Deep Questions with Cal Newport sponsors and ad reads

Hey, let's take a quick break to hear from some of the sponsors that make this show possible. Have you ever had that experience where you put something off again and again, and then when you finally get around to doing it, you kick yourself for having waited so long? I mean, I felt that way about this podcast. People kept telling me, you need your own show. And I agreed, but I didn't want to bother. And then once I finally did start it, I was like, oh man, I should have done this a while ago. Well, I don't want you to feel this way about that business idea that you have been sitting on. This is why you need Shopify because it makes getting started selling things easy, providing everything you need to turn your idea into action. For example, all Shopify storefronts are integrated with Shopify checkout, which helps your customers finish their purchases. And when they come back, all of their information is already saved. This not only converts more customers, but gives you more time to focus on what really matters, improving your products and growing your business. If we ever start selling things here at the show, we will for sure use Shopify. I'm always happy when I come across a Shopify-powered store, as I know my purchasing experience will be seamless and easy. So if you've been sitting on an idea for a business, Shopify can make it easy to get started. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business, so go make one. If you're ready to stop putting off your business and start hearing, then you're ready for Shopify. Start your free trial at shopify.com slash deep today. You heard that right. Start your free trial today at shopify.com slash deep. That's shopify.com slash deep.

I also want to talk about our friends at Pipe Drive. Here's a stat that genuinely shocked me. Sales teams spend about 50% of their time on admin work instead of selling, building relationships, or closing deals. This pseudo-productivity is devastating to the bottom line. Fortunately, this is where today's sponsor, Pipedrive, comes in. Here's what I love about Pipedrive. It is a fantastic sales CRM system that's built with small and medium-sized businesses in mind. It's built from the ground up to strip away repetitive work. Smart automations can handle shallow tasks like reminders, deal updates, and activity logging. And you can customize all of this automation to fit your unique sales process. Not sure where there's room for improvement? Use their AI features to analyze your pipeline and surface what needs attention. If your business sells things, you need Pipedrive. It's time to switch to a CRM built by salespeople for salespeople and join the over 100,000 companies already using Pipedrive. My link gets you an exclusive 30 days free instead of the usual 14-day trial. No credit card or payment needed. Just head to pipedrive.com slash deep to get started. That's pipedrive.com slash deep, and you can be up and running in minutes.

I want to take another quick break to hear from some of the sponsors that make this show possible. Look, I'm never someone who thought a lot about my skin, but as I've gotten older, I discovered something that 99% of women already know, but no one told me. You have to take care of your skin. This is why I'm a fan of Caldera Lab, which offers a line of skincare products engineered specifically for men's skin, which is 25% thicker, oilier, and ages differently from women. Now I want to talk about one product in particular that blew me away, their eye serum, which targets the most visible signs of aging, which are the puffiness and fine lines around your eye. It's lightweight, it's fast absorbing, and it can be applied in seconds. And yet it really makes a difference, especially for someone like me who is a man that is, shall we say, no longer a spring chicken. So if you'd like to look a little more rested and refreshed, visit calderalab.com slash deep and use code deep for 20% off your first order. That's calderalab, C-A-L-D-E-R-A, lab.com slash deep for 20% off your first order.

This episode is also sponsored by BetterHelp. Here's the thing. We talk about mental health more openly now than we used to, but asking for help can still feel hard. BetterHelp's latest research confirms this. Their 2026 State of Stigma Report surveyed 2,000 Americans and revealed that 85% believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing so. These are shocking results. So here's my message to you. If you're struggling with your thoughts and mood, consider getting help from a professional. If your knee was hurting, you go see a doctor. So why not do the same if your mind is feeling out of sorts? Now, if finding a therapist seems too daunting, you should consider better help. the world's largest online therapy platform, which has served over 6 million people globally. It's easy to use. You fill out a short questionnaire and BetterHelp will match you with a therapist well-suited to your needs. If you're not happy with them, you can switch at any time. So don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash deepquestions. That's better, H-E-L-P dot com slash deep questions.

Let's take a quick break to hear from some of the sponsors that make this show possible. What's the one thing in business that's spreading as fast as AI? AI risk. Every new tool your team signs up for, every vendor that turns on AI features, every new integration — each one is an opportunity for something to go wrong, and most security programs weren't built for AI's pace of growth. This is where Vanta enters the scene. Vanta is the number one agentic trust platform used by over 16,000 fast moving companies like Ramp, Cursor, and Harvey to ensure they're always audit ready. And now, Vanta is helping companies like yours watch for the risk that show up between audits across your vendors, your AI tools, and your whole environment. The Vanta agent works like a twenty-four-seven GRC engineer in the background, finding issues, drafting fixes for you, and cutting vendor assessment times by up to 50%. Whether you're a fast growing startup or a global enterprise, Vanta is here to help you automate your security and compliance and earn and prove trust. Get started today at vanta.com/deepquestions.