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Michael Morris joins James Smith to dismantle the popular myth that tribalism is humanity's curse. A renowned cultural psychologist and Columbia Business School professor, Morris argues that our tribal instincts aren't hardwired hatred for outsiders, they're the very adaptations that allowed humans to outcompete Neanderthals, build civilisations, and cooperate at scales no other species can match.

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He explains:

◼️ Why tribal instincts are the glue of human cooperation, not division

◼️ How the peer, hero, and ancestor instincts shape every group you join

◼️ Why dating apps and social media distort our perception of attractiveness

◼️ How cults and extremist groups exploit our conformist psychology

◼️ Why ordinary Germans went along with the Nazis — and why you probably would too

Chapters:

00:00 The Myth of Hardwired Tribal Hatred

01:51 What's Actually Wrong With Tribalism

03:30 Defining Tribal Instincts Properly

05:08 The Three Waves: Peer, Hero, Ancestor

07:07 Why Humans Evolved Differently to Apes

10:17 Do Chimpanzees Have Culture?

12:02 How Culture Shapes Political Systems

15:22 The Overlooked Positives of Tribalism

19:05 The Small Tribes All Around Us

22:04 How Leaders Actually Change Culture

24:02 Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Story

28:21 Cannibalism and Neanderthal Inbreeding

29:28 The Trolley Test of Human Decency

33:41 How Homo Sapiens Outcompeted Neanderthals

36:48 Why Groups of Humans Become Apex Predators

37:35 Modern Family Structures and Dating Apps

40:06 The Body Dysmorphia Crisis Online

44:10 Social Media as a Funhouse Mirror

45:14 James on American Political Polarisation

47:11 The Addiction of Virtue Signalling

49:19 Hot Takes and the Race for Status

51:36 Where Status Sits in Tribal Psychology

54:21 Why We Imitate Celebrities and Heroes

56:01 The Asch Experiment and Conformity

59:04 Heaven's Gate and the Mechanics of Cults

01:00:58 The Decline of Young Men's Social Groups

01:03:16 Would You Have Been a Nazi?

01:05:36 The Milgram Shock Experiment

01:06:47 Why Tribalism Is the Solution, Not the Problem

01:10:00 Where to Find Tribal

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Anthony "Staz" Stasziker, a former special forces officer, shares essential life advice on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the problem with living a comfortable life. Staz highlights that true success, much like military training in special ops, is not easily achieved but requires dedication. It's about putting in the effort, not just romanticizing the idea.

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Follow Staz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stazthrudark/

Check out Thrudark: https://www.thrudark.com/

Check out Thrudark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThruDark

Chapters

00:00 - Why Comfort Is Making Us Weak

01:33 - The Friction We Desperately Need

06:34 - How Jiu-Jitsu Changed Everything

08:12 - Leaving Special Forces With Nothing

12:14 - The Hidden Force Controlling Your Life

19:28 - Are We Raising a Generation of Losers?

25:02 - From Failed Footballer to Elite Sniper

31:34 - What They Don't Tell You About Special Forces

41:53 - The Future of War Is Terrifying

51:59 - The Real Reason Men Are Falling Apart

56:04 - The Trauma Nobody Talks About

01:00:57 - The Drug Curing PTSD Overnight

01:06:34 - Why He Climbed Everest in 7 Days

01:22:19 - Buried Alive on the World's Highest Mountain

01:43:38 - What He Learned at 29,000 Feet
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Ian Leslie joins James Smith to unpack the uncomfortable truth about honesty: we can't actually handle it. A bestselling author and host of the Where Shall We Meet podcast, Ian argues that lying isn't a bug in human nature but an evolutionary feature — the very thing responsible for our big brains, our creativity, and our capacity for art.

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🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com

Ian Leslie On Substack – https://ianleslie.substack.com/

The Ruffian Podcast by Ian Leslie - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qm30smGRQjhEPUMq49uU8

James opens up about being honest with his employees, hiring a brutally candid editor for his next book, and how a rugby coach telling him he "played like shit" taught him more than any polite feedback ever could.

He explains:

◼️ Why lying is a sign of intelligence, creativity and empathy in children

◼️ How the online world breeds dishonesty

◼️ Why office politics is passive aggression at scale

◼️ How trust is the prerequisite for any productive disagreement

◼️ Why sport is civilisation's greatest cage for our warrior instincts

Chapters:

00:00 Why Lying Is Hardwired Into Our Intelligence

01:22 The Problem With Honesty Is We Can't Handle It

03:14 The Invention of Lying and Useful Deception

06:12 Why Lying Sits in Our Moral Grey Zone

08:37 When Your Child Should Start Lying to You

10:48 Autism, Theory of Mind and Honesty

12:01 Conformity as a Form of Social Lying

14:30 Self-Deception and the Lizard Brain

15:59 Cults, Ideologies and Online Group Lies

19:37 Interrogation Tricks and Cognitive Load

22:05 Telling Stories Backwards to Catch Liars

22:46 The Jiu-Jitsu Ringworm Test

25:18 Artists as Legitimised Liars

26:24 Bob Dylan's Reinvention and the Line Between Lying and Art

27:18 Embellishment, Storytelling and Social Incentives

28:50 Advertising as a Lie We Collude In

30:08 Dating Dynamics and Honesty With Women

32:29 Why Honesty Is Your Best Bet in the Long Run

34:09 The Woman Who Lied About Her Age

36:04 Botox, Makeup and Physical Deception

38:13 Height, Ethnicity and the Online Dating Filter

41:13 How Digital Breaks Humans Into Packets

41:56 Why Workplaces Are Full of Bullshit

44:14 Office Politics as Passive Aggression at Scale

45:06 James Getting Dropped From His Rugby Team

47:22 Hiring a Brutally Honest Editor

48:40 Trust as the Prerequisite for Honesty

50:00 The Two Channels of Every Difficult Conversation

52:19 Jiu-Jitsu, Conflict Resolution and Primal Urges

55:06 Sport as Civilisation's Substitute for War

57:37 Michael Jordan as a Roman Warrior

57:58 John Jones and the Beautiful Cage of MMA

58:24 The Ashes, the Barmy Army and Sportsmanship

01:00:24 The Gilded Cage of Rules and Norms

01:01:13 Zero-Sum Games and Honest Feedback

01:03:09 Why Participation Medals Miss the Point

01:05:16 Giving Brutal Feedback on Content

01:07:16 Have You Earned the Right to Be Honest?

01:08:26 Ian's Book: John and Paul — A Love Story in Songs

01:11:22 The Creative Power of Love

This conversation takes a candid look at why deception is woven into the fabric of human intelligence, the corrosive cost of workplaces where nobody says what they think, and the trust that has to exist before honesty can actually land. Ian's perspective on disagreement, creativity and the relationship channel beneath every argument offers a sharp counterpoint to James's trademark bluntness — and the result is a conversation that will change how you think about every hard conversation you've ever avoided.
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James Haskell joins James Smith for a brutally honest conversation about life after professional sport, the chaos of building multiple businesses, and what it actually takes to stay relevant when the game is over. A former England rugby star, Sunday Times bestselling author, and DJ, Haskell pulls no punches on the mental cost of reinvention — and why his obsession with performing has never really left him.

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James Haskell on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jameshaskell

James Haskell's music – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ry5gHsT7l1X84yGPZeVIj

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – https://open.spotify.com/show/1LJJ9KUF4aAjcSPimyKfp3

James opens up about the fear of failure that drove him through rugby, the strange emptiness that follows success, and why 40 felt like the moment everything had to change. From DJing in a music industry that doesn't return emails, to launching Black Eye Gin with a £1.50-per-bottle charity model, to finally getting his testosterone tested — this one covers ground most people won't.

He covers:

◼️ Why being your own business is feast or famine — and how to future-proof it

◼️ The DJ career no one takes seriously (yet)

◼️ Building undeniable proof against self-doubt

◼️ Why catastrophising your future can be a legitimate motivational tool

◼️ What testosterone at level 3 actually feels like — and what TRT changed

◼️ The email list gap that's costing him (and you) real money

Chapters:

00:00 There Are a Lot of Lost Men Out There

01:23 The Problem With Being Your Own Business

03:22 Life After Rugby — Planning vs Panic

05:05 Finding What You Actually Want to Do

05:30 The DJ Career: 12 Years, 31 Records

07:22 MMA, Surgeries and the Body Paying the Price

09:24 Going Back to Basics in 2026

10:18 Why Haskell Got Into DJing

12:01 Building Undeniable Proof Against Self-Doubt

13:31 Imposter Syndrome, Evidence Bases and Therapy at 17

15:35 Creating Common Enemies as Motivation

18:06 Catastrophising as a Motivational Mechanism

18:44 Defining What Success Actually Looks Like

19:21 Why Very Wealthy Men Lose Their Money

20:01 The Rocky Montage Years: Fear of Failure as Fuel

20:52 Learning to Sit In the Moment

22:00 The Music Industry Is a Wild West Shambles

24:50 The 50 Cent Tour Story — Music vs Every Other Business

27:03 Drug Culture, Harm Reduction and the Honest Conversation

30:49 What He'd Tell His Daughter About Drugs

32:02 Social Media, Innocence and Raising Kids Today

33:39 Does Civilisation Correct Itself?

35:40 On Politics, Reform and Weak Leaders

37:13 Hair Transplants, Prince William and Shaving Your Head

39:14 The James Haskell Effect on Rugby Back Rows

41:47 Henry Pollock, Pranks and the England Camp

44:03 The Witch Teeth Prank at the Dentist

45:24 The 2007 World Cup — and Ronny Ring's Band of Brothers Moment

49:01 Maidenhead RFC, Getting Dropped and a Mate's Game of His Life

53:41 Black Eye Gin — The Charity, the Recipe and the Origin

57:06 Rugby, UFC and Sports That Don't Apologise for Themselves

59:55 Trying Neutonic for the First Time

01:01:05 Building an Event That Combines Sport, Music and Fitness

01:07:19 Peptides, BPC-157 and Healing a Torn Bicep

01:09:05 Testosterone at Level 3 — Getting on TRT

01:20:32 The Relevancy Trap and Running Active Businesses

01:22:38 The Infinity Pool Story — Getting the Balance Right

01:26:36 Why Haskell Doesn't Have an Email List (Yet)

01:27:46 The Email Marketing Masterclass He Didn't Ask For

01:37:57 What's Coming Next: Music, DJ Gigs and the Tequila Launch

This is one of those conversations that goes everywhere — rugby war stories, music industry chaos, drug policy, fatherhood, hormones, hair transplants, and the uncomfortable truth that being very good at performing doesn't automatically make you good at business. Haskell is funnier, more self-aware, and more switched-on than most people give him credit for — and this is the version of him you don't usually get to see.
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Dr Julie Smith joins James Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on the psychology of emotion, mental health, and what it really means to feel better. A clinical psychologist and international bestselling author, Dr Smith dismantles the idea that difficult emotions are problems to be solved and challenges James on everything from catastrophising and shame-based motivation to the surprising emotional cost of success.

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Dr Julie Smith's YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DrJulie

Dr Julie Smith On Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/drjulie/

James opens up about his experience of lockdown, being cut off from Australia, the relief (not happiness) of hitting major milestones, and why he uses financial goals as a psychological permission slip to keep overworking.

She explains:

◼️ Why wanting to feel better is sometimes part of the problem

◼️ How to recognise when distress is situational vs something deeper

◼️ The double standard we apply to ourselves vs others

◼️ Why self-compassion isn't weakness (it's the harder skill)

◼️ What status loss does to mental health and identity

Chapters:

00:00 The Problem With Trying to Feel Better

04:20 When Anxiety Means You're a Good Parent

07:23 Is Low Mood Situational or Something Deeper?

12:10 When Should You Actually Get Therapy?

13:52 James Being Locked Out of Australia

15:36 Not Feeling Like You Qualify for Help

17:34 The Workaholics Trap and Honest Feedback

18:45 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Where Does Dr Smith Stand?

20:23 James's LSD Day in the Park

21:49 The Periodic Table of Emotions

27:12 Vulnerability, Fatherhood and Opening Up

29:08 Redefining Success Beyond the Metrics

32:26 Giving Good Advice You Don't Take Yourself

34:49 Severance and the Work-Life Split

38:07 The Hidden Cost of Living a Very Public Life

41:24 When Followers Tell You You've Saved Their Life

44:28 How a Relationship Changed James's Relationship With Work

45:13 Status, Mental Health and the Fear of Losing It

53:01 The Double Standard We Have for Ourselves

55:42 Using Financial Goals as a Coping Mechanism

57:28 Catastrophising as Motivation

01:00:04 Why Every Goal Feels Empty After You Hit It

01:02:51 Fear of Success vs Fear of Failure

01:08:30 The Journey Is the Point — Not Just the Outcome

01:09:18 Sneak Peek: Dr Smith's New Book

01:10:21 Generational Amnesia and the Young People of Today

01:15:08 Closing Takeaways: What Actually Helps

This conversation takes a candid look at the psychology behind overwork, the emotional emptiness that can follow achievement, and the courage required to actually let people in. Dr Smith's clinical perspective on self-compassion, attachment, and the standards we hold ourselves to offers a grounding counterweight to James's trademark candour — and the result is one of the most honest conversations on mental health the podcast has produced.
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