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The Zack Arnold Podcast

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Rating
★★★★★
4.9
from
123 reviews
This podcast has
588 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Zack Arnold
Explicit
Yes
Date created
2017/08/29
Latest episode
2026/10/05
Average duration
27 min.
Release period
16 days

Description

Hi I'm Zack, and the purpose of my work is to help you find meaning and purpose in yours (without burning out...or selling your creative soul). If you've built your entire career around your creativity like I have, you may be asking the same question I am: Is there a future for us “creatives,” Or is it game over? I can't promise that I know what the future brings, but I do promise few are more dedicated to helping you find the answers than I am. You're in the right place if: You live to create. Your work isn't just a job but an expression of who you are.You create to live. Your livelihood depends on your creativity.You love making cool shit. Whether you identify as introverted or neurodivergent (or both, like me)... No matter if you're a misfit, a rebel, an outlier, or a troublemaker... If you've been called weird, nerdy, dorky, quirky, or awkward... Or if you’re an over-thinker, procrastinator, or perfectionist… You are welcome here. 😊 Come join me as I have honest, authentic, and candid conversations with NYT bestselling authors, Oscar and Emmy winners, experts across many different industries, and ordinary humans achieving extraordinary things.

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Check latest episodes from The Zack Arnold Podcast podcast


Why Books Matter More In the Age of AI (And How to Read Better) | with Alex Wieckowski
2026/10/05
How do you make time to read more books and build a reading habit that lasts in a world full of distractions? Alex Wieckowski, better known online as Alex & Books, has been writing and posting about the importance of reading books to his more than 1 million followers across social media since 2017. He has read over 750 books and he's currently writing the 21st century version of Mortimer Adler's classic text How to Read a Book. In today's conversation, Alex and I talk about why reading real books matters more than ever in the age of AI. We discuss the four different types of reading and how better understanding these different approaches can help you build a more consistent reading habit. We'll help you choose what to read, reclaim the time to read it, and remember what you read long after you've closed the book. If you've got a stack of books you keep meaning to get to, or it's been so long since you read a book you don't even know where to start, Alex and I will show you that Reading is a skill anyone can develop and improve. Key TakeawaysMake reading part of the time you already have instead of waiting to find more time. Use a time journal to see where your hours are actually going, then prioritize reading or build it into an existing routine.Choose books that address what you’re working through right now. Reading when you need the information most makes it easier to remember what you learn and put it into practice.Read the whole book when the ideas matter instead of outsourcing the struggle to a summary. The stories, context, and effort of reading are part of what make the lessons memorable and meaningful.Episode HighlightsOrigin story of loving reading as a kid to losing it, then finding it again.Why books could become more popular in the age of AI as people look for ways to exercise their brains.Why the struggle of reading is part of the learning, and what gets lost when someone else does the work for you.Using the table of contents as a map and the three-chapter rule for knowing when to quit.How syntopical reading turns three to five books on one subject into a “mini PhD”.The simple time journal that reveals where your hours are actually going and helps you reclaim time for reading.Why “read it when you need it” can help you choose books that are relevant enough to remember and apply.How a simple distraction catcher can get intrusive thoughts out of your head without pulling you away from the book.Why reading 100 books a year is not the goal, and why speed reading can sacrifice the very things that make reading valuable.How the Reading Triangle forces you to choose between enjoyment, retention, and speed instead of trying to maximize all three.Recommended Next EpisodeHow Tiny Changes Can Create Remarkable Results | with James ClearHow to Become ‘Indistractable’ | with Nir EyalUseful ResourcesHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie BooksHow to Read a Book by Mortimer J. AdlerWrite a Must Read by A.J. HarperWrite Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick4,000 Weeks by Oliver BurkemanCommunity Made by Jayson GaignardNonviolent Communication by Marshall B. RosenbergThe Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin HansonGuest BioAlex Wieckowski is the creator of Alex & Books, where he shares book recommendations, summaries, reviews, and reading tips from more than 750 books. He is also the author of Learn To Love Reading and creator of The Art of Reading, a course focused on helping people find books, build better reading habits, take notes, remember what they read, and apply what they learn. His work is dedicated to helping more people discover the value and enjoyment of reading. Alex's Website Alex and Books Alex's Course The Art of Reding Alex's Book Learn To Love Reading Alex's Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Substack Show CreditsEdited by: Curtis Fritsch Published by: Vim Pangantihon Music by: Thomas Cepeda
How the Written Word Helps Us Connect (Especially In Our Hardest Moments) | with Allison Sweet Grant
2026/10/01
We seldom write for ourselves because we instead want our stories to touch others. Yet we’re often terrified to put our work (and ourselves!) out into the world. How can we walk the line between wanting to make things that matter while also making sure other people know we made these things for them? I discuss this (and so much more), with Allison Sweet Grant, a former psychiatric nurse practitioner turned author whose is the author of the novel I Am the Cage and the new memoir Lump: A Memoir in Ineloquent Reflections, which candidly explores her experience with breast cancer. In this conversation, we talked about the power of the written word to help create emotional connection, why she chose to write about what cancer actually feels like (rather than her “journey”), and how carefully chosen words can help someone feel less alone. If you're going through something hard, or trying to support someone who is, this conversation offers a different way to connect through uncertainty, pain, and shared experience. Key TakeawaysPut your hardest experiences into words instead of keeping them inside. Writing can help you process what happened, get it out of you, and onto something else.Write about what something feels like, not just what someone needs to do. Practical information can tell you what comes next, but emotional truth can help someone feel less alone.Stop apologizing for pain you didn't choose. Fear of being a burden can cause you to swallow your struggles and limit the possibility for connection. Episode HighlightsWhat a memoir looks like when it mirrors the most difficult period of your lifeHow the same chemo room can feel like hell to one patient and like a heaven that is saving someone's lifeWhy a book for people too sick to finish a chapter comes in bite-sized piecesWhy the language of the "cancer journey" never fit, and how they can place an identity on someoneOn Riches: a scene about pancakes that becomes a lesson in noticing the small details you want to rememberFive Letters: the poem about packing a chemo bag and leaving letters on the tableWhy putting real human words and real human experiences on the page matters moreI'm sorry, I'm okay: why we apologize for being an inconvenience and a burdenHow the involuntary combination of colors with letters and numbers has influenced her choicesJust My Luck: a rant against everything people say caused cancer Recommended Next EpisodeFrom Setback to Comeback: Finding Strength in the Hardest Moments | with Bevin FarrandHow to Keep Moving Forwards After You've Lost Everything | with Christina Rasmussen Useful ResourcesOn Vulnerability and the Courageous Act of Creating From a Place of Truth | with Allison Sweet GrantGlennon DoyleZingerman's Guest BioAllison Sweet Grant is an author who has been published in The New York Times and The Atlantic. Previously, she was a psychiatric nurse practitioner; she holds dual master's degrees from the University of Michigan. An introvert, synesthete, and avid poet, Allison can usually be found at home with a cup of hot tea in hand, reading or rewatching a film she has seen sixteen times. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and their three children (and two cats, Pom-Pom and Jasper). Allison's Website Allison's Books: I Am the Cage | Lump: A Memoir in Ineloquent Reflections Allison's Instagram | Facebook Show CreditsEdited by: Curtis Fritsch Published by: Vim Pangantihon Music by: Thomas Cepeda
New to the Podcast? Start Here!
2026/09/30
Quickly find exactly the right interview for your needs with this helpful index. If we haven't met before, hey! I'm Zack, an award-winning Hollywood editor and documentary director turned writer, speaker, and career coach who is fascinated by humans, especially the oddball, introverted, and often neurodivergent "creatives" like us who see the world just a little differently. If you're new to the podcast, I've provided the best of the best from my interview archive to get you started on the right learning path. And if you're looking to solve a specific problem, head over to zackarnold.com/episodes to search our entire library. Required ListeningOliver Burkeman | Why Optimization Isn’t the Answer (and How to Make the Most of Our Four Thousand Weeks On Earth)Amie McNee | Why the World Needs Your Art (Even When It's On Fire)James Clear | How Tiny Changes Can Create Remarkable ResultsCal Newport | Becoming a ‘Digital Minimalist’Greg McKeown | The Disciplined Pursuit of LessJay Papasan | How to Accomplish Your ‘One Thing’ Every DayGretchen Rubin | Using ‘The Four Tendencies’ to Better Understand Yourself (and Others)The Future of CreativityJay Clouse | The Intersection of Legacy Hollywood and Next-Gen Content CreatorsKylee Peña | Creativity in The Age of AIOpenAI’s Chad Nelson | How Artificial Intelligence Could Shape the Future of Creativity and Collaboration (and How We Can Survive)Navigate Your CareerChristina Wallace | How to Future-Proof Your Creative Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger Than Your RésuméDr. Tal Ben-Shahar | How to Pursue Fulfilling Work and Find Your ‘Calling’Annie Duke | How to Know (Without a Doubt) If It’s Time to QuitMauro Guillén | Redefining Your Career Path in a Post Generational SocietyPhilippe Danielides | How to Know What You Actually Want (and Find Support to Make It Happen)Build Your NetworkChase Jarvis | Building Your Network of ‘A-Gamers,’ Designing the Life You Want, and Fulfilling Your ‘Creative Calling’Selena Soo | How to Build 'Rich Relationships' (Especially For Introverts)Carole Kirschner | How to Leave an Impression, Build Your Network, & Get HiredTroy Takaki, ACE | Networking (the Right Way), Mentorship, and Connecting with ‘Experts’Scott Davis | [CASE STUDY] Why People Don’t Respond to Your Cold Outreach (and How to Get a Response)Do Your Best Creative WorkJoey Cofone | What Creativity Is, How It Works, and the Laws to Learning ItScott Barry Kaufman | How We are “Wired to Create”, What It Means to Be a “Creative”, and How We Can Leverage Our Unique GiftsAllison Sweet Grant | On Vulnerability and the Courageous Act of Creating From a Place of TruthNir Eyal | How to Become ‘Indistractable’David Allen | The Zen-like Art of ‘Getting Things Done’Cal Newport | FOCUS: The Superpower of the 21st CenturyTake Care of YourselfDr. Edison de Mello | Understanding the Difference Between Integrative & Traditional MedicineDr. Azure Grant | Optimizing Sleep, Productivity, & Creativity Using Ultradian Rhythms and Self-TrackingShawn Stevenson | How to Sleep SmarterDr. John Ratey | How Regular Movement Makes You SmarterDr. Joan Vernikos | How Being Sedentary Is Damaging You (According to NASA)Be Inspired!Dr. David Fajgenbaum | What Five Near-Death Experiences Can Teach Us About LivingBevin Farrand | From Setback to Comeback: Finding Strength in the Hardest MomentsShane Burcaw | Rewiring Your Brain to Be HappierSandy Zimmerman, ANW | How to Overcome Doubting Yourself When You Know You’re Meant For MoreJimmy Choi, ANW | Using Fitness to Overcome Parkinson’s and Become a Ninja
The People You Want to Connect With Want to Connect With You
2026/09/30
We’re living through a time when meaningful relationships have never been more important, yet reaching out to the people who could help us most can feel harder than ever. In this mini-episode, I explore why we’re lonelier and more disconnected despite being globally hyperconnected, and why so many of us are terrified to reach out. I share why our only path forwards through this confusing next phase of work and life is together, and how kind, thoughtful, and genuinely HUMAN outreach can turn connection into an act of service. Along the way, I pull back the curtain on how I built my entire creative career and my upcoming Connection Conference from the comfort of my pajamas, using hand-crafted, well-researched, and thoughtful cold outreach emails to connect with some of the world’s leading experts in psychology, communication, creativity, and AI. All that in more in my latest Substack → The People You Want to Connect With Want to Connect With You When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack.
Feel Like a Failure? Learn How to Try Again When Life Isn’t Going Your Way | with Steve Kamb
2026/09/28
What if success isn’t about avoiding failure but instead learning how to try again when you do fail? In this episode, I talk with Steve Kamb, founder of Nerd Fitness and author of How to Try Again. Steve built a global fitness community of over 50,000 members and 20 coaches, gave a TEDx talk, and has worked with companies like Google and Facebook. But he’s also faced procrastination, perfectionism, and personal setbacks. We explore why constant optimization doesn’t always work, and how accepting failure and learning to restart might be the real key to lasting progress. Key TakeawaysStop trying to win for a moment and focus on staying afloat. Sometimes the most courageous move is not making progress but treading water long enough to see what tomorrow brings.Accept your reality with complete sincerity and compassion. Acceptance is not resignation or giving up. It is looking clearly at what is actually happening so you can decide what to do next.Recognize that change often feels more like caterpillar goo than a beautiful transformation. The messy middle is not evidence that you're failing. It is often evidence that real change is happening. Episode HighlightsWhen everything crumbles all at once and you're forced to actually live the very advice you're writing about.Brett Archibald's unbelievable survival story and what it teaches about swimming in the wrong direction.Acceptance without resignation and how to face reality without losing hope.Why waiting for things to "get back to normal" may be the most dangerous habit of all.The concept of "yes, and" as a practical framework for navigating uncertainty.Caterpillar soup: the uncomfortable truth about what transformation actually looks like.Why Atomic Habits works for many people and what happens when consistency becomes impossible.The mindset shift that starts with: “You don’t have to”How vulnerability helps you find people who will do the thing with youWhy chasing perfection paralyze creativity, and embracing your voice unlocks breakthroughWhat future Steve would tell his 10-years-younger self about success, failure, and change Recommended Next EpisodeHow Tiny Changes Can Create Remarkable Results | with James ClearUsing ‘The Four Tendencies’ to Better Understand Yourself (and Others) | with Gretchen Rubin Useful ResourcesDialectical Behavior TherapyJames Clear’s Atomic HabitsCharles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit Guest BioSteve Kamb is an author and full-time internet writer who has been publishing online since 2010. He is the founder of Nerd Fitness, an organization he launched as a hobby in 2009 that expanded into a global health and wellness community with millions of readers. Steve is a dedicated bookworm, gamer, and cinephile who explores behavior change and personal development through his weekly newsletter, Level Up With Steve Kamb. He is a TEDx speaker who has delivered presentations for major corporations and Vanderbilt University. His published work includes the book Level Up Your Life and his June 2026 release, How to Try Again. Steve’s Website | Nerd Fitness Steve’s Books: How To Try Again | Level Up Your Life Steve’s Substack | Threads | Instagram | Youtube Show CreditsEdited by: Curtis Fritsch Published by: Vim Pangantihon Music by: Thomas Cepeda
Have the robots killed cold outreach?
2026/09/14
As someone who has built diverse professional networks across three industries, and secured over a decade’s worth of employment through cold outreach, I had to find out whether AI is actually killing one of the most effective and human ways we connect with one another. In this episode, I dig into the rise of AI-generated “personalized” messages, and why thoughtful, human-generated outreach may be more effective than ever in a world desperate for real, imperfect, authentic connections. All that in more in my latest Substack → Have the robots killed cold outreach? When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack. Not convinced yet that cold outreach can still be effective, even in The Age of AI? Join The Connection Conference, a live virtual event I’m launching in October. The guest list is absolutely BANANAS! Curious how I built my entire guest list? Yup, you guessed it. Kind, thoughtful, and value-driven cold outreach. 😁
We’ve lost sight of what it means to “connect”
2026/09/07
If you’ve ever wondered why we’re more “connected” than any point in human history yet somehow more lonely and isolated than ever, this conversation is for you. In this episode, I explore why we’ve lost sight of what it means to “connect,” how social media turned an awkward, messy, and imperfect human process into mindless clicks, likes, and subscribes, and why AI now threatens to remove humans from the loop completely. As a self-proclaimed extreme introvert, I’ve desperately wanted to believe I could be “discovered” while working alone in my creative cave, but I’ve learned that the quality of our lives is dictated by the quality of our relationships, and creative inspiration doesn’t happen in isolation. All that in more in my latest Substack → We’ve lost sight of what it means to “connect” When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack. Ready to hit the reset button and rethink what it truly means to connect as analog humans in this digital nightmare? Join me at The Connection Conference, where we’ll explore the psychology, communication, creativity, and AI behind the art and science of true human connection.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about connecting with humans (but were afraid to ask)
2026/06/29
I’ve built my entire creative career on outreach, yet I spent years believing it was just emails, nothing special, until my students began handing me their messages and asking why they weren’t getting responses. In this mini-episode, I pull back the curtain on the first “vomit draft” of my new book, The Outreach Survival Guide, and explore why everything we’ve ever wanted is on the other side of outreach, why everyone is reachable via email, and why the robots writing email slop are making it harder than ever to genuinely connect with another human being. If you’ve ever stared at your inbox, overthought every sentence, wondered why nobody taught us how to write a good email, or felt like your hopes and dreams were trapped behind someone else’s inbox, this essay will show you why thoughtful, kind, and personal messages still matter, why our survival depends on the strength of our relationships, and why a world of opportunities opens when we stop writing messages and start telling stories. All that in more in my latest Substack → Everything you've ever wanted to know about connecting with humans (but were afraid to ask) When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack.
So...what's up with the podcast? (I.E. Where the f*ck have I been? And what does the future hold?)
2026/06/15
I'm just going to dive right in and point out the giant elephant in the room (elephant SFX): It's been a LOOOOOONG time since I've released a new podcast interview. It's been almost a year now, in fact, since I hosted my 5-day virtual summit about navigating the future of entertainment. And this is by far the longest gap I've had between episodes since all the way back to when I launched the podcast in 2014. Over the last decade I've conducted well over 400 long form interviews, and I always prided myself on **being a good little content creator who pleased the algorithms by consistently releasing new content on a weekly basis. Ugh...there are so many things I hate about that sentence. One, I disdain the term "content creator." That's not to say that I disdain content creators, in fact there are several that I follow religiously, learn from, and highly recommend. But at the same time, I can't stand what this term has come to represent and the expectations that come with it. I didn't launch a podcast so I could add "content" to people's news feeds and to-do lists, I launched a podcast because I love exploring the human experience, learning about individuals and their journeys, and sharing this knowledge with others whom it can benefit. And it just so happens people ended up finding me and getting value from these conversations. So I just kept doing it. And a global community emerged around these conversations. But then the excitement of building something was overtaken by a dark pit in my stomach. An overwhelming feeling took hold that I "have to" be releasing content every single week, or else I'm letting my listeners down. The second thing I hate is the idea that content creators work for the algorithms...and let's be honest, content creators have become slaves to the algorithms across all the platforms. And I frankly have no interest in being a part of an ecosystem that deals dopamine hits with the intent of keeping analog humans tethered to their digital binkies, disassociated from their thoughts and feelings, incapable of tolerating boredom, and preventing them from being more present for the actual people around them. And third, I shudder at the term "consistently." Content creator burnout is an absolute epidemic across industries and platforms. On the surface it may sound amazing to run your own business, do your own thing, and generate revenue by making your own stuff by your own rules. But once you became a slave to the algorithms, the only way to consistently support yourself is feeding said algorithms. . And as someone with ADHD, let's just say consistency with...well...anything is not my strong suit. So in short, I'm over it. All of it. No thanks. I'm out of the consistency game. In my most recent Substack essay about declaring Expectation Bankruptcy (which you can listen to in this same podcast feed), I go into much deeper detail about this next phase of my creative career, but to briefly summarize what's relevant to you, the podcast listener: As of Wednesday, May 27th , I've started working on my first book. I’ve transitioned from the future tense mindset of “I’m going to write a book someday when all of the conditions are perfect and I have all of my ducks in a row and I’m ready and prepared” to the present tense of actually writing the f*****g book despite not being ready and not having the time. To quote bestselling author and artist Austin Kleon: “If you want to be the noun, first do the verb.”If I want to be a writer, I need to be writing. Not waiting to write. Not preparing to write. F*****G. WRITING. Given this will most likely be the most difficult professional undertaking of my entire career, and having recently declared expectation bankruptcy, these are my new zero-based expectations for you, the podcast listener: I’ll do my best to release a couple of long-form podcast interviews for per month. I might hit this goal. I might not. I might even release more! Who knows. But the book comes first.I’ll do my best to write a couple of long form Substack essays per month. I might hit this goal. I might not. But the book comes first.I will continue to work with clients and students in The Arnold Academy both privately and in small groups, but I will protect my calendar such that there is always time to write. Because the book comes first.Having said that, I will continue to explore the human condition and how we as analog humans fit into this new digital world dominated by robots. And in doing so I intend to introduce you to different ideas and perspectives from a multitude of experts, authors, filmmakers, storytellers, and inspirational humans doing awesome things. I will not be interviewing people that are trending, and by and large I will not be accepting cold solicitations for podcast guests. I will chat with people I find interesting and that have value to provide you, whether they have a book releasing this week or they haven't released anything in fifty years. If the conversation can make your life even a little better, my goal is to record it and make it available to you. Despite not having an endless conveyor belt of new and fresh content coming your way on a weekly basis, I want to remind you that my entire library of conversations are evergreen educational resources that you can now discover and search by learning path at zackarnold.com/episodes. Whether you want to navigate the next act of your career, build your dream network, do your best creative work, learn how to take better care of yourself, or just plain be inspired, you can find whatever conversation you need sorted by learning paths, your unique goals, and the obstacles standing in your way. Once again you can access my entire episode index and find the exact conversation you need when you need it at zackarnold.com/episodes. On that note, I look forward to years if not decades to come of engaging, insightful, and inspirations conversations with fascinating, highly creative humans. And I'm so glad you're along the ride with me. Thank you so much for letting me into your earbuds, your inbox, and your heart. Take care of yourself, and be well.
I Declare 'Expectation Bankruptcy!'
2026/06/08
If you constantly feel like you're falling behind, failing to meet your own expectations, or exhausting yourself trying to optimize every facet of your work and life, this episode is for you. In this mini-episode, I share why years of measuring my self-worth by unchecked boxes, unfinished goals, and an endless pursuit of perfection left me burned out, frustrated, and stuck chasing a version of success that no longer fit the life I wanted to build. Through stories of career pivots, painful failures, unexpected setbacks, and lessons from one of the greatest athletes of all time, I explore what happens when you stop comparing yourself to who you used to be, let go of expectations that no longer serve you, and embrace the uncomfortable reality that you may never feel ready. If you're tired of waiting for the perfect time, the perfect plan, or the perfect version of yourself before taking action, this episode might help you finally start from where you are instead of where you think you should be. All that in more in my latest Substack → ​I Declare 'Expectation Bankruptcy!'​ When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack.
The Introvert's Pocket Guide to Building Genuine Connections In a Disconnected World
2026/04/20
Walking barefoot across a minefield of LEGOs or robbing Kevin McCallister on Christmas Eve still sounds more appealing than networking to me, because I used to believe “working the room” meant faking it, enduring soul-sucking small talk, and collecting connections like a used car salesman. But after years of avoiding the dance floor (literally and professionally), I learned the hard way that being awesome is only half the battle, and the other half is making sure the right people know it. In this episode, I break down how everything changed when I stopped “spraying and praying,” started building genuine relationships instead of transactions, and embraced the uncomfortable truth my dad told me years ago: you will never be ready, so just get out there, because networking isn’t about getting jobs, it’s about finding your people, and the quality of your life is ultimately determined by the quality of those relationships. All that in more in my latest Substack → ​The Introvert's Pocket Guide to Building Genuine Connections In a Disconnected World​ When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments! If you enjoyed this article and you don't want to miss my future essays, my actionable insights, and my soapbox rants about navigating the world as analog humans in today's digital hellscape, make sure to subscribe at zackarnold.com/substack.
We've created a world where nobody knows our names.
2026/04/13
My father was the unlikely combination of a small-town hero and a reclusive introvert, yet still built a network where everybody knew his name and showed up when it mattered most. In this episode, I explore how that analog network stood in stark contrast to a world where even simple conversations have been replaced by exhausting systems and our lives have become nothing more than an endless series of transactions. Join me as I dig into why the robots are just shovels digging our existential hole of loneliness, and why the path forward isn’t more connections or more swipes but a few incredibly valuable relationships, because the quality of your life is ultimately determined by the quality of your human relationships. All that in more in my latest Substack → ​We've created a world where nobody knows our names. When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!
How to Not Get F•cked by AI: A Creative's Manifesto
2026/03/25
In this mini episode, I imagine being thrown back to the “Dark Ages” of 1994 with no Internet, no Google, no AI, and I ask myself where I’d be frustrated, where I’d fumble, and where I’d be absolutely f•cked. I tease how much of my work and life I’ve cognitively offloaded for the sake of convenience, and why the real danger isn’t losing access to tools but outsourcing thinking, synthesizing, and creating to the machines. As we cross the Rubicon into the Age of AI, the question isn’t just “Am I still useful?” but whether I’m protecting the parts of the creative process that must remain human. I’ll share my rules to stay the master of my technology by defining where I collaborate with the machines versus where I refuse to outsource the work before AI enshittifies and I’m f•cked. All that in more in my latest Substack → ​How to Not Get F•cked by AI: A Creative's Manifesto When you're done → ​I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!
Is it too late to de-enshittify our humanity?
2026/03/12
In this mini-episode, I explain why calling out the enshittification of modern technology doesn’t make me a Luddite, even if I’m a Xennial who still remembers life before wi-fi. I tease why algorithms may be quietly degrading how we connect, learn, and create, and why I’m setting clear rules and guardrails for how I use AI so the robots remain our servants, not our masters. Ultimately I ask a bigger question: is it already too late to de-enshittify our humanity? All that in more in my latest Substack → Is it too late to de-enshittify our humanity? When you're done, I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!
The Enshittification of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
2026/02/23
In this mini episode, I vent about the moment I realized everything feels harder than it should, from parking apps to paywalls to bots talking to bots, and I dig into the enshittification of everything, everywhere, all at once. I break down how the obsession with optimization keeps degrading our tools, our platforms, and our attention, why AI productivity hype deserves serious side eye, and what it might cost us if we outsource the parts of ourselves that make us human. All that in more in my latest Substack → The Enshittification of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once When you're done, I'd love your thoughts here in the comments!

Podcast reviews

Read The Zack Arnold Podcast podcast reviews


4.9 out of 5
123 reviews
★★★★★
cinematt79 2025/05/10
Fantastic, Actionable Insights
I’ve been listening to Zack’s podcasts, digesting his emails, and been a member of his community for years. He has proven to be an extremely reliable ...
★★★★★
tony metalhead 2025/05/02
Not just for editors
Zack does here what all great podcasts do (and artists in general) -- he takes something personal and specific and gives an entry point for anyone to ...
★★★★★
Geeeves 2025/04/30
Worth the Listen
Zack's ability to create a space for guests to speak what's in their hearts is clearly evident. A beautiful listen that inspires introspection, self r...
★★★★★
MakerOfShowsForBoxes 2025/04/30
Hopecast
People who don’t work in video or film usually don’t understand why it is soooo all-encompassing. I mean, it can ruin your life. Zack is a voice who g...
★★★★★
Bridget Sampson 2024/07/09
Love this podcast so much!
Zack Arnold has amazing energy and enthusiasm. I could listen to him forever. I am so inspired by this podcast and all the wise guests that Zack inter...
★★★★★
J Voyageur 2023/04/14
Love This Podcast
I learn so much from Zack in each episode! More than worth the listen, go subscribe!
★★★★★
mvelasco07 2023/04/06
Love this show!
Appreciate the variety of episodes, engaging conversations, and insightful content. I learn something every time I listen! Thanks so much for putting ...
★★★★★
Flamousse 2023/02/17
LIFE CHANGING PODCAST!
I’ve been listening to this podcast for years, and it continues to enhance my life in multiple facets; finances, health, editing/post-production. I co...
★★★★★
marcjay77 2022/10/08
Inspiring, life changing, brilliant
Zack Arnold is brilliant. If your stuck mentally and physically in your job, this is where you want to be. He is 10 stars. It’s worth your time liste...
★★★★★
TheSoundOfAH 2022/03/10
Getting Started
Just started listening as I have started working in the office again and it’s given me a lot of motivation and inspiration to make a change at my desk...
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