Runners Who Read Podcast EP 12: Range by David Epstein

David Epstein is a highly awarded journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and fellow runner among numerous other things. Like many of the characters in his book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Highly Specialized World, which we read over the last 7 weeks, he has benefitted from a winding career path. Having master’s degrees in both environmental science and journalism, David might be the only person to have co-authored a paper in the journal of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine research while employed as a writer at Sports Illustrated. From a story about the only living Olympian to survive a concentration camp to one detailing the DEA’s fraught pursuit of Chapo Guzman’s rivals, he has had covered many topics. In addition to Range, his previous book, The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance was a New York Times bestseller as well. As a collegiate athlete at Columbia University he was a 2-time school record holder and twice NCAA All-East in the 800m. He also has enjoyed volunteering with the Pat Tillman Foundation and Classroom Champions.

 

In this conversation we discuss topics from his bestselling book, Range and how they apply to today's world. From finding a job as a generalist without deeply specialized knowledge to the skillsets needed to thrive in a world that has become increasingly impacted by artificial intelligence, we cover a range of topics. Come for the practical advice and stay for the lessons David has learned from his own winding career path. From one runner to another, this was a fun conversation you won't want to miss!

 

Follow David:

Instagram - @davidepstein

X - @DavidEpstein

Website - https://davidepstein.com/

 

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