The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

Are You a Preacher, Prosecutor, Scientist, or Politician?

Do you find yourself defaulting to “Preacher” mode when you’re under pressure, or starting to act like a “Prosecutor” when someone challenges your ideas? Brené and Adam unpack four mental modes – Preacher, Prosecutor, Politician, and Scientist – to explore why we often cling to being right rather than getting it right. In this episode, they discuss how these defensive stances are shaping our response to AI, Brené’s “bounce” method for emotional hypothesis-testing, Adam’s go-to “strategy of small losses,” and ways to stay curious when the stakes are high. You can find The Curiosity Shop on ⁠YouTube⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ (@thecuriosityshop). 0:00 - Introduction and Emoting 2:45 - Thinking Under Threat 8:55 - Testing Your Gut with Small Experiments 22:48 - The Integrity of Commitment: The Making of This Podcast 27:20 - Four Thinking Modes: Scientist, Preacher, Prosecutor, Politician 34:00 - When Opinions Become Beliefs 41:00 - The Social Costs of Changing Our Minds 51:40 - A Missing Mental Model: Teacher 59:40 - Wrap up Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know - Adam Grant, 2021, Book, https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/ Eric Ries on ‘The Lean Startup’ - Eric Ries, 2011, Knowledge at Wharton https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/eric-ries-on-the-lean-startup/ Learning Through Failure: The Strategy of Small Losses - Sitkin, 1992, Research in Organizational Behavior https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/913886 Affective Forecasting - Wilson & Gilbert, 2003, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Affect/AffectiveForecasting_WilsonGilbert.pdf Atlas of the Heart - Brené Brown, 2021 (Book) https://brenebrown.com/book/atlas-of-the-heart The Science of the Deal - Adam Grant, WorkLife with Adam Grant Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onaKlV8xoaY&t=180s The Power of Vulnerability - Brené Brown, 2011, TED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers - Adam Grant, 2016, TED https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHuIGEz72Yd5Whlvvu4rTetx9PGIV69X6 Beliefs Are Like Possessions - Abelson, 2007, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1988-01402-001 We Need to Talk about Astrology - Adam Grant, 2024, Substack https://adamgrant.substack.com/p/we-need-to-talk-about-astrology The Diplomat - Cahn et al., 2023-present, Let's Not Turn This Into a Whole Big Production & Well Red, Netflix (TV series) https://www.netflix.com/title/81288983?trackId=259776131&trkId=259776131&src=tudum

Brené BrownhostAdam Granthost

May 14, 202657mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 14, 2026
Duration: 57m
Channel: The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Do you find yourself defaulting to “Preacher” mode when you’re under pressure, or starting to act like a “Prosecutor” when someone challenges your ideas? Brené and Adam unpack four mental modes – Preacher, Prosecutor, Politician, and Scientist – to explore why we often cling to being right rather than getting it right. In this episode, they discuss how these defensive stances are shaping our response to AI, Brené’s “bounce” method for emotional hypothesis-testing, Adam’s go-to “strategy of small losses,” and ways to stay curious when the stakes are high. You can find The Curiosity Shop on ⁠YouTube⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ (@thecuriosityshop). 0:00 - Introduction and Emoting 2:45 - Thinking Under Threat 8:55 - Testing Your Gut with Small Experiments 22:48 - The Integrity of Commitment: The Making of This Podcast 27:20 - Four Thinking Modes: Scientist, Preacher, Prosecutor, Politician 34:00 - When Opinions Become Beliefs 41:00 - The Social Costs of Changing Our Minds 51:40 - A Missing Mental Model: Teacher 59:40 - Wrap up Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know - Adam Grant, 2021, Book, https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/ Eric Ries on ‘The Lean Startup’ - Eric Ries, 2011, Knowledge at Wharton https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/eric-ries-on-the-lean-startup/ Learning Through Failure: The Strategy of Small Losses - Sitkin, 1992, Research in Organizational Behavior https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/913886 Affective Forecasting - Wilson & Gilbert, 2003, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Affect/AffectiveForecasting_WilsonGilbert.pdf Atlas of the Heart - Brené Brown, 2021 (Book) https://brenebrown.com/book/atlas-of-the-heart The Science of the Deal - Adam Grant, WorkLife with Adam Grant Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onaKlV8xoaY&t=180s The Power of Vulnerability - Brené Brown, 2011, TED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers - Adam Grant, 2016, TED https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHuIGEz72Yd5Whlvvu4rTetx9PGIV69X6 Beliefs Are Like Possessions - Abelson, 2007, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1988-01402-001 We Need to Talk about Astrology - Adam Grant, 2024, Substack https://adamgrant.substack.com/p/we-need-to-talk-about-astrology The Diplomat - Cahn et al., 2023-present, Let's Not Turn This Into a Whole Big Production & Well Red, Netflix (TV series) https://www.netflix.com/title/81288983?trackId=259776131&trkId=259776131&src=tudum

SPEAKERS

Brené Brown
host
Research professor and author/podcaster known for work on vulnerability, courage, and leadership.
Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist and author focused on motivation, learning, and rethinking beliefs.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, featuring Brené Brown and Adam Grant, Are You a Preacher, Prosecutor, Scientist, or Politician? explores four mindsets shaping how we argue, learn, and change minds Grant explains that under stress people default to preaching (defending sacred beliefs), prosecuting (trying to win arguments), or politicking (seeking approval), which crowds out rethinking.

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