Learning EPISODES

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Ready to swap doomscrolling for thinking that actually changes your mind? David closes out the year with a 34-book reading journey and the five standout titles that forged a stronger, more coherent worldview—spanning Civil War history, economic systems, political ideology, and Christian public life. Along the way, David shares a practical path: start with 12 excellent books, take notes, use audio plus print, and talk through ideas...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Your brain doesn’t need more highlighter ink; it needs a knot that keeps memories from slipping. We unpack the testing effect—why retrieval practice beats rereading—and show how spacing transforms effortful recall into durable knowledge you can trust under pressure. Instead of piling on more beads, we teach you to tie the string: close the book, recall from memory, then verify. Along the way, we break the familiarity trap that make...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Poetry possesses a unique ability to capture moments of national crisis in ways that speak across centuries. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Ship of State" – the stirring final stanza of his 1849 poem "The Building of the Ship" – emerged during a time when America stood at the precipice of disaster. With slavery debates raging and North-South tensions escalating toward civil war, Longfellow crafted a maritime metaphor that would ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Is "Saturday Night Live" still the comedic powerhouse it once was, or has its cultural impact waned as audiences shift to new platforms? Join us on the Theory to Action & MOJO Minute podcast as we crack open these questions and more, reflecting on SNL's history through the entertaining lens of Tom Hanks' controversial sketch at the 50th anniversary. With insights from the book "Live from New York," we unravel the dy...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Ever felt like you're juggling too many tasks with too little time? Join me, David Kaiser, as I share the life-altering strategy of 'stacking your life,' a concept that will transform your approach to daily tasks and overall well-being. Inspired by Katy Bowman's insights in "Movement Matters," this episode of the Theory to Action podcast reveals how to synchronize essential activities, from family time to fitness, into a harmonio...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Unlock the secrets of resilience and goal mastery as we journey through the tenets of mental toughness, guided by the wisdom of Jason Selk's "Executive Toughness." This episode isn't just a discussion; it's a blueprint for success that resonates with the teachings of the legendary John Wooden. Imagine the feeling of reaching heights you've only dreamed of by systematically setting and conquering goals. We'll show you how writ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Discover the subtle yet profound art of self-improvement through self-reflection and daily habits with your host, David Kaiser. This episode peels back the layers on the concept of 'One Percent Better,' as discussed in Brian Cain's insightful book, and how minor adjustments in our daily routines can lead to monumental shifts in our personal and spiritual development. By sharing a powerful quote from the book, I emphasize the im...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Discover the surprising ways movement intertwines with our very being, as we explore insights from Katy Bowman's "Move Your DNA," that could revolutionize your daily routine. Imagine redefining your understanding of exercise, where every step is as nourishing as the food you eat or the air you breathe. Join us for a thought-provoking journey that promises to stimulate both your body and mind, as we seek a path through the maze ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Have you ever considered the silent impact your chair has on your health? This episode, featuring biomechanist and author Katie Bowman, unpacks the surprising parallels between the dangers of sitting, smoking, and obesity as revealed through Mayo Clinic research. Bowman, with her book "Move Your DNA," shares with us to emphasize the often-overlooked need for natural movement and its cellular benefits. We'll share stories ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Is merit losing the battle to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in hiring practices? That's the audacious question we tackle head-on in this electrifying episode of Theory to Action. We pull no punches as we dissect John Sailer's hard-hitting op-ed "Inside Ohio State's DEI Factory" that uncovers Ohio State University's preference for DEI over merit in professorial appointments. Join us on this journey where we scrutinize t...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Are you willing to question everything you know? To challenge ingrained beliefs and biases in a quest for truth? Welcome to a journey of intellectual curiosity and bold exploration into the Socratic method as a tool for effective research. This episode has me recounting personal experiences, sharing how this timeless technique has profoundly impacted my research approach. We delve into Ward Farnsworth's The Socratic Me...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Do you ever wonder how the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, became one of the most effective executives in American history? Join me, David Kaiser, as we unravel Lincoln's unique approach to learning, his application of mathematical principles to law, and his commitment to logic and reasoning. Glean wisdom from Carl Sandberg's monumental biography, "Abraham Lincoln the Prairie Years," as we explore Lincoln's ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Today's episode we take a break from philosophy and divert our attention to The American Masterpiece. America's number one written novel. Much like Russia has War and Peace as that great classic treasure of world literature so too must America have her own masterpiece. Today we share that American masterpiece as the Winds of War, the great historical fiction novel written my Herman Wouk. Its sweeping narrative ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message This week, we will take a break from Philosophy 101 with a question I often get, "where does your love for books come from?" To help answer that question will be today's book of the day, Sundays at Eight with Brian Lamb Key Points from the Episode: What are the characteristics of a great interview?My impromptu meeting with Mr. Brian LambGreatness hidden and disguised.Still looking for those nuggets of wisdom!Other resources:...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Since it is Holy week--the most important week on the Christian Calendar--todays episode and Thursday's episode will be a cross between a MOJO minute and a Catholic Corner. Our guide and author for today will again be Fr. Mark-Mary Ames and his wonderful little book, Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress. Key Points from the Episode: The Spiritual war all around us has indeed "leveled up" in the last ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Let's talk movement on todays MM. Our guide for todays nugget of wisdom is Frank Ring the author of Walking for Health and Fitness: The Easiest Way to Get in Shape and Stay in Shape. Key Points from the Episode: Did you know the Amish walk roughly 18,000 steps per day?Did you know our ancestors walked anywhere between 6-9 miles per day?Walking just a mile a day can help to reduce many chronic health issuesOther resour...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message In todays episode, we pivot in our quest to build a flourishing life by taking a long look at our professional and work lives. Specifically, how do we bring value to a company as employees? Helping us along our journey as todays guide is Donald Miller and his wonderful book, Business Made Simple. Key Points from the Episode: Should a solid business education help you understand how businesses actually work?What...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message In this MOJO Minute, we take a look at a very successful company on how they train and educate their employees. That company is Starbucks and our guide is Charles Duhigg from his The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business Key Points from the Episode: How creating a habit is tied to WillpowerDuhigg credits Starbucks executives for writing a curriculum that--in part--launched them from a small Seattle ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message MM#198 provides for us the science behind why working the 3 fundies is important. When we tackle the 3 fundamentals of Eating Better, Moving More and increasing our Sleep quality all at the same time we have a far greater chance of success then when we do not. Tom Rath shares this science with us from his book, Eat Move Sleep. Key Points from the Episode: MM#9--7 hours and you get a vaccine The research ...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message In today's show, we introduce another fundamental in flourishing, Mindset. To be our guide in drilling down on this notion of a positive mindset and more specifically Gratitude, we turn to Michael Hyatt in his book Your Best Year Ever: A 5 Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals Key Points from the Episode: Introduction of another fundamental in flourishing, positive mindset.Three virtues help to create a positive...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Merry Christmas Everyone! The Dominican Proclamation of The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Other resources: MM#75--Merry Christmas 2021 What Child is this? by Josh Groban Music credits: “O Come All Ye Faithful”, performed by 407 Music "Angels Heard from on High" performed by FranceMedia1 "Joy to the World" performed by 407 Music (all songs found on audio jungle) Want to leave a review? Click here, and if we e...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Let's get philosophical shall we? Todays MM introduces us to Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences and then we pull apart this notion of the quest for ideas with the great-grandfather of personal development, Jim Rohn, in his magnum opus, Leading an Inspired Life Key points: William of Ockham and nominalism Ideas do have consequences What's your next big idea?Want to leave a review? Click here and if we earne...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message Whoa, what a title for this MM...Building our second brain In this MM, we look at Getting Things Done by David Allen but then we zoom ahead to what our future looks like within the productivity domain with Tiago Forte's new book, Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential Key Points from the Episode: Can we, with technology, find a reliable system that helps us s...

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message MOJO Minute #149 brings us one of the most powerful insights we have covered from these books. In 2008, Dr. John Ratey wrote Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Thank you Dr. Ratey for sharing these nuggets with us! It's pretty cool!! Key Points from the Episode: Recap of our earlier MM#54 on this very subject and book, Balancing of the brain is important and ...