Welcome to the first episode of the Solved Podcast. Today, we are solving your values.

Over eight years ago, I wrote The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck—a book that, underneath all the swearing and irreverence, was really about one thing: values. What do you care about? What’s actually worth your time, your energy, your life?

So in this kickoff episode of SOLVED, Drew and I are going deep into why your values are the foundation of everything—your happiness, your mental health, your relationships, your sense of meaning—and why so many of us today feel so lost.

We break down the difference between chasing cheap dopamine hits and building real fulfillment, why not all values are created equal, how to figure out what your true values are, how to change your values, how to start living out your values more fully, and how values silently shape your decisions and relationships every day. If you’ve ever felt stuck, directionless, or like you’re living someone else’s life, this episode is the wake-up call you need. It’s time to stop drifting through life and start giving a fck about the right things. Forget the rest.

Welcome to SOLVED.

Get the Values companion guide for this episode: https://solvedpodcast.com/values

Ready to stop listening to podcasts and actually start taking action? Join the Momentum, a community of like-minded people who are taking small steps every day to make big changes in their lives: https://findmomentum.com

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Chapters

00:00 Welcome to SOLVED

07:47 Episode Roadmap

09:31 CHAPTER 1: What are Values?

10:26 Characteristics of Values

14:23 Values vs. Psychological Needs vs. Preferences

23:06 Schwartz's Values Wheel

30:36 Instrumental and Terminal Values

32:15 Hierarchy of Values

38:35 Values Conflict

42:35 Carol Ryff's Six Dimensions of Psychological Well-being

57:01 Aristotle's Golden Mean as Virtue

1:05:01 CHAPTER 2: Values and Your Relationships

1:22:56 The Clash of Values in Relationships

1:30:29 Identifying and Navigating Values in Relationships

1:34:40 Understanding Compatibility Through Values

1:37:25 CHAPTER 3: Where Do Values Come From?

1:38:20 Margaret Mead's Cultural Relativism

1:47:55 Mary Douglas's and the Grid-Group Framework

1:56:20 Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory

2:09:26 The Allegory of the Taco Truck

2:14:34 CHAPTER 4: Identifying Your Core Values

2:16:58 Thought Experiments to Find Your Values

2:32:16 The Instrumental Value of Golf

2:41:45 The Role of Trauma in Value Change

2:48:53 CHAPTER 5: How to Change Your Values

2:50:44 Kazimierz Dabrowski and Positive Disintegration

3:03:22 On Cults and Cognitive Dissonance

3:16:26 Self-Confrontation and Value Change

3:18:34 Charlie Munger's Maxim: Incentives and Behavior

3:21:56 CHAPTER 6: Lessons and Takeaways

3:36:30 The 80/20 of Values

3:55:57 Reflecting on the Episode

New podcast launches May 1st! We'll be releasing on this same feed, so all you have to do is stay subscribed to this channel and you'll get all the new episodes as they come out.

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After more than 70 episodes and 30 million downloads, I’ve decided to shut down The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast. Yeah, I know—sounds a little crazy. But the truth is, I wasn’t having fun anymore. The guest treadmill, the pressure to play nice, the temptation to chase clicks instead of meaning—it all started to feel fake. So, I’m pulling the plug.

BUT—I’m not going away. I’m launching something new. It’s called Solved—a no-ads, no-guests, deep-dive podcast where each episode tackles one major life topic and breaks it down thoroughly. Think: values, emotions, procrastination—done right, from every angle, with real research and clear implementation. It’s the podcast I wish already existed. So I’m making it. First episode drops May 1 st!

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I’ve got a special episode for you today. I sat down in person with my longtime friend and first-ever podcast guest, Derek Sivers. We haven’t recorded live before, and honestly, it shows—in the best way. It’s raw, weird, and filled with the kind of conversations we usually when we’re just hanging out together.

We dig into Derek’s new book, Useful, Not True, and the big idea behind it: that our beliefs don’t need to be true to be helpful. That spins off into everything from remixing creative influences (metal + Dixieland jazz, anyone?) to why most podcasts—including mine—have gotten painfully predictable. We talk artistic reinvention, Bob Dylan, Bowie, Miles Davis, why most “thought leaders” are just regurgitating each other’s ideas, and why I'm ending the podcast as you know it—and what’s next!

We also dive into the deeper stuff: the emotional power of belief, authenticity vs. performative vulnerability, therapy culture, and why sometimes the most liberating thing you can do is reject what everyone else thinks is necessary—relationships, kids, all of it.

This was one of the most honest, meandering, and creatively energizing conversations I’ve had in a while. If you’re into big questions, unconventional ideas, and the occasional musical metaphor, this one’s for you.

Derek’s new book- Useful, Not True: https://www.amazon.com/Useful-Not-True-Derek-Sivers-ebook/dp/B0D86K4XF5

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

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