Magical Overthinkers

How much of who you are is really you—and how much is habit, circumstance, or a story you started telling yourself a long time ago? This week, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by journalist and author Olga Khazan (@olganator) to explore the strange, sticky concept of personality: where it comes from, why it feels so permanent, and whether we can actually change it. We touch on the appeal of personality frameworks like Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram, but zoom out to ask deeper questions: Do people ever really change, or do we just learn how to act differently? What happens when we no longer feel like the person we’re known to be? A quiet spiral about identity, adaptability, and the mysterious choreography of who we become.Further Reading: Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change by Olga Khazan  - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.- To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.- Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Head to https://Greenchef.com/50MAGICAL and use code 50MAGICAL to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.  Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical⁠⁠⁠ Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at ⁠⁠https://www.skims.com/magical⁠⁠ #skimspartner Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to⁠⁠⁠ https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL⁠⁠⁠ to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we, against all logic, evidence, and bank account balances, still kind of believe that billionaires earned it? This week on Magical Overthinkers, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) sits down with writer and cultural critic Dasia Sade (@dasiadoesit) to unravel the glittery, gaslight-y spell of billionaire worship in America: how it started, who profits from it, and what it’s doing to our collective sense of possibility (and sanity). From Calvinism to Musk, we trace how a stew of religious guilt, PR manipulation, and celebrity obsession shaped a culture where having a billion dollars feels aspirational instead of deeply dystopian. Plus: why most of us can’t actually comprehend how much a billion is, what billionaires are really doing with all that money, and what it might take to finally break the spell (spoiler: it’s not another Forbes profile). - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.- To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.- Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical⁠⁠ Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at ⁠https://www.skims.com/magical⁠ #skimspartner Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to⁠⁠ https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL⁠⁠ to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at ⁠https://MINTMOBILE.com/magical⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What even is laziness? A moral failing? A personality flaw? Or just capitalism talking? In a culture obsessed with productivity and grindset mentality, the fear of being perceived as “lazy” runs deep—and it’s often weaponized against people who are overwhelmed, burnt out, or simply existing outside the hustle.To help us rethink laziness from a more philosophical (and compassionate) perspective, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by Ellie Anderson (@ellieanderphd), philosopher, college professor, and co-host of the podcast Overthink. Together, they explore where our cultural obsession with busyness comes from, how laziness intersects with class and race, and why doing nothing might just be the most radical act of all.Further listening: Overthink podcast with Ellie Anderson and David Peña-Guzmán. - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.- To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.- Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to⁠ https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL⁠ to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/magical  Make this spring your most delicious yet with Green Chef. Head to https://greenchef.com/50MAGICAL and use code 50MAGICAL to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at⁠ https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is intuition just a fancy word for guesswork, or is it a real, reliable tool we can actually trust? And if it is real, how do we tell the difference between genuine gut feelings and anxiety disguised as instinct? For a phenomenon that’s supposed to be effortless, intuition can spark a lot of magical overthinking. To help untangle it all, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by journalist and author Elizabeth Greenwood (@lizgreenwood4u), whose new book Everyday Intuition explores the science, psychology, and everyday magic of tuning into your inner voice. Together, they dive into how intuition really works, why it's often misunderstood, and how to cultivate it without spiraling into self-doubt.Further reading: Elizabeth Greenwood’s Everyday Intuition (available May 6th!).  - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.- To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.- Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Thanks to Our Sponsors: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at https://www.skims.com/magical #skimspartner Thrive all year with clean, easy meals from Green Chef. Go to https://GreenChef.com/magicalfree and use code magicalfree to get started with FREE Salads for two months plus 50% off your first box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The decision to cut someone out of your life—whether a parent, a sibling, or a once-close friend—can feel both deeply necessary and impossibly fraught. But why does going no contact inspire so much shame, confusion, and second-guessing, especially when it’s often a tool for self-preservation? What does it really mean to choose absence over obligation? In this episode, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by Jeanette Tran, a professor at Drake University who explores the complexities of estrangement through an unexpected lens: Shakespeare. Drawing from centuries-old drama, Jeanette helps us parse why going no contact still feels so taboo, how literature mirrors (and sometimes distorts) our ideas of family and forgiveness, and why choosing peace can be the most radical act of all. Further reading: Jeanette Tran’s essay “As more Americans go ‘no contact’ with their parents, they live out a dilemma at the heart of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’” in The Conversation.   - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers. - To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack. - Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Thanks to Our Sponsors: Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical Thrive all year with clean, easy meals from Green Chef. Go to https://GreenChef.com/magicalfree and use code magicalfree to get started with FREE Salads for two months plus 50% off your first box. No matter how you say it, don’t overpay for it. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/magical Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices