David Epstein
Author, Inside The Box
David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Range and the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and an investigative reporter for ProPublica. He lives in Washington, DC. His new book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, will be published by Riverhead Books on May 5, 2026.
109
May 12, 2026
Constraint & Uncertainty: David Epstein and Simone Stolzoff on Thinking Inside The Box
This week, we explore two forces that shape every creative journey: constraint and uncertainty. Drawing on the remarkable artistic reinventions of Hokusai, we look at how creative legends transitioned from running from the box to thriving within it—and how that same process plays out in creative work today. Our first guest, David Epstein, author of Inside the Box , systematically dismantles the myth of the blank canvas and shows why true creative breakthroughs happen inside carefully constructed...
Guests: Simone Stolzoff, David Epstein