Ep17: Simone and Malcolm Collins, Neuroscience, Permanent Transformation and Being Offended

Malcolm & Simone Collins share the origin of best-selling book, The Pragmatist’s Guide to Life, how to effectively become who you want to be, reinventing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, what to do when you’re offended, why being nice is cowardly and their plans for the future.  

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Originally a neuroscientist focused on brain-computer interface and the evolution of human cognition (his work is on display at the Smithsonian), Malcolm Collins felt he could learn more about the way humans interact with the world and each other by pursuing an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. There he met Simone, his wife and co-author, who at the time was Director of Marketing at HubPages.com, managing a team of 20,000 freelancers. Together they co-founded the art commission marketplace ArtCorgi.com, after which Malcolm became Director of Strategy at South Korea's most desired source of early-stage capital and Simone earned her graduate degree from Cambridge while working in VC. The couple now runs a number of travel companies (with a focus on Travelmax), splitting their time between North American headquarters in Miami, FL and South American offices in Lima, Peru.

Show Notes:

[3:08] The inception of the Pragmatist’s Guide to Life

[5:40] Going beyond the clichés of purpose

[6:58] Aligning your core beliefs with what you want in life

[8:18] Transforming yourself by wiping your slate clean & creating a “character sheet”

[13:09] Reinventing how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works

[14:39] Where science gets stuck in the current lexicon

[15:30] What Malcolm thinks is wrong in his field right now

[16:54] Arguing with the fake person in your brain

[17:59] “You’re a sticky ball rolling down a side-walk”—Malcolm Collins

[19:57] Being offended by something (having your world view challenged)

[21:47] Simone’s personal Mind Flipping story about gender

[23:00] Malcolm & Simone’s standard of evidence

[25:17] Phrase of the Day: I might be wrong.

[27:18] The common belief in her field with which Simone disagrees

[29:29] Being nice isn’t kind

[33:10] Using your emotions productively

[34:12] Art Corgi, Travel Max & Discover Peru

[35:53] What is a Flux Period?

[37:32] What’s next for the Pragmatist’s Guide to Life?

[39:12] Malcolm & Simone receive a Major Award!

[40:22] Malcolm & Simone’s final request for listeners

For more information on Simone & Malcolm’s 4 step process for changing your life and a free copy of The Pragmatist’s guide, CLICK HERE.  If you’re interested in travel services or visiting Peru, email Simone & Malcolm at ceo (at) travelmax.com. You can find information about their venture capital company by CLICKING HERE.