The Jordan Harbinger Show • 26 June 2025

1174: Brad Meltzer | The Life-Changing Magic of Empathy and Kindness

Kindness has become our culture's rarest magic trick. Author Brad Meltzer breaks down how life operates like a magic show — and why you're the magician!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1174

What We Discuss with Brad Meltzer:

Life mirrors magic tricks. Make the best version of yourself appear, harness your fears instead of eliminating them, switch places with others through empathy, and embrace constant transformation — the hardest but most valuable skill.
Our culture is starving for kindness and empathy. Social media amplifies the loudest, angriest voices while genuine human connection gets lost. We've stopped treating each other as real people behind the screens.
Use criticism as rocket fuel, not poison. Brad carried a harsh critic's words for 20 years, but they motivated rather than destroyed him because he didn't respect the source. Prove your doubters wrong through action.
Thank the people who believed in you first. Brad's ninth-grade teacher who said "you can write" changed his life. When he returned years later with his published book, she cried and delayed retirement by 13 years.
Ordinary people change the world through small acts of kindness. Thank janitors for keeping spaces clean, acknowledge service workers, show empathy to strangers — your impact is far bigger than you realize.
And much more...

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