Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

Mo Gawdat started this show after losing his son Ali in 2014, and that loss sits underneath every episode even when it isn't the topic. He's a former Google X executive turned author, and he approaches emotional life with the same engineer's instinct for pattern-finding that made his first career work. But the grief is what gives the show its weight. Mo slows everything down on purpose, hence the name. Conversations with guests sprawl past the hour mark because he refuses to rush someone who is trying to say something hard. Episodes cover anger, forgiveness, romantic breakdowns, loneliness, the lies we tell ourselves about happiness, and the ways modern life trains us to ignore our own signals. Guests include neuroscientists, monks, musicians, and people who have survived things most listeners haven't. What makes the show work for anyone studying emotional intelligence is Mo's willingness to model it live: he names his own reactions in real time, admits when a guest has said something that rattles him, and asks follow-ups that most interviewers would skip because they're uncomfortable. It's slower than most podcasts, more personal than most self-help, and surprisingly funny when you don't expect it.