Summary5 min read

The Ryan Leak Podcast – "I Don’t Know" (July 6, 2026)

Host: Ryan Leak
Theme: The Pressure to “Have a Take” and the Freedom of “I Don’t Know”

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Ryan Leak challenges the modern societal pressure to have an opinion on every topic, a phenomenon accelerated by rapid access to information and social media “hot takes.” He introduces the concept of ultra crepidarianism—the tendency to offer opinions outside one's expertise—and advocates instead for embracing humility, honesty, and the simple, liberating power of saying, “I don’t know.”

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ultra Crepidarianism (01:30)

Definition Introduced: Ryan references a Mark Batterson book introducing ultra crepidarianism—“the habit of offering opinions, judgment, or advice on matters completely outside of one's area of expertise or knowledge.”
- Memorable Quote: “Ultra crepidarianism is the habit of offering opinions, judgment, or advice on matters completely outside of one's area of expertise or knowledge.” (01:55)
Reflects on how everyone knows (or has been) an ultra crepidarian.

2. “Takes” Culture and FOMO on Opinions (03:00)

Explores how media formats like ESPN’s First Take have fostered an expectation that everyone must have a strong opinion on everything.
This expectation extends to all sorts of real-life situations—dinners, group chats, comment sections:
- “It’s actually become culturally expected that you walk into a room, a dinner, a group chat, a comment section, and you have to have a take.” (03:19)
The fear of appearing uninformed drives people to cobble together opinions from minimal knowledge.

3. Access vs. Expertise (04:30)

Ryan discusses how easy access to information (e.g., through Google or ChatGPT) can make people conflate access with actual expertise.
- Quote: “Perhaps we’ve confused access with expertise. I mean, I can Google the Israeli Palestinian conflicts for 10 minutes and suddenly feel qualified to debate it at dinner. But reading a summary is not the same as having understanding.” (04:55)
Notes that instant technology can give a false sense of authority.

4. The Pressure to Perform (06:00)

There’s a cultural belief that “having a take” is equivalent to having value in a group.
- “We think if we don't have something to say, we don't have value. But that's a lie. Sometimes the most valuable person in the room is the one who can say, ‘I don’t know.’” (07:00)
This leads to pretending authority where none exists and getting embroiled in debates we aren’t equipped for.

5. The Irony of Know-It-Alls (07:30)

Ryan observes that while we feel pressured to be know-it-alls, nobody actually enjoys being around them:
- “We feel pressure to become the very thing we don't even like being around.” (07:50)
The classic “know-it-all” at dinner is exhausting; people avoid sitting near them.

6. Permission to Be a “Know-It-Some” (08:15)

Ryan introduces his alternative: Don’t be a “know-it-all”—be a “know-it-some.”
- “Hey, guess what? I know some things, I'm good at some things, I have informed opinions on some things, and on the rest, I don't know. And I'm good with ‘I don't know.’” (08:24)
Admits to the freedom of not needing to fake expertise.

7. Listening and Learning > Performing (09:15)

Letting go of the pressure to have a take allows you to:
- Be present, truly listen, ask better questions, and learn faster.
- Become someone people actually want to speak with—not the “answer person,” but the curious one.

8. Confidence in Admitting “I Don’t Know” (10:00)

Being able to admit ignorance is a sign of confidence, not ignorance.
- “It takes an extremely confident person to sit in a room full of opinions and say, ‘I’m still learning on this one.’” (10:31)

9. Wisdom from Leaders (11:00)

Ryan shares that in rooms with high-level leaders—CEOs, authors, experts—the most secure and respected often admit when they don’t know something.
- They might say, “That’s a great question. I'm not sure.” or “That's actually outside my expertise. I'll have to let someone else speak to that.” (11:27)

10. Practical Advice and Takeaways (13:15)

Offers “permission slip” to listeners: you don’t have to share an opinion on everything.
- “You don't have to win every debate. You don't need to post your opinion on every headline. Sometimes you could just be in the room and be a fly on the wall…” (13:20)
Suggests a phrase to use when asked for thoughts on unfamiliar topics:
- “Hey, I don't have enough information to have a strong opinion on that one.” (14:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Perhaps we've confused access with expertise.” (04:55)
“The loudest voice in the room gets the most airtime—but sometimes the most valuable person in the room is the one who can say, ‘I don’t know.’” (06:50)
“We feel pressure to become the very thing we don’t even like being around.” (07:50)
“There’s so much freedom in ‘I don’t know.’” (08:58)
“Insecure people can’t admit when they don’t know. It takes an extremely confident person to sit in a room full of opinions and say, ‘I’m still learning on this one.’” (10:31)
“Do not be an ultra crepidarian today, okay?” (12:36)
“You do not have to be a know-it-all. There is nothing wrong with being a know-it-some.” (14:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

01:30 – Introduction of ultra crepidarianism
03:00 – Examining the “take” culture and fear of saying “I don’t know”
04:30 – The difference between access to info and actual expertise
06:00 – Cultural pressure to perform, the myth of “having a take”
07:50 – The irony and exhaustion of know-it-alls
08:15 – Choosing to be a “know-it-some”
09:15 – Practicing curiosity and presence instead of performance
10:31 – True confidence in admitting what you don’t know
11:27 – Wisdom from top leaders: honesty about expertise
13:15 – Permission to disengage from “take” culture
14:00 – Practical script for saying, “I don’t know”

Conclusion

Ryan Leak delivers a thought-provoking and freeing message: You don’t have to have all the answers, and you’re likely more respected for honesty and humility than for feigned expertise. Instead of feeling pressure to perform, listeners are encouraged to embrace being a “know-it-some,” practicing curiosity, humility, and presence in conversations.

Final advice: Next time you feel you must have an opinion, try saying, “I don’t have enough information to have a strong opinion on that one”—and enjoy the newfound freedom and respect it brings.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
What's going on? My friends, welcome back to the Ryan League podcast, where we love to keep things short and sweet for you each and every week. Today's episode is entitled I Don't Know, I Don't know, which is what I believe a lot of us feel all the time, but we also feel afraid to say it out loud. I came across a particular word in a book about a month ago that I found to be very interesting. And the author, Mark Batterson, to be exact, introduced me to a word entitled ultra crepidarianism. Ultra crepidarianism. Look it up. It's fascinating. Ultra crepidarianism is the habit of offering opinions, judgment, or advice on matters completely outside of one's area of expertise or knowledge. Ultra crepidarianism. Now you might be thinking to yourself, I know an ultra crepidarian for sure. And it's interesting. You know, there's this show on ESPN that's been on there for a long time now called First Take. You know, it's where you've got sports analysts, former professional athletes on a show giving their take on particular subjects. And it's entertaining. And, you know, you see a bunch of reels on social media from it, and again, people are arguing back and forth and everybody has a take. And I think that format has actually somehow some way leaked into real life. It. It's actually become culturally expected that you walk into a room, a dinner, a group chat, a comment section, and you have to have a take. And you have to have a take on everything. Politics, parenting, the economy, foreign policy, nutrition, crypto, AI, whatever the latest controversy is, whatever trial you saw headline about that you actually don't even follow. You're expected to have a take. And if you don't have a take, people look at you like something's wrong. Like you don't have an opinion on that. No, I don't. And I'm at peace with it. And here's. Here's what I've begun to really notice a lot is that, you know, we live in a day and age where obviously ChatGPT can summarize any topic in 30 seconds. And I think because we can access information so quickly, perhaps we've confused access with expertise. I mean, I can Google the Israeli Palestinian conflicts for 10 minutes and suddenly feel qualified to debate it at dinner. But reading a summary is not the same as having understanding, having access to information is not the same as having authority on a subject. I mean, let's just be honest for just a minute. We got some friends that got chatgpt, that has made them believe that they have a PhD. No, you do not. And yet, my friends, the pressure is real. Someone brings up a topic and you feel like you need to weigh in. You feel like silence means ignorance. And like not having a take means you're uninformed or disengaged or you don't care. And so what we can end up doing is we can sort of cobble together a half baked opinion from a headline we skimmed and a reel we watched on Instagram. And then we present it like it's conviction. And now we find ourselves in a debate we were never qualified to enter. And I just keep wondering, like, why do we do this to ourselves? Because I think it's because we've made having to take a personality trait. Like the person with the boldest opinion gets the most attention. The loudest voice in the room gets the most airtime, and we've somehow internalized that. We think if we don't have something to say, we don't have value. But that's a lie. Sometimes the most valuable person in the room is the one who can say, I don't know. I don't have enough information on that subject to have a strong thought on that subject. I don't know. You know what's funny? This is fascinating to me. We feel pressure to be a know it all. Like, we feel pressure to be the smartest person in the room. But what blows my mind is that while we all have pressure to be a know it all, we all hate being around know it alls. Think about that. The person at the dinner who has an opinion on everything, who corrects everyone, who can't let a single topic pass without inserting their expertise. That person is exhausting. And nobody wants to sit next to them. Nobody's fighting for that seat. So here's what's ironic. We feel pressure to become the very thing we don't even like being around. And so today I just want to give us permission to be a know it sum, not a know it all, a know it sum. Hey, guess what? I know some things, I'm good at some things, I have informed opinions on some things, and on the rest, I don't know. And I'm good with I don't know. I'll listen, I'll learn, I'll ask questions, but I'm not going to fake expertise. I do not have just to stay relevant in a conversation. Do you know how much freedom there is? And I don't know, so much freedom. Because the moment you let go of the pressure to have a take on everything. You stop performing, and you start being present. You actually listen to what other people are saying instead of rehearsing your response. You ask better questions. You learn faster. You become the kind of person people actually want to talk to, not because you always have the answer, but because you're genuinely curious. And I just want to dispel the myth that saying I don't know somehow makes you look dumb. No, it makes you look honest. It makes you look secure. Because insecure people can't admit when they don't know. It takes an extremely confident person to sit in a room full of opinions and say, I'm still learning on this one. Here's the deal. I've had the wonderful opportunity to sit in a room with some of the smartest people in the world. CEOs, researchers, authors, leaders at the top of their fields. And you know what I've noticed that some of the best ones say more than anything is they'll use this phrase in a conversation. Really, really smart people. They'll say, that's a great question. I'm not sure. Or they'll use a phrase like this. They'll say, you know, I need to think about that more before I gave you an answer. Or the real humble response is, you know, Ryan, that's actually outside my expertise. I'm going to have to let someone else speak to that. And I'm going, but you're the CEO. Like, you should be an expert on everything. And he's like, actually, no, I have an HR leader that is an expertise on hr. I'm actually not an expert on hr. I feel the pressure to be an expert on hr, but I have let go of the pressure to be an expert on something that's outside of what's actually on my job description. That's not weakness. That's wisdom. That's the opposite of ultra crepidarianism. That's someone who knows what they know and somebody who knows what they don't know, and they aren't threatened by the gap. So, my friend, do not be an ultra crepidarian today, okay? You find yourself, you know, at a holiday barbecue, at a happy hour, in a small group, and you feel that urge to be the smartest person in the room to have an opinion about something that you actually don't have any expertise on. I just want to give you a permission slip today to just not have to have a take on everything. You don't have to win every debate. You don't need to post your opinion on every headline. Sometimes you could just be in the room and be a fly on the wall and be a participant in the conversation without having to establish yourself as as a as an ultra crepidarian. I think you and I can just be honest about what we actually know and humble about what we don't. The next time someone asks you, hey, what do you think? And you're not sure, just try this. Hey, I don't have enough information to have a strong opinion on that one. And watch what happens. Watch the relief on your own face. Watch how the conversation shifts. Watch how people actually respect you more, not less. My friend, you do not have to be a Know it all. There is nothing wrong with being a Know it some. My friends, thank you so much for listening to the Ryan Week Podcast. If today's episode inspired you, I'd ask that you don't keep it to yourself. Share it with a friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. Thanks for being a part of the journey. We'll catch you next time.