The Irrational Mind | With Kristen Berman

The Irrational Mind | With Kristen Berman

Winemakers are experts at pricing. Dog trainers understand incentives. Magicians control attention. What can product and growth leaders learn from these behavior change experts? Join Kristen Berman as she uncovers the hidden benefits of psychologies that can help your product succeed.

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Recent Episodes

What a parenting expert (and toddlers) can teach PMs about product engagement | Julie King
10
May 21, 2025

What a parenting expert (and toddlers) can teach PMs about product engagement | Julie King

Julie King is a renowned parenting expert, author, and workshop leader who has dedicated her career to helping parents communicate more effectively with their children. She is the co-author of two bestselling books: "How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen” and "How to Talk When Kids Won't Listen”. Julie joined this episode to discuss: The trick to get kids to leave the park (and your users to retain) The secret framing solution for showing kids (and users) their progress The way to ask someone t
What growth teams can learn from an expert dog trainer | Mac Namara, Dog Trainer
9
April 30, 2025

What growth teams can learn from an expert dog trainer | Mac Namara, Dog Trainer

Mac Namara is an expert dog trainer who specializes in positive reinforcement techniques. She runs Puppy Prep, a company designed to help new dog owners set their puppies up for success from day one through science-based training methods. In our conversation, we explore: Why the speed of reinforcement (every 6 seconds!) is critical for behavior change How to train in short, focused bursts rather than lengthy sessions The importance of environment design over willpower or personality traits How t
What Noom can teach product teams about behavior change and retention | Christine May (Behavioral Scientist & Advisor, Ex-Noom)
10
April 6, 2025

What Noom can teach product teams about behavior change and retention | Christine May (Behavioral Scientist & Advisor, Ex-Noom)

Christine May helped spearhead behavioral science at Noom, shaping it into an engine for user segmentation and accountability. As their former Head of Behavioral Science, she championed Noom’s “big picture” motivation model—tying everyday habits to goals—and played a role in scaling one-on-one coaching into a digital system for millions. Now, Christine helps consumer tech startups build habit-forming experiences rooted in evidence-based psychology. In our conversation, we explore: The book club
What an orchestra conductor can teach managers about building world-class teams | Marin Alsop (Conductor)
7
March 5, 2025

What an orchestra conductor can teach managers about building world-class teams | Marin Alsop (Conductor)

Marin Alsop is a world-renowned conductor and the first woman to lead major orchestras internationally. The subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary "The Conductor” and formerly Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, she’s Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has recorded 200+ titles and is the only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowsh
What a world-renowned magician can teach product and growth teams | David Gerard (Magician & Mentalist)
6
Feb. 16, 2025

What a world-renowned magician can teach product and growth teams | David Gerard (Magician & Mentalist)

David Gerard is one of Silicon Valley's most sought-after magicians and mentalists, performing over 90 shows annually for Fortune 500 companies and tech industry leaders. Before pursuing magic full-time, David spent 12 years in tech, starting at Google where he worked on flagship products including YouTube, AdWords, and Google Play, before leading growth and marketing initiatives at Discord and Aalto. Now, David combines his expertise in product growth with his mastery of psychological principle
What product teams can learn from the author of Ender’s Game | Orson Scott Card, Author
5
Feb. 2, 2025

What product teams can learn from the author of Ender’s Game | Orson Scott Card, Author

Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender’s Game, one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written, and its sequel Speaker for the Dead, among other bestselling works. Ender’s Game is widely read in schools across the US and has been included in some educational curricula. In our conversation, we explore: His approach to creating page-turners: Why telling users what's coming beats clever "hooks" His method of ensuring the reader understands his writing (great for design teams) His u

About the Host

Kristen Berman Profile Photo
Kristen Berman

Kristen Berman studies how people actually act in the marketplace, as opposed to how they should or would perform if they were completely rational.

She is a leading expert in behavioral economics and the co-founder of Irrational Labs, a company focused on applying behavioral insights to product design that she co-founded with Dan Ariely in 2013. Kristen also co-founded Common Cents Lab, a Duke University initiative dedicated to improving the financial well-being for low to middle Americans. She led 50+ experiments with companies there that touched tens of thousands of lives.

She was on the founding team for Google's behavioral economics group, which spans 26 teams, and has hosted one of the top behavioral change conferences globally, StartupOnomics. She also co-authored the workbook series "Hacking Human Nature for Good: A Practical Guide to Changing Behavior" – now used by Google, Intuit, Netflix, Fidelity, and Lending Club – with Dan Ariely.

Before blazing trails in behavioral economics, Kristen was a Senior Product Manager at Intuit. Not only is she deeply passionate about uncovering the true drivers of human behavior and building solutions that are good for people – she also lives behavioral science as the founder of Radish, a communal living environment where she and friends design their lives for happiness.