The Coach & the Cowboy

Perspectives on Politics, Philosophy and Personal Development

With Anna Katharina Schaffner and Patrick Daley

The Coach & the Cowboy

We usually tend to talk about what matters most to us with people with whom we already agree on the majority of things. However, the most interesting conversations happen when we talk to those who are different from us, whose experiences are dissimilar to ours and who have a view of the world with which we are not yet familiar. It is in those kinds of encounters that we may learn something surprising and acquire new insights. These conversations may challenge us, but they also broaden our perspective and illuminate our blind spots.

My friend Patrick Daley and I are from completely different backgrounds and see the world through dissimilar lenses. Patrick comes from a political family in the US. He worked in finance, served in the military and is an investor and a risk analysis strategist. I grew up in a commune in Germany and studied literature. I am a writer and researcher based in the UK. I am also a coach with a deep interest in the art of self-improvement.

In other words: Patrick likes dogs, data, guns and free markets, I like cats, trees and the arts. Patrick’s core interest is systems, mine is psyches.

What Patrick and I share is:

· A deep curiosity about other people’s perspectives and ways of thinking.

· An appreciation of nuance and complexity.

· A sense of being politically homeless.

· An interest in looking more deeply at current trends and dogmas.

· A love of Stoic thought.

· A desire for conversations that are not about point-scoring, poking holes into other people’s arguments or converting them to our ways of thinking, but that are based on respect and a genuine wish to learn.

I hope you enjoy our new podcast! You can find it on Spotify.