The Book of Charlie with David Von Drehle

Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, w ...  Show more

Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simo ...  Show more

💙IN LOVING MEMORY OF DAVID A. ARNOLD So what is “That Thing“ you gotta have about you in order to be successful? To separate from the pack? To make a dream a reality?This week you are gonna hear from someone who knows.BECAUSE HE'S LIVED IT!My guest this week is David A. Arnold.N ...  Show more

My guest today is David Downie, an attorney from Australia. David found himself stuck in the middle of his career, frustrated at life and simply decided to quit without much of a backup plan. 

Many adventures have ensued!

Since that time, David has:

Meet David Itzkoff, an American journalist, writer and former cultural reporter for the New York Times. If you would like to catch up on everything culture, this is the episode for you! Don't miss David's books Cocaine's Son: A memoir and Robin, a biography of Robin Williams and ...  Show more

“People are only influenced if you can communicate with them.”

Today's guest is billionaire and philanthropist David Rubenstein. He’s the Co-Founder of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms managing $230 billion from 3 ...