Why Tiny Experiments Might Be the Key to Sustainable Success written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Why Tiny Experiments Are the Antidote to Goal Obsession with Anne-Laure Le Cunff Host: John Jantsch | Guest: Anne-Laure Le Cunff Book: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World Website: NessLabs.com In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch talks with neuroscientist, writer, and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff about […]

Why Tiny Experiments Might Be the Key to Sustainable Success written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Why Tiny Experiments Are the Antidote to Goal Obsession with Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Host: John Jantsch | Guest: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Book: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World

Website: NessLabs.com

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch talks with neuroscientist, writer, and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff about her new book Tiny Experiments. Learn how small, curiosity-led experiments can help you break free from rigid goal-setting, reclaim personal agency, and foster innovation in your business and life.

Listen to the episode:

Episode Summary

Anne-Laure shares her personal story of walking away from a fast-track career at Google following a health scare that shifted her priorities. Through her experience in neuroscience and her work at Ness Labs, she developed the concept of “tiny experiments”—low-stakes, curiosity-driven practices that help individuals and businesses adapt, learn, and grow without fear of failure.

This episode dives into the difference between goals and experiments, how to apply scientific thinking to daily challenges, and why AI can be a powerful thinking partner in this journey.

About the Guest: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Anne-Laure is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Ness Labs, a platform for mindful productivity and creativity. Her weekly newsletter is read by over 100,000 people worldwide. Before pursuing a PhD in neuroscience, she led global marketing initiatives at Google. Her new book, Tiny Experiments, helps readers design more flexible, reflective approaches to progress and learning.

Key Takeaways

Traditional goals can create a binary mindset of success or failure—tiny experiments shift the focus to learning.
Announcing goals publicly can backfire by providing premature satisfaction.
The “I will [action] for [duration]” format is the foundation of a tiny experiment.
Applying experimentation in business encourages innovation and reduces fear of failure.
AI can serve as a 24/7 thought partner to challenge assumptions and prompt creativity.
Curiosity-driven intelligence can help us better understand internal and external challenges.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

00:01 – Introduction to Anne-Laure and the concept behind Tiny Experiments
02:13 – How a health scare triggered Anne-Laure’s career shift
04:03 – Why we’re obsessed with goals—and how it can be harmful
06:11 – The myth of public accountability: Why telling people your goals might not help
07:11 – What exactly is a tiny experiment?
08:23 – Reframing weight loss or health goals as experiments
10:20 – Applying the PACT framework to business and marketing
12:14 – How fear of failure—and fear of success—affect experimentation
14:21 – Practicing curiosity-driven intelligence in life and business
18:05 – Using AI as a tool for reflection and experiment design
18:52 – Personal stories: How tiny experiments shaped Anne-Laure’s life and work
20:27 – Where to connect with Anne-Laure and learn more