If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
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If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
Dr Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK): “Your Trauma Doesn’t Define You” | "Choose Empowerment"
The Nick Standlea Show
47 minutes 51 seconds
5 months ago
Dr Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK): “Your Trauma Doesn’t Define You” | "Choose Empowerment"
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK) joins The Nick Standlea Show to talk about his new book Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential. From his early years in special education to earning a PhD and becoming one of psychology’s most engaging voices, SBK shares powerful stories, science-backed insights, and mindset-shifting strategies for anyone looking to take back control of their life. We dive into why the victim mindset is so seductive, how social media rewards helplessness, and why sensitivity can be a superpower when embraced the right way. This is a must-watch for anyone who wants to live with more agency, authenticity, and purpose.
🎯 Big Takeaway from the Episode with Scott Barry KaufmanYou are not powerless—no matter what you've been through.Victimhood may be real, but staying in a victim mindset is a choice. Empowerment begins when you stop waiting to be saved and start saying, “Yes, this happened… and now what?”
Throughout the episode, SBK drives home that:
Trauma doesn't have to define you.
Sensitivity isn't weakness—it’s a superpower, if you own it.
The algorithm—and culture—might reward helplessness, but real growth happens when you reclaim your agency.
Whether you’ve faced real adversity or just feel stuck, Rise Above offers the mindset shifts, language, and tools to stop blaming the world—and start building a better one, starting from within.
👉 Like what you heard? Subscribe to The Nick Standlea Show for more bold conversations that challenge conventional thinking.https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
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Timestamps: 0:00 – Scott Barry Kaufman (SBK)1:32 – Joan Rivers quote & the power of inner change3:01 – Defining the victim mindset4:50 – How social media rewards victim identity6:30 – The algorithm vs. real growth9:00 – Tribalism, status, and survival wiring11:00 – College essays, agency, and who gets rewarded13:20 – What California universities are missing16:00 – SBK’s story: From special ed to Ivy League professor20:00 – Choir, cello, hacking: Unearthing hidden talent22:30 – “Yes, and” mindset explained24:00 – SBK on neuroticism and how he changed26:50 – Empowerment vs. fragility29:00 – Sensitivity as strength30:45 – The male stigma around being sensitive32:00 – Maddie, rejection, and the incel epidemic36:30 – Redefining trauma and responsibility41:05 – Vulnerable narcissism: What it is and why it matters44:41 – Entitlement vs. contribution45:56 – Final thoughts & where to find SBK
Ask questions.Don't accept the status quo.And be curious.
The Nick Standlea Show
If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
