Inner Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick

When was the last time you sat down with someone who sees the world very differently and listened to understand them? I believe the biggest problem in the world today is that we are not disagreeing effectively enough. Too often, we decide it is pointless even to try.
Polarization, echo chambers, and media that amplify the most extreme voices have convinced many of us that the gap between "us" and "them" is too wide to cross. Research shows we consistently overestimate how extreme the other side is, and when we respond with shame and moral outrage, we often push people further away.
In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore why shaming backfires, what the rise of the Nazis teaches us about ignoring people's grievances, and why identity-protective cognition makes us reject views that challenge who we are. I also share a conversation with my guide in Afghanistan that tested my ability to disagree well, along with research on deep canvassing and what it reveals about how people change their minds.
What you will discover:
Why we overestimate how extreme the other side really is
How shaming and moral outrage can create the very thing they oppose
What identity-protective cognition means for every difficult conversation
How the illusion of explanatory depth opens the door to more flexible thinking
Why curiosity and respect give us the best chance of changing minds
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my new book, Inner Propaganda. It explores how the stories we are sold by leaders, by the media, and by our own minds shape what we believe, and what it really takes to change hearts and minds in a polarized world. 
Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/
Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/
Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/

What if your competitors are wrestling with the same dilemma you are, and nobody is brave enough to ask? My friend Jess Pettitt, a Hall of Fame speaker and crisis advisor, believes this fear is keeping good organizations from doing better.
In her new book, Doing Good Better, Jess adapts Maslow's hierarchy of needs for organizations. At the top sits outlasting the cycle: surviving recession, disruption, and crisis while staying true to your values. She argues that every mistake you have made prepares you to recognize the next one faster.
In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore with Jess why leaders fear admitting mistakes, the internal and external pressures behind that fear, and the two questions she asks leadership teams that reveal where they really stand. We also discuss the shareholder-versus-stakeholder debate, a protein loophole in the food industry, an oil refinery racing its competitors, and what it would take for AI leaders to agree on a shared off button.
What you will discover:
How organizations can climb their own version of Maslow's hierarchy
Why past mistakes are preparation for recognizing new ones
How internal and external pressure shape the decisions leaders make
Why collaboration with competitors can create collective decisions that do good
How to take back control of your own sense of urgency
Jess' new book, Doing Good Better, is out now! I highly recommend it. Spread the word, and you can order it here: https://jesspettitt.com/doing-good-better-2/.
Take Jess Pettitt's advisory survey: https://jesspettitt.com/advisory-survey
Learn more about Jess: https://jesspettitt.com/
Exciting news: my brand new book, Inner Propaganda, is now available to buy in Ireland and the UK. In the book, I explore how our beliefs form, why they resist change, and how leaders can align what they do with who they are. You can now find it on https://www.amazon.ie/ and https://www.amazon.co.uk/.
Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/
Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/

Whenever I feel anxious or down, a voice in my head speaks with complete authority. It tells me I'm a fraud, that I'm broken, that nothing I do matters. I call it the inner dictator, and I have named him Dick.
Inner propaganda is how we convince ourselves of the ideas we hold. The stories we sell to ourselves become the beliefs we buy into, and the inner dictator is the voice that sells the darkest of them with total certainty.
In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore why recognizing the inner dictator weakens its hold, drawing on the persuasion knowledge model and my own experiences of propaganda in North Korea. I then go through the most common lines Dick uses on me, from "You're a freak" to "The world is so full of pain," and share how I talk back to each one.
What you will discover:
Why naming the inner dictator makes its messages less convincing
How the change of meaning principle works inside your own mind
Why your mood decides which evidence feels like proof
Simple questions that expose the vague claims behind self-doubt
How to judge a thought by its usefulness rather than its accuracy
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand-new book, Inner Propaganda, where I explore how the stories we are sold by leaders, the media, and our own minds shape what we believe. Drawing on field research and stories from across history, it offers practical ways to take back control of your own narrative. 
Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/
Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/
Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/

If you have ever felt like you are not a good enough parent, partner, friend, or professional, you have met the inner dictator. It is a voice of absolute certainty that tells you the limits of your potential, and it can sabotage your chances of success.
The belief "I am not good enough" is so vague and abstract that it is hard to pin down and easy to accept. It is a form of inner propaganda, a story your mind tells you to keep things simple and stable.
In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore how to tackle this belief from every angle, drawing on my book, cognitive behavioral therapy, neurolinguistic programming, and mindfulness. I share the belief audit, a way to define what "good" and "enough" actually mean, and questions that test how much evidence sits behind the belief. What you will discover:
Why "I am not good enough" is inner propaganda from the inner dictator
The four questions of the belief audit
How to define "good" and "enough" so the belief becomes specific and testable
How to build an antifragile identity that turns mistakes into growth
Questions that test how certain you really are, including rating your certainty from one to ten
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand new book, Inner Propaganda, where I show how the stories your mind tells you take hold and share the tools you can use to challenge them. It draws on stories from history, the latest research, and everyday life to explain what leads us to believe what we do. 
Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/
Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/
Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/

Most people chasing followers are playing the wrong game entirely. In this episode, Howie Chan, founder of the Behavioring Company and LinkedIn's number one branding creator, explains why the visible metrics of likes and reposts often hide the real currency of influence.
Howie built his career by switching tribes, moving from stem cell science into brand strategy and eventually into entrepreneurship after being laid off from the agency he helped grow to over 2,000 people. That experience shaped his belief that behavior change, not belief change, is usually the fastest and most reliable path to real influence.
In this episode of Inner Propaganda, we explore why LinkedIn behaves more like a risk management exercise than a true social platform, why belief often follows behavior rather than the other way around, and why the smartest people online are usually optimizing for authority rather than applause. Howie also breaks down his six-part framework for building influence and his CARE method for earning trust quickly.
What you will discover:
Why the mechanics of a platform matter less than the psychology of its audience
Why LinkedIn users protect their reputation more than they chase engagement
How changing default settings can shift behavior faster than changing beliefs
The six-part framework for moving someone from noticing you to recommending you
The CARE method for building trust: competence, authenticity, repeatability, and empathy
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand new book, Inner Propaganda. It explores the same mechanics of belief and influence that Howie and I discuss, applied to how we lead, communicate, and change minds. 
Connect with Howie Chan: https://howiechan.com/
Take his free quiz at https://influencestylequiz.com/
Connect with Howie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howiechaniam
Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/
Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/
Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/