People I (Mostly) Admire

Steven D. Levitt

Booking Overview

Interview podcast focused on the lives, ideas, and unusual pursuits of high achievers, typically featuring accomplished academics, bestselling authors, economists, and other recognized specialists. Agencies could credibly pitch prominent researchers, authors, public-policy experts, corporate leaders, and professionals with distinctive expertise or unconventional career stories; booking difficulty is high because guests generally have substantial credentials and public profiles.

Metrics

Episodes: 243

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 10k-100k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

YouTube: 116.0k subscribers

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

editor@freakonomics.com

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Host

Steven D. Levitt - Economist and co-author of the bestselling book Freakonomics.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high

Typical Credentials:

Established academics, economists, psychologists, bestselling authors, public-policy experts, and corporate or institutional leaders with recognized expertise.

Required Achievements:

Bestselling books, University professorships, Published research, Leadership roles in major corporations or institutions

Recent Guest Discussions

Angela Duckworth - Goal Hierarchy, Goal Conflict, Parenting, And Self-esteem.

Peter Leeson - Trial-by-fire, Pirate Democracy, And The Scope Of Economics.

Dambisa Moyo - Foreign Aid, Corporations, Corporate Boards, And Societal Responsibility.

Recent Topics

Economics, Psychology, Science, Public Policy, Achievement

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on

People I (Mostly) Admire

36. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World

August 22, 2026

In this interview, Steve talks with the former top adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama, about his record — and his reputation. And Rahm explains that while he believes in the power of the federal government, as former mayor of Chicago, he says that cities are where problems really get solved. This episode originally aired on March 2, 2020 on Freakonomics Radio, and again on July 16th, 2021st on People I Mostly Admire. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...

35. David Epstein Knows Something About Almost Everything

August 15, 2026

He’s been an Arctic scientist, a sports journalist, and is now a best-selling author of science books. His latest, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, makes the argument that early specialization does not give you a head start in life. David and Steve talk about why frustration is a good sign, and why the 10,000-hour rule is definitely not a rule. This episode originally aired on July 9th, 2021st. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

34. Maya Shankar Is Changing People’s Behavior — and Her Own

August 08, 2026

She used to run a behavioral unit in the Obama administration, and now has a similar role at Google. Maya and Steve talk about the power (and limits) of behavioral economics and also how people respond to change — the topic of her new podcast A Slight Change of Plans. This episode originally aired on July 2nd, 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Publicly listed emails

editor@freakonomics.com

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