1293

    What We Discuss with Dr. Abigail Marsh:

    • Psychopathy isn't the life sentence people assume it is. Personality disorders like psychopathy and borderline are far more treatable than the popular narrative suggests, and many people with psychopathic traits actively want to change, recognizing their behavior patterns aren't working for them.
    • Most of the world's worst atrocities aren't committed by psychopaths — they're committed by groups of ordinary people who believe they're completely justified. The real danger isn't the remorseless loner; it's collective moral certainty that one side's aggression is righteous.
    • Fear is the secret bridge between altruism and psychopathy. Psychopaths don't process fear — their own or others' — while extreme altruists are hypersensitive to it. Same brain structure, different tuning, and that gap determines who rushes toward danger and who shrugs.
    • Our brains are survival machines, not accuracy machines — and negativity bias warps our view of humanity. Bad behavior is actually rare, but we encode it in high fidelity, leading us to wildly overestimate how selfish and dangerous other people really are.
    • Altruism creates ripple effects that reshape lives in ways you'd never predict. One kind response to a stranger — even an online troll — can shift someone's entire outlook. Well-being fuels generosity, and generosity fuels well-being, so start the cycle anywhere and watch it compound.
    • And much more... [This is part two of a two-part episode. Find part one here!]

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    5 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 2 minutes
    Introducing The Interface from the BBC
    If you want to keep up with the latest topics in tech and AI, and how it all applies to our every day lives, then I recommend checking out The Interface from the BBC. I've become a listener of this great new podcast and I hope you enjoy it too.
    5 March 2026, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    1292: Abigail Marsh | How Fear Separates Saints from Psychopaths Part 1

    What separates someone who'd donate a kidney to a stranger from someone who might steal one? Abigail Marsh explains the neuroscience of fear on part 1 of 2.

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1292

    What We Discuss with Dr. Abigail Marsh:

    • Psychopaths don't lack all emotion — they specifically lack the ability to recognize and feel fear. Where most people see terror on someone's face, a psychopath sees something unidentifiable — a deficit that fundamentally rewires how they relate to other humans.
    • Many of psychology's most famous studies — the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Milgram shock test, the Kitty Genovese bystander story — turned out to be deeply flawed or outright fabricated. Humans are actually far more compassionate than these narratives suggest; CCTV data shows bystanders intervene 90% of the time.
    • Psychopathy isn't caused by "bad parenting" in any simple way — it's a neurodevelopmental disorder with significant genetic heritability, much like autism or ADHD. Blaming parents echoes the same harmful logic that once attributed schizophrenia to "cold mothers."
    • Household chaos — literal noise, inconsistent rules, revolving caregivers — makes it significantly harder for children to learn behavioral patterns. It's not just abuse that derails development; it's the inability to pick out a reliable signal from an overwhelming amount of environmental noise.
    • The sweet spot of effective parenting — and really, of shaping better humans — is combining genuine warmth with consistent boundaries. Love without structure breeds entitlement; structure without love breeds resentment. But together, they build the foundation for compassion and resilience in any child.
    • And much more... [This is part one of a two-part episode. Stay tuned for part two later this week!]

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    3 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 9 minutes
    1291: Should Self-Harm Scars Be Shareable Memoirs? | Feedback Friday

    You've healed from self-harm and own your story. But curious kids keep asking about your scars. How honest should you be? Welcome to Feedback Friday!

    And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now let's dive in!

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1291

    On This Week's Feedback Friday:

    • A shoutout to Adam Aleksic, The Etymology Nerd — and his take on social media comments sections!
    • Five years ago, you were in the grip of an eating disorder and self-harm — but you did the hard work, went to therapy, and came out the other side stronger than ever. Now, you're navigating a new challenge: visible scars on your arms that curious strangers — and especially kids — can't help but notice. How do you honor your story and your healing without oversharing with a child who may not be ready to hear it? [Thanks to clinical psychologist Dr. Erin Margolis for helping us with this one!]
    • You're planning a destination wedding in the Dominican Republic, and you invited a friend more out of obligation than genuine enthusiasm — someone connected to your fiancé's family who's been radiating negativity about the whole thing ever since. Now you're wondering if this professional grievance collector is going to rain on your big weekend. How do you handle a guest who acts like she's doing you a favor by showing up?
    • You're one half of a high-performing creative duo at a big firm, and the work is genuinely great — when your partner, "Tom," isn't detonating at every round of notes from above. Tom can't take feedback without spiraling into a rant, you've become the emotional buffer between him and management, and everyone's leaning on you to hold it together. How do you stop being the unpaid therapist for both sides of this drama — without blowing up the Dream Team?
    • Recommendation of the Week: RayBan Meta Glasses
    • Gabe's sister just had her first baby — but the delivery took a dramatic turn, leaving the whole family bracing through a nerve-wracking series of complications. Now that everyone's home and healthy, Gabe has some big feelings about new life, mortality, and what it really means to become an uncle. What did this rollercoaster of a birth week teach him about courage, gratitude, and the terrifying beauty of parenthood?
    • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
    • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
    • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    27 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 58 minutes 8 seconds
    1290: Danny Rensch | How Chess Freed Me from Life in a Cult Part Two

    Danny Rensch went from being weaponized as a chess prodigy by a cult to co-founding Chess.com — detailed on part two of this two-part episode. (Find part one here!)

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1290

    What We Discuss with Danny Rensch:

    • Chess.com grew from a bootstrapped startup — laughed out of investor rooms — into a unicorn by building a chess creator economy and content ecosystem years before the pandemic boom, capturing 99% of chess's explosive growth when The Queen's Gambit and COVID lockdowns sent 400,000 new members flooding in per day.
    • Catching cheaters in chess is a high-stakes statistical science. Chess.com employs 30 full-time specialists, from research scientists to in-house detectives, who use AI-driven algorithms to detect engine-assisted play, acting only when evidence would hold up in court rather than in the court of public opinion.
    • The digital revolution in chess has dramatically compressed the learning curve. Kids now grow up playing against Magnus Carlsen and top grandmasters online, producing prodigies like a 12-year-old Argentine dubbed "the Messi of chess" who may break the youngest grandmaster record in history.
    • Chess.com's public stance against Russia after the Ukraine invasion landed Danny Rensch on a dark web hit list, and years of closing cheaters' accounts have brought direct threats — including one player who tracked his tournament locations and emailed that he'd feel a gun behind his neck.
    • Danny's most powerful insight is that you can redefine your relationship with your past. Forgiveness isn't rewriting what happened, it's freeing yourself from it, and believing "everything happens for a reason" becomes actionable when you realize you get to choose the reason and reclaim the power over your own story.
    • And much more...

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    26 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 59 minutes 8 seconds
    1289: Danny Rensch | How Chess Freed Me from Life in a Cult Part One

    Danny Rensch was born into a cult that weaponized chess for prestige. He's here to explain how he broke free on part one of this two-part episode.

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1289

    What We Discuss with Danny Rensch:

    • Cults don't always start with sinister blueprints. The Church of Immortal Consciousness where Danny Rensch was raised grew from self-help roots and communal idealism into full financial control — where members surrendered everything, kids shared bathwater, and the shoe list became a euphemism for "you don't matter enough to get a pair."
    • The cult weaponized chess the same way the Soviet Union did — as a tool for prestige. Danny was identified as a prodigy, deliberately separated from his mother, and groomed as the collective's golden child. His talent wasn't nurtured for his sake — it was exploited for the cult leader's ego.
    • By age 13, Danny was living alone, traveling to national chess tournaments with pockets full of cash and no adult supervision. The neglect wasn't just emotional — it was physical. Untreated swimmer's ear became severe infection, leaving him 60% deaf in one ear and 40% in the other.
    • A drunk, defecting Soviet grandmaster named Igor Ivanov — who once fled the KGB during an emergency plane stop — became Danny's live-in chess coach. Igor had carte blanche to drink and do as he pleased, making him the cult's most functional dysfunction and Danny's unlikely lifeline to the wider chess world.
    • Despite growing up as a high school dropout in a cult with no formal education, Danny became a successful writer and helped build Chess.com — proof that curiosity, baseline intelligence, and sheer determination can outrun even the most rigged starting hand. Motivated people can learn faster than any institution expects them to.
    • And much more...

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    24 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    1288: Test Prep | Skeptical Sunday

    Is test prep a lifeline or a scam? Jessica Wynn reveals who's really cashing in on your SAT anxiety here on Skeptical Sunday!

    Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Jessica Wynn!

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1288

    On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

    • The test prep industry is a multi-billion-dollar machine built on manufactured anxiety — not better education. Companies exploit the fear that a single test determines your entire future, turning parental stress and student panic into a lucrative marketplace where confusion plus fear equals profit.
    • The same corporations that create standardized tests often sell the prep materials to pass them — a staggering conflict of interest. It's vertical integration at its most cynical: they've engineered both the problem and the solution, and students pay on both ends.
    • Standardized tests like the SAT don't predict college success as well as high school GPA does, and access to expensive prep widens inequality rather than leveling the playing field. Kids in the top 1% of income have a 1 in 4 shot at elite schools — kids in the bottom 20% have a 1 in 300 chance.
    • Social media has supercharged test prep anxiety, turning studying into a performative competition. Students spiral comparing their materials and scores to strangers online, and prep companies profit without even advertising — the students do it for them through posts and affiliate links.
    • You don't need to spend a fortune to prepare well. Start with official practice tests and free resources like Khan Academy, use proven techniques like spaced repetition and the Feynman method, and remember — one good resource used properly beats five expensive ones you never open.
    • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know!
    • Connect with Jessica Wynn at Instagram and Threads, and subscribe to her newsletters: Between the Lines and Where the Shadows Linger!

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    22 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 22 minutes
    1287: Conscience Frayed by Impossible Choice Made | Feedback Friday

    Genetic test results were delayed, so you took the abortion pill — then learned the baby was healthy. Now faith and regret collide. It's Feedback Friday!

    And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now let's dive in!

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1287

    On This Week's Feedback Friday:

    • You're 38, happily married, financially stable — and just terminated a pregnancy before learning the genetic test results came back perfectly healthy. Now you're drowning in guilt, questioning your faith, and wondering if you can ever try again. What does forgiveness look like from here?
    • Your 19-year-old son is a bona fide genius — perfect test scores, weather balloons launched to the stratosphere, obscure research papers devoured for fun — yet college rejected him and social isolation consumes him. How do you help a brilliant mind find its place in a system that doesn't see him?
    • Your IT branch just got sold to new owners who couldn't care less about your team's culture or your loyal clients. Morale is tanking, policies are clashing, and you're wondering: what if you and your colleagues bought the branch and ran it yourselves? Is this bold move worth the risk?
    • Recommendation of the Week: Libby — the free library app that lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks with just a library card. It syncs with Kindle, works worldwide, and has slashed Gabe's book budget to nearly zero. Your wallet — and your local library — will thank you.
    • You moved across the country to be closer to your dad's side of the family, only to spend years feeling like an afterthought. Now your stepmother throws tantrums, your brothers won't speak to you, and "family meetings" just mean apologizing endlessly. How do you escape this impossible cycle?
    • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
    • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
    • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    20 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    1286: Derek Coburn | Rethinking Retirement to Live Well Now and Later

    Let's Retire Retirement author Derek Coburn finds the flaws in how we traditionally plan for life after work — and demonstrates how we can do it smarter.

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1286

    What We Discuss with Derek Coburn:

    • Traditional retirement planning is fundamentally broken. Financial advisors ask when you want to retire, not if you should, leading millions to sacrifice health, happiness, and relationships in pursuit of an arbitrary finish line they never actually chose.
    • By planning to work just 10 years longer, the amount you need to save drops by 96% — from $2,400 per month to $110 — freeing up money and energy to actually live your life now rather than deferring it indefinitely.
    • Alzheimer's and dementia are the "iceberg to your financial plan's Titanic." These conditions don't kill you quickly, meaning care costs can drain family resources for years, and your parents' health has a direct impact on your retirement security.
    • The pursuit of happiness as a direct goal actually backfires. Research shows people prioritizing personal pleasure get sicker and die sooner, while those driven by purpose and meaning experience lower inflammation and stronger immunity.
    • You likely have more freedom than you realize. Finding work you don't hate, even part-time, lets you stay engaged, maintain purpose, and enjoy the compounding benefits of extra years while spending more time with the people who matter most.
    • And much more...

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    17 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    1285: Passport Bros | Skeptical Sunday

    Passport Bros claim fleeing abroad solves their dating woes. Nick Pell explains why they're in for a rude awakening on this Skeptical Sunday.

    Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell!

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1285

    On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

    • The "Passport Bro" phenomenon is fueled by two overlapping myths — that all Western women are "too feminist" to date, and that women abroad are uniformly docile and grateful for Western husbands — but both stereotypes collapse under scrutiny and bear little relationship to reality.
    • The economic leverage passport bros think they'll have abroad is largely outdated fantasy. The global middle class has risen dramatically, emerging economies now account for two-thirds of global GDP growth, and women in many "destination" countries are often more educated than the men showing up.
    • Women abroad aren't passive targets — they have agency, savvy, and often family networks deeply involved in vetting potential partners. In more "traditional" societies, passport bros face scrutiny from entire extended families, not just individual women making solo decisions.
    • The phenomenon attracts real danger: romance scams have exploded 238 times over, Colombia has State Department warnings due to a 200% increase in dating-app-related robberies, and men get drugged, catfished, and sextorted with alarming regularity.
    • Cross-cultural relationships absolutely can work — the key is approaching them with realistic expectations rather than red-pill fantasies. Learning about actual cultural values, staying alert to scams, and treating potential partners as individuals rather than stereotypes is the foundation for genuine connection abroad.
    • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know!

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    15 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 15 minutes
    1284: Husband Hid His DUI — Is It Time to Say Goodbye? | Feedback Friday

    A hidden DUI. Secret drinking. Constant lies. You escaped an alcoholic mom only to marry the same pattern. Is it time to break free? It's Feedback Friday!

    And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now let's dive in!

    Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1284

    On This Week's Feedback Friday:

    • Whatever happened to Captain Save-a-Ho from episode 1240? We have an update!
    • Your husband hid a DUI from you for seven months — and that's just the latest in a long pattern of secret drinking, edibles, and lies. Given your childhood with an alcoholic mom, you're now facing an impossible question: How many more chances do you give him before you walk away for good?
    • Your recently widowed 65-year-old dad is falling for obvious romance scams, posting thirsty comments on "hot MILFs" pics on his own Facebook, and claiming he was hacked. You've tried warning him, but he doesn't care — he just wants companionship now. Can you save him from himself? [Thanks to crime investigator Javier Leiva for helping us sort this one out!]
    • Your employer pulled a bait-and-switch, stripping your $50k IVF coverage and offering a measly $15k consolation while HR ghosted you for months. You were mid-cycle, your medical window closed, and you snapped. Now you're wondering: Do you have a legal case against them? [Thanks to HR professional Joanna Tate for helping us with this one!]
    • Recommendation of the Week: The Rolling Square AirCard — a credit card-sized Bluetooth tracker that works with Apple and Android, fits in your wallet or luggage tag, charges wirelessly, and lasts a year. It even has a QR code so finders can contact you directly.
    • Jordan shares a personal update: His mom was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He reflects on catching the signs, navigating the healthcare process, and learning to cherish the time they have left — a vulnerable reminder to appreciate your parents while you can.
    • Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
    • Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
    • Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

    And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

    This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    13 February 2026, 8:00 am
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