RWR-027: Sex, Science, and The Art of Risk with Kayt Sukel

On today's show, I talk with a passionate traveler and science writer from Houston, Texas by the name of Kayt Sukel. Some of the topics that she often talks about range from love to politics to sex to neuroscience and everything in between. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler, and several other well-known publications. She's the author of two books, she does public speaking at events like TEDMED, she claims to overshare on Twitter, and if you asked Forbes, they would say she knows more about sex than you do. Without giving it all away, hit play and listen to my conversation with Kayt!

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Best quotes from this episode:

I may not have 20 million Twitter followers or be some famous writer's daughter, but I have something to say and this is what I'd like to talk about.

But also, I understood as I accepted his invitation, that it was gonna help me tell a better story.

I'm ok with that, because I think this work is important.

If you talk to anybody who's currently incarcerated in prison, they're gonna tell you that they're there for love or money.

I wasn't depressed, I just felt the weight of all my responsibilities.

We're all risk-takers.

It's not a personality trait, risk-taking is a process.

Risk is just being able to embrace uncertainty when you're going to make a decision. And there are very few decisions that we make that don't have some amount of uncertainty involved.

Neurosurgery is really a series of adjustments, but then again, most of life is.

What did I learn here so I can do this better next time? What is the lesson? How can I apply this so I can actually achieve whatever long term goal I've set for myself?

If you want to get better at dealing with risk, you gotta take more risks.

You're never gonna improve or gain new skills unless you're willing to take a risk.

Success can eliminate as many options as failure. -Tom Robbins

Easier isn't always better.

I think a lot of times, we mistake fear with intensity.

The brain puts a lot of stock in novelty. That pushes our limits and yet it gives us a lot of rewards as well.

I think when you understand that ultimately any decision is one big calculation in your brain, and that risk is a part of it, a calculated risk makes sense.

Success to me isn't just about making money, it's about carving out a life for yourself that has wealth in all aspects of it.

Risking without regrets means making time to go after the things that you've always dreamed of.

Risk is not a one size fits all approach.

And as you're making those little small changes, over time, they make it so you're more comfortable with the big ones.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

What's the worst that can happen?

Connect with Kayt:

Website: kaytsukel.com
Twitter: @kaytsukel
Facebook: facebook.com/KaytSukel

People, websites, & products mentioned:

This Is Your Brain on Sex: The Science Behind the Search for Love
The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution, and Chance
fMRI orgasm
Forbes article
Steph Davis
Tom Robbins
TEDMED talk - Eliminating Penalties for Playing Out of Bounds
Think Again – a Big Think Podcast
Death, Sex & Money Podcast
Serial Podcast
Adulthood Made Easy Podcast
Reply All Podcast
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us
Secret Sex Lives: A Year on the Fringes of American Sexuality
Unbound Book Festival

Thanks again for listening and reading the show notes. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes and I can't wait to share the next episode with you soon. Until next time, hustle harder and take massive action to reach your dreams!