Podcast Summary: “How to Become a Super Human”

Podcast: Business School with Sharran Srivatsaa
Host: Sharran Srivatsaa
Date: November 25, 2025
Episode Theme: A tactical, actionable framework for accelerating personal growth—breaking down learning, intelligence, and wisdom into simple, mathematical concepts, and applying a “when-then” behavioral algorithm to unlock ‘superhuman’ performance.

Episode Overview

In this high-energy episode, Sharran Srivatsaa promises listeners a “cheat code to life.” He dismisses personal growth mysticism in favor of a methodical, pragmatic framework rooted in math and behavioral mechanisms. Sharran distills how to become a “superhuman”—the best version of yourself—by understanding learning as a mathematical function, intelligence as the speed of that learning, wisdom as compounding the results, and actionable change via behavior-based “when-then” formulas.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Problem with Traditional Education

• Timestamps: 02:20 – 06:50
• Sharran highlights the gap between what school teaches (trivia, facts, academic knowledge) and what’s actually needed for real-world personal growth and business success.
• “We are over-educated on trivia and undereducated on growth.” (04:50)
• He explains that while trivia can now be easily accessed (via AI, calculators, etc.), skills like negotiation, decision-making, or handling rejection aren’t taught.

2. Personal Growth is “Just Math”

• Timestamps: 06:51 – 09:19
• Sharran reframes personal development: it’s not mystical—it’s mathematical.
• Every experience is like a function: inputs (stress, opportunity, failures) generate outputs (behaviors).
• “If you can figure out the right set of inputs, you will get the output you want in life.” (07:47)

3. The Three Key Mathematical Definitions of Growth

a. Learning = Function: Same Condition, New Behavior

• Timestamps: 09:20 – 13:10
• Learning occurs when the same condition produces new behavior—this is the basic “function.”
• Example: If you touch an electric outlet and get shocked, learning means you won’t repeat the behavior.
• “If I come back the next day and I know that I’m going to get a shock, and I don’t stick my finger in, it’s same condition, new behavior. That’s when you have learned something.” (10:01)

b. Intelligence = Rate of Learning (Derivative)

• Timestamps: 13:11 – 16:17
• Intelligence = how quickly you adapt new behaviors to the same condition.
• “If you know a thing and you’re not doing the thing, you are not intelligent.” (15:20)
• Some people need less repetition to change their behavior—those people are more “intelligent” in that specific area.

c. Wisdom = Stockpile of Lessons (Integral)

• Timestamps: 16:18 – 18:45
• Wisdom is the accumulated sum of lessons learned over time—the “area under the curve.”
• “Wisdom is the stockpile of lessons over time. It is the compound interest on learning.” (17:30)
• Distinguishes between knowing what to do (learning), how fast you learn (intelligence), and the depth of your accrued experience (wisdom).

4. Applying Growth: The ‘When-Then’ Algorithm for Behavioral Change

• Timestamps: 18:46 – 30:25
• Change happens not just with awareness but with actionable behaviors. Sharran introduces the “when-then algorithm” as a tool to translate vague goals into specific actions.
• “Everything in our lives to become a superhuman needs to be behavior-oriented. Our job is to constantly upgrade our behavior.” (22:27)

What is a When-Then Algorithm?

• When X happens, then do Y.
• Instead of generic feedback, install precise triggers for new behaviors.

Examples:

• Simple: “When you’re adding two complex numbers, stack them up so you can add them easily.” (21:34)
• Advanced: “When someone is speaking, count to three before you respond.” (22:12)
  (Sharran uses this to exemplify turning abstract feedback—‘you interrupt too much’—into executable change.)

5. How to Find Your ‘When’ and ‘Then’

• Timestamps: 25:20 – 31:25
• Awareness is crucial: If you don’t see the gap between where you are and where you want to be, you can’t change.
• Example: To get promoted, realize the “when” might be ‘not speaking up in meetings’; the “then” is ‘consistently voice your opinions’ (drawn from observing someone who was promoted).
• Model first, improve later:
  “People try to improve before they model. Model it before you improve it.” (28:14)

6. The Missing Piece: Action and Choice

• Timestamps: 31:26 – 35:25
• Even after you know the steps, you must choose to follow through (“do what is required”).
• Not following through is a choice, not a lack of knowledge.
• “Most people can’t do what is required for two reasons: they either don’t want it or they don’t know the steps.” (32:34)

7. Feedback and Relationships: Behavioral Framing

• Timestamps: 34:20 – 38:55
• Sharran emphasizes using the when-then approach to give (and receive) feedback, both professionally and personally.
• Example:
  “When this situation happens and you do this, it makes me feel this way. I would appreciate if, in the future, when this situation happens, you did this instead.” (36:40)
• This reframes criticism as an actionable opportunity for behavioral change, benefiting relationships and workplace culture.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Personal growth is just math.” (06:51)
• “Learning is when your behavior changes based on an experience. Same condition, new behavior.” (09:32)
• “If you know a thing and you’re not doing the thing, you are not intelligent.” (15:20)
• “Wisdom is the stockpile of lessons over time. It is the compound interest on learning.” (17:30)
• “Change your behavior by installing a when-then statement. This is the cheat code to life.” (33:12)
• “People try to improve before they model. Model it before you improve it.” (28:14)

Important Timestamps

• 02:20 — The real value (and limits) of school education
• 06:51 — “Personal growth is just math”
• 09:20 — Definition of learning as a function
• 13:11 — Intelligence is the derivative (rate of change)
• 16:18 — Wisdom as accumulated lessons (integral)
• 18:46 — Introduction of the “when-then” algorithm
• 25:20 — How to become aware of ‘when’ moments
• 28:14 — The mandate to model before improving
• 32:34 — Why people don’t take action
• 36:40 — Framing feedback with ‘when-then’ in relationships

Summary Table: Sharran’s Superhuman Framework

| Concept | Mathematical Analogy | Core Definition | Key Question | |--------------|----------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | Learning | Function | Same condition, new behavior | Did you change your behavior after an input? | | Intelligence | Derivative | Rate of learning/adaptation | How quickly do you adapt? | | Wisdom | Integral | Stockpile of accumulated lessons | How much have you compounded that learning? |

Final Takeaways

• Growth is not about inspiration but structured behavior.
• The “when-then” model operationalizes feedback and personal improvement; success comes from identifying triggers (“when”) and deliberately changing responses (“then”).
• Personal growth is accessible for anyone willing to install these algorithms, model from those ahead, and consistently self-reflect.

Actionable Homework:
Audit your life for repeated challenges. For each, ask:

• What is the recurring “when”?
• How can I model the most effective “then”?
• Am I willing to do what is required, or am I choosing not to?

“If it can be taught, it’s a skill, and if it’s a skill, it can be learned. Therefore, anything is possible. Therefore you could become a superhuman.” (35:15)