The Fine Line Between Genius and Delusion | Journalist Helen Lewis

About this episode

<p>Being the smartest person in the room is usually where the trouble starts. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with journalist and author Helen Lewis to talk about genius, ego, and why so many “brilliant” people eventually spin out. They discuss the myth of the lone genius, why smart people overthink themselves into bad ideas, and how ego quietly wrecks careers, reputations, and entire movements.&nbsp;</p><br><p>​​Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic who writes about politics and culture. Her first book,<em> </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Difficult-Women/dp/1784709735" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights</em></a>, was a Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times book of the year. She has written for The New York Times, the Guardian, The New Statesman, and Vogue. She is the host of the BBC podcast series The New Gurus and Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, and co-host of Radio 4’s Kafka vs Orwell and Strong Message Here. She won the 2024 Kukula Award for excellence in nonfiction book reviewing.</p><br><p>Check out Helen Lewis’ book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Myth-Curious-History-Dangerous/dp/B0DX9W74SZ/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=185684972065&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aVvMHms1zDNhNYjvuoAy6q5fydCcSpU1NO0bnS_Kwn6GTjJ7fvoZTnxMGERgosMO0cS6jLbvCSRS5FmAvAA-vNCtoB6oD_Bg6K-GRhzBWrI.k9KKlERQt_tzdo2ml0ej_Nmp5k_6J5RtLJUiLPMFD8c&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;hvadid=779758961168&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvexpln=0&amp;hvlocphy=9028217&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvocijid=17668267487629806148--&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=17668267487629806148&amp;hvtargid=kwd-2407668832043&amp;hydadcr=22567_13821264_8257&amp;keywords=the+genius+myth+helen+lewis&amp;mcid=5c74f25cf6223c13a974b78d2204b997&amp;qid=1765222594&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea</em></a></p><br><p>Follow Helen on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/helenlewisposts/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@HelenLewisPosts</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Read Helen Lewis’ article: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/10/joe-rogan-austin-comedy-club/679568/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>How Joe Rogan Remade Austin</em></a></p><br><p>🎟️ Come see<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Ryan Holiday LIVE</a>: <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.dailystoiclive.com/</a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daily-stoic-live-onstage-with-ryan-holiday-tickets-1527497619499?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">San Diego, CA - February 5, 2026&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daily-stoic-live-onstage-with-ryan-holiday-tickets-1830981698549?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phoenix, AZ - February 27, 2026&nbsp;</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic Premium</a> - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content:<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://dailystoic.supercast.com/</a></p><br><p>🎥 Watch the video episodes on<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic YouTube channel</a>:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos</a></p><br><p>🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Instagram</a>:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? 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