We are engaging a major PR firm, and Jim will be travelling to the U.S. to promote the book. Initial reaction has been very positive!

Collapsing fertility is happening all over the world, and more and more people are raising concerns. But nobody else has an explanation or a cure.

Apart from baby bonuses and the like, all of which have failed.

www.birthratecrisisbook.com

AFD winning in Germany

As of now, it looks like the AFD will come to control Saxony, one of Germany’s largest states.

I make no comment on their policies, except to say that concern about plunging birth rates is one of their main policies.

7-Eleven on the defensive

Their lawyers wrote me a letter demanding that I desist from my ‘false’ statements.

I asked them to tell me which of my statements were false.

Is it false that they have taken the businesses of a number of franchisees, without compensation, and relaunched as company stores?

If not, and they do intend to provide compensation, then I’d be very happy to retract.

They have asked for a private meeting.

Meanwhile, our spineless government does nothing.

With all your legions of bureaucrats, you can’t stop what amounts to plain and simple theft?

Australian per capita GDP in decline

Yes, our GDP is rising, but only because of massive immigration.

The share of national wealth per person has been going down for years.

How can this happen, when technology continues to forge ahead?

· Ever-rising taxes, including capital gains taxes that penalise entrepreneurs

· Red tape strangling businesses and pushing up prices for consumers.

· Zoning laws and ever-rising building regulations that force up the price of housing and rents

· Lunatic ‘green’ policies doubling the cost of electricity and hurting consumers more by pushing up business costs and thus prices.

Why should Australians pay twice as much for power as Americans?

· Ever-rising levels of debt, costing ever-rising payments of interest

· The only growth industry in Australia is bureaucrats, net increase of 28 per day

· 19.4% rise in the cost of living since 2022!

Who voted for this??

Even the ABC is concerned!

Even the taxpayer-funded lapdog of the left is starting to have doubts. Jim Chalmers is positive on growth but Australia’s productivity problem persists - ABC News.

One Nation in Victoria

Likely to hold the balance of power in Victoria in November, if not absolute control. On the positive side, Pauline Hanson has more actual business experience in her fish and chip shop than the entire Labor front bench, State and Federal.

However, they seem to lack both party discipline and enough competent candidates to turn Victoria around. But who else?

Labor: incompetent wreckers of the economy.

The worst government, State or Federal, in our history

Greens: even worse (yes, that is possible)

Coalition: better, but favour zoning restrictions that have forced up house prices and rents.

Libertarians: I’m standing for Northcote. Not going to win, but every vote is a vote for sensible reform

Branson: Behind the Mask, Tom Bower

I’ve read most of what Branson has written, and Virgin certainly has great PR.

But Branson is that all-too-familiar character of the modern age, a greenie hypocrite.

Lives in luxurious tax exile in the Virgin Islands, while swanning around in his private jet. Legions of failed and money-losing businesses.

If you want to look at a great British entrepreneur, try James Dyson.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Ron Chernow

Interesting character. Impeccable in personal life, ruthless and dishonest in crushing competition.

Yet whose philanthropic gifts to medical funding and researched have likely saved tens of millions of lives.

Possibly as much as 100 million.

To put this in context, all of Hitler’s wars and extermination policies likely killed 30 to 40 million. If Hitler is the embodiment of evil, how do we judge Rockefeller?

Agrippa, by Robert Harris

On a lighter note, Agrippa is (forgive the pun) a gripping read. He was the general who brought Octavian (the future Augustus) to power, and finally destroyed the Roman Republic.

And if you really want fresh thinking on why that happened, a new edition of Biohistory will be available free but in draft form, to accompany the launch of Birth Rate Crisis in October.

See www.biohistory.org (but not yet).

Yes, we are on exactly the same path, for exactly the same reasons.

Set for a big release with maximum publicity.

We are really hopeful on this one. People all over the world are panicking but don’t have a solution.

We do.

We know why people are no longer having children, and exactly what to do about.

Can you do a review for No Other Success?

My business autobiography, No Other Success, is free through ebook retailers for a limited time.

We’re looking for people to read it and post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and other retailers.

Same if you’ve already read it. Our goal is 200-300 reviews on Amazon.

This will help us promote Birth-Rate Crisis when it comes out.

Here’s the link https://books2read.com/u/38jd5d

Shoe Dog, about Nike

This is a truly excellent business book, about how Philip Knight started Nike on a shoestring by importing athletic shoes from Japan.

So many close shaves with disaster. Absolute page turner.

Katherine Graham, Personal History

This is the lady who took over the Washington Post after the suicide of her husband.

Nobody expected her to succeed, but she did. Fascinating personal story.

Robert Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime

Successful long-term CEO of Disney.

Very different lessons from the above, but quite absorbing on the subjects of creativity and management.

To succeed in business and life: read and listen

There are a million good ideas out there. And even if we’ve heard them before, repetition drives in the message.

I changed my diet for the better in recent years, no so much by any grand resolution as by listening to a series of books on healthy eating.

Gradually, it became part of my thinking.

7-Eleven rip-off

This huge multinational terminates franchisees, refuses to let them sell, and then grabs the businesses as company-owned stores.

Small business owners robbed of their life’s work.

Our pathetic, spineless government is happy to bury franchising under a mountain of red tape and useless disclosures that nobody reads.

But has no problem with what amounts to outright theft.

We’ve offered a free Jim’s franchise for anyone ripped off in this way.

The first candidate finished training this week.

He’s coming into Building Inspections, and he’ll be a great franchisee.

If you owe a million dollars…

• If you owe a million dollars and can’t pay, you’re in trouble.

• If you owe a billion dollars and can’t pay, the bank’s in trouble

• If you owe a trillion dollars and can’t pay, you’re the treasurer

Australia now has a trillion-dollar government debt.

To put this in perspective:

Interest on federal and State debts: $48 billion

Medicare benefits: $35 billion

All our police forces: $18 billion

And in Victoria…

Since 2014, the Victorian State government has employed an extra 22,000 bureaucrats, costing $3.5 to $4 billion a year.

This much money could hire 20% more doctors and nurses for our badly strained health system, and give every doctor, nurse, police officer and teacher in the State a 10% pay rise.

Plus, this legion of bureaucrats is working day and night to cripple businesses and force up the price of housing and rents with their red tape.

The civil service was already bloated and destructive before 2014. It’s worse now.

How about a government that uses our taxes for the services we really need?

In November, Victorians will have a chance to send a message.

If we choose wrong again, then heaven help us.

The Perils of Racism

Jason Arday, appointed to a Cambridge chair he was clearly unsuited to for ‘diversity’ reasons, outed for plagiarism and then committed suicide.

Three little girls, left with an abusive mother despite multiple pleas from their grandmother.

Left, because the authorities feared being seen to break up Aboriginal families.

And then she killed them.

All these people would be alive if we had followed Martin Luther King’s doctrine that people should be judged by their character rather than the colour of their skin.

To treat people differently because of their race is racism

Why are rents going up?

1. Getting rid of negative gearing, which let investors subsidise rents with tax benefits

2. Strangling red tape, taxes and zoning restrictions to stop people building

Fine to stop negative gearing, IF you leave people free to build. Disastrous if you don’t.

High rents = homeless

Interesting study in The Atlantic showing that the richest areas in America have the most homeless people.

Why? Because these areas also have the highest rents.

This is a far bigger reason than mental illness or anything else.

Though it’s also true that when restrictive zoning denies people housing, it also increases the risk of mental illness and death.

That’s it for this month; we will do a video version of this newsletter as a podcast soon, so subscribe to the ‘Conversations with Jim’ podcast to hear it.

Just listening again to ‘No rules, rules’ by Reed Hastings, about Netflix.

One of the most striking messages is about the need to give and accept candid feedback, delivered and accepted in the right way.

From this account, Netflix is extraordinarily open in this area.

Made me think about the way we handle things at Jim’s Group.

I regularly solicit and accept feedback from franchisees, and rarely does a week go by when we don’t change something as a result.

This is one of the key reasons I give me email address and phone number to every franchisee at training.

At training, I often give examples of how recent feedback has helped us.

Also, our Advisory Committee process allows any franchisor to put proposals into the agenda, which we always discuss seriously.

However, it strikes me that very few staff ever provide me with negative feedback. Perhaps something to work on.

The Threat from China?

Reading in a recent poll that Australians see China as less of a threat than we used to, a few years back.

This is especially so of people politically on the left.

I don’t have much sympathy for the left in general (out-of-control spending, ever-rising red tape and debt) but in this area I’m with them.

How is China a threat to Australia?

Their biggest difference is that they want Taiwan back, which has been Chinese for centuries.

If China attacks Taiwan, we could provide money and support, but we should not even THINK of supporting America in a war.

The Ukrainians are doing a magnificent job of resisting Russia, but nobody else has boots on the ground to defend them.

China deserves respect as a great power.

They underpin our prosperity, to the extent that stupid government policies do not undermine it.

And they make great stuff at a cheap price. China is no threat to Australia.

No government can satisfy modern electorates

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has gone, only two years after a landslide win.

This is a widespread pattern.

Leaders sweep to power but then quickly lose popularity, with more and more extreme options being sought.

Meanwhile, debt soars, inequality grows, and productivity declines. Same in Australia and the U.S.

This is not about incompetent leaders but an electorate that can never be satisfied by any leader or by any set of policies.

And it’s going to get worse, because the character of our populations is changing.

There is a solution, but it’s not one you’ve ever heard of.

Birth Rate Crisis is coming out in October.

Angus Taylor

Having said this, the new Liberal leader has come out with policies that have some hope of halting the decline, if his Party and the electorate will give him a chance.

Less bureaucracy and debt, for a start, and getting rid of Net Zero which has doubled the cost of electricity and powered inflation.

Now, if only the Liberals would get behind zoning reform, to make houses and rents more affordable!

Limiting negative gearing worked to make houses a bit cheaper, but rents are going up.

Totally predictable.

Negative gearing made it possible for investors to buy overly dear houses and charge limited rents.

Without it, they’ll have to charge higher rents or exit the market.

Lemming Cycles

I’m also working on a new book about lemming cycles.

This is the biological pattern that causes populations of small animals to surge and decline.

It’s also responsible for many changes in human history including the onset of plagues such as the Black Death, the First World War, the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties, and much more.

Coming out 2027

Jimbo

Our new software program for franchisees has been released for general use.

We are working hard to make it smoother and more efficient, getting regular feedback from users.

We’re also setting up separate teams to work on key improvements:

· Direct booking of appointments for franchisees

· Jimbo marketplace for buying and selling regular clients

· Systems to reduce complaints, which should drastically improve lead volume

We’re investing more than a million dollars a year to improve Jimbo, and intend to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.

There’s no better investment than improvements to IT.

Google My Business

Another change we’re working on is to have franchisees get more reviews for Google My Business.

This is a hugely valuable source of leads which costs absolutely nothing, and adds real value to a business if and when sold.

Surprising how few small businesses make full use of this feature.

The world’s first trillionaire (briefly)

Elon Musk does some doubtful things, but he’s reduced the cost of getting into space by 90%.

He could get us to Mars, and he’s passionate about reversing the birth rate decline, even though he doesn’t (yet) know how.

So, overall, a fan.

Jacinta Allen on the ropes

Maybe, but her replacement won’t to do anything to stop Victoria heading to disaster.

Maybe Jess Wilson can do something to turn things around, though no signs the Liberals will relax our appalling Zoning laws to make housing and rents affordable.

We are looking for test readers for the book, due for release in October.

This is an account of falling birth rates across the world, why it is happening, and what can be done about it.

A solution that no one else is suggesting, based on fundamental neuroscience, and also a guide to better and happier living.

If you'd like to volunteer to be a test reader, email Andrea at ap@andreapearsonbooks.com, and she'll send you a link to download a free copy of the ebook.

House prices starting to fall?

Over the past six months, house prices have gone down in Victoria, New South Wales and the A.C.T., while continuing to rise elsewhere.

Reading the financial press, you’d think it was a disaster.

Main problem: not nearly enough. Get rid of our strangling bureaucracies and zoning regulations, and prices would likely settle to half what they are now.

Affordable prices for young people wanting to buy, and affordable rents.

A bit less wealth for multi-millionaires. What’s not to like?

The Budget

The government wants to get rid of negative gearing.

No problem, IF you also relax zoning and other laws that push up the price of housing.

Fail to do that and rents will become unaffordable.

What we really need to do is reduce spending, especially on the areas that do nothing to help those in need.

Do that and there is no need to keep on raising taxes.

What we CANNOT do is continue to borrow and go deeper and deeper into debt.

No political party seems to have a proper policy relating to debt.

One Nation would be no better, though they could scarcely be worse than Labor.

The Crushing weight of bureaucracy

On this subject. Among OECD countries, we have more civil servants per capita than Italy, Canada, the U.K., America, Spain, and Germany.

This includes 25% more than the U.K., and close to 50% more than Germany.

The only OECD countries that do worse than us are New Zealand and France.[i]

And many of these are actively working to impoverish ordinary Australians.

· Zoning bureaucrats who double the cost of housing and rents.

· Green bureaucrats who double the cost of electricity (compared with America)

· Regulation bureaucrats who strangle business and force up the cost of everything

These people cannot be sacked and have no incentives to be efficient. Even for the jobs they need to do, any competent company could cut their workforce in half.

Why go to Uni?

To earn more money? But look at the stats on average income:

No post-school qualifications

$55-75k

Many university graduates

$75k-$110k

Qualified electricians

$90k-$110k

Qualified plumbers

$90k-$110k

Other construction tradies

$$75k-$110k

Self-employed successful tradies

$120k-$250k

High-earning professionals: doctors, engineers, dentists, etc

$120k-$300k

In other words, unless you intend to be a doctor or engineer, you’re likely better off in a trade.

Extra bonus: instead of a massive HECS debt, four years of earnings – more than enough to buy a Jim’s Plumbing or Electrical franchise and join the self-employed successful tradies!

Actually, according to ChatGPT, owning your own business is often a better determinant of income than your qualifications.

After all, I did a PhD, but the actual skill that made me successful was how to mow lawns for a living.

Alexander the not so Great, by Edmond Richardson

This is a vivid, fascinating book about a quite repulsive man. Best history book I’ve seen in a long time!

The Warren Buffet CEO, Robert Miles

This is an updated version of one of the best books written about Berkshire Hathaway, focusing on the managers of the wholly owned companies.

People with the same values and attitudes as Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger, dedicated to the long-term success of their businesses and without the ego-boosting needs of so many CEO’s.

The reverence and affection they have for Buffet, and his similar attitudes to them, is heartwarming.

This is how businesses ought to be run.

[i] OECD, Government at a Glance 2023 and 2025.

World Bank, Worldwide Bureaucracy Indicators.

Dahlström, Carl, Victor Lapuente, and Jan Teorell. The Merit of Meritocratization: Politics, Bureaucracy, and the Institutional Deterrents of Corruption. Political Research Quarterly 65, no. 3 (2012): 656–668.

National civil service reports from the Australian Public Service Commission, UK Civil Service Statistics, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and China’s State Administration of Civil Service.

Forty years ago, Paul Keating gave the ‘banana republic’ message that launched Australia on the road to prosperity.

Reduced spending, reduced debt, reduced taxes, reduced red tape, and lower tariffs.

The result: decades of lower inflation and rising real wages.

Jim Chalmers likes to cite Keating, but what a contrast!

More spending, higher taxes, more red tape, more debt.

And times are relatively good. What happens when a real crisis hits?

We can’t even spend enough on defence to secure our security, even if you count nuclear submarines that may or may not arrive decades into the future.

Making Friends

Enough complaining.

The Laws of Connection by David Robson.

A wonderful and very practical book about how to build friendship and connection. I’ve been trying to put some of these ideas into practice.

My best book of the year so far, and I’ll be listening to it again quite soon, to help drive the lessons home.

Re-reading

A really good practice is to go back to books I’ve loved in the past.

I’ve just listened again to The Expectation Effect, which is chock full of ideas about how to live a better and healthier life.

The Brain that Changes itself, by David McRamey has fascinating stories about how our brains can be reprogrammed, and his subsequent book, How Minds Change is also good.

Birth Rate Crisis

We are online for a release date in October.

I’ve added Andrea, my editor, as a co-author. Her story, as a mother who has struggled to have more children, adds a welcome and humanising viewpoint.

I really think this book will do well. With Andrea’s help, it is accessible and a great guide to a happy and meaningful life.

And we really do have a solution to the birth rate crisis. Just one that nobody else is considering.

Jimbo

Our franchise scheduling and billing system has now been approved for general release, though more than a thousand franchisees are currently using it.

We’re putting some pressure on the others to take it up, especially those who have issues with customer service.

Two major benefits.

Systems to reduce complaints, such as reminding franchisees to call clients and keep them informed.

Based on past experience, better customer service will cause leads to soar.

Ways to increase franchisee income. Jimbo will make it easy to sell outlying clients, reducing both fees and travel time.

Direct booking of appointments should increase conversion rates.

Inbuilt accounting software will save many franchisees close to a thousand dollars a year.

AI

Finding it an amazing tool to speed up work on my books, and also working with Joel Kleber on a system to teach Mandarin, which we hope to attach to the Jim’s Client App to encourage uptake.

AI also has huge potential for benefit in terms of developing new medical treatments etc.

But I am more than a little concerned about its potential for harm, including the security of data systems, the development of biological warfare, and the potential extinction of humanity.

Great dangers, great potential benefits.

The benefits of self-driving cars

I’ve just looked up the stats and Waymo accident rates are 80-90% less than for human driven cars.

Can’t happen in Australia because of regulations and legal liability.

Let’s put this another way. 1300 people a year are dying on Australian roads. Replace just 20% of drivers with automatic systems, and maybe 200 lives a year will be saved.

That’s 200 people killed and tens of thousands more injured by our bloated, inefficient government.

As always, follow me on social media at @thejimpenman and check out the conversations with Jim podcast where I have a lot about my research.

My Lenten fast went well. Work seems to be easier and more focused, and I find an even stronger sense of meaning in everyday life.

A lot more satisfying than the brief boost from something like chocolate.

Also, my new weight (21.3 BMI) feels good. So for the time being, I’m basically continuing it.

On happiness

The great secret of life is to minimise activities that produce surges of dopamine. Not just high-calorie food but most of social media, sex (especially porn), gambling, comparing yourself to other people, alcohol and other drugs.

These surges make the brain less sensitive to dopamine, requiring ever more stimulation. Every day of life becomes boring and robbed of meaning.

But if your brain is made sensitive to dopamine, a small trickle is deeply satisfying.

This can come from family and other close relationships, exercise, meaningful work, faith-based activities, or even household chores.

I get real satisfaction from simple tasks such as laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and of course, gardening – several hours a week.

Thus, the benefit of fasting. Some benefits for physical health, far more for mental health.

Birth Rate Crisis

This will all be explained, hopefully much better, in Birth Rate Crisis, which we now estimate to be coming out in October.

It’s far more than the solution to collapsing fertility, though it is that.

My editor, Andrea, is doing such a brilliant job that she’ll be listed as a co-author.

I have the ideas, but she is so much better at putting them into a form that other people can understand, and perhaps appreciate.

Using AI

Just started using ChatGPT regularly for the first time, for my book writing and research. Making great progress. Should have done this a long time ago!

Jimbo

The most exciting event in Jim’s right now is the upcoming release of the new Jimbo, our scheduling program for franchisees.

Some key features:

Improved customer service systems, such as my voice yelling if franchisees fail to return phone calls promptly!

If we can really improve customer service, leads will soar and so will franchisee income.

Allowing the call centre to directly book quotes and perhaps even jobs into a franchisee’s diary, with no need to call clients back.

Should greatly lift quality of leads and conversion rate.

Ability to buy and sell regular clients, with a rating system for vendors.

Will help franchisees sell outlying customers and take more work close to home, thus reducing both fees and travel time.

Built-in accounting program. No need to pay for Xero or Myob.

We will also make this available to independent contractors buying our surplus leads through Bizza.

Will tell us instantly if they fail to contact clients.

The Insanity of red tape

A tech expert, Paul Conyngham, created an individualised vaccine to successfully treat his dog for cancer. Cost only a few thousand dollars and the use of ChatGPT.

Goes without saying that this novel approach has immense potential for the treatment of human cancers.

The kicker in this story is that it actually costs more to get the ‘ethics’ approval than to create the treatment.

A one-hundred-page application that took three months to write!

Another example from our research lab. The ‘ethics’ committee has forbidden us to kill rats quickly and humanely, but insists that they be slowly choked to death with carbon dioxide.

As humans who have experienced this attest, CO2 poisoning is painful and terrifying.

Our ridiculous government is charging ever-higher taxes to cripple progress in science as well as business.

It’s the key reason why we’re moving as much of our research project as possible to China.

Politicians need real-life experience

More than a million people looked at my video on the need for politicians to have real-life work experience, so they understand how their rules affect people.

They haven’t a clue.

Petrol Crisis

Lastly, the petrol crisis. I really don’t think we’ll run out, but prices will probably stay high. On the positive side, a good excuse for our franchisees to raise prices.

Which should not be too hard, since most of them are busy.

If our customer service is good, we’ll always have plenty of customers.

Petrol Crisis – go electric!

So much of our oil comes from an area that is among the most volatile in the world.

This is a key reason I go electric wherever possible: car, machinery, everything.

When calculating costs, think also in terms of security of supply.

You don’t want to be stranded if the petrol runs out.

Be Prepared

Which also brings up the matter of food. EVERY family should have a year’s supply of food stored away, ideally backed up with a food-producing garden.

With proper storage systems, foods such as rice and wheat can last up to 25 years, and it doesn’t cost anything because you gradually use it.

Look up “food storage mylar bags and oxygen absorbers”. And honey lasts forever.

98% chance you’ll never need it but, if something happens, could mean life or death.

Digital Jim

A couple of articles about my digital avatar.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15605539/Jims-Mowing-founder-AI-chatbot-Anthony-Albanese-government-waste.html

Can’t even remember saying some of these things about politics and politicians, but pretty spot on.

https://www.mediaweek.com.au/jims-group-ai-bot-goes-rogue/

This is me as a therapist. I tried it myself and got some pretty good answers!

Try it for yourself on www.jimpenman.com.au

Birth-rate Crisis

Major launch planned for October. Nobody has found a way to reverse our collapsing fertility.

A lot of people won’t like my solution, but it’s the only one that could possibly work. Character change, with the help of medication.

People won’t be able to ignore this book.

Fasting

Fasting is a great way to strengthen your brain’s reaction to dopamine.

I’m observing Lent this year, which means no deserts, sweet drinks, or deep-fried food such as chips. With that and 16/8 fasting, I get a bit hungry at times.

However, I also feel disciplined and clear minded, and more spiritual.

What I’m actually doing is reducing dopamine surges, so my brain is better satisfied with the small trickle that comes from positive things like work, nature, and relationships. Also, lost three kilos, which is surprising for only a fortnight.

Really ought to do this year-round, foregoing small pleasures for a better overall mood and focus.

Too many career politicians

Too many people in politics have never done anything else. The Labor Party was founded by people who had real jobs and understood how the world worked, and the experience of ordinary people.

So many policies mire us in red tape, legislated by people who haven’t a clue of the effects.

Typical example a requirement that people have the right to work from home, on the supposed basis that this is better for the business. How on earth would they know?

How can some political hack understand the needs of a business better than the people who run it?

Same economic stupidity as Mao’s Great Leap Forward, which was supposed to make China wealthy, and ended up killing tens of millions from the resulting famine.

Dumb economic policies may not cause starvation in Australia, but they take money from the pockets of battlers who could really use it.

The Good Life, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

Good advice on how to live a healthy, happy life, based on a study that’s been running since 1978. Key lessons: focus on relationships over everything else.

Audiobooks are a great way to steer your life in a better direction.

It’s not just a matter of knowing what to do, it’s having it drummed into you until it becomes part of your way of thinking.

Love Machines, by James Muldoon

Great book on AI companions including the way they are used as friends, romantic partners, therapists, and as a way of keeping the dead alive.

Gave me some good ideas on expanding the scope for digital Jim.

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Anything goes in these sessions!

To learn more, check out www.jimpenman.com.au

Jim breaks down how policy failure has priced young Australians out of the market, widened inequality, and crippled small business growth. He also challenges the political status quo, calling out inefficiency, overreach, and the hidden costs of “net zero” policies.

In this episode:

• The real reason housing is unaffordable in Australia

• How deregulation could cut costs and boost opportunity

• Why bureaucracy hurts both business and the environment

• Jim’s surprising views on immigration and freedom

• The moral case for fixing housing and helping the next generation

A straight-talking, no-spin episode on freedom, fairness, and fixing what’s broken.

Make sure you follow the show or leave a review.

You can join my newsletter at www.jimpenman.com.au

But one country stands out as a rare exception—Israel. With fertility rates well above replacement levels, Israel is doing something radically different.

What can the rest of the world learn?In this episode, Jim Penman explores the unique cultural, religious, and communal structures that set Israel apart.

From the high birth rates of ultra-Orthodox communities to strong national values and support for religious education, Jim explains how Israel’s character-driven society creates a natural foundation for higher fertility.This is a deep dive into why culture matters more than cash incentives, and how fostering tight-knit communities can help reverse demographic decline.What you'll learn in this episode• How Israel’s fertility rate compares to global averages• Why community and religious values drive birth rates• The role of education, separation, and cultural autonomy• Why allowing religious minorities to remain distinct is vital• How countries like the US and Australia can apply these lessonsTIMESTAMPS0:00 Introduction to Israel’s success story0:28 Fertility rate comparison across countries1:20 Ultra-Orthodox and Arab birth rates1:45 Community structure and youth involvement2:42 Patriotic values and collective mindset3:28 Normalizing large families through culture4:15 The power of cultural and religious separation5:06 Can other societies replicate Israel’s success6:00 How education systems support cultural integrity7:00 Misconceptions about equality and integration8:06 Cooperative vs. competitive cultures9:10 Fertility projections among religious minorities10:00 Why community strength predicts demographic strength11:00 Could the Amish reshape America’s future11:56 Final thoughts and where to follow Jim📘 Learn More About Jim’s BooksThe Birth Rate Crisis – https://mailchi.mp/2472fbf43a4b/join-the-biohistory-foundationRead about Jim’s biohistory research – https://biohistory.orgGrab my book recommendation list – https://mailchi.mp/696ad4256ebe/by9dju86hg

In this eye-opening episode, Jim Penman explains why every attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to boost fertility is failing, and why no amount of policy, propaganda, or financial incentive can undo decades of cultural change.From the one-child policy to modern bribes for bigger families, China’s trajectory shows the true limits of government power. Jim reveals how attitudes about family, religion, and status have shifted, and why technology and neuroscience are the only paths forward.What’s inside this episode• How China’s fertility strategy has backfired repeatedly• The cultural stigma against large families• Why wealth and urbanization are key drivers of decline• Why religious suppression worsens the demographic crisis• What China could do differently—and why it probably won’tTIMESTAMPS0:00 Introduction and China’s failed birth rate policies1:08 One-child policy to three-child policy transition2:16 Why each reform made the crisis worse3:00 Cultural stigma and shifting family values4:00 Government propaganda versus real change4:40 Why religion matters in demographic trends5:51 Economic, social, and demographic collapse risks6:31 Can China survive this long-term7:05 The role of neuroscience and what could actually work📘 Learn More About Jim’s Books

The Birth Rate Crisis – https://mailchi.mp/2472fbf43a4b/join-the-biohistory-foundationNo Other Success – Coming SoonRead about Jim’s biohistory research – https://biohistory.orgGrab my book recommendation list – https://mailchi.mp/696ad4256ebe/by9dju86hg

But despite these efforts, the fertility rate keeps dropping. Why?In this episode of Conversations with Jim Penman, Jim breaks down why Japan’s policy interventions are missing the mark.

The core issue isn’t financial—it’s a shift in societal values and priorities. Jim explains how character, not cash, drives fertility decisions and why only neuroscience research can meaningfully change the trajectory.You’ll learn why financial incentives fail, how modern culture reshapes family priorities, and what a realistic, science-based solution could look like.

This episode offers an urgent message for policymakers and thinkers looking for real answers.What’s inside this episode• Japan’s pro-natal reforms and where they fall short• How attitudes toward marriage and family are changing• The psychological impact of work obsession and social alienation• The case for neuroscience as the key to character change• How Japan could lead the world in solving fertility declineTIMESTAMPS0:00 Introduction and overview of Japan’s incentives1:18 Current fertility rate and population trends1:45 Why giving more money doesn’t work2:28 How attitudes and character shape fertility3:07 The role of neuroscience in societal transformation4:15 Japan’s commodified relationships and emotional detachment5:10 The failure of government-driven dating initiatives6:20 The aging crisis and shrinking youth population7:00 Japan’s long-term trajectory if nothing changes8:00 What neuroscience research looks like in action9:20 Why collaboration with Japan could fast-track solutions11:00 How the birth rate crisis book aims to inspire real change📘 Learn More About Jim’s BooksThe Birth Rate Crisis – https://mailchi.mp/2472fbf43a4b/join-the-biohistory-foundationRead about Jim’s biohistory research – https://biohistory.orgGrab my book recommendation list – https://mailchi.mp/696ad4256ebe/by9dju86hg

But the fertility rate remains the lowest in the world.

In this episode of Conversations with Jim Penman, Jim breaks down why these efforts are failing and what truly needs to change.The real issue isn't money. It's mindset. Jim explains how cultural attitudes toward marriage, parenting, and childhood are driving birth rates down. He shares insights from his new book and outlines why neuroscience, not financial incentives, may hold the key to reversing the crisis.What to expect in this episode• A breakdown of South Korea's incentives and statistics• How pressure-packed education and career systems damage family life• Why attitudes toward marriage and children are changing• Why neuroscience could be the only real long-term solution• What governments like South Korea can do differentlyTIMESTAMPS0:00 South Korea’s pro-natal policies explained1:06 Birth rate statistics and current fertility levels1:27 Why financial support alone doesn't work1:45 Social attitudes toward marriage and family2:42 Cultural pressure and emotional burnout3:18 The overlooked role of neuroscience5:00 How overparenting hurts families6:03 The toll of academic pressure on children6:23 Final thoughts on realistic solutionsWant to fix the birth rate crisis? Join the movementhttps://mailchi.mp/2472fbf43a4b/join-the-biohistory-foundation📘 Learn More About Jim’s BooksThe Birth Rate Crisis – https://mailchi.mp/2472fbf43a4b/join-the-biohistory-foundationNo Other Success – Coming SoonRead about Jim’s biohistory research – https://biohistory.orgGrab my book recommendation list – https://mailchi.mp/696ad4256ebe/by9dju86hg🧬 About This ChannelWe explore ideas around• Birth rate decline and population change• Epigenetics and behavioural biology• Family values and long-term success• Franchising business advice and leadershipFollow Jim on SocialFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/thejimpenmanInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/thejimpenmanLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejimpenmanX – https://x.com/ThejimpenmanTikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@thejimpenman