SOLVED with Mark Manson Podcast By Mark Manson cover art

SOLVED with Mark Manson

SOLVED with Mark Manson

By: Mark Manson
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New episodes every Wednesday. Mark Manson is a three-time #1 New York Times bestselling author and 20-year personal development industry veteran. Solved is the most comprehensive, evidence-based, overly-researched podcast on the planet to help you get an issue in your life, err... solved.Copyright 2025 Infinity Squared Media Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Meditation, Solved: Is It Actually Worth It?

    Meditation, Solved: Is It Actually Worth It?
    Mar 18 2026
    Meditation has been sold to us as a magic pill for so long that the backlash is almost as overblown as the hype. I spent years deep in Buddhist practice, went on retreats, meditated daily — and then slowly discovered that half the gurus evangelizing it were alcoholics, abusers, or running Rolls-Royce-funded cults. Here's what the more careful research actually shows: there are three things meditation does reliably well, and they’re probably not what you've been promised. More importantly, almost everything you've been told about how to do it is wrong — starting with the idea that the goal is to quiet your mind. If your brain turns into a chaotic mess the moment you close your eyes, that's not a failure. That's the whole point. Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get 7 days free at https://www.purpose.app Check out our sponsors: Factor: Head to https://www.factormeals.com/solved202650off to get 50% off and a free breakfast for a year. Shopify: Sign up for your $1/month trial at https://www.shopify.com/solved Waking Up: Get a free 30-day trial and $30 off the annual membership at https://www.wakingup.com/solved Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 8:15 Skeptic Claim #1: Meditation Is Overhyped 22:45 Skeptic Claim #2: "Meditation Isn't for Me" 41:36 Meditation Isn't Safe or Helpful for Everyone 48:33 Skeptic Claim #3: The New-Agey, "Woo-Woo" Crowd Turns Me Off 1:01:01 A Secular, Grounded Alternative: Meditation Without Metaphysics 1:07:40 Are We Losing Something by Secularizing Meditation? 1:17:35 Conclusion: What Meditation Really Is Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Solved, Highlights: How to Find Your Values

    Solved, Highlights: How to Find Your Values
    Mar 11 2026
    If you’ve ever felt stuck, or like you’re doing all the right things but something still feels off, there’s a good chance it’s a values problem. Not a discipline problem, not a productivity problem. A values problem. Most people have never actually sat down and figured out what they care about. Not really anyway. This clip is from our episode How to Find and Live By Your Values, which came out back in May 2025 and is honestly one of the episodes I’m most proud of. Drew and I go through a bunch of exercises to help you actually figure out what you value, not what you think you’re supposed to value. We cover things like: How to identify your core values with a simple hypothetical scenario. How to clearly define what you want your legacy to be Ways to prioritize your values by making tough decisions. How to turn frustrations into your deepest values. Why the hierarchy of your values is more critical than any single one of them. And why your willingness to sacrifice for something says a lot more about you than just what you think you want in life. Listen to the full Values episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5pdYVl60TqKLNAwKgFdk0C?si=0aa34991b49f4fcc Get your FREE five-day mini course: https://www.solvedpodcast.com/values-mini-course Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Focus, Solved

    Focus, Solved
    Mar 4 2026
    Focus is one of those things everyone swears they need more of and almost no one is actually addressing correctly. In this episode, we dig into what the science actually says about attention spans (hint: your brain isn't broken, it's just overwhelmed), why the standard advice to "try harder" is probably making things worse, and what's really driving your inability to sit down and get things done. We get into the neuroscience of explore vs. exploit modes, why flow states feel the way they do, and the four hidden triggers behind most focus problems, none of which have anything to do with your phone. Then we get into the practical stuff: environmental design, deep work frameworks, the maker vs. manager schedule, time boxing, batching, and why a dentist appointment in the middle of your morning can ruin your entire day. If you're the kind of person who opens 14 browser tabs, switches between them for 40 minutes, and calls that "working", well, this one's for you. Check Out Our Sponsors: Brain.fm: Stop manifesting focus and go get some. Get 30 days free at ⁠https://www.brain.fm/solved⁠ IM8: Feel your best self, every day. Go to ⁠https://www.im8health.com/solved⁠ and use code SOLVED for a Free Welcome Kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order. Duck.AI: Use AI without giving up your privacy, visit ⁠https://www.duck.ai/solved⁠ today. Ready to stop listening to podcasts and actually start taking action? Join the Solved Community, a group of like-minded people who are taking small steps every day to make big changes in their lives: https://membership.solvedpodcast.com/ Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 3:06 Chapter 1: The Attention Crisis (Is It Even Real?) 21:55 Chapter 2: The Exploit–Explore Dilemma 29:57 Your Brain on Explore and Exploit Mode 43:48 Technology evolved with Focus 50:33 Chapter 3: The Psychology of Distraction 54:06 Trigger 1: Lack of Importance 56:24 Trigger 2: Lack of Clarity 1:00:01 Trigger 3: Lack of Calmness 1:02:49 Trigger 4: Lack of Health 1:07:21 What about Willpower? 1:18:50 Chapter 4: Flow States and Hyperfocus 1:25:13 Characteristics of flow state 1:37:36 Chapter 5: Mental Health and the Clinical Realities of Focus 1:39:30 ADHD 1:41:56 Hyperfocus vs Flow 1:56:27 Chapter 6: Environmental Design for Focus 2:01:15 Foundations 2:06:38 Setting Up Your Workspace 2:14:15 Working with others 2:22:49 Temperature, lighting. air quality 2:27:30 Nature exposure 2:29:22 Ritual as a “trigger system” 2:34:39 Chapter 7: Productivity Systems 2:53:17 Maker Schedules vs. Manager Schedules 3:00:10 Using Apps for Focus 3:05:29 Chapter 8: The 80/20 of Focus 3:07:51 Is Focus a Skill? 3:11:07 Takeaways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    3 hrs and 23 mins
All stars
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They cut through the unhelpful self-help bs, and challenge you with harsh truths that everyone needs to hear to ACTUALLY make a positive change in your life and move the needle.

Finally something actually helpful and not just self-help fluff.

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So glad that this guy finally has a podcast! It's just as good as I hoped, nice to have more from this author!

Finally!

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take some time out of your day, while driving or whatnot, and listen to this podcast. i feel that you will benefit as much as I benefited.

worth your time

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Mark is great at simple answers to life’s issues. He often reminds me to not over think stuff.

No nonsense wisdom

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It's like getting advice from that old drunk guy that never leaves the bar but somehow knows absolutely everything about everything! And, still calls ya a cocksuc!er every once in a while. Great stuff!

Richest Man in the Trailer Park!

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