The Cabrera Lab Podcast

Apr 02 2025 54 ep. 44 mins 13
The Cabrera Lab Podcast artwork

Join Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera from Cornell University as they inspire you to approach life's challenges with a fresh perspective. Witness their use of GOAT-level thinking to enhance your problem-solving skills. Discover new possibilities, approaches, and solutions you never knew existed. Elevate your thinking and get better every day with their entertaining guidance.

  Education  Society & Culture  Science
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#57: Connect the Dots—Why Root Cause Thinking Isn’t Enough

Apr 02 2025 29 mins  
In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University dive deep into the theme of their upcoming conference—Connect the Dots—and challenge the outdated idea of “root cause” thinking. Instead, they break down how real-world problems emerge from webs of causality, where multiple, interacting factors must be addressed simultaneously to get results. They explain w

#56: The Whole Is NOT Greater Than Its Parts (Here’s Why)

Mar 26 2025 28 mins  
In this special podcast-iversary episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University celebrate one year of the Cabrera Lab Podcast by taking a flamethrower to one of systems thinking’s most stubborn myths: “The whole is greater than its parts.” They dive deep into the real meaning of emergence, why complexity science is not about magic or mysticism, and how all the in

#55: Don’t Trust, Verify—How to Separate Your Thoughts from Your Feelings

Mar 19 2025 44 mins  
Feeling overwhelmed? Frustrated? Like the world is just too much? In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down the critical difference between thinking and feeling—and why confusing the two can lead to unnecessary stress, poor decisions, and pointless arguments. They’ll teach you how to untangle your emotions from your thoughts, avoid reacting

#53: The Emperor Has No Clothes: Exposing the Truth About Systems Thinking

Mar 12 2025 47 mins  
Everyone talks about systems thinking, but does anyone actually know what it is? In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University dive into the messy reality behind the term, exposing why so many so-called “systems thinking” frameworks lack any real scientific backing. They discuss why most frameworks are nothing more than untested opinions, how academia has

#52: Critical Thinking is Biased Thinking

Mar 05 2025 53 mins  
Critical thinking gets thrown around as the gold standard of thinking—but is it really? In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down why critical thinking is actually an antiquated form of thought, useful in some situations but totally inadequate in others. Sparked by a social media post that stirred up controversy, they unpack the onslaught of i

#51: The #1 Indicator of Real Intelligence (It’s Not What You Expect)

Feb 26 2025 31 mins  
What does it really mean to be smart? Spoiler: it’s not your IQ score, your degrees, or your job title. In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down the truth about intelligence—why being smart is less about what you know and more about how well you adapt to an ever-changing world. They’ll explore how true intelligence is about seeing pattern

#50: Slapping “Systems” on It Doesn’t work—How to Think Systemically for Real

Feb 19 2025 32 mins  
Just because something has the word systems in it doesn’t mean it’s actually systemic thinking. In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University expose how disciplines from business to biology love to throw around the term “systems” without actually applying systems thinking—and why that’s a problem. They’ll break down what real systemic thinking lo

#48: The Ultimate Playbook for Building a Winning Culture

Feb 12 2025 43 mins  
Your organization has a culture—whether you designed it or not. In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down how to take control of your organizational culture using culture marketing and the culture building graph to shape a thriving, high-performance environment. Learn actionable strategies to get everyone in your organization on board, reinfor

#47: How to Build an Adaptive Learning Organization That Thinks and Grows

Feb 05 2025 36 mins  
If your organization isn’t learning, it’s dying. In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore the power of organizational learning—why it’s the backbone of a thriving culture, how to foster it, and the key litmus tests to ensure your team is actually growing, not just going through the motions. They’ll break down why the best leaders never s

Episode #46: Capacity is King: Build Systems That Actually Work

Jan 29 2025 39 mins  
Is your organization running on systems—or just spinning its wheels? In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University dive into the concept of organizational capacity: the systems that power your mission statement and ultimately, your vision. They explain why a system of systems is the key to efficiency, adaptability, and long-term success—far superior to a d