Person
Every book George MacGill recommended on podcasts
George MacGill, as demonstrated through his appearances on the Modern Wisdom podcast, frequently explores mental models, decision-making, historical endurance, and personal responsibility. When discussing strategies for better thinking and overcoming adversity, MacGill recommended several impactful books. He pointed listeners to Ben Bergeron's Chasing Excellence for mindset insights, Rick Hanson's Resilience for psychological well-being, and Alistair Urquhart's harrowing memoir The Forgotten Highlander to reflect on extreme survival. Alongside direct recommendations, MacGill discussed influential works that shaped his understanding of systemic risk and accountability. He referenced Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness when introducing concepts like antifragility and randomness in decision-making. Additionally, MacGill invoked Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's Extreme Ownership to illustrate the importance of taking absolute responsibility for every aspect of one's life. Through these discussions, MacGill establishes himself as a thoughtful synthesizer of practical psychology, historical memoir, and risk analysis, using literature to provide listeners with actionable mental models for navigating complex real-world challenges.
Books recommended by George MacGill
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The Forgotten Highlander
Alistair Urquhart's The Forgotten Highlander is a harrowing memoir detailing a Scottish soldier's brutal experiences and survival in Japanese prisoner of war camps during World War II.
Recommended“I read the last Highlander by Alistair Urquhart yeah forgotten Highlander forgotten her forgot Honda”
Where to get it
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Chasing Excellence
Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron is an insightful guide to cultivating elite mental and physical performance through discipline, structured daily routines, and a willingness to lean into discomfort.
Recommended“I remember seeing an interview with her as a part of Ben Bergeron's chasing excellence fantastic book highly recommended if you've not read it”
Where to get it
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Resilient
Resilient by Rick Hanson is a self-help and psychological guide focused on cultivating mental strength, well-being, and an unshakable core of calm.
Recommended“So I spoke to professor Rick Hanson New York Times bestseller writer of hardwiring happiness and his most recent book resilience”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 depicts a chilling totalitarian society under the constant surveillance of Big Brother.
Discussed“so like double Fink which comes from George Orwell's 1984 right which to hold 2 contradictory beliefs”
Where to get it
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Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a widely praised guide that examines habit formation and personal development by focusing on small incremental behavioral changes and continuous self-improvement.
Discussed“whereas a system and similar to jail under James clearer covers this a little bit with atomic habits”
Where to get it
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Deep Work
Deep Work by Cal Newport is a practical guide to cultivating distraction-free focus in a noisy digital economy to maximize productivity and personal fulfillment.
Discussed“yeah deep work from Cal Newport also alludes to that there's neurologically Milan creates around neurons that are continually firing”
Where to get it
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Extreme Ownership
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin presents leadership principles derived from the authors' experiences as US Navy SEALs in combat.
Discussed“and he tells I think it's in his TED talk and in his book where he talks about because he's very it's very well to a chat in I get a nice little podcast about oh I've been doing X Y Zed on my gym routine”
Where to get it
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Fooled by Randomness
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is an influential exploration of how luck and chance shape success in business and everyday life, often masquerading as skill.
Discussed“yeah that's that comes from NASA Nutella NASA and Talib who wrote the Black Swan fooled by randomness and a few other interesting concepts”
Where to get it
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Hardwiring Happiness
Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hanson is a practical guide that merges neuroscience, mindfulness, and Buddhist wisdom to help readers rewire their brains for greater well-being by internalizing positive experiences.
Discussed“so I spoke to professor Rick Hanson New York Times bestseller writer of hardwiring happiness and his most recent book resilience”
Where to get it
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Man's Search for Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E.
Discussed“for anyone who's read man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl like imagine that and make it extreme”
Where to get it
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The Art of Persuasion
The Art of Persuasion by Bob Burg explores effective communication and influence strategies.
Discussed“just off topics briefly so his book persuasion I believe it's true that Charlie and Warren love that book so much”
Where to get it
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The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan explores the profound impact of high-profile, unpredictable events and why humans continually invent retrospective explanations for them.
Discussed“yeah that's that comes from NASA Nutella NASA and Talib who wrote the Black Swan fooled by randomness and a few other interesting concepts”
Where to get it
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The Voyage of the Beagle
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin is the celebrated natural history and journal account of the author's epic scientific expedition around the world.
Discussed“so if let's say a books been around like the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin it's been around for a couple hundred years you can assume it's gonna be around for a couple hundred years more at least”
Where to get it
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Zero to One
Zero to One by Peter A.
Discussed“whereas most people think I'll read a book on by Peter Thiel called zero to one I'm going to be a billionaire”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Models 102 - The Decision Strikes Back - George MacGill - #095 | Modern Wisdom | 2019-08-19 | 5 |
| Mental Models 101 - How To Make Better Decisions - George MacGill - #069 | Modern Wisdom | 2019-05-06 | 11 |