Episodes about this book
22 episodes261: Co-Existence by Ethan Mollick
Referenced as the previous episode's book; the host connects its theme—that situations control thinking and behavior—to Mollick's garbage can model of organizational AI adoption, where chaotic undocumented processes make consistent AI use difficult.
337. Success Is Situational: How Feedback & Practice Transform Your Communication
Matt Abrahams asks Angela Duckworth about her new book Situated, which argues that changing your situation is more effective than simply persisting harder. Duckworth explains the book arose from questioning where effort pays off, and shares her own experience with career and marriage crises that required changing her situation rather than trying even harder.
295: Situated: How Your Choices Today Shape Your Child's Tomorrow | Angela Duckworth
How Your Situation Shapes You (with Angela Duckworth)
Angela Duckworth discusses her book 'Situated,' arguing that situational forces shape people more pervasively than commonly recognized and that people should intentionally design their environments and social contexts to match their goals. She and Russ Roberts explore examples including willpower science, James Gross's three-box framework for behavior change, inanimate-object temptations, the Vietnam heroin mystery, and how organizational culture reshapes personal preferences over time.
260: Situated by Angela Duckworth
The episode's main book. Two Bookworm hosts discuss Duckworth's follow-up to Grit at length, covering its three-box model (situation drives thoughts drives response), its four-part structure on situational awareness, situational agency, and situational responsibility, and chapters on parenting, leadership, and citizenship. Both rate it five stars, praising its fresh productivity angle, lack of filler, and Duckworth's effective use of stories and visual frameworks culminating in a flywheel feedback loop.
Why Grit Isn’t Enough | Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth is interviewed about Situated, which argues that success and virtue are shaped by the people and places around us. Duckworth explains the book was far harder to write than Grit and that she persisted because she found almost no existing books advising readers to change their situation before trying to change their thoughts. The host promotes signed copies at The Painted Porch bookstore.
259: The Meaning of Your Life by Arthur Brooks
Announced as the next book the hosts will read and discuss. Described as a newer book in cognitive psychology about how people interact with others and find the people and situations that allow them to excel.
Daniel Pink and Angela Duckworth on Friction-Maxxing, Becoming a Mentor Magnet and the Problem with Solo Striving
Daniel Pink interviews Angela Duckworth at a Politics and Prose event about Situated, which argues that external situations—physical space, peers, mentors, and culture—shape behaviour more powerfully than willpower. Duckworth explains the 'three boxes' model credited to Stanford's James Gross and shows how arranging one's environment creates automatic motivation. Pink calls the book a complement to Grit—the outside game to Grit's inside game—and at the close urges the audience to buy extra copies and share them.
Willpower Expert: The Secret To Effortless Discipline - Angela Duckworth - #1158
Angela Duckworth's new book Situated is the main subject of this interview. It argues that external circumstances—physical space, social relationships, and peers—shape thoughts and behavior far more than willpower alone, presented as a 'three-box model' (situation → thoughts → response). She discusses environment design, mentorship, and the limits of grit, and reveals she experienced burnout during the book's five-year writing process, giving its themes personal weight.
Angela Duckworth Now Thinks "Grit" Wasn't the Whole Story
Angela Duckworth, the guest and author, discusses Situated throughout the episode. The book argues that changing your situation—the people and places around you—can be more powerful than willpower for improving behavior and outcomes. She frames it as a potential prequel to Grit, explains how career stress and young parenthood drove the insight, and explores the subtitle: Find the People in Places that Bring Out Your Best.
Why Grit Isn’t Always Enough with Angela Duckworth
Brené Brown and Adam Grant interview Angela Duckworth about her new book Situated, which shifts focus from individual psychology (as in Grit) to the situational factors shaping high achievers. The conversation covers situational awareness, agency, and responsibility—including physical spaces, peer groups, mentors, and culture. Brené calls it a 'game changer,' describes crying seven times reading it, and says it will be her next organization-wide read.
'Grit' author Angela Duckworth on how changing your situation can lead to success
NPR's Book of the Day host Andrew Limbong introduces Angela Duckworth's new book Situated, and Duckworth is then interviewed by Indira Lakshmanan of Here and Now. The book argues that changing one's environment—not just willpower or grit—is the key to success. Duckworth discusses practical strategies: frictioningup temptations, removing obstacles to goals, finding like-minded peers, and borrowing belief from mentors, illustrated by Taylor Swift's move to Nashville and the Ted Lasso effect.
Stop Doing Things the Hard Way with Dr. Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth on why grit isn’t enough
Angela Duckworth joins host Jeff Berman to discuss her new book Situated, which she describes as completing rather than correcting Grit. The book argues that the 'outside game'—environments, cultures, and situations—matters as much as inner drive. She discusses Cody Coleman's journey from a New Jersey prison to MIT and Stanford, and Coach Ladd's 151-game winning streak at De La Salle High School. Berman adds he was annotating nearly every page and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Angela Duckworth on the importance of getting situated
The full episode is an interview with Angela Duckworth about Situated, which argues that external environments—people, places, and structures—shape goal achievement as powerfully as individual willpower. She draws on her mother's return to painting, a near-drowning in the Atlantic, peer-influence research, and Viktor Frankl's writings to make the case that we can and should engineer our surroundings rather than relying solely on grit.
Angela Duckworth: What Situations Bring Out the Best in Us?
Why Changing Your Situation Works with Psychologist Angela Duckworth
Host Lisa Kay Solomon interviews psychologist Angela Duckworth about Situated, her follow-up to Grit. Duckworth describes it as the 'outer game' complement to Grit's 'inner game,' arguing that deliberately shaping one's environment—mentors, peers, physical spaces, designed cues—is more effective and graceful than relying on willpower alone. The conversation covers situational awareness, agency, leadership, mentorship via Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman, Viktor Frankl, and situational citizenship.
World-Leading Psychologist: How to Change Your Life by Changing What’s Around You | Angela Duckworth - EP 814
The episode's central interview, in which Angela Duckworth discusses her new book arguing that grit alone is not sufficient—the people, places, cultures, and situations surrounding us can amplify or diminish our strengths. Host John R. Miles and Duckworth cover situational awareness, why willpower is often the least effective place to intervene, how leaders can cultivate environments where people flourish, and whether situations change who we are or merely reveal who we already are.
Angela Duckworth: Grit Isn't Enough (#317)
Angela Duckworth is interviewed about her new book Situated, which argues that character and achievement are shaped by environment and circumstances. She presents situational awareness and situational agency—the ability to pick peers, curate personal space, and change culture—and situational responsibility: helping others by improving their circumstances rather than lecturing them on willpower.
Get Situated for Success (with Angela Duckworth)
Kim Scott interviews Angela Duckworth about Situated, which argues that physical and social environment—'the situation'—powerfully shapes thoughts and behavior. Duckworth explains her three-box framework (situation → thoughts → behavior), uses a near-tragic snorkeling incident as a central metaphor, and argues that changing your external situation is often more effective than battling thoughts through willpower. The conversation also covers how to seek situations that both challenge and support you, and the concept of situational agency.
The Hardest Promises to Break: Peer Accountability (With Angela Duckworth)
The whole interview is devoted to Angela Duckworth's new book Situated. Duckworth and host Katy Milkman discuss the book's central argument that people achieve more by strategically changing their situation rather than relying on inner willpower alone. The conversation focuses on the accountability chapter: making goals visible to peers creates stronger motivation than private commitment, illustrated by the De La Salle Spartans' commitment-card system and the Weight Watchers founding story.
Angela Duckworth: 'Grit is not enough'
Angela Duckworth discusses her forthcoming book Situated with host David Deming. The book extends her grit research by arguing that social environments shape who we become—meaning that whether perseverance pays off depends on one's situation. She describes surveying about a thousand readers on the title, choosing 'Situated' over 'Great Situations,' and finding a clear age-based preference for the shorter title among younger respondents.
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All summaries are AI generated based on the original transcript.