A Productive Conversation
Hosted by productivity strategist Mike Vardy, A Productive Conversation offers insightful discussions on how to craft a life that aligns with your intentions. Each episode dives into the art of time devotion, productiveness, and refining your approach to daily living. Mike invites guests who are thinkers, doers, and creators to share their strategies for working smarter and living more intentionally. From practical tips to deep dives on mindset shifts, this podcast will help you reframe your relationship with time and find balance in a busy world. Subscribe and join the conversation—because a productive life is more than just getting th...
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Chris Bailey Talks About Intentionality, Values, and Finishing What You Start
<p>In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down once again with author and researcher Chris Bailey to explore what it really means to live—and work—intentionally. This conversation centers on his latest book, Intentional: How to Finish What You Start, and the decade of curiosity that led him there.<br>We dig into why goals often fail us, how culture shapes our relationship with productivity, and why values—not habits, hacks, or willpower—sit at the core of meaningful progress. This isn’t a surface-level productivity chat. It’s a thoughtful examination of why we do what we do...
A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE: The 12 Tips of TimeCrafting
<p>This is a reflective, solo episode where I share twelve essential TimeCrafting tips—not as rules or resolutions, but as orienting ideas you can return to whenever your days feel scattered or misaligned. Think of this as a pause at the edge of the calendar year, and an invitation to relate to time differently. These tips are meant to be lived with, not completed. You don’t need all twelve. One idea is often enough to begin again. Whether you’re closing out a year or simply noticing that your relationship with time feels off, this episode offers a ground...
Productivity A to Z with Erik Fisher: Volume 2 (Part 1)
<p>In December 2024, Erik Fisher and I sit down to explore the alphabet of productivity — a tradition that started as a one-off idea and has now become an annual ritual. This year, we dove back in to see how our thinking has shifted, sharpened, or completely transformed. Turns out, a lot can change in a year… especially when life, work, and expectations rearrange themselves without asking permission.</p><p>In this special episode of A Productive Conversation, Erik joins me to unpack the first half of our A-to-Z list – the second part is featured on Eriks' podcast, Beyond the to-Do List...
Faisal Hoque Talks About Humanity, AI, and What Comes Next
<p>This time on A Productive Conversation, I sit down with someone who has spent decades at the intersection of technology, leadership, and what it means to remain truly human. Faisal Hoque isn’t just writing about AI from afar—he has lived inside this world for more than thirty years. From founding multiple companies to advising global organizations and government agencies, he brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and grounded philosophical clarity.</p><p>In this conversation, we get into his newest book, Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI, and explore the place where innovation meet...
PM Talks S2E12: Legacy
<p>This episode marks the final PM Talks conversation of the 2025 calendar year, and it’s a fitting one: Patrick and I explore legacy — not as something we engineer, but as something that unfolds in the stories others tell about us. As always, this episode is part of our monthly PM Talks series, and it might be the most reflective note we’ve ended on so far.</p><p><br>We talk about time, presence, family, uncertainty, and the way small choices echo long after we’re gone. This one weaves philosophy into the everyday in a way that feels real, gr...
Michael Breus Talks About Sleep, Chronotypes, and the Three Dominoes of Wellness
<p>Most of us think of sleep as a nightly event. Michael Breus thinks of it as a lifelong pattern—a shifting, evolving chronotype that changes as we age. Every time he joins me, we end up deep in the details of how rest, alertness, and biology shape our days. This conversation was no different.</p><p><br>In this episode, Michael and I dig into the core ideas behind his book Sleep, Drink, Breathe, why wellness keeps getting more complicated, and how simple habits—done with intention—can create real momentum. We also get into mouth taping, CPAP myths, the ri...
Quang X. Pham Talks About Underdogs and Effort That Delivers Results
<p>In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down with Quang X. Pham — entrepreneur, author, and the first American of Vietnamese descent to become a U.S. Marine Corps aviator. Quang’s story is the definition of an underdog’s rise — from a young refugee in America to leading a Nasdaq-listed biotech company. His new book, Underdog Nation: Zero in on Effort and Results for Success, captures the lessons learned through perseverance, purpose, and performance.</p><p><br>Our conversation dives into what it truly means to be an underdog — not just in sports or business, but in life. We e...
Chris Dalla Riva Talks About Music, Data, and the Stories Behind the Hits
<p>This episode of A Productive Conversation features Chris Dalla Riva, a musician, data analyst, and Senior Product Manager at Audiomack who bridges the gap between creativity and analytics. Chris joins me to discuss his book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves.</p><p>As part of his research, Chris listened to every Billboard Hot 100 number-one song—nearly 1,200 of them—tracking trends, rating songs, and discovering how randomness, technology, and taste shape what becomes a hit. We explore the intersection of numbers and nuance, how data can deepen our understanding of art, and what...
PM Talks S2E11: Trust
<p>This latest edition of our monthly PM Talks series dives into a topic that underpins nearly everything we do: trust. From trusting the moment you’re in to trusting the systems you build, Patrick Rhone and I explore how this single word quietly defines the way we live, work, and connect.</p><p>In this conversation, we move from the personal—trusting ourselves, our instincts, and our attention—to the societal, exploring what happens when trust erodes in our institutions, technology, and even the tools meant to make life easier.</p><p>Six Discussion Points</p>Why trusting the moment...
James Kimmel Jr. Talks About The Science of Revenge and the Power of Forgiveness
<p>In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down with James Kimmel Jr., JD — a Yale lecturer, lawyer, and leading researcher on the neuroscience of revenge. His new book, The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World’s Deadliest Addiction—and How to Overcome It, explores why our brains crave retaliation and how forgiveness can literally rewire us toward peace.</p><p><br>Our conversation begins with a deeply personal story that shaped James’s life’s work and unpacks how revenge functions like an addiction — one fueled by pain, dopamine, and unchecked desire. What follows is a fascinating look at how...
