Podcast Themes

Bill Burnett speaks about the fact that there is no one pathway but many possibilities that can unfold for us. Letting go of that “this is what I am meant to be doing” can be liberating.

Bill Burnett speaks about the distinction between energy and engagement and how journaling about these two can be illuminative for us.

Bill Burnett speaks about the idea of coherence and how we all can strive to design a coherent life. He also discusses the markers of a coherent life.

Bill Burnett speaks about two kinds of problems where people often get trapped with. Gravity problems are those that you can’t do much about and Anchor problems are those where a solution has crept into the problem without you realizing.

Bill Burnett speaks about the criticality of “problem finding” in contrast to problem solving that we all are taught formally. He speaks about how Starbucks redefined the problem and built a successful business based on it.

Bill Burnett speaks about how we hold on to some beliefs about careers that might have worked for us given our lived experiences but are irrelevant in the world our children are growing into.

Bill Burnett speaks about how he thought about navigating through various choices and transitions and how he balanced pursuing his passion and being pragmatic in terms of providing for his family without swinging too far to one side.

Bill Burnett speaks about his early years, some of the hard-wired elements of his operating system and how he has navigated his career across various pursuits including designing Star Wars toys, Product design at Apple and teaching Life Design at Stanford.

Jaspreet makes a small but important distinction: first, discover your potential; then play to it. Discovery needs curiosity and experiments—trying things, failing, noticing what sticks. Don’t copy someone else’s path; shape a version that fits you. And don’t go it alone: use the new tools around you to amplify progress, and seek people who push your craft. Why it matters: leadership is less about imitation and more about disciplined practice and leverage. Takeaway: run small experiments, protect your unique strengths, partner for feedback, and use tools as turbochargers for learning.

Jaspreet points to a quiet paradox: AI automates the early-career, repeatable work and amplifies the value of experience and judgment. That matters because it changes where talent is forged — not in repetitive tasks but in guided practice, mentorship and decisions made under uncertainty. The moment to notice is the apprenticeship reborn: if juniors don’t get coached through higher-order problems, the talent pipeline thins. Practical takeaway: lean into teaching and deliberate practice, design short apprenticeships inside teams, and use AI as leverage to deepen judgment rather than replace the coaching that builds it.

Jaspreet reframes a common fear: don’t ban kids from AI — teach them to work with it. He argues that curiosity about tools like ChatGPT is healthier than the passive scroll of social media, and that shielding children sets them up to lose relevance. The moment to notice is the parenting choice: restriction or guided exposure. Practice matters more than panic. Takeaway: let children explore responsibly, help them build tool-habits, and treat early AI use as a practical skill that supports judgment, creativity and future readiness.