Modern Mantra is a venture studio restoring human connection to self, community, and consciousness. The podcast serves as a container for discussion with each episode diving into different facets of technology, spirituality, and cultural foresight through the lens of current events. The podcast is hosted by the studio's two founders, Nick Sarafa and Elijah Johnston. Both of them have extensive backgrounds in all parts technology and entrepreneurship as well as personal healing journeys that involve deep work in spiritual realms.
Welcome to our first solo podcast! In this episode, Elijah creates space to authentically tune in and share what’s most alive for him right now:
What is abstraction and what are meta skills?
What significance do these concepts hold for entrepreneurs and creatives?
With the rapid evolution of our technological landscape, which skills will become obsolete, and which will remain of value?
When it comes to creating and manifesting your vision, we are living in times of abundance. As we step into the era of instant digital manifestation, entrepreneurship can be the vehicle for living your dharma - your life’s purpose – in its highest expression.
Tune in for a thought exercise in how to combine the best of humanity with the best of technology, as you begin exploring what abstraction and meta skills mean for you, your business, and your future.
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Whether you’re emerging from a plant medicine journey or from an internal practice, there is a period of integration that follows. When rightfully honored, the integration is what truly crystallises the wisdom from your journey.
Amánda Efthimiou’s work is centered around medicine integration: both the initial transition in the ritualistic space, and longer term practices for assimilating your journey's learnings back into your life.
Amánda talks through the responsibility facilitators and providers hold in the psychedelic space, whilst highlighting how integration is equally important for 'non-substance' medicine practices.
Integration is an organic process which we are learning to lean into. Amánda and Elijah share their experiences of honoring their intuitive approaches to integration, even when it doesn't match what’s been set in the group container.
Amánda shares her deep belief that ultimately, YOU are the medicine. No substance or practice does the work for us: these are simply tools to access and activate codes we hold inside.
Tune in for Amánda’s gracious wisdom and advice. This conversation holds value for anyone walking on the medicine path: facilitators, providers and journeyers alike.
About AmándaAmánda Efthimiou is a mental health advocate, speaker & storyteller, and psychedelic wellness & integration educator. She has more than a decade of experience supporting leaders and creators that intersect health, art, science, and impact industries.
Committed to her values of integrity and reciprocity, Amánda also actively supports indigenous land sovereignty and ecosystems preservation. She was previously a Director for El Puente Foundation, which bridges indigenous wisdom traditions with contemporary applications of psychedelic medicine.
Amánda received her MSc from King’s College, London’s Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health program where she focused on the mental health outcomes of psilocybin used together with psychotherapy. She’s also completed the MIND Foundation’s Beyond Experience training in Psychedelic Integration.
Amánda is passionate about creating containers for people to share, integrate, and connect through her interdisciplinary integration workshops, all of which she facilitates via her company INTEGRA at transformational spaces worldwide.
INTEGRA was born from the need for people to find meaning and healing from their transformational experiences. Inspired by the convergence of sacred, traditional plant medicine wisdom and the scientific & therapeutic approaches using altered-states of consciousness, INTEGRA designs programs for the people and places that support psychedelic healing and transformation. Led with integrity, rooted in reciprocity, and promoting responsibility, we provide the tools, strategies and trainings using an embodied integration methodology inspired by the natural world.
Amanda's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaiou/
INTEGRA: https://www.instagram.com/integra.guide/
In this episode:
04:59 What is integration and why is it so important?
14:18 The stages of medicine integration: illumination, transition, activation and transformation.
18:03 Introducing Integra: creating opportunities for transformation and healing
23:56 Amanda’s personal journey of healing
35:20 How do you define medicine?
44:00 Designing integration and the permission to
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Theodore Bajard, the visionary behind RIMA, joins Nick to traverse the dimensions of consciousness and AI, art, spirituality and authenticity.
We’re stepping into a New Renaissance – a narrative which we are collectively writing as it unfolds. Nick and Theodore explore what the new paradigm might look like, and what role AI can play in this story.
Turning the lens inward, the pair look at the ‘cracks’ in our consciousness – the vulnerable gaps through which we can let the light shine. Theodore speaks to the importance and beauty of authenticity in storytelling, relating, and in becoming truly present.
With RIMA, Theodore dissolves the perceived boundaries between otherness, spirituality, performance and reality. Tune in to explore expansive perspectives on altered states of consciousness, tapping into your truth, and for a portal into the psychedelic realm of RIMA.
In this episode:
00:05:21 Between the conscious and the unconscious
00:12:46 Making life a work of art
00:19:19 How to become an agent of change
00:28:21 Can our tech be embedded with humanity?
00:34:28 Bringing the spirit realm to life with AI
00:49:24 Digital creators on a spiritual path
01:02:00 What's your compass for authenticity?
01:06:58 The cracks that let the light in
01:10:15 RIMA: Alchemising experiences into a transformative odyssey
01:31:07 Harnessing the power of symbology to rewrite your narrative
Theodore Bajard is an experience designer, art curator, and storyteller specialized in the language of dreams, the subconscious, and its applications to the human psyche. He is using the power of art, poetry and theater to create powerful transformative and immersive experiences. With 10 years of experience as art curator and art dealer in New York and Mexico, his passion has always been to create platforms and containers for artists to connect with an audience in an innovative way, exploring ways to create the future of art.
RIMA is a storytelling and artist collective creating fully-realized worlds blurring the lines between fiction and reality. RIMA is using the power of art to transform lives and create cinematic immersive sequences that connect participants to an expansive and vibrant reality. Each experience is remarkably innovative, fostering a fresh outlook, expanding participants' perspectives, and forging unbreakable bonds among people.
https://rimaexperience.com/https://www.instagram.com/rimaexperience/
https://vimeo.com/849616627?share=copy
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What is a spiritual soup? Drawing from her 20 year healing journey, entrepreneur, radio and TV host Jennifer K Hill sat down with Nick to share her personal recipe.
A dark time in Jennifer’s youth catapulted her onto a path of personal development and spiritual practice. Later in life, her Aspergers diagnosis uncovered innate superpowers that deepened her understanding of human connection: transforming how she relates to others, and informing the algorithm behind her new business.
With Kabbalist teachings as her spiritual backbone, a principle of wholeness permeates Jennifer’s life approach. In this episode, Jennifer shares her integrative stance on all things from personal shadow and global consciousness, to science and AI.
Through daily rituals of ‘spiritual accounting’, Jennifer commits herself to ontological intentions, kind actions, divine trust and surrender, which is reflected in her very way of being. A true beam of light – tune in to hear timeless wisdom and entertaining, heartfelt anecdotes from this evolutionary thinker.
Jennifer K. Hill is an author, speaker, TV & Radio host, entrepreneur and thought leader. She has written two books, and has authored two popular white papers as well.
She built and sold her first company by the age of 38. She has hosted popular TV shows on Awake TV Network with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Rollin McCraty, Dr. Dain Heer, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. John Demartini, as well as many other leaders from around the world.
She has also moderated events including a 2020 talk at UCI with Dean Bill Maurer, Professor Don Hoffman, and Dr. Deepak Chopra. She recently hosted the Global Coherence Initiative’s largest event of the year with over 600 people from around the world, which featured Gregg Braden, Howard Martin, Dr. James Miles and several others.
When she is not hosting or speaking, she loves to give back and has built two schools in developing countries. She also recently started a new company, Om Heals in the energy medicine space to connect energy medicine practitioners with users using a proprietary algorithm developed over the past year.
03:00 Daily spiritual soup
13:30 What’s the relationship between attunement and manifestation?
18:07 A tale of divine trust and surrender
22:39 Fear of death vs feeling complete
26:51 Spirituality and science: a unitive narrative
34:18 Aspergers, superpowers, and spiritual accounting
45:48 What AI teaches us about ourselves
56:00 Tijuana adventures and the rubber band effect
01:07:15 Conversations with your inner child
01:15:00 Why embracing shadow is the key to wholeness
01:23:57 The “Audience Sex App Lady” story
01:27:48 On sweetening judgement
Find out more: https://www.om-heals.com
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What are endogenous and exogenous technologies, and how can this framework help us bring our ideas to life? Join Modern Mantra founders Nick and Elijah as they catch up on the concepts that have been circulating for them recently.
Elijah starts by sharing around his recent explorations with music and plant medicine. Find out how making music has deepened his connection with nature, and expanded his understanding of endogenous tools: our inbuilt technologies, such as the breath and the voice.
Turning to the ‘exogenous’ - our external, tangible technologies - what happens as we start visualizing the invisible? Nick discusses the tech that could change the landscape for healers, and envisions what becomes possible when our inner dimensions begin to synthesise with the digital scape.
Tune in to get inspired by ancient wisdom, fresh ideas and new innovation for accessing your core essence, and unlocking the creative magic to start manifesting your visions into reality.
Show notes:
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Rocket scientist Ben Haldeman is on a mission to create a blueprint of life on Earth (from sacred plants to animal and human DNA) and send it out into the universe.
In conversation with Nick, Ben introduces his astronomical venture LifeShip, the Noah’s Ark of the new space age, that has already sent the genomes of 500 species into the cosmos.
The intention? To back up Earth and spread life to the stars. The dream? To populate new worlds with these seeds of earthly life, consciousness and culture.
Tune in as Nick and Ben uncover the magnitude of this mission, and the giant leap of expansive opportunity and existential inquiry that LifeShip is launching humanity into.
Ben Haldeman
Ben is a space entrepreneur involved in companies at the intersection of space, longevity, biology, and consciousness. He is founder of LifeShip, a community space movement with a mission to spread the seeds of life to the stars. LifeShip’s first mission is a DNA seed bank time capsule on the Moon. LifeShip’s products allow people to preserve and propagate their DNA, story, and digital twin avatar across space and time. Ben was an early engineer at Planet Labs where he designed the camera used on hundreds of satellites to record our changing planet. He built a global network of dozens of robotic telescopes to find new exoplanets at LCOGT. In grad school at UC Berkeley, Ben built instruments to look for life on Mars.
https://www.lifeship.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lifeship/
https://www.instagram.com/benlifeship
Show notes:
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Darius Mora, CEO of Vitality Therapeutics, channels learnings from his personal healing journey to develop AI technology that can diagnose mental health conditions, giving individuals sovereignty over their personal growth.
What happens as we begin optimising our wellbeing with the aid of technology?
Speaking to the dangers of ‘living life like a self help book’, Darius recounts his own story of burning out despite hitting all the markers of a healthy and mindful lifestyle.
Given how unique and subjective our lived experience and learnt responses are, providing advice and emotional support to others becomes a delicate act.
With a growing demand for therapy and mental health care, how can we harness artificial intelligence to support the emotional evolution of humankind?
Darius and Nick unpack the responsibility that comes with integrating AI into the mental health sphere. They touch on the importance of ethical boundaries, and of awareness around our human, emotional fragility.
Finally, Darius lets us in on the profound realisations he’s had on his own path to growth, integrity and deepened connection.
Darius Mora is a dedicated advocate for mental health, and CEO of Vitality Therapeutics. His company focuses on creating groundbreaking technology that can diagnose depression through voice analysis alone. Driven by personal experience, Darius became deeply invested in mental health after facing a significant burnout episode. Through his own healing journey, he discovered the powerful potential of combining cutting-edge technology with time-honored wisdom to transform the way we approach mental well-being. Darius firmly believes that only when we are becoming the best versions of our selves can we really start serving the people around us, and contribute our gifts.
https://www.dariusmora.com/
Show notes
* 11:58 The perils of advice-giving: navigating our individuated mind maps
* 17:20 Ethical boundaries and a safety net for AI
* 24:43 Is emotional attachment to digital spirits inevitable?
* 31:15 An emotional coach chatbot for mental health diagnosis
* 44:37 Burnout epiphany: zooming out to appreciate the macros of life
* 51:50 Integrity, change, and healthy attachment in relationships
* 1:01:46 What’s your biggest vector for personal growth?
* 1:05:23 Combatting avoidance tactics with shadow work
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Multi-talented Modern Mantra creative and designer, Nibras Ibnomer, joins studio co-founder Elijah for a conscious, emotive and fluid exploration that will resonate with all artists and creatives.
To begin, they discuss one of the biggest blocks to authentic self expression: fear of judgement, and our unconscious bias towards likeability. This programming permeates how we show up in the world, and ultimately, how we create. How to rewrite these codes?
Nibras and Elijah radically reframe the creative process from a holistic perspective: shifting the focus from the creative end-product, to how we create.
How can integrating embodiment practices and attunement rituals into our creative process support us in transcending the age-old trope of the suffering artist?
The conversation concludes with a deeper paradigm shift: the creator as a divine vessel for ideas and creations, not as owner. What can happen when you embody this approach in your own creative pursuits? Tune in to find out.
Highlights
Nibras Ibnomer
Multi-disciplinary creative, venture designer, user experience designer, writer, and strategist. Working on moving towards ‘Humaning beautifully’: figuring out emotions, wellbeing, psycho-spiritual flourishing and sharing in many multi-media forms along the way. Recently a resident at Medley Berlin working on creating metaphor-based maps of healing modalities, tools and techniques. Previously a product designer in London and remotely with Cleo, Stint and others.
Connect with Nibras
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heynibras
Website: https://www.heynibras.com/
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Can robots become our best friends… or will they eventually kill us?!
We sat down with Julian Johnson to explore how AI and tech advancement might help us move toward an age of deepened connection.
Together we weave a mycelium of futurist ideas and earth-rooted principles, dreaming up systems that address scarcity, regenerate nature, accelerate innovation, and superpower the globe.
Julian speaks to the collective fears around robots, gives insight from his personal journey as an entrepreneur, and tells us the project he’s most excited about – his school in the slums of Kenya.
P.s. the audio quality is best from 15m50s onwards, but the conversation is great from the very start!
Julian Johnson
Serial entrepreneur and investor Julian Johnson is on a personal mission to become ‘Earth’s Hypeman’. Climate conscience drives his involvement in purpose-led ventures, and via his fund, Tejo Ventures, Julian supports, advises and invests in ‘companies being built by brilliant people with a vision to make a better world’.
Connect with Julian Johnson
In this episode, we discuss:
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Chris Corsini is one of the most awe-inspiring and powerful forces of nature we know. Watching him work is unlike anything else you'll ever see, as he integrates American Sign Language, astrology, tarot card reading, and musicianship into a pure expression of channeling mastery. Through his work he has helped thousands of people to throw off their inner shackles and walk their own life’s path.
In this podcast, we take a deep dive into Chris’s spiritual and entrepreneurial journey, as we chat about his rapid rise to fame and the experience of coming into his full power as a psychic channel and entrepreneur.
If you haven't encountered Chris Corsini before, you are in for a treat, discovering what it really means to put yourself out there and embrace all of your gifts.
Today’s Guest: Chris CorsiniChris Corsini is an artist, psychic, and intuitive tarot card reader that strives for inclusivity, collaboration and community connection. Chris has become known for his free monthly tarot forecasts and pay-what-you-can astrology workshops that he offers in both spoken English and ASL. As a certified ASL/English Interpreter, he works closely with both the Deaf and hearing communities to provide spiritually insightful resources that are accessible and inclusive to everyone.
Connect with Chris CorsiniWebsite: https://inwardboutique.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVf4Fl4-dwJtBLxNxRkcCjQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscorsini/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chriscorsini
In this episode we discuss:
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Elijah embarked on a metaphysical journey with Anne Marie Pizarro, an exceptionally knowledgeable Akashic Records practitioner and entrepreneur.
Together they explored the nuances of multidimensional awareness - from spiritual enlightenment in Alaska to our ongoing connection with technology. You’ll gain invaluable perspective into how different dimensions of consciousness influence human existence while discovering tools - like crystal grids and unifying head intelligence with heart wisdom - to elevate inner harmony.
Today’s Guest: Anne Marie Pizarro
Anne Marie has owned and operated her own holistic practice, Body Energy Connection LLC, for over 15 years and is also a retired registered nurse with over 20 years of experience. Anne works with clients all over the world doing Akashic Records Readings, Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) and Holographic DNA Recombination. She also teaches spiritual seekers and practitioners how to use their sacred gifts to build a successful and sustainable practice. Her goal is to help you receive the information and tools that elevates your consciousness, aligns you on your soul’s path and maximizes your impact in the world.
Connect with Anne Marie Pizarro
Website: https://www.bodyenergyconnection.com
Master the Akashic Records: https://www.bodyenergyconnection.com/mars-webinar-registration-page
The Akashic Collective: https://facebook.com/groups/theakashiccollective/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bodyenergyconnection
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyenergyconnection/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bodyenergyconxn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/body-energy-connection-llc
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNKzqG4JWhkp8TojlXzFUPQ
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bodyenergyconnection/
In this episode we discuss:
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Nick & Elijah sit down with psychic medium and entrepreneur, Medium Fleur, for an awesome chat about innovation in the field of mediumship & spiritual communication.
You’ll learn about Fleur’s unique scientific approach to channelling spirits; the power of intuition and how it can be cultivated in all of us; and the experience of reading someone’s spirit from a medium’s perspective.
The conversation then ends with a look into the future of spiritual work, as the trio riff on how technology like AR, VR, AI and neuroscience can be used to help people more readily connect to their spiritual self.
Today’s Guest: Medium Fleur
Medium Fleur is a renowned psychic medium, intuition teacher, author, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of spirituality and science. Fleur’s life mission is to help people have their own spiritual experiences and to teach the world that everyone is capable of translating the energetic information around them.
Connect with Fleur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mediumfleur
Website: https://www.mediumfleur.com
Fleur’s podcast - “Moving Beyond”: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IGDi7Z0NDLHHzcoZXfPna?si=5fq4CG_MTLasY3VLyna1JQ
Fleur’s book - “Moving Beyond: Access Your Intuition, Psychic Ability and Spirit Connection”: https://www.amazon.com/Moving-Beyond-Intuition-Psychic-Connection/dp/152936695X
In this episode we discuss:
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Technology today is bombarding us with noise and blocking us from getting back to our highest selves—the true us: that wise, calm, loving being connected to all that is. But are the two really diametrically opposed?
Join us for a packed 40 minutes as Nick & Elijah challenge the notion that human intelligence and artificial intelligence are fundamentally different, presenting ideas that will blow open your mind and make you question everything you thought you knew about technology and nature: If humans beings are programmed and conscious, then why not a computer? Is technology really created at all or is it all just nature?
The two then circle back around the idea that AI—rather than being the supreme antagonist—can act as a conduit to allow more humans than ever before to tap into their highest consciousness.
In this episode we discuss:
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Elijah speaks with Rebecca Kockler, educator turned tech leader, about illiteracy in the United States and her pioneering approach to fixing it.
American kids today are the worst at reading on record, with Black, Latino, and Native American kids suffering most from lack of access to good literacy education. With reading an almost prerequisite for success in life, this dynamic will only serve to widen wealth disparity across races in years to come.
In a fascinating 1 hour chat, we go to the heart of the dysfunction in our education system, hearing how market forces have put bad curriculum on our kids’ desks for years, and the awesome story of how Louisiana State overcame this by applying behavioral design to create real impact on the lives of real students.
You’ll learn about the architecture of a cutting-edge “For-Purpose” organization practicing truly kid-centered design, and what it means to build product to solve real world problems rather than simply to further one’s own wealth.
If you’re ever felt exasperated by our education system and felt an urge to fix it, you’ll enjoy this episode.
Today’s Guest: Rebecca KocklerRebecca Kockler is Program Director at Reading Reimagined, a for-purpose organization dedicated to ending the “decoding threshold” and eradicating illiteracy so that every kid, regardless of race, can read confidently and set themselves up for a more prosperous life.
Modern Mantra is currently collaborating with Reading Reimagined on the design of literacy applications for underprivileged children in the United States.
In this episode, we discuss:
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If aliens came to earth post-armageddon, they wouldn’t find much, but they would find a sh*t ton of plastic! Join Nick & Elijah for 1 hour as we explore possible tech solutions to environmentally destructive behavior by big business and the dishonest greenwashing that comes with it.
Companies these days make promises about producing less waste and pollution, but the reality is nobody is really holding them accountable. That’s one reason they can continue to pump out masses of single-use junk that ends up in the earth that we eat, drink, and live from.
Tune in to hear a number of cool ways that we could use (mostly web3) technology to stop corporate hoodwinking, give more power back to citizens, and create an honest capitalism that maximizes value to the environment and all humans, not just shareholder pockets. Featuring names like Nike, Adidas, Kanye West, Uber, and the government of Singapore.
In this episode we discuss:
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Elijah speaks with Kate Gerson about her journey as a white woman devoted to dismantling systemic racism in the United States. The two talk about how Kate’s early interest in the writings and poetry of African-American women led her to choose a “path of service”, challenges encountered along the way, and the eventual creation of her current vessel for healing, Rethinc. We hear how Rethinc are redesigning work culture by putting spirituality at the center, and in doing so are helping society transition to a more equitable capitalism.
Finally, Kate talks about Rethinc’s transition to a technology venture, and how they aim to use digital product to accelerate healing, growth, and change in every human they touch.
In this episode we discuss:
Connect with Kate and RethincWebsite: www.rethinc.us
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinc
Rethinc Podcast - “Healing The Way We Work”: https://rethincpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
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In this episode, Nick and Elijah look at the roots of toxic masculinity and explore how we could redesign sex education for male adolescents. Join us for 1 hour as we share our own experiences of sex education as kids, unpack how our current approach to sex education is harming us, and conceptualize a new digital-first sexual education grounded in spiritual alignment.
In this episode we discuss:
Who is Modern Mantra?We’re a venture design studio operating at the intersection of spirituality and technology. Working together with visionary founders and conscious change makers, our mission is to design and create technology that brings the world back into spiritual balance.
October 2022: Being A Good AncestorOur design theme for this month is “Being A Good Ancestor”, where our focus is on exploring design solutions that create a more harmonious and trauma-free earth for tomorrow. Topics this month include education, corporate responsibility, environment, and workplace equality.
Monthly Design ThemesEach month we dive into one of our core design themes, looking at the roots of our modern spiritual imbalance and conceptualizing new ways to use technology to help the world heal. We publish 4x podcasts per month related to each theme: 2x How Might We episodes unpacking a specific design question and 2x Guest episodes with conscious creators from our community.
Talent NetworkWe are a collective of heart-centered designers, developers, thinkers, and creators building technology products for a brighter future. Join our mailing list for future collaboration opportunities or reach out directly.
Website: https://www.modernmantra.co/
Podcast: modernmantra.buzzsprout.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWSMBnzTfVt25AVSmx1qpg
Mailing list: www.modernmantra.co#mailing-list
Instagram: www.instagram.com/modernmantra.co/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@modernmantra
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mantra/
In this episode, Nick and Elijah talk about intention, presence, and ceremony of everything. We cover how you bring intention and presence in everything that you do and touch in your life. On the flip side, we talk about a bit of a lower frequency space — we talk about the space of gossip and the cultural prevalence and presence of gossip and what is lost with gossip.
Some of the topics that they speak to are:
In this episode, Nick and Elijah talk about the role of spirituality in the future of work and different principles for operating a high-vibe organization.
Some of the topics that they speak to are:
In this episode, Nick and Elijah talk about the transformative experience that Elijah had in Costa Rica where he took part in a retreat inside of an intentional community — sitting with songs, with earth, and with the sacred medicine. They also speak about the implications of that experience on how they work within Modern Mantra and the offering they provide.
Some of the topics that they speak to are:
In this episode, Nick and Elijah talk about the construct and confine of time, this concept that governs our everyday life. We also dive into different perspectives and take on the concept work, and how we treat and approach work in our lives. We also share some tools, tips and tricks that have allowed us to spend time in the way we want.
Some of the topics that they speak to are:
In this episode, Nick and Elijah talk about sexual energy and how to channel it for creativity and vitality. They also talk about the lack of sex education at scale and the impact that it has on society and the trauma that it has brought to our planet.
Some of the topics that they speak to are:
In this episode, Nick and Elijah discuss the product ideas and the climate crisis. Some of the topics that they speak to are:
This episode is a juicy one as Nick and Elijah both come back from testing positive for COVID-19 over the Christmas holiday. This episode covers the following topics and questions:
In this distinctly Modern Mantra episode, Nick and Elijah explore the relationship between channeling, the natural world, and technology in the following ways:
We hope you enjoy this conversation, join our discord server and our mailing list to keep it going.
In this episode, Nick and Elijah discuss amphetamines following a recent experience that Elijah had with ritalin. Nick speaks to his journey of prescribed usage from a young age under pressure from family and society to meet certain expectations. This gets into a broader discussion around the following:
We hope you enjoy the episode, and feel free to hit us up or join our discord to keep the conversation going. You can also join our mailing list at modernmantra.co - we are launching a gratitude-based system of gift giving in the first quarter of next year, more on that soon.
In this episode, we discuss:
We also make reference to a recent NFT drop in collaboration with Mirros, which you can checkout here.
In this episode, Nick and Elijah have a juicy discussion that speaks to how they integrate channeled information into their product design work. Over the course of the episode, they speak to the following:
Have a listen and let us know what you think. This is the 25th episode of the podcast and its officially been a year since it was first published - so thank you for your support. Keep up with Modern Mantra by following on Linktree, Instagram, and TikTok.
In this episode, Nick and Elijah dive reflect on recent experience with plant medicine and the interconnectivity of living forms. They speak to the following topics:
We hope you enjoy this episode, and please excuse Elijah's microphone. The team is using a new software to record and he totally dropped the ball on connecting it to the right input. Guess we need more thorough sound checks! Much love y'all.
In this episode, Nick and Eli speak to the work engagement failure that the United States and other countries are facing. We cover a range of topics such as:
And much more, so we hope that you enjoy the episode here. Hit us up if you have any thoughts, feedback, or ideas. Much love.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss the importance of men's work. The conversation begins by discussing the role of well-facilitated men's circles and similar gatherings. From there, the two speak to acknowledging and navigating the role of men, past and present, to create a better future.
The last part of the discussion revolves around breaking the social conditioning around sex and embodying a more connected orientation to male sexuality. So if something like masturbation as a manifestation tool sounds interesting to you, you're definitely in for a good listen here.
In this episode, Nick and Elijah kickoff by discussing frog and toad medicine - speaking to the profound experiences that were experienced and how life-altering they were. They proceed to discuss our endogenous medicines that are available to us at anytime, such as Kundalini, breath work, and mantra.
The last part of this podcast, the two cover finding partnership in common spaces. A newly-single Nick speaks to how he's been approaching his romantic connection with others and on the flip side, they speak on more typical approaches to mating and partnership that don't seem to go over well. They highlight the fact that in youth education, there are large gaps in forging and valuing platonic relationships with the opposite sex.
Juicy chat, enjoy y'all.
In this episode, Nick and Eli kickoff with a discussion around what is and isn't considered natural by most standards - taking it a few layers deeper to grapple with this notion that everything we do is perhaps human nature and that even the most artificial of things stem from something naturally occurring. So where does the line of natural end and artificial begin? Well, it may not be that binary.
From that, this episode unpacks the reality that we are the only known species with multigenerational impact on others. However, there is an inability to acknowledge and accept that and hence we do not have any strong modern cultural practices - especially in the west - of thinking about the generations to come. That foresight piece is missing.
If this sounds of interest, definitely dive in with us and let us know what you think.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss connecting with people during their travels and the impact that specific interactions have had. The discussion then leads into a discussion about the use case of blockchain, the emergence of NFTs, and the hard-to-conceptualize notion of decentralized living. Crypto is putting things into a new perspective.
In this episode, Nick and Eli begin the conversation discussing the current situation with COVID-19 in their respective homes and around the world. It leads to a broader discussion around misaligned economic incentive models that are being highlighted by our current situation with vaccine production and distribution.
The conversation then transitions into the dire need for the open embrace and integration of femininity into the constructs that govern everyday lives. As well as the need to transition from checking boxes all the time into a world that accommodates for holistic expression.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss the emergence of quantified social standing evident in new investment platforms like IdeaMarket or BitClout all the way to China’s social credit system. The growing ability to put a number on someone’s reputation has allowed attention to emerge as a core currency.
The conversations then gets into engineered bias - the biases that inherently exist when we use computer-generated metrics to determine someone’s worth, status, or reputation. The uneven distribution or skewing of data to disproportionately benefit some and not others is a transforming issue that we must grapple with as a human family.
In this episode, Nick and Eli begin by speaking about tuning to pendulums and channeling from spirit guides. From there, the conversation of pendulums evolves into how each one of us is tuned to our ethereal nature, which presents some interesting possibilities for writing new social and personal programs that allow us to live more aligned.
The episode finishes off with musings around a future hybrid existence in which the body becomes less prevalent because of our ability to tap into non-physical realities. Enjoy!
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss the power of the collective - pointing to different examples in which the public steps into its power to shape the world they want to live in. Decentralization of power is evident across different contexts in recent years, fueled by the tools that have become available to us. This leads into a broader discussion of intentional community and lifestyle design.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss lifestyle alternatives to urban living, exploring different thoughts and models around the evolution of intentional community. Earlier in the discussion, they speak about feeling a sense of vibrancy in life and factors that influence it.
In this episode, Nick and Eli begin by discussing the Eli's work in channeling the Akashic Records, which leads into Nick's personal journey working in the Great Beyond with non-physical beings. They speak to the societal indicators pointing to a collective shift in how we regard spirituality, and the importance of both being proactive with connection and cultivating a practice.
Nick and Eli discuss the complexities of trauma and the non-knowing of other people’s journey. They speak to the imagery of masculinity in contrast to the divinity of masculinity, as well as the need for vulnerability as an integrated practice.
In this episode, Nick and Eli talk about sharing space, the tri-consciousness of relationships, the healing and unlayering journey, and that things that occur in our lives are happening but not happening to us.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss minimalism, the suppression of imagination, and the entrapment of scorekeeping. There is beauty to be found all around us, it is just a matter of how we choose to see. We have become encapsulated in the tasks that we’re doing, to the point where we no longer appreciate all that is. In that regard, extending minimalism from materialism into other parts of our life, creates the space to fill our cups. The discussion leads into looking more broadly at how we define success, and exploring different factors that go beyond the metrics we currently have in place.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss awakening kundalini, doing business as dharma, and grappling with impact of business on society. Eli speaks to a few of his most beloved kundalini kriyas before they dive into a discussion around doing business as dharma. When doing business as dharma, the objectives are different than what one may be taught in a traditional academic business setting. There is an inherent calling or connection to the work that is being done - a more thorough understanding of the why.
The discussion leads into the separation, or lack thereof, of businesses as entities and the people behind them. Companies exist as part of a subjective reality, they are ideas that we agree upon and hence their existence is dependent on one’s consciousness and beliefs. Today, businesses can have a larger impact on the way that society operates than governments and the episode ends with questioning where the responsibility lies for creating a healthier future.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss the siloed nature with which society buckets meditation and point to the meditative practices found in everyday life. There are some strong parallels between free-styling, flow states, and meditating, and it all is a matter of which lens one is viewing through.
We have all become so accustomed to doing over being, and hence Nick and Eli look to early childhood as a place to begin tackling this. Given what we now understand around quantum mechanics and spirituality, it warrants a new discussion on the original separation between church and state.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss the power of the breath (prana) and the impact that can be had by placing more attention on this often automated action which is the first and last thing we do in our physical lives. They discuss breath as the language of connection, to ourselves, other life forms on earth, and other planes of existence.
With its inherent ability to heighten our state of consciousness, the act of intentional breathing is not well integrated into our lives. Nick and Eli discuss education as an area where bringing awareness to the breath can make a large difference and the missed opportunities with current goals of education.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss how individuals and technology designers can augment reality (AR) in a positive way. They speak to the augmentation of reality that occurs without technology, such as the attachment of meaning and perception over our objective reality. They discuss the building blocks of reality and transition into ways in which emerging AR technologies can have a positive impact on people and planet - from facilitating individual healing to providing new delivery mechanisms of in-formation.
On this episode, Nick and Eli begin with a prompt: "How might we promote and integrate optimism in the world today?"
It leads into discussion around the definition of optimism, how it differs from hope, and different ways that we can each integrate a more optimistic approach and outlook to each waking moment.
In this episode, Nick and Eli discuss nurturing soul connections and the practice of relationships. They share their personal stories on that matter. Later on, they dive into a discussion about sexual compatibility, which stemmed from a useful exercise that Nick's friends took part in.
In this episode, Nick Sarafa and Eli Johnston dive into the relationship between peace and freedom, what serves inner peace within our lives, and how we might become more discerning in that regard. They also discuss the connection between inner peace and identification with the ego.
Join Nick Sarafa and Eli Johnston as they explore design prompts for the venture studio, and ultimately dive into the subtleties of the ego, detachment from it, and visualizing ego based on the stories we tell ourselves in everyday life.
Join Nick Sarafa and Eli Johnston as they discuss integration of channeling into their everyday lives, and the prospect of kicking off a new venture studio focused on the expansion of human consciousness, and connective integration.