Show Notes
Picture the most wrong person you know. Now consider that somewhere out there, someone is just as certain about you. In this episode, I explain why we all feel like the last sane person on Earth, and why that feeling itself might be the actual delusion. Psychologists call it naive realism, the belief that we see reality as it is and anyone who disagrees is misinformed or brainwashed. I wanted to build an episode that gives you the manual nobody ever handed us for how our own minds work, especially in a world that feels louder and more polarized by the day. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore 12 ideas that sit at the heart of my new book, Inner Propaganda, each one designed to stand on its own. I cover why a single word can plant a false memory, why a failed doomsday prophecy made a cult more certain rather than less, why AI bots outperformed human debaters on Reddit by studying people rather than facts, and why intelligence often just makes us better at defending the wrong conclusion. I also share a personal story from coaching a university football team the night before the biggest game of their lives, and what I learned about the difference between statements and prompts. What you will discover: Why certainty is a feeling your brain produces rather than proof you are correct How the words used to describe an event can rewrite your memory of it Why AI works as an amplifier of whatever you already believe, not a filter for truth Why overwhelm, not deception, is the most common form of manipulation Why nuance, not certainty, is the closest thing we have to seeing the world clearly If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand new book, Inner Propaganda, launching August 4th and just named an August must-read by the Next Big Idea Club. Pre-order now and you will get a free masterclass, a workbook, and behind-the-scenes interviews. Pre-order Inner Propaganda: https://innerpropaganda.com/ Free masterclasses: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/summer
More from Inner Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick
Over 30 years as a therapist and executive coach, I noticed that almost every person I worked with explained their problems using one of two stories. Some saw themselves as the victim of everything happening around them. Others saw themselves as the villain, the reason everything kept falling apart. Both stories can feel completely true, and sometimes the evidence backs them up. The trouble is that the inner dictator only shows us the evidence that supports the story it wants us to believe. Each of us has been a victim, a villain, and a hero at different moments, which means we have more choice in the story we sell ourselves than we realize. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore the victim story and the villain story, how the inner dictator uses each one as a tactic, and how the arcs of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker show us what it looks like to move toward a hero story. I also share the five steps I have used with clients for decades to help them build a hero narrative and an antifragile identity. What you will discover: The two stories most people tell about their problems, and how to spot which one you are running Why being a villain is another way of being a victim How the inner dictator chooses evidence to make its narrative feel like fact The five As: awareness, agency, alternatives, adapt, and accept How Viktor Frankl's search for meaning and Nassim Nicholas Taleb's idea of antifragility can help you keep moving forward If you enjoyed this episode, check out my new book, Inner Propaganda, where I explore how the stories we sell to ourselves become the beliefs we buy into. It is packed with research, history, and practical tools to help you recognize your own inner propaganda and change the story. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/ Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/ Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/
When was the last time you sat down with someone who sees the world very differently and listened to understand them? I believe the biggest problem in the world today is that we are not disagreeing effectively enough. Too often, we decide it is pointless even to try. Polarization, echo chambers, and media that amplify the most extreme voices have convinced many of us that the gap between "us" and "them" is too wide to cross. Research shows we consistently overestimate how extreme the other side is, and when we respond with shame and moral outrage, we often push people further away. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore why shaming backfires, what the rise of the Nazis teaches us about ignoring people's grievances, and why identity-protective cognition makes us reject views that challenge who we are. I also share a conversation with my guide in Afghanistan that tested my ability to disagree well, along with research on deep canvassing and what it reveals about how people change their minds. What you will discover: Why we overestimate how extreme the other side really is How shaming and moral outrage can create the very thing they oppose What identity-protective cognition means for every difficult conversation How the illusion of explanatory depth opens the door to more flexible thinking Why curiosity and respect give us the best chance of changing minds If you enjoyed this episode, check out my new book, Inner Propaganda. It explores how the stories we are sold by leaders, by the media, and by our own minds shape what we believe, and what it really takes to change hearts and minds in a polarized world. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/ Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/ Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/
What if your competitors are wrestling with the same dilemma you are, and nobody is brave enough to ask? My friend Jess Pettitt, a Hall of Fame speaker and crisis advisor, believes this fear is keeping good organizations from doing better. In her new book, Doing Good Better, Jess adapts Maslow's hierarchy of needs for organizations. At the top sits outlasting the cycle: surviving recession, disruption, and crisis while staying true to your values. She argues that every mistake you have made prepares you to recognize the next one faster. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore with Jess why leaders fear admitting mistakes, the internal and external pressures behind that fear, and the two questions she asks leadership teams that reveal where they really stand. We also discuss the shareholder-versus-stakeholder debate, a protein loophole in the food industry, an oil refinery racing its competitors, and what it would take for AI leaders to agree on a shared off button. What you will discover: How organizations can climb their own version of Maslow's hierarchy Why past mistakes are preparation for recognizing new ones How internal and external pressure shape the decisions leaders make Why collaboration with competitors can create collective decisions that do good How to take back control of your own sense of urgency Jess' new book, Doing Good Better, is out now! I highly recommend it. Spread the word, and you can order it here: https://jesspettitt.com/doing-good-better-2/. Take Jess Pettitt's advisory survey: https://jesspettitt.com/advisory-survey Learn more about Jess: https://jesspettitt.com/ Exciting news: my brand new book, Inner Propaganda, is now available to buy in Ireland and the UK. In the book, I explore how our beliefs form, why they resist change, and how leaders can align what they do with who they are. You can now find it on https://www.amazon.ie/ and https://www.amazon.co.uk/. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/ Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/
Whenever I feel anxious or down, a voice in my head speaks with complete authority. It tells me I'm a fraud, that I'm broken, that nothing I do matters. I call it the inner dictator, and I have named him Dick. Inner propaganda is how we convince ourselves of the ideas we hold. The stories we sell to ourselves become the beliefs we buy into, and the inner dictator is the voice that sells the darkest of them with total certainty. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore why recognizing the inner dictator weakens its hold, drawing on the persuasion knowledge model and my own experiences of propaganda in North Korea. I then go through the most common lines Dick uses on me, from "You're a freak" to "The world is so full of pain," and share how I talk back to each one. What you will discover: Why naming the inner dictator makes its messages less convincing How the change of meaning principle works inside your own mind Why your mood decides which evidence feels like proof Simple questions that expose the vague claims behind self-doubt How to judge a thought by its usefulness rather than its accuracy If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand-new book, Inner Propaganda, where I explore how the stories we are sold by leaders, the media, and our own minds shape what we believe. Drawing on field research and stories from across history, it offers practical ways to take back control of your own narrative. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/ Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/ Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/
If you have ever felt like you are not a good enough parent, partner, friend, or professional, you have met the inner dictator. It is a voice of absolute certainty that tells you the limits of your potential, and it can sabotage your chances of success. The belief "I am not good enough" is so vague and abstract that it is hard to pin down and easy to accept. It is a form of inner propaganda, a story your mind tells you to keep things simple and stable. In this episode of Inner Propaganda, I explore how to tackle this belief from every angle, drawing on my book, cognitive behavioral therapy, neurolinguistic programming, and mindfulness. I share the belief audit, a way to define what "good" and "enough" actually mean, and questions that test how much evidence sits behind the belief. What you will discover: Why "I am not good enough" is inner propaganda from the inner dictator The four questions of the belief audit How to define "good" and "enough" so the belief becomes specific and testable How to build an antifragile identity that turns mistakes into growth Questions that test how certain you really are, including rating your certainty from one to ten If you enjoyed this episode, check out my brand new book, Inner Propaganda, where I show how the stories your mind tells you take hold and share the tools you can use to challenge them. It draws on stories from history, the latest research, and everyday life to explain what leads us to believe what we do. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/ Join my newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/ Order my book, Inner Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Propaganda-Leading-Through-Turbulent/dp/1646872444/