The Wisdom Experience Podcast: Recent Episodes
Clay Lowe
What would happen if you tapped into your inner wisdom to find the answers to the questions you seek?
In this podcast, Clay Lowe and Naomi Martell-Bundock harvest the knowledge they've gathered over the past 30+ years to see what wisdom they can distill from the knowledge they've gained.
They tackle everything from childhood, to careers, raising a family, relationships, sex, culture, growing old gracefully - in fact, just about everything that makes us human, they'll explore. They promise to do so with grace, humor, and curiosity.
And you're invited along to be apart of the discussion.
Overview:
Welcome the Wisdom Experience Podcast! In this deeply introspective episode, we explore the facets of friendship, the essence of identity, and the life-changing power of music. Recorded on location in a graveyard, our host is joined by Jeremy Nathan, discussing themes ranging from friendship and collective memories to our various roles and masks in life.
Segment 1: Conversations from a Graveyard
- Jeremy Nathan discusses the importance of friendships and how they impact our legacy.
- Exploring the idea that friends hold a collective memory of us.
- Shared experiences and trust within long-lasting friendships like those between our host and his 40-year friends Nate and Rich.
Segment 2: Identity & Personal Growth
- Challenging the notion of identity: Are we who we think we are or who people perceive us to be?
- The host and Jeremy delve into the complexities of roles and masks in life.
- Parenting: The fine balance between authority and assertiveness in raising decent humans.
Segment 3: The Two Jeremys
- Jeremy discusses the different versions of himself over time.
- The quest for connection between his youthful idealism and his current, more realistic self.
- Facing the constraints and freedoms that come with middle age.
Segment 4: Living in the Present
- Jeremy tackles the human fallacy of thinking we have limitless time.
- The emphasis on seizing the present moment.
- The value of living according to one's own beliefs and values.
Segment 5: The Power of Music
- How music enhances our lives and well-being.
- The concept of a life soundtrack: 200 songs that evoke various emotions and life chapters.
- Personal anecdotes: The song "For Your Eyes Only" and memories of Camp Jack Pine in northern Wisconsin.
Segment 6: Navigating Transitions in Life
- Recalling early life experiences, including a stint at Camp Jack Pine and the army.
- Resilience through adversity, symbolized by songs like "Don't Need a Gun" by Billy Idol and "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake.
- The freedom and folly of youth, exemplified by short-lived relationships and the song "Take It Back" by Pink Floyd.
Segment 7: The Camaraderie of Army Life
- The friendship with a second lieutenant and the memories encapsulated in songs.
- The song "Stuck in the Middle with You" as a representation of time spent in a Bosnian unit.
- The quest for harmony in life, drawing inspiration from the timeless chemistry of rock bands like Led Zeppelin.
Final Thoughts:
In wrapping up this episode, we underscore the profound impact of friendships, the complexity of our evolving identities, and the transformative power of music in our lives.
Music and Book Recommendations:
- Create your life soundtrack and share it with us on social media using the hashtag #MyLifeSoundtrack.
Key Songs Referenced:
- "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton
- "Don't Need a Gun" by Billy Idol
- "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
- "Take It Back" by Pink Floyd
- "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind
- Songs by Led Zeppelin
Thank you for joining us on this journey! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.
Show Notes: Episode #22: Navigating Isolation and Building Mental Wealth with Mike Pagan
In this episode, host Clay Lowe sits down with executive coach, motivational speaker, and endurance athlete Mike Pagan. Mike shares his insights on productivity, mental wealth, and sports, drawing on his 20 years of coaching experience.
- The two discuss the impact of the pandemic on the working world, particularly the increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. They explore how this can negatively affect mental health and well-being, especially for those working remotely.
- Mike talks about his philosophy on mental wealth and how individuals can build and maintain it. He emphasizes the importance of embracing our strengths and connecting with others to tap into our wisdom.
- Clay and Mike share stories from their 15-year friendship, including their adventures and challenges together. They discuss their favorite man caves and reflect on their experiences with extreme sports, injuries, and heavyweight training.
- Mike shares his experiences working with athletes transitioning from elite sports to everyday life. He emphasizes the importance of redefining oneself and finding a supportive network to navigate this significant transition.
- The two dive into the challenges faced by military personnel transitioning to civilian life, highlighting the importance of support networks for those struggling with isolation and loneliness.
- Clay and Mike discuss the impact of the hybrid working world on millennials and Gen Zs, especially those unintentionally isolated in their parents' spare bedrooms. They underscore the importance of meaningful conversations and interactions in fostering professional growth and learning.
- The two explore the concept of isolation as self-inflicted or imposed and how it can be both beneficial and detrimental to personal growth. They discuss the importance of support networks, therapeutic retreats, and embracing solitude for clarity and self-awareness.
- Mike explains the concept of mental wealth, emphasizing the need for a fit-for-purpose supportive network to prevent negative spirals and promote mental health. They discuss how to assess and build a supportive network based on one's needs.
- The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of self-care and seeking professional help to build a proactive mental wealth team. Mike shares his experiences with various sporting environments and the concept of seasonality, highlighting the importance of understanding our own perspectives and experiences.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out Mike's book, Mental Wealth, and visit our website for more insightful conversations and resources on navigating the challenges of isolation and building mental wealth.
[Note: This is a summary of the content discussed in the podcast episode. For the full experience and details, please listen to the episode.]
In this episode:
🎙️ Clay's Fresh Start: Clay shares why he decided to reboot the Wisdom Experience Podcast and make philosophy accessible again by hosting dialogues in open spaces.
🎧 Spotlight on Zoe Greenhalf: Discover the voice behind the Mischief Movement podcast. What inspired Zoe to enter the podcasting world?
😜 Mischief Uncovered: Clay and Zoe talk about the essence of "mischief"—the joy of playfulness, the thrill of disrupting the norm, and doing it all with a positive flair.
🌱 Zoe's Journey: From the challenges of motherhood to feelings of isolation, learn how these experiences pushed Zoe to birth her podcast and embrace personal growth.
🎭 Conform or Stand Out: A deep dive into the dynamics of societal conformity. When should one blend in, and when is it time to proudly stand out? The duo explores the power of seeking out a supportive tribe.
🎲 Roll of the Dice: Clay introduces a quirky concept: use dice to introduce a dash of spontaneity in daily choices. Ready to break free from the mundane?
🎉 Zoe's Mischief Mantra: Want more mischief in your life? Zoe’s got you covered. Find passion in your joys, immerse in the company of uplifting people, and don't forget to explore "The Power of Fun".
🌀 Post-Podcast Adventure: Stay tuned! Clay and Zoe are about to roll a dice and let fate decide their next move. Where will the day lead them?
Join the conversation and add a sprinkle of mischief to your day!
we explore the sometimes confusing waters of well-being, how self-care may be too feminine of a word for men to relate to, the quality of one’s experiences, and boundless love.
In this episode, we talked about the mind, body, spirit connection, how everything has a natural beginning, middle, and end, and how sometimes we leave a little piece of ourselves with the people we meet.
In this episode, we explore different tactics for dealing with life when things don't go to plan.
In this episode, we take a closer look at Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the many ways a person can be intelligent.
Do you ever get the feeling that your life is like Bill Murray’s in Groundhog Day? You get up. Eat. Go to work. Come home. Eat. Watch TV. Sleep. And then get up the next day and do basically the same thing again, day in and day out. And if, like Bill Murray, you feel like your life is in a rut, how do you get out of it?
On this week’s show, Naomi and Clay talk about the different types of ruts people might find themselves in like relationship ruts, work ruts, creative ruts, and general overall life ruts. They also share tips and techniques for how you might get yourself out of a rut if you find yourself in one.
You can support the show by buying us a cup of coffee.
- Once in a Lifetime
- Groundhog Day
- Psychological Strategies to Get Unstuck
- What to do if you get stuck in a rut - Video
- How to get out of a mental rut - Video
- The Modern Alchemist: A Guide to Personal Transformation - Richard and Ioan Miller
- The Craft of the Modern Warrior - Robert L. Spencer
- Prometheus Rising - Robert Anton Wilson
- No Ordinary Moments - Dan Millman
- The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness - DR Richard Moss
- Conscious Robots - Paul Kwatz
*full disclosure, some of the links above are Amazon Affiliate links. This is another way you can help support the show. You don’t even have to buy the item we’re linking to. We get a small commission on anything you purchase at no extra cost to you. It’s an easy way to help fund the show.
Holidaymaking took a hit this year due to COVID-19. But even amongst a global pandemic, people still felt compelled to take a holiday. Some even braved getting on a plane and flying to foreign lands. What is it about a holiday, that compels us to getaway?
In this episode, Clay explores with special guest Lindsay de Swart the transformative power of nature.
In this episode we have a particularly lively conversation about the philosophical perspective on consciousness, why the brain looks for patterns and the challenge about having the courage to be yourself.
Questions that we cover include:
Who are you really?
How does what you do and “how you be” reflect on who you are?
Am I my body?
Am I what I’m thinking?
Who is YHVH?
I am.
I am that I am. Circular breathing helps calm the mind.
Links:
“Self-University: the price of tuition is your desire to learn. Your degree is a better life” by Charles D. Hayes
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Renni Eddo-Lodge
ITV Planet Child - You Tube link (c. 10 mins)
Japan’s independent Kids - You Tube link (c. 9 mins)
Do we control our reality?
We discuss the view that the personal development world (including NLP - Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we have the ability to create our reality through our sub-conscious mind.
What do we mean by reality?
Naomi expands on what she believes, that we can create our own reality within a reality that is outside our control.
Clay discusses that we are all individuals and our experiences and knowledge contribute to our individual perspective.
Both of us believe that language has a huge impact on our programming and language is like a virus. How Trump never really says anything, but he positions things in such a way that triggers you to an emotional response as you create a story from his non-story.
Clay shares about how masters of the creative arts (writers, poets, painters) have been considered so powerful that, at times, they have been “removed from society” to prevent individuals from developing their own minds as a result of their work. Jack Keruoac, William S. Burroughs and Allan Ginsberg and Kathy Acker are all novelists using language to set you free from construct, from society, to set you free from language itself and to offer you the opportunity to become free - a free thinker.
We discuss questions such as “Can you ever really know someone else’s reality?,” “Are we giving up our power and abdicating our responsibility by accepting the status quo?” and “ Do people know that they can have personal power and choose not to embrace that?”
Together we explore how much we’ve created our own reality and how much is created around us, or imposed on us - consciously or unconsciously.
Links
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green
"On the road" by Jack Keruoac
“Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs
The Essential Allan Ginsberg
“Blood & Guts in High School” by Kathy Acker
“The Power Sub-conscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy
“Promethius Rising” by Robert Anton Williams
"The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead” by Timothy Leary et al.
“Self-University” by Charles D. Hayes
"The Wheels of Time: the Shamans of Ancient Mexico" by Carlos Castenada
In this episode, we stumble into a conversation about death and dying.
Can we perceive life as a series of re-births and deaths?
How should we live our lives? What’s the benefit of living according to the Samurai Code “live as if you’re already dead?”
Why could it be valuable to start each day with the mindset “Today is a good day to die.”
We discuss a valuable meaning for death and several different ways to use the perception of death as a way of consciously living. We uncover a massive assumption when you delay doing something that may be just the motivation you’ve been waiting for, and Clay shares why he’s “mainly” an existentialist.
“The greatest wealth is contentment, the greatest happiness is freedom from opinion and the greatest peace is from the abandonment of desires.”
Resources:
Darkness Visible by Simon Buxton
“Initiation” by Elizabeth Haich
How to be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson
In this episode, we share more about why and how we’re a learning, conversational podcast, and what that can do for you as opposed to being an explicit training podcast.
Clay shares about the three stages of development for you as a listener to a conversational podcast, and the part that questions can play in your own learning and development.
At 11 minutes we delve deeper into philosophy and why it doesn’t have to be academic; if you’re a lover of wisdom and enjoy thinking through general and fundamental questions about life, perhaps developing critical thinking skills and, at 12 mins 40 secs Clay shares what philosophy is not and why Socrates - the OG philosopher - met with an untimely demise.
Naomi shares her view of religion and spirituality, and what she believes life is for, and Clay shares that ultimately he is an existentialist who believes that life is meaningless - listen in to find out his positive perspective on this!
This is another of our wide-ranging episodes and we compare and contrast philosophy, religion, and spirituality; highlight some sub-categories, and why the politics of universities meant that philosophy developed in a way that excluded many people, and yet it touches everyday life.
We hope you enjoy this episode - please like, share, and subscribe!
WHERE TO FIND US
The Wisdom Experience Podcast – applied inner wisdomis our website where you can find each podcast episode and our blogs. When we offer related Personal Development Journey’s, talks, and workshops we will promote these here, too.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewisdomexperiencepodcast This is the group for you to join in The Wisdom Experience Podcast conversation. Request to join and you can contribute, ask questions, share your thoughts on the podcast, or just join us for the connection!
Links:
The Last Samurai DVD
What’s it all about by Julian Baggini
The Nature of Human Values by Milton Rokeach
Understanding Human Values - individual and societal by Milton Rokeach
The Path of Life: Benedictine Spirituality for Monks and Lay People by Cyprian Smith
In this episode, we talk about the effects of various energy cycles on the mind-body-spirit connection.
In this episode we talk about the Shadow Self, what it is, and why it exists.
How does the Shadow Self fit in with self-development?
How does it connect with the Dark Divine Feminine and Masculine and why might it be beneficial to embrace it?
We share an overview of Jung’s Archetypes and what shadow work is, and why it’s essential to personal growth to have a direct confrontation with your shadow self if you really want to understand yourself and make changes.
Links to what we mention in this episode:
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers” by Debbie Ford
Dancing in the Flames” by Marion Woodward
Is the Dark Divine Feminine just about desire, being more assertive about your sexual needs and taking a prominent stand in power and leadership versus the Light Feminine, assuming that is the mother archetype; the nurturing energy?
9.25 “Divinity is about understanding and embracing who we really are; and then embracing that and living that every day.” (Naomi)
13:20 Clay asserts that women have forgotten the power that they have and shares a story from Herodotus, The Histories, that shows the power of women: Candaules, a Greek King, insists that his second-in-command, Gyges, secretly sees his wife, the queen, naked so that he can admire her beauty. The Queen reveals her power and intelligence when she summons Gyges to her.
Femininity, masculinity, sexuality, gender - we begin to explore definitions and Ayurvedic representation. We discuss how all aspects can reflect the whole. Empathy, gentleness, humility are posed as traits of being a woman; but we discuss that they are simply human qualities.
25:04 “To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.” from The Matrix film.
We agree that the Dark Divine Feminine to us is a way of embracing our masculine traits. Ultimately it’s all about balance and using appropriate characteristics in the appropriate manner at the appropriate time. We are all about embracing the whole of ourselves.
Links:
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford
Jade Thomas Jewellery
Herodotus the Historian
In this episode, we explore the power of personal mythology and how the stories we tell ourselves shape who we become and what we believe as individuals and collectively as a family, a community, and a society.
We both share some of our personal stories and how they've shaped who we are today. For example, Clay very much self-identifies as a Lone Wolf pathfinder and storyteller, while Naomi shares her strong identification with the Mother archetype. We both share how we are using the lessons we've learned, from Sam Keen and Anne Valley-Fox in their book, Your Mythic Journey: Finding Meaning in Your Life Through Writing and Storytelling, to re-shape our current narrative and evolve who are to who we want to be.
Join us on this mythic journey and be sure to share with us your own personal mythology and how it shapes your life.
For further discussion please join us in our Facebook Group.
To support the show you can use our Amazon Affiliate links to do your shopping online. It costs you nothing and we get a small commission on any purchases you make which we use to help fund the show.
Subscribe and share is another way to support us. You can also support the show by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it on your social channels.
With thanks to you,
Naomi and Clay
In this episode, The Hero’s Journey is shared more explicitly as a path that you can apply to your own life and explores how Clay and Naomi have been wrestling with, experiencing, and living through their own personal inner journeys of the intersection of myth and meaning.
The Matrix and Star Wars are a great way of seeing how The Hero’s Journey has been used as a plot plan! Clay shares the set up of The Matrix and how it fits into The Hero’s Journey. Naomi shares how she perceived The Matrix watching it now with this understanding. Both share personal stories that are very clear calls to adventure: Naomi shares the experience of having an extremely premature baby and Clay talks about having 3 days to get to the UK for training for a brand new job.
Naomi talks about identity and the question of what you have to bring back from your journey and sees how she got lost in the identity of being a mother and as a carer. This podcast, The Wisdom Experience, is born out of that, of not staying in transformation stage; but of bringing something back into the real world that’s of value, that she hopes is interesting and offering something that people feel enriched with, or even take action on to make changes in their life.
Clay concludes by offering you a challenge!
- Are you answering the call or refusing the call?
- Are you stuck in the ordinary world?
- Who are the Guardians at the Gate for you? What is stopping you from going on the journey properly?
Links:
The Matrix DVD
Star Wars DVD
The Hero with 1000 faces by Joseph Campbell
The Power of Myths Joseph Campbell
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
For further discussion please join us in our Facebook Group.
To support the show you can use our Amazon Affiliate links to do your shopping online. It costs you nothing and we get a small commission on any purchases you make which we use to help fund the show.
Subscribe and share is another way to support us. You can also support the show by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it on your social channels.
With thanks to you,
Naomi and Clay
In this episode we explore:
- Myths, stories, and archetypes and how they overlap.
- The everyday myths we tell ourselves that affect our behavior and the decisions we make?
- How beliefs become hardwired into children through stories.
- Tribal masks/personas/symbols that humans believe in through the collective unconscious.
- When we begin to understand that we are one being made up of different aspects we can consciously use these differences to give ourselves the power or qualities we want at any given time.
- Both Clay and Naomi suggest ways that you can start to use this information within Personal Development.
Resources:
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
Mythic Journey for Writers - Chris Volger
Active Imagination
The Conscious Robot - Paul Kwatz
Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Consciousness - Charles Tart
My side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George
Re-Visioning Psychology - James Hillman
Your Mythic Journey - Sam Keen and Anne Valley-Fox
For further discussion join us in our Facebook Group.
One of the ways you can help support the show is by using our Amazon Affiliate links to do your shopping online. It costs you nothing and we get a small commission on any purchases you make which we use to help fund the show.
You can also support the show by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it on your social channels.
Thanks and Blessings to you,
Naomi and Clay
In this episode, we explore the role rituals and rites of passages play in our lives. Specifically, we tackle the question of 'how do we know how to be?' For example, how do men know how to men? And what exactly does that mean?
"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both."We’ve noticed that there's a constant battle between two camps these days. On the one side, you have the “never not working” advocates who believe working 18, 19, 20 hour days is the key to success.
On the other side, you have those who push for a reduced emphasis on work and more emphasis on the things they believe are more important like family, friends, and more leisure time to pursue that which feeds the soul.
And somewhere in between, there’s a balance. Or is there?
Show Notes
- The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
- Why lack of sleep is bad for your health
- Sleep
- Lack of sleep blights education
- Me and God we be mates.
- Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph
- The meaning of life
- What will work life balance look like after the pandemic
- Little Soul and the Sun by Neale Donald Walsch
- Arete
- Does life have a purpose
The Wisdom Experience is about inner wisdom, personal transformation, and the natural world.