History is a Freakshow - Fin Taylor & Horatio Gould - #1019

Modern Wisdom

11/13/25

•

92m

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Fin Taylor is an English comedian, writer and podcaster.

Horatio Gould is also an English comedian, writer, and podcaster.

History is basically one long reminder that no matter how bad your day is, someone in the past was probably getting catapulted off a castle wall. Feel better? Good. Humanity may be a litany of disasters, but the past is packed with lessons, even some dark humor, if you look closely enough.

Expect to learn what makes the Japanese unique and why so many Japanese people practiced Seppuku, why post-war Europe was the funniest time in modern history, wether life was better in the past or just way, way worse than we imagined, why there is a rise of pro-Hitler media across social media, if too much irony is a bad thing, why racism is so ingrained in modern science, if fertility and embryo science has gone too far and much more...

Timestamps:

(0:00) What Makes Japanese Culture So Distinct? (9:44) Was Post-War Britain the Funniest Time in History? (18:15) The Unlikely Heroes of Post-War Britain (22:30) Life Has Been Much Worse (27:12) How Would Historical Leaders Cope in Today’s World? (32:10) The Shocking Rise of Pro-Hilter Media (42:01) Were the Aztecs as Brutal as We Think? (46:33) Will Bryan Johnson Actually Live to 120? (53:58) Is Too Much Irony a Bad Thing? (01:07:38) Why Was Racism So Ingrained in Science? (01:21:08) When Does Embryo Selection Go Too Far? (01:31:12) What’s Next for Fin and Horatio?

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Previous Episode

Behind The Bravado of Modern British Football - Peter Crouch - #1018

November 10, 2025

•

95m

Peter Crouch is a former professional footballer, sports pundit, and podcaster.

What was it like playing in the Premier League alongside some of football’s most intense personalities? In an era where a goal celebration, whether it was the robot or a knee slide, showed your confidence as much as your skill, what was life like for Peter Crouch back then, and what’s he up to now

Expect to learn why so many ex-footballers started doing podcasts, what the common psychological archetype of top flight football players are, what being inside Premier League dressing rooms taught Peter about masculinity, why there are still no publicly gay premier league players, how Peter dealt with anxiety and the adrenaline whilst being a footballer, what worst part of the job that the general public don’t understand and much more...

Timestamps:

(0:00) Why Do Ex-Footballers Turn to Podcasting? (8:39) What Archetype Shapes Most Footballers? (18:37) The ‘Man-Up’ Mentality of Changing Rooms (24:25) Why Don’t Players Want to Come Out? (35:40) Does Success Breed Toxicity in Elite Sport? (43:21) The Importance of Enjoying the Journey (01:00:55) How Peter Used Nerves and Anxiety as Fuel (01:09:48) Why Do Ex-Footballers Go Bankrupt? (01:13:16) The Silent Cost of Heading the Ball: What is it Doing to Players Long-Term? (01:21:19) How British Football Became a Religion (01:25:38) The Key to a Thriving Relationship in the Spotlight (01:34:06) Where to Find Peter

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Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom

Extra Stuff:

Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books

Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom

Episodes You Might Enjoy:

#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠

#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠

#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠

Get In Touch:

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Next Episode

Why We Fall for the Wrong People - Jessica Baum - #1020

November 15, 2025

•

74m

Jessica Baum is a psychotherapist, relationship expert, and author.

What does it actually take to feel safe in a relationship? If you’ve had chaotic partners or a past where you never knew where you stood, safety can feel like work instead of something natural. So how do you rebuild that sense of security, and what steps help you learn to feel safe with someone again?

Expect to learn what the best definition of safety in a relationship is, what some of the signs for someone feeling unsafe in a relationship from their nervous system is, the common protection strategies and inner protectors people develop, why we confuse independence with strength, why romantic relationships reflect early attachment wounds, why anxious and avoidant people find each other so magnetic, how to retrain the body to feel safe after chaos and much more...

Timestamps:

(0:00) How Can We Create a Sense of Safety? (4:53) Are Independent Women Becoming Disconnected with Their Bodies? (13:26) The Power of Slowing Down: Why Our Nervous Systems Needs It (19:18) Why We Confuse Familiarity with Safety, Even When It Hurts Us (36:47) Why Feeling Safe Feels So Vulnerable (41:11) Anchoring, Co-Regulation and Reaching the Ventral State (47:11) Healing the Wounds You Inherited (54:02) Practical Tools For Building Safety in Your Relationship (58:42) Why Rupture and Repair is the Foundation of a Healthy Relationship (01:04:23) Should You Stay, or Should You Leave? (01:10:36) Where to Find Jessica

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Extra Stuff:

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Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books

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Check out Jessica Baum's new book "SAFE" here: https://jessicabaumlmhc.com/interviewJessica's Socials: https://www.facebook.com/consciousrelationshipgroup?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/jessicabaumlmhc?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-baum-lmhc-cap-038a1538?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Episodes You Might Enjoy:

#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠

#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠

#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠

Get In Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast

Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices