Jordan has assembled quite the rogues’ gallery of guests who’ve lived through things that make your worst Monday look like a spa day. From escaped cult members to reformed con artists, former spies to surviving victims of international conspiracies, these episodes will either make you paranoid about leaving your house or convinced that you’re basically invincible by comparison.
Below are some of the top episodes of “The Jordan Harbinger Podcast” that will have you simultaneously taking notes on human psychology and questioning why you voluntarily chose to fill your brain with this information.
249: Kobe Bryant | Dissecting the Mamba Mentality
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Kobe Bryant was primarily recognized for his two decades on the basketball court as one of the sport’s most legendary figures. He channels his renowned determination into operating Granity Studios, a celebrated multimedia enterprise dedicated to developing innovative methods for storytelling within athletics.
903: Dan Ariely | Why Rational People Believe Irrational Things
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What causes logical individuals to accept illogical concepts? Furthermore, how can we be certain we’re the ones thinking clearly? Misbelief author Dan Ariely clarifies,
485: Leah Remini | Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
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Leah Remini is an actor, producer, co-host of podcast Scientology: Fair Game, and co-author of Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.
Discussed in this episode:
- Scientology’s nature, origins, and dangers.
- How the organization shields itself from government scrutiny and former members.
- How Leah and co-host Mike Rinder endure ongoing harassment and intimidation.
- Core Scientologist beliefs.
- Celebrity recruitment tactics.
661: Rachel Zoffness | Managing Pain In Your Body and Brain
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Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a pain psychologist, speaker, consultant, educator, and author of The Pain Management Workbook: Powerful CBT and Mindfulness Skills to Take Control of Pain and Reclaim Your Life.
Discussed in this episode:
- Pain originates in the brain, not the body
- Physical and emotional pain connections and their constant overlap.
- Brain “pain dial” mechanics: amplifying and reducing factors.
- How trauma, anxiety, and depression intensify pain.
- Current pain medicine flaws and solutions.
1117: Anne Applebaum | Inside the Fortune 500 of Modern Dictatorships
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From Russia to China: Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum exposes how contemporary dictators establish a fresh global structure by collaborating against democratic systems.
684: Desmond Shum | Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in China
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Desmond Shum is the former husband of detained Chinese billionaire “Whitney” Duan Weihong and author of Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today’s China.
The discussion includes:
- Why his teacher parents were persecuted by the CCP, leading to family exile to Hong Kong.
- How the CCP suppresses events like Tiananmen Square and Desmond’s perspective on it.
- How corruption becomes leverage to control business operators under CCP rule.
- Their rise to CCP inner circles and billion-dollar success with government approval.
- Whitney’s mysterious disappearance and her strange call four years later warning against his book.
884: What We Can Learn from Envy | Deep Dive
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Join Jordan and Gabe for this thorough exploration of the insights we can gain when we use envy as an instructor instead of a resentful reminder of what we lack.
445: Seth Godin | Shipping Creative Work
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Seth Godin is a business owner, educator, Marketing Hall of Fame member, daily writer, host of the Akimbo show, and creator of approximately 20 global bestsellers. His most recent is The Practice: Shipping Creative Work.
911: Esther Perel | Cheating, Argument, and Conflict
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Where should we start addressing relationship issues, infidelity, arguments, and more? Renowned therapist Esther Perel guides us through it!
The discussion includes:
- Cheaters often want to transform themselves, not abandon their partners.
- Is monogamy natural evolution or social control?
- We argue to spark change, not create conflict — how can we argue constructively?
- Learning from disputes to build deeper connections.
- How will personalized AI affect human intimacy as our species evolves?
237: Steven Hassan | Combating Cult Mind Control Part One
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Steven Hassan is a licensed mental health counselor educating about mind control and destructive cults since 1976. He’s the author of Combating Cult Mind Control and founder of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. This is part one of two episodes.
The discussion includes:
- Using Steven’s BITE model to identify destructive cults through behavior, information, thought, and emotion control.
- The four main cult types today: commercial, religious, political, and self-help.
- How cults exploit the Internet and social media for recruitment.
- Why people who think they’re too smart for cults are most vulnerable to recruitment.
- How Steven improved invasive 1970s deprogramming methods into strategic interactive approaches.
327: Neil deGrasse Tyson | Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
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Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, host of StarTalk Radio, and author of bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.
The discussion includes:
- How scientists preserve childlike wonder.
- Science’s ability to overcome prejudice.
- Why Neil felt confident lecturing at age 15.
- Do you need math expertise for science?
- What leaders understand about science’s value, and reasons for rising science denial.
626: Adam Grant | Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
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Adam Grant is Wharton’s top-rated professor, host of WorkLife with Adam Grant, and author of several New York Times Best Sellers. Here, he discusses Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.
The discussion includes:
- How to give naturally to strangers without awkwardness.
- What stage gates are and their usage.
- Avoiding social capital destruction.
- Abraham Lincoln’s lessons on powerless communication.
- Why chunking beats sprinkling for effective giving.
1086: Ryan Holiday | How to Fix Your Life with Stoicism
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Seeking fame and success can become an addiction that ruins what matters most. Stoic Ryan Holiday explains how to find sustainable contentment instead!
The discussion includes:
- Fame and success become addictive, creating insatiable desires that sacrifice family and well-being.
- Constant growth metrics pursuit (sales, downloads, rankings) diminishes work enjoyment.
- Successful people often rationalize abandoning children claiming it’s “for them” when it’s really ego-driven.
- Historical perspective shows all fame fades, making status pursuit ultimately meaningless.
- Focus on loving your work intrinsically rather than seeking external validation for sustainable fulfillment and creative independence.
715: Spotting Fake News Like a CIA Analyst
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Cindy Otis is a former CIA military analyst specializing in disinformation analysis and author of True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News.
The discussion includes:
- What fake news is and why it spreads six times faster than truth.
- How fake news differs from satire.
- Misinformation versus disinformation distinctions.
- Historical impacts of fake news on populations.
- How to identify and protect against fake news for ourselves and children.
159: Cal Newport | Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
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Cal Newport researches cutting-edge technology and writes about innovation’s societal impact. He’s the author of Deep Work, So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and Digital Minimalism.
The discussion includes:
- Why focus is the new IQ in our distraction-filled era.
- Your competitive edge may simply be decluttering and refocusing.
- Best methods to clear mental clutter for optimal concentration.
- How Thoreau’s analog Walden lessons apply to modern digital life.
- Using technology beneficially without succumbing to its distractions.
611: Reid Hoffman | Surprising Entrepreneurial Truths
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Reid Hoffman is a co-founder of LinkedIn, investor at Greylock Partners, host of Masters of Scale, and co-author of Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs.
The discussion includes:
- What Reid means by “six-person-or-less extrovert.”
- Why diversity matters for company relevance.
- How to recognize five types of “no” and their lessons.
- Why unanimous pitch consent is troubling.
- Best and worst venture capital pitching methods.
287: How to Stop Taking Feedback So Personally | Feedback Friday
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Criticism tends to feel more hurtful than helpful to you, particularly when it comes from those you care about most. So how can you learn to not take feedback so much to heart?
1126: Richard Reeves | Rethinking the Purpose of Modern Masculinity
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Richard Reeves, author of “Of Boys and Men”, explores how we can tackle men’s challenges, like struggles in education, mental health, and social connection, without taking away from women’s progress. He urges a shift from “either/or” thinking to a more inclusive “and” approach, emphasizing the need for new male roles, strong friendships, and healthy models of masculinity.
228: Oliver Billough | Why Thieves and Crooks Rule the World
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Oliver Bullough, journalist and author of “Moneyland”, exposes how global corruption allows the powerful to loot nations and hide wealth offshore. He explains how this fuels crime, weakens democracy, and harms the vulnerable, and explores what can be done to fight back.
488: Frank Bourassa | The World’s Greatest Counterfeiter Part One
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Frank Bourassa printed and sold $250 million in fake U.S. bills before being caught in a sting. Now he helps police catch counterfeiters. He shares how he pulled it off, why he did it, and what it really takes to build a high-stakes fake money operation.
996: Christopher Ahn | A Marine in Kim Jong-un’s Crosshairs Part One
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Marine veteran Christopher Ahn shares why he risked his safety to help North Korean defectors, including aiding Kim Jong-nam’s son after his father’s assassination. His work with the Chosen Institute has now put him in serious legal danger.
347: Brian Keating | Losing the Nobel Prize
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Brian Keating, UC San Diego physics professor and “Into the Impossible” podcast host, reflects on the flaws of major awards like the Nobel Prize, the value of ethical wills, and how setbacks shaped his life. He even offers a chance to win a piece of ancient stardust.
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