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The Smartest Way To Be Stupid with comedian Matthew Broussard | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

If you feel stupid while learning something new, you’re doing it right. But if you keep doing the same thing over and over, hoping it’ll suddenly make sense—that’s on you. The trick isn’t to push harder; it’s to find a new teacher, a new explanation, a new way in. That’s exactly how Matthew Broussard approaches comedy - and everything else. A stand-up comedian, math nerd, and former financial analyst, Matthew is obsessed with learning and cracking the formula behind how things work. He treats every joke like an equation, testing, refining, and solving for laughter. He’s the creator of Monday Punday, a puzzle webcomic and app, and has been featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and Comedy Central’s Roast Battle. He’s also made appearances on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Mindy Project. His storytelling, including his viral tales about his mother-in-law, proves that logic and vulnerability can live in the same sentence. In this episode, we explore the overlap between comedy and leadership—the art of experimenting, iterating, and connecting through honesty. We talk about the hidden work beneath success, the difference between purpose and perfection, and why laughter might just be the purest form of optimism. This is A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- This episode is brought to you by the Porsche USA Macan --------------------------- Check out Matthew’s Youtube page for his full comedy special “Hyperbolic”: @mondaypunday + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

Matthew BroussardguestSimon Sinekhost
Nov 11, 20251h 4mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. MB

    My love for math and my k- love for comedy and science, I don't think they're separate entities. I was not an artist by training. Uh, I think an artist creates things whose value is measured subjectively.

  2. SS

    Mm-hmm.

  3. MB

    Stand-up comedy specifically sits at an odd intersection in that y- you could almost not qualify it as art because every decision I make is focus-grouped in real time.

  4. SS

    It's empirical.

  5. MB

    It's extremely empirical. I think that was my draw to it.

  6. SS

    And, and, and, and instant results.

  7. MB

    Instantly. Instantly.

  8. SS

    Like math. The math, the, the solution is revealed in that moment.

  9. MB

    Yes.

  10. SS

    And comedy, the solution is revealed in that moment.

  11. MB

    Hypothesis, conclusion in a heartbeat.

  12. SS

    In a heartbeat.

  13. MB

    In a heartbeat.

  14. SS

    [music] I was surprised when I invited a comedian on the show that we would spend so much time talking about math. But it's to be expected. Matthew Broussard is a former financial analyst who, let's just say, got forced into stand-up comedy. I found his work on Instagram a whole bunch of years ago and am a huge fan. He's also the creator of Monday Punday, the official name of his channel that is chock-full of comedy and, thank goodness, not much math. This nerd at heart taught me an invaluable life lesson. At various times, we all feel stupid, which very often results in us actually believing we're stupid. I, for one, always thought that I was bad at math. But as Matthew explained it to me, I'm not stupid. I was just taught badly. In this episode, we talk about curiosity, finding good teachers, and mothers. This is A Bit of Optimism. [music] This episode is brought to you by Porsche and their new Macan. And when they reached out to us and asked if I would be comfortable to talk about the new Porsche Macan, well, let's just say I already owned one. That's actually my car. So the simple answer was yes. So I discovered you on the Instagram. You, you- 'cause comedians pop up in my feed. Apparently the alg- algorithm knows I like funny things.

  15. MB

    Mm-hmm.

  16. SS

    And so you were ra- you were randomly thrust into my day.

  17. MB

    Mm-hmm.

  18. SS

    And, uh, I went down the Matthew Broussard rabbit hole. Like, you like one and then all of a sudden y-

  19. MB

    I'm in your face non-stop

  20. SS

    ... I'm, I'm, an hour later I'm like-

  21. MB

    Yeah

  22. SS

    ... "Shit, I should start work." You are exceptionally smart.

  23. MB

    Thank you. I appreciate that.

  24. SS

    Like, I have to imagine that somebody has said to you at some point, "You're too smart to be a comedian. What are you doing with your life?"

  25. MB

    Uh-

  26. SS

    [laughs]

  27. MB

    Uh, my parents, uh, have, have definitely said that. Uh, I was... I, I've... Yeah. M- my, my, my parents didn't want me to pursue comedy. I was told from a very young age that I had above average math skills specifically, and that was a very employable skill to have, and that that skill was luckily fostered quite strongly and I was able to learn. I was also very curious. I was, I was pretty self-motivated with it. I went to college for it, and it really wasn't until I tried an open mic that I even conceived of the notion that I could do anything else with my life besides use-

  28. SS

    Math

  29. MB

    ... math to make money.

  30. SS

    'Cause you talk about math principles in your comedy sometimes.

Episode duration: 1:04:53

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