My guest this week is David Epstein. David is a writer and researcher extraordinaire and the author of two great books. His second, Range, is out today and I highly recommend it. We discuss the pros and cons of both the generalist and specialist mindsets in detail and go down many interesting trails along the way. Please enjoy our conversation.For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub.Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshagShow Notes1:12 - (First Question) – What he uncovered in “The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance” that led him to his latest book2:38 – Debate with Malcolm Gladwell (YouTube)4:12 – What did the public pay most attention to and what did they gloss over7:56 – How his views on nature vs nurture shifted during the process of writing The Sports Gene10:05 – Blending practice with your nature13:04 – His process of reading 10 journal articles a day as part of his research19:06 – Exploring his new book “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”, and his idea of Martian tennis23:03 – Idea of the cult of the head start and how we set up our own feedback loops28:58 – What does his research say about the nations education system30:42 – The Flynn Effect chapter33:54 – Hacks for learning37:52 – The concept of struggle and harnessing the power of it46:31 – Personality changes and how to drive those changes in a positive way52:00 – Using the outside perspective in businesses for more productive outcomes and how it applied to Nintendo52:59 – Josh Wolfe Podcast Episode1:04:45 – Other examples of using withered technologies, 3M1:09:00 – The arc of his work and how it has evolved1:13:54 – Taking a different view on problems1:17:52 – Ending Medical Reversal: Improving Outcomes, Saving Lives1:18:04– Anyway to change these bad trends with new strategiesLearn MoreFor more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclubFollow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag