Elevating Consciousness: Recent Episodes

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Pema Dragpa is a dharma teacher, author, and ordained Tibetan Buddhist
Lama. He graduated with honors in Philosophy and Religious Studies from New York University in 2002.

Since 2004, Dragpa has served as a resident teacher at Padma Samye Ling, a meditation retreat center founded by the Nyingma Dzogchen masters, Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. In 2010, he was formally ordained as a Lama by the Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches.

He is also a senior editor of more than 25 books on Buddhist philosophy and the author of An Integral View of Tibetan Buddhism: Preserving Lineage Wisdom in the 21st Century.

Dragpa regularly travels to lead Padmasambhava Buddhist Center events, where he bridges traditional Tibetan wisdom with contemporary approaches to meditation and the path of awakening.

In this episode, we discuss an integral approach & developmental stage, balancing spirituality & money, disagreements with Ken Wilber, unity in diversity & the shadow of Integral, core tenets of Vajrayana Buddhism, the intersection of politics & spirituality, and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• An Integral View of Tibetan Buddhism: Preserving Lineage Wisdom in the 21st Century by Pema Dragpa
• Listen to Pema Dragpa’s dharma talks
• Padmasambhava Buddhist Center
• Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
• Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche
• John Churchill on the Elevating Consciousness Podcast
• Ken Wilber

🕰️[Time stamps] 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
3:32 - Pema Dragpa’s journey into Tibetan Buddhism
7:20 - A deep taste of samsara and the impact of the Khenpo Rinpoches
16:18 - The monastic vs the householder path
18:51 - Balancing spirituality with money and practical concerns
26:56 - Unpacking the Integral view/stage
33:01 - Disagreements with Ken Wilber (Is Vajrayana Integral?)
43:26 - An integrative approach to transformation
47:47 - Unity in diversity and the shadow of Integral
56:36 - John Churchill’s Sacred Humanism
59:33 - There is no definitive answer, system, or theory (experimenting in fail-safe mode)
1:09:31 - The importance of communities of practice & syncing up with lineage wisdom
1:15:49 - Be wary of a Purtian Dharma
1:16:34 - The core tenets and frames of Vajrayana Buddhism
1:24:11 - Pema shares a Tibetan prayer
1:28:54 - We need more ways of being in touch (healthy integrative mode)
1:32:04 - The importance of going deep in one tradition
1:33:17 - The fourth turnings of Buddhism simplified
1:34:09 - The perfect practice for a degenerative age
1:42:24 - Do we need more politically engaged spiritual teachers?
1:47:53 - Making change at a meso scale
1:50:56 - Integral, the notion of absolute truth & freedom from samsara
1:57:32 - Final message

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*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional lens

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Peter McEwen is an ordained Nyingma yogi, meditation coach, and founder of an organization called The Field, where he teaches tantric methods to practitioners navigating contemporary life demands.

Since 1993, he's studied under Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Tulku Orgyen P'huntsok, Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche, and Bruce Tift, and has completed the traditional Vajrayana three-year retreat curriculum.

Peter writes The Current on Substack, sharing essays and tools from thirty years of integrating contemplative practice with daily life.

His work focuses on embodied presence and nervous system fluency, offering methods that survive the actual pressures of work, relationships, and daily complexity.

Grounded in three decades of traditional training, Peter brings Vajrayana into direct conversation with the realities of modern life.

In this episode, we discuss Peter’s initial experiences of awakening, balancing personal, interpersonal & spiritual work, Tantra, Tummo, Deity Yoga, and how to get the most out of practice as a householder.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Peter’s personal site
• The Field meditation training
• Upcoming Tummo course
• Subscribe to Peter’s Substack
• Bruce Tift on the Elevating Consciousness podcast
• Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
• Tulku Orgyen P'huntsok
• Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche
• Johnny Miller
• Donald Hoffman

🕰️[Time stamps] 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:38 - Initial experiences of awakening and getting into Buddhism
8:01 - Balancing personal, interpersonal & spiritual work
23:17 - The impact of working with Bruce Tift
27:15 - What is Tantra?
34:59 - Selecting the appropriate practice for your developmental stage
44:32 - What is Tummo and how does it work? (Inner fire practice)
54:45 - Peter guides a Tummo meditation
1:10:25 - How Tummo focuses the mind
1:12:28 - Visualization vs feeling in Tummo
1:16:00 - What is Deity yoga & how does it work?
1:22:22 - Do traditional Deity forms work for Western minds?
1:28:51 - How to get the most out of practice as a householder
1:41:49 - Peter’s upcoming Tummo course

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional lens

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David Rug is a metaphysician, civilizational theorist, and visionary storyteller on a journey of transmuting childhood wounds of social fragmentation into memetic medicine for the human family.

Sensitized to the pains of social division and disconnect early in life through his parents' divorce and the increasingly political fracturing of his family field, he set out on a quest to understand the root causes of conflict and miscommunication. While completing his bachelor's degree in physics at Heidelberg University, he discovered GameB and adjacent movements. Through the extraordinarily clear thinking shared by thought leaders in that space, he realized there was, in effect, a "physics of communication"—principles that could be understood and applied to address the challenges he cared most about.

This insight led him to found Project Liminality—an open-source communication and co-creation layer designed to reshape how we share and organize around ideas. A central focus of this work is developing the InterBrain, a novel digital medium aimed at flipping the vector of conflict and fragmentation toward unity and wholeness.

His work combines systems thinking, visionary storytelling, and a deep exploration of the kinds of shared ideas and narratives that can inspire humanity to unite in addressing our greatest challenges and creating the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

In this episode, we speak about false progress, psychological warfare, developing a memetic immune system, returning to the spoken word, going from personal knowledge management to collective knowledge gardening, and David’s Interbrain project, which aims to bridge ancient wisdom with modern technology to end fragmentation.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Support Project Liminality and the Building of the Interbrain
• Project Liminality YouTube channel
• The Interbrain - How Collective DreamWeaving Can Heal the World
• Dialectical thinking
• Jordan Hall in conversation with David Rug

🕰️[Time stamps] 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
3:15 - Early experiences of fragmentation and discovering the liminal web
13:47 - The polarities of fragmentation and finding the third attractor
21:10 - The solution has to come from a higher dimension of consciousness
25:22 - False progress, psychological warfare, and developing a memetic immune system
34:52 - A Course in Miracles, Fear vs Love, Specialness vs Uniqueness
41:54 - Building trust networks, returning to the spoken word, and problems of scale
51:21 - From personal knowledge management to collective knowledge gardening
1:08:35 - Reflecting on David’s big insights ( the primacy of symbols, written vs spoken word )
1:14:50 - The practicalities of the Interbrain (how it would work)
1:26:30 - Critiques and challenges of building the Interbrain
1:31:21 - Moving from independence to deep interdependence
1:36:42 - Revolutionizing journalism & politics
1:44:06 - The process of DreamWeaving
1:52:55 - Support David’s work

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Dr. John Churchill is a psychologist, dharma teacher, and the founder of Planetary Dharma – an integrally informed community embracing the vows and path of the Bodhisattva, committed to elevating human consciousness and collective transformation.

John holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from William James College and is also a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. His journey into Buddhist psychology began as a monk at Samye (sam-yay) Ling Monastery in Scotland, where he undertook an in-depth study of Buddhist contemplative practice. He later spent 15 years training and teaching “Great Seal” (Mahamudra) meditation within an Indo-Tibetan Mahayana lineage under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel P. Brown.

John is a founding member of the Integral Institute, led by transpersonal philosopher Ken Wilber, and has received advanced training in attachment therapy, hypnosis, positive psychology for peak performance, and the “Pointing Out” style of Mahamudra meditation. He is also the author of Becoming Buddha: Buddhist Contemplative Psychology in a Western Context.

For the past 25 years, John has been developing what he calls the Fourth Turning Planetary Dharma—a full-spectrum psychospiritual approach that integrates the great Indo-Tibetan traditions with psychodynamic healing and adult development.

In this episode, we discuss the vision of a 4th turning dharma, John’s differences with his teacher Dan Brown, navigating the traditional vs progressive polarity in spirituality, connecting to sacred world, moving into the transrational, transitioning from Buddhism to Sacred Humanism, and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Learn more about Planetary Dharma
• Follow Planetary Dharma on Instagram
• Follow Planetary Dharma on Facebook
• Planetary Dharma’s Medicine Dharma Course
• Dan Brown
• Ken Wilber
• A.H. Almaas
• Hamilton Souther
• Lama Mike Crowley

🕰️[Time stamps] 🕰️

0:00 - Intro
3:29 - Unpacking the four turnings of Buddhism
9:58 - Further distinguishing the fourth turning
16:09 - Artem’s experience participating in the Planetary Dharma introductory retreat
17:27 - Planetary Dharma’s emphasis on the imaginal and self-image
25:25 - John’s differences with his mentor and teacher Dan Brown
37:56 - Navigating the traditional vs progressive polarities in spirituality
49:01 - Transitioning beyond Buddhism into Sacred Humanism
55:15 - Why modern minds are disconnected from Sacred World
1:02:46 - The pre-trans fallacy and navigating the trans-rational
1:16:17 - The role of psychedelics on the psychospiritual path
1:28:00 - What’s needed to build out a fourth turning academy
1:37:40 - The constraints of a householder and the future of Dharma
1:50:37 - Planetary Dharma offerings

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Ali Tataryn is a counselor, somatic educator, and coach who guides clients through somatic-emotional release and helps them map their internal emotional landscapes for healing and self-development.

She is the founder of Relational Dojo, a welcoming space where kind humans come together to co-create curious and courageous conversations. Ali is also the co-founder of Sacred Somatic Events, a sober somatic dance experience that warmly invites participants into full-spectrum self-expression.

Her primary training is in Counseling, Expressive Arts, and Somatic Education. Ali has completed over 260 hours of Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training and is a trained as T3 Circling Facilitator through the Integral Center.

She is also a meditation teacher certified under Upasaka Culadasa and Junpo Roshi, with extensive personal practice in the Namgyal-Kagyu tradition under teachers such as Lama Lodro, Lama Sidney, Lama Rodney Devinish, and her mother, Dr. Darlene Tataryn. Ali proudly collaborates with her father, clinical psychologist Dr. Douglas J. Tataryn, facilitating and coaching through his Bio-Emotive Framework.

In this episode, we explore Ali’s journey growing up with parents deeply immersed in emotional and spiritual work, her path as an actress and how acting became a form of spiritual practice, navigating identity as an artist, the Bio-Emotive framework and the art of emotional processing, how relational, emotional, and spiritual work come together and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Ali’s personal site
• The Bio-Emotive Framework
• Follow Ali on Substack
• Follow Douglas Tataryn on Substack
• How to Process Emotions with Douglas Tataryn on the Elevating Consciousness Podcast
• Diane Musho Hamilton
• Leonard Cohen
• What is Circling by Artem Zen

🕰️[Time stamps] 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
4:00 - Growing up with cycle breakers
7:06 - Good enough parenting and an imperfect life
10:08 - Navigating the self vs other polarity
16:18 - How does a bodhisattva deal with a narcissist?
22:00 - Reconnecting to the good, true, and the beautiful
24:50 - Acting as a spiritual practice vs acting as a career
37:45 - Becoming aware of suffering
40:27 - The thin line between awakening & Psychosis
44:25 - Navigating identity as an Artist
57:02 - The Bio-Emotive Framework & the art of emotional processing
1:08:07 - Emotions are not logical but they are lawful
1:10:57 - Balancing intellectual with emotional and relational development
1:15:49 - Circling (relational work) vs emotional processing vs deconstruction
1:31:43 - What is between me and love/truth?

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Delson Armstrong is a maverick meditation teacher and author. At the age of 16, disillusioned with conventional life, he embarked on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, where he spent 6 to 8 hours a day practicing various forms of meditation, studying sacred texts, and receiving guidance from masters across multiple lineages.

Through this intensive training, Delson developed the rare ability to enter nirodha-samāpatti—a meditative state marked by the complete cessation of perception and feeling—for extended periods of time. These claims have been rigorously examined through neuroscience research, with findings published in a 2023 paper titled Cessation of Consciousness in Meditation.

He is also the author of A Mind Without Craving and a five-volume series on dependent origination. Delson currently teaches the Optimal Mind System, a synthesis of diverse practices designed to align the body, mind, energy, heart, and consciousness to catalyze deep insight and transformation.

Although deeply informed by traditional models of awakening, Delson takes a universal approach and does not adhere to any single doctrine or path. He believes that idealized systems rooted in specific cultural norms and structures must be reimagined and innovated to meet the needs of our modern world.

In this episode, we explore Delson’s experience working with and integrating different traditions and spiritual practices, how coming across integral theory has helped him recontextualize the spiritual path, whether it’s possible to end suffering, the relationship between psychedelics & meditation, the pro’s and con’s of being open about spiritual attainments, creating healtheir dynamics with spiritual teachers and going beyond spiritual idealization.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Delson’s personal site
• Listen to Delson’s Dharma talks on his YouTube channel
• A Mind Without Craving by Delson Armstrong
• Dependent Origination series by Delson Armstrong
• Delson Armstrong, Guru Viking interviews
• Tales from Nibbana with Dor Konforty & Delson Armstrong
• Ending Guru Worship for True Liberation by Delson Armstrong

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:43 - Artem’s experience following Delson’s journey
7:02 - Sutra, Tantra, and going beyond traditional teachings
13:29 - The impact of cultural context on spiritual practices
22:28 - The fallacy of the superior path
27:50 - Letting go of idealistic views
33:31 - The Impact of Integral Theory (Integrating no self and true self)
37:12 - Is there an end to suffering?
50:47 - Delson’s desire to master and integrate a wide variety of teachings
56:42 - Rigpa vs Cessation
1:02:38 - The micro-phemenology of cessation
1:04:21 - The relationship between psychedelics, spirituality, and meditation
1:22:00 - The pros and cons of being open about spiritual attainments
1:29:11 - Creating healthier dynamics between spiritual teachers and students
1:37:44 - Final message

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Dor Konforty is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, investor, and awakening teacher dedicated to distilling the first principles of the dharma and bringing them to every aspect of human life. He spent most of his twenties conducting interdisciplinary brain research in academic settings, and his thirties as an entrepreneur and CEO in the decentralization space—applying his neuroscience background to envision more collaborative, non-zero-sum human networks.

In parallel, he has devoted thousands of hours to meditation practice as well as growth and relational modalities, training closely with pragmatic dharma teachers such as Culadasa, Daniel Ingram, and Delson Armstrong, and personal development coaches like Joe Hudson and Kim Barta.

He is the founder of The Awakening Fund, a venture that invests in technologies aimed at making meditation unnecessary. Dor is also the author of The Heart Illuminated, a spiritual successor to Culadasa’s The Mind Illuminated. Drawing on over fifteen years of multidisciplinary experience, the book lays out a clear and systematic path towards awakening through a completely modern lens.

In this episode, we explore Dor’s book The Heart Illuminated, his time studying with pragmatic dharma teachers—Culadasa, Daniel Ingram, Delson Armstrong, and Dan Brown—and dive into topics such as integrating emptiness with fullness, investing in awakening technologies that aim to make meditation unnecessary, aligning artificial intelligence with dharma, and navigating the complexities and controversies that can arise in relationships with spiritual teachers.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Dor’s personal site
• The Heart Illuminated by Dor Konforty
• Dor’s investment venture, The Awakening Fund
• Follow Dor on Twitter/X
• The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa
• Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram
• Delson Armstrong
• Dan Brown

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
3:43 - Dor's journey into meditation
7:09 - The unique contribution of “The Mind Illuminated”
10:04 - Working closely with Culadasa and inspiration for writing “The Heart Illuminated”
21:49 - The iterative writing process and gathering feedback from community
24:58 - Understanding the multiplicity of the mind (sub minds, parts, agents, modules, and coordinators)
31:32 - Integrating awakening (emptiness) with healing (fullness)
39:22 - Is awakening about creating a better life?
47:00 - Meeting Daniel Ingram and doing a 23-day Fire Kasina retreat under his guidance
55:30 - The Power of dark retreats and sensory deprivation
57:40 - Friendship with Delson Armstrong
1:01:20 - Sutra, Tantra, metasystemicity, and stages of development
1:12:16 - The contributions of Dan Brown and Dustin Diperna
1:16:43 - Investing in awakening technologies and making meditation unnecessary
1:26:02 - Aligning artificial intelligence with Dharma
1:36:18 - Navigating the Culadasa controversy

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Daniel Thorson is a former monastic, podcaster, writer, and coach. He spent five years as a resident at the Monastic Academy and has accumulated two years of silent retreat experience.

Daniel is also a certified Aletheia Coach and Circling facilitator, whose work weaves together embodied inquiry, attachment-based healing, philosophical exploration, and relational presence.

For many years, Daniel hosted the Emerge podcast, a pioneering platform that helped catalyze emergent dialogues and shape what many now call the liminal web. He currently writes The Intimate Mirror on Substack, a publication exploring meaning, transformation, intimacy, and the search for religion in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

In this episode we speak about Daniel’s extensive experience living and training at a Monastery, turning break downs into break throughs, developing a better relationship with conceptuality and rationality, Secure attachment with reality, leaving Buddhism, creating a Dharma capable of addressing the meta-crisis and many other resonant threads on personal and collective transformation.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Daniel’s personal site & coaching services
• Subscribe to Daniel’s Substack
• Follow Daniel on Twitter/X
• The Upper Middle Path & Tech Bro Buddhism by Daniel Thorson
• Daniel Thorson speaking about Secure Attachment to Reality on the Meta-Game podcast
• Daniel speaking about consensus Buddhism and pragmatic dharma on the Buddhist Geeks podcast
• Monastic Academy (MAPLE)
• Transformational Connection
• Aletheia Coach training
• Daniel P. Brown
• David Elliott - Repairing Attachment | Elevating Consciousness podcast

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
5:06 - Daniel’s experience living as a monk
13:32 - Going through a psychological breakdown
17:29 - Discovering attachment work and the ideal parenting protocol
21:56 - Developing a better relationship with conceptuality and rationality
25:25 - Emotional attunement, relational practices, and the importance of safe containers
34:15 - Secure attachment with reality
38:54 - Trusting the intelligence of every experience
40:30 - Is the fundamental nature of reality love?
44:35 - What is missing from Buddhism?
52:10 - Towards a Translineage spirituality
55:50 - Is there anything afforded by identifying as Buddhist or Christian?
1:06:05 - From emptiness/deconstructing to soulmaking/skillfully playing with identity
1:09:29 - A dharma capable of addressing the meta-crisis
1:11:36 - Daniel’s current meditation practice
1:14:20 - Integrating ethics with eros and clarifying desire
1:17:36 - Reflecting on the Human Transformation in a Time of Meta-Crisis conference at Harvard
1:22:17 - The liberation of creative agency

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Hyrum Lewis is a professor, author, and political theorist. He currently teaches history at Brigham Young University–Idaho, where he leads the American Foundations Team.

Lewis’s research focuses on the history of ideology and the intersection of political and intellectual culture. He has written extensively on the evolution of American conservatism, historical pedagogy, and cultural conflict in the American West.

He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Myth of the Left and Right, co-authored with his brother Verlan Lewis. In it, they argue that the traditional left-right political spectrum is a misleading and oversimplified framework for understanding contemporary American politics.

In this episode, we speak about why tribalism precedes philosophy, how what left and right means is always changing, what Jonathan Haidt got wrong, pathways towards more generative political conversations, and the relationship between religion and politics.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• The Myth of Left and Right by Hyrum Lewis and Verlan Lewis
• The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
• Keith Stanovich
• John Stuart Mill
• The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef
• The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
3:18 - The intuition that the political spectrum is broken
5:26 - The Essentialist Theory of Ideology vs The Social Theory of Ideology
8:38 - Why tribalism precedes philosophy
12:01 - Caricatures of the left and the right
14:25 - How what left and right means is always changing
17:44 - We choose our politicians before our policies
21:31 - How to better use terms left and right or liberal and conservative
27:03 - Voting on one issue without anchoring
32:05 - How do we move beyond left & right with a two-party system?
39:25 - What Jonathan Haidt and Moral Foundations Theory got wrong
44:45 - Questioning the links between psychological traits and political positions
49:17 - Pathways towards more generative political conversations
53:51 - Why we need to increase our tolerance for disagreement
59:16 - Developing a Scout Mindset
1:02:08 - What is the relationship between religion and politics
1:06:55 - The destructive ideology of Progressivism

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Jordan Hall is a tech entrepreneur, philosopher, and meta-systemic thinker who, over a year ago, announced that he had converted to Christianity.

This conversation was recorded live during Limicon, a digital conference for those in the liminal, metamodern, and game B spaces.

In it, we explored Jordan’s early experiences with religion and spirituality, what ultimately drew him to Christianity, and what Christianity might afford that Eastern traditions do not.

We touched on discerning divine calling from the egoic mind, confronting fundamentalist forms of Christianity, and the shift from propositional to participatory forms of knowing.

We also examined the role religion may play in ameliorating some of the negative trends in society and the meta-crisis at large.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Subscribe to Jordan’s Substack
• Follow Jordan on Twitter
• Subscribe to Jordan’s YouTube channel
• Read The Religious Case Against Belief by James Carse
• Watch Jordan Peterson in conversation with John Vervaeke and Jordan Hall
• Watch Jordan Hall in conversation with Jonathan Pageau and John Vervaeke
• Learn more about Black Mountain, North Carolina

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
3:07 - Jordan’s journey into religion & spirituality
16:39 - Entrepreneurship as a path to cultivating instincts and intuitions
20:40 - Landing in Black Mountain and finding Christianity
26:26 - Extensively studying Christianity and discovering a new level of humility
34:04 - What does Christianity afford that Eastern religions don’t?
44:26 - The Meta-Crisis is a crisis of religion
54:05 - The Impact of Religious Traditions on Family
58:28 - Healing our religious trauma and deepening our capacity to love
1:04:05 - Differentiating intuition (divine calling vs egoic mind)
1:18:16 - Confronting fundamentalist forms of Christianity and finding a church that aligns
1:29:01 - Divine sensemaking

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Seth Zuiho Segall is a Zen Buddhist priest, clinical psychologist, and writer. He has served on the clinical faculty of the Yale University School of Medicine for nearly three decades. He is also a science writer for the Mindfulness Research Monthly, a contributing editor for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and a review editor for The Humanistic Psychologist. Seth has been engaged with meditation and Buddhism for almost thirty years and is ordained in the White Plum lineage. He currently leads Pamsula Zen of Westchester and guest teaches at the New York Insight Meditation Center. He is also the author of several books, including “Buddhism and Human Flourishing” and his latest, “The House We Live In”. He writes consistently on his blog, The Existential Buddhist, covering a range of Buddhist topics from a naturalized, pragmatic, eudaimonic, and cosmopolitan perspective. In this episode, we explore Seth’s unique journey into Buddhism as well as his pragmatic and naturalistic understanding of it, the relationship between virtue, wisdom and pluralism, the foundations of flourishing, navigating political polarization, ethical ideals and the myth of the perfect person, better ways of thinking about enlightenment and why Seth became a Zen priest.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Seth’s personal site
• Seth’s blog
• Seth’s latest book “The House We Live In”
• Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Secular Buddhist Network
• The Avoidant Dharma by Daniel Thorson
• Stephen Batchelor
• Larry Rosenberg
• Andrew Cohen
• Paradox of Tolerance
• Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram
• Already Free by Bruce Tift

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:10 - Unpacking a naturalistic, pragmatic, eudaimonic, and cosmopolitan Buddhism
7:57 - Naturalistic vs. Secular Buddhism
12:07 - Agnosticism & Beliefs
13:30 - Exploring Judaism and finding Buddhism
20:20 - Further questioning Secularization and modernization of Buddhism
29:18 - There is no one Buddhism; There are many Buddhisms
33:36 - Virtue, wisdom, and pluralism
36:17 - Has humanity become less violent over time?
38:26 - The foundations of flourishing
42:22 - Disagreements on values and vulnerability
45:31 - Facing the dragon at your own pace
48:52 - Navigating political polarization & engaged Buddhism
53:53 - Ethical ideals and the myth of the perfect person
57:33 - The paradox of tolerance & cancel culture
1:03:48 - Better ways of thinking about enlightenment
1:12:15 - Why become a Zen priest
1:17:26 - Engaging with a religious tradition before you critique it

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Brad Kershner is an educator, independent scholar, and Head of School at Kimberton Waldorf School. He is also the co-founder of a meta-political think tank - The Reconstitution Project - and is the author of the book "Understanding Educational Complexity: Integrating Practices and Perspectives for 21st Century Leadership". In addition to his work in education, Brad works in collaboration with thought leaders and spiritual teachers from around the world who are engaged in developing wisdom-based responses to planetary problems. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore the Waldorf approach to education, child development, the negative impacts of social media, politics and polarization, artificial intelligence, and the role of contemplative practice in wisdom cultivation.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Subscribe to Brad’s Substack
• Listen to Brad’s lectures on YouTube
• Connect with Brad on Twitter
• Kimberton Waldorf School
• Waldorf education
• Rudolf Steiner
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Taking Children Seriously
• Aaron Stupple & Naval Ravikant on Tim Ferris
• The Sovereign Child by Aaron Stupple
• The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley
• Iain McGilchrist
• TESCREAL

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Intro
2:05 - Becoming an educator and the Waldorf approach to education
7:47 - Fundamental principles of child development
17:52 - Emotions & mental health in young people
24:36 - Haidt’s research on the negative impact social media is having on children
26:39 - Debating the parenting approach of Taking Children Seriously
35:22 - Reflecting on navigating screen time in children via “The Sovereign Child” by Aaron Stupple
49:14 - Before you can help children solve a problem you need to understand it
55:27 - Meta-crisis sensemaking and the limits of rational optimism
59:25 - Navigating politics & polarization
1:17:40 - Developing a wise relationship with technology & artificial intelligence
1:22:49 - Beyond the Tescreal Worldview: Integrating Wisdom & power
1:30:12 - The big questions and disagreements in the metamodern & liminal spaces
1:36:49 - Why materialism is a less true view than idealism
1:40:53 - Flipping what we think we can and cannot know
1:44:20 -The role of meditation & contemplation
1:49:50 - The importance of emphasizing meditation early in life
1:53:27 - Connect to Brad’s work

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Murray Stein is a Jungian Psychoanalyst, author, and lecturer. He received his bachelor's in literature and Masters in Divinity from Yale and completed his PhD in Religion and Psychological Studies at the University of Chicago. He was trained as a Jungian Analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of Zurich and is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts. He is the author of many books including The Principle of Individuation and Jung’s Map of the Soul. Murray Stein welcome to the show. In this episode, we unpack Jung’s Map of the Soul, explore Murray’s experience studying with Jungian legends James Hillman and Marie Louise von Franz, delineate levels of religious understanding, and dive deeper into ethics, serial killers, and collective shadows.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Murray Stein’s personal site
• Jung’s Map of the Soul by Murray Stein
• Transformation: Emergence of the Self by Murray Stein
• Memories, Dreams & Reflections by Carl Jung
• The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
• James Hillman
• Marie-Louise von Franz
• Karl Barth
• Rob Burbea
• Tom Cheetham on the Elevating Consciousness Podcast
• How to Illuminate & Integrate Your Shadow by Artem Zen
• Transformation: Emergence of the Self by Murray Stein
• The Red Book by Carl Jung
• Depth Psychology and a New Ethic by Erich Neumann
• Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore
• BTS - Map of the Soul (album)

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
1:53 - Growing up in a religious home, going to divinity school, and finding Jung
12:38 - Studying with James Hillman and Marie Louise Von Franz and working with psychoanalysis
19:38 - Moving towards deeper levels of religious understanding
23:20 - What Hillman and von Franz contributed to Jungian psychology
26:58 - Unfolding Jung’s Map of the Soul
42:10 - Jung’s greatest discovery
46:15 - Jung’s Map of the Soul (Condensed)
49:09 - Diving deeper into ego, persona, and shadow
1:01:15 - Ethics, conscientious, serial killers, and collective shadows
1:06:40 - Taking Jungian psychology from theory into practice
1:12:45 - The Future of Jungian Analysis

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Bonnita Roy is an insight guide, philosopher, and futurist whose work is deeply grounded in cutting-edge cognitive science, evolutionary theory, contemplative studies, and metaphysics. From 2014-2022 she designed, developed, and directed a masters course in Consciousness Studies at the Graduate Institute (now known as Salem Univeristy). Soon afterward she launched the Pop Up School where she develops and directs transformative courses such as A New Theory of the Body, Lyrics Culture: Ontological Designs for Backloop Realities, and Varieties of Religious Experiences. Her latest venture is The Divinity School - a leadership program that forges leaders who can see deeper into reality, make decisions that benefit the whole, and align humanity with the natural intelligence of the universe. In this episode, we discuss process relational philosophy, the limitations of science, the core metaphysical disagreements in the liminal space, naturalizing machine agency & horizons of biological intelligence, The Divinity School program, the four powers of transformational leaders and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Follow Bonnitta on Substack
• Follow Bonnitta on Twitter/X
• Join The Divinity School transformational leadership program
• The typology of process relations by Bonnitta Roy
• Herbert Gunther
• Jean Gebser
• Alfred North Whitehead
• Charles Hartshorne
• Matt Segall
• Gregg Henriques
• The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber
• Sabine Hossenfelder
• Ken Wilber
• The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
1:38 - Articulating embodied insight into a coherent philosophy
5:22 - Landscaping, business & decoupling money from creative & intellectual work
14:15 - The immense challenge of writing
18:33 - Using images to understand and explain ideas
24:35 - What is Process Relational Philosophy?
36:30 - The limitations of science
39:26 - How the post-modern mind misunderstands the observer effect
41:20 - The metaphysics needed to bridge science and religion
45:00 - The core metaphysical disagreements in the liminal space
53:12 - People go from minimalist physicalism to maximal consciousness
56:00 - What all meta-physics require (the 3 metaphysical necessities)
1:00:10 - Integral list serve, awakening & spiritual practice
1:12:27 - The Divinity School (Masters in leadership)
1:17:29 - Naturalizing machine agency and horizons of biological intelligence
1:25:08 - The four powers of transformational leaders
1:32:14 - The impact Bonnitta hopes her work has on the world

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Ari Nielsen is a practitioner with an eclectic background that spans Reichian Breathwork, Cybernetics, Unschooling, Dzogchen & Improv. He spent over a decade living in the heart of the community surrounding the prime representative of California New Age spirituality of the 1970's, Adi Da. He also edited the collected works of Bruce Di, Marsico, an existential therapist whose philosophy can be summed up as “Be Happy, and Do What you Want.” Currently, he writes a publication on Substack that elucidates a radical liberating orientation to life which he calls “Searchless Responsiveness. In this episode, we explore Ari’s experience living in Adi Da’s community, the guru model of spirituality, the option method for happiness, self & identity, unconventional approaches to parenting and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Subscribe to Ari’s substack
• The Option Method (The collected works of Bruce Di Marsico)
• Robert Fripp
• George Gurdjieff
• Adi Da a.k.a Da Free John
• Ken Wilber
• Aro gTer
• Evolving Ground
• Wilhelm Reich
• Keith Dowman
• Sean Esbjorn-Hargens
• Rob Burbea
• Taking Children Seriously

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Intro
2:03 - Ari’s journey into spirituality
9:00 - Living in Adi Da’s community and other pivotal teachers & teachings
20:10 - The guru model (risks & rewards)
27:51 - Bruce Di Marsico and The Option Method for Happiness
35:43 - Dzogchen and Searchless Responsiveness
38:48 - Challenging perennialism and non-dualism
45:00 - Agenda without compulsion
49:04 - Unhappiness as motivation and the ideal state
53:18 - Self and identity
1:02:45 - The evolution of Ari’s meditation practice
1:04:18 - Khorde Rushen retreat with Keith Dowman
1:12:46 - Greatness, wholeness & desire through the lens of Searchless Responsiveness
1:19:58 - Letting go of perfectionism
1:21:41 - The importance of changing up your meditation practice
1:25:27 - Unconventional approaches to parenting
1:39:29 - A simple practice to taste Searchless Responsiveness

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Zak is a writer, educator, and futurist whose work explores issues around existential risk and the meta-crisis. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College and then later educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. He is a co-founder of several organizations including Lectica, Civilization Research Institute, and the Center for World Philosophy and Religion. He is also the author of several books including “Education in a Time Between Worlds” and a co-author of “First Principles and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on Cosmoerotic Humanism, the Meta-crisis, and the World to Come.” In this episode we speak about the problems of post-modernity, why value & consciousness are fundamental aspects of reality, Cosmo-Erotic humanism, evolving perennialism, the problem of evil, the most powerful and dangerous religion in the world today and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Zak Stein’s personal site
• First Principles First Values by David J. Temple (Zak’s latest book)
• My first conversation with Zak on the Education Crisis
• My second conversation with Zak on his approach to human development
• David Ray Griffin
• David Hume
• Iain McGilchrist
• John Vervaeke
• Nick Land
• Deep Utopia by Nick Bostrom
• Perennial Philosophy
• Jurgen Habermas
• Ken Wilber
• Stuart Kauffman
• B.F. Skinner
• Noam Chomsky
• Richard Dawkins
• Rupert Sheldrake

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
1:55 - The Problems of Post-Modernity
12:31 - Why value & consciousness are fundamental aspects of reality
21:35 - What is Cosmo-Erotic Humanism?
42:40 - Evolving Perennialism and The Problem of Evil
52:20 - Global Intimacy Disorder & Emotional Maturity
1:04:35 - Balancing advances in technology with ethical development
1:10:36 - Bringing the wisdom of religions to the scientific rationalist mind
1:26:26 - The most powerful & dangerous religion in the world today
1:32:30 - The difficulty of transmitting ethical leadership

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Cedric Chin is a business operator, programmer, and writer. He is also the founder of Commoncog - a publication that explores the models of business expertise and how to accelerate the acquisition of that expertise. His approach to writing and learning is finding interesting ideas, trying them out in his life, and then sharing the results. Over the years he has compiled an extensive knowledge base on how to think and learn better in business and beyond. In this episode we speak about the limits of mental models, Ray Dalio & believability, three approaches to expertise, why you should read biographies, overcoming information overload and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Commoncog (Cedric’s blog)
• Follow Cedric on Twitter/X
• Farnam St
• Charlie Munger
• Principles by Ray Dalio
• The Fund by Rob Copeland
• Less Wrong
• Sources of Power by Gary Klein
• Daniel Kahneman
• Jean Piaget
• High Output Management by Andrew Grove
• You Have a Choice by Eric Nehrlich
• The Seven Secrets of the Prolific by Hillary Rettig
• Accelerating Expertise (book)
• Milton Hershey
• Warren Buffett
• The Engines that Move Markets by Alasdair Nairn

📝[Show Notes]📝

0:00 - Intro
2:54 - What led Cedric to study expertise (limits of mental models)
8:05 - The Problem with Deliberate Practice
10:05 - What is Commoncog?
12:48 - Ray Dalio & Believability
21:03 - Sensemaking Less Wrong (Epistemic vs Instrumental Rationality)
25:11 - How “Irrational” people can be successful
26:39 - Gary Klein VS Daniel Kahneman
29:44 - Three approaches to gaining expertise
34:20 - What is tacit Knowledge?
38:38 - The Recognition Primed Decision Making Model
47:30 - Cognitive Task Analysis
49:49 - The most important questions to ask experts
52:10 - Accelerating expertise in meditation & transmission of mind
56:48 - How to actually learn from books
1:00:50 - Cognitive Flexibility Theory & ill-structured domains
1:06:55 - Integration (noticing sameness & difference)
1:09:31 - Using case studies to become an expert in cult dynamics
1:13:21 - Why you should read biographies
1:16:52 - How to overcome Information overload
1:21:48 - Mindful social media use
1:25:22 - Luck vs skill in success
1:30:48 - Cedric’s opinion on Crypto
1:33:54 - The best and worst thing about living in Singapore
1:34:59 - Building the biggest storehouse of business expertise

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Cadell Last is an anthropologist, philosopher, and founder of Philosophy Portal - an online educational platform opening space for the next generation of philosophical thought. After developing a strong grounding in evolutionary anthropology and biology, he began a deep study of philosophies of phenomenology and psychoanalysis, which opened him to fresh perspectives and helped him better navigate some of life's most challenging aspects. Today his work explores biocultural evolution, mind-matter relation, and speculative futures. He is the author of “Global Brain Singularity”, and “Systems and Subjects”, co-author of “Sex, Masculinity, God”, as well as lead editor of community anthologies “Enter the Alien” and “Abyssal Arrows." In this episode, we speak about the limits of science and the Importance of philosophy, connecting dead philosophers with living philosophers, dialectical thinking, what Jordan Peterson & Richard Dawkins have in common, Global Brain Singularity and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

• Cadell’s personal site
• Connect with Cadell on X/Twitter
• Connect with Cadell on Substack
• Become a member at Philosophy Portal
• Global Brain Singularity by Cadell Last (reach out to Cadell for a free pdf copy)
• Systems & Subjects by Cadell Last
• Plato
• Hegel
• Lacan
• Zizek
• Jordan Peterson
• Richard Dawkins

📝[Show Notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:51 - The Limits of Science and the Importance of Philosophy
15:10 - Building on the main ideas of Plato, Hegel, Lacan & Zizek
30:55 - Connecting dead philosophers with living universally impactful thinkers
33:36 - You have to understand thinkers deeply before you can deconstruct them
36:23 - The Importance of Dialectical Thinking
47:30 - What Jordan Peterson & Richard Dawkins have in common (Myths vs Drives)
57:55 - Putting Jung & Freud into Dialectics
1:02:49 - What is Global Brain Singularity?
1:18:46 - Cultivating a Global Commons
1:31:50 - The Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
1:38:29 - Non-duality, Non-Monism, Buddhism & affirming appearances
1:46:44 - Making sense of the upswing in Christian conversions & Unpacking Religion
1:56:20 - Cadell’s vision for Philosophy Portal

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Tom Morgan is a former financier and founder of The Leading Edge, a media platform and transformational community dedicated to sharing world-changing ideas and facilitating life-changing experiences. An Oxford graduate with a Masters in Philosophy, Politics, and economics, he has spent 20 years navigating the finance industry, working at top firms like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and most recently Sapient Capital. After becoming disenchanted with finance he had an awakening experience that caused him to quit his job and explore paths of meaning leading to a challenging yet transformative multi-year existential crisis. Eventually, he was able to piece together his life, integrating finance with the pursuit of meaning & wisdom. Today he describes himself as a “curiosity sherpa” and spends his life seeking out the most interesting thinkers and ideas to share with the world. In this episode, we speak about Tom’s journey from working in finance to exploring wisdom, navigating an existential crisis, integrating left and right brain functioning, shadow work, how to connect to your curiosity, bridging money & meaning, and creating a network of transformational communities.

🔗[Links & Resources] 🔗

• Connect with Tom on X/Twitter
• Read Tom’s writing
• Join the Leading Edge community
• The Master & His Emissary by Iain McGhilchrist
• Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson (In-depth book summary)
• Syntropy by Ulisse Di Corpo
• Ervin Laszlo
• C.S. Lewis
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned by Kenneth O. Stanley & Joel Lehman
• The Passion of the Western Mind (epilogue) by Richard Tarnas
• Mona Sobhani
• Rebel Wisdom

📝[Show notes]📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:07 - Working in finance, existential crisis & exploring wisdom
8:30 - Navigating hell
11:21 - Reinventing yourself
13:55 - Integrating left and right brain functioning
20:22 - Applying a Mythic lens to life
25:06 - Shadow work, Monstrosity & Jordan Peterson
32:29 - How to connect to your curiosity
36:44 - When you don’t listen to your daemon it becomes a demon
38:37 - Holistic living (What Tom’s day looks like now)
41:36 - Why greatness cannot be planned
45:38 - Bridging Money & Meaning
50:19 - Navigating the Generalist-Specialist dynamic
55:44 - Does the world financially reward those who follow their bliss?
1:01:29 - Creating a network of transformational communities
1:03:16 - Unpacking the Leading Edge community
1:08:00 - The problems many online transformational communities face
1:14:58 - What makes Tom angry about society?
1:15:49 - Creating a community full of love
1:16:55 - What Tom believes to be true that most people disagree with

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Kyle Kowalski is an ex-marketing executive turned solo-preneuer. After experiencing an existential crisis he left the corporate world and founded Sloww - a digital knowledge base and community which shares insights into the art of living for students of life. He is an interdisciplinary dot collector and synthesizer who creates in-depth book summaries, e-books, and a wisdom-packed weekly newsletter. His work integrates slow living with meaning, purpose, money mastery, transformational learning, and human development. In this episode, we speak about how Kyle built his audience, monetized Sloww & overcame imposter syndrome, the impact of ego development theory, why the meta-crisis is a me crisis, the various challenges of post-conventional life, balancing knowledge consumption with direct experience and Kyle’s brand new Sythnesizer course.

🔗[Links & Resources] 🔗

• Sloww Website
• Connect with Kyle on Twitter/X - https://x.com/KyKow
• Subscribe to the Sloww Sunday newsletter
• Get Kyle’s Synthesizer course
• Get the IKIGIA 2.0 E-book by Kyle Kowalski
• Sign up for the Sloww Premium Community
• Introduction to Susanne Cook-Greuter’s Ego Development Theory
• Metacrisis.org
• Is the meta-crisis a me crisis
• Wise Walk by Kyle Kowalski
• Paul Millerd & Kyle Kowalski path comparison
• Nora Bateson synthesis

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
1:43 - Insights from entrepreneurship (navigating money & meaning )
13:33 - The process of transitioning from the corporate world to solopreneurship
23:00 - How Kyle built his audience, monetized Sloww & overcame imposter syndrome
31:40 - The challenges of monetizing generalist/holistic content
43:44 - How to create purposeful work
52:34 - How Ego Development Theory impacted Kyle
56:37 - Synthesizing Nora Bateson’s opinion of developmental stage theories
1:09:55 - Why the Meta-crisis is a me crisis
1:16:18 - The Post-conventional shift and the challenges that come with it
1:22:52 - Balancing knowledge consumption with direct experience ( becoming a spiritual translator )
1:29:40 - The role of relational practices in human development
1:37:52 - Unpacking Kyle’s Synthesizer course
1:43:28 - Gauging interest before creating a product
1:45:45 - What makes Kyle most angry about society today?
1:51:12 - Tears of joy
1:56:34 - Final message

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Bernardo Kastrup is a philosopher of mind and the leading voice for metaphysical idealism - the view that all of reality is essentially mental. He holds PhDs in Philosophy and Computer Engineering, combining rigorous academic discipline with extensive practical experience. As a scientist, he has worked for the Europen Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Phillips Research laboratories where the “Cassimir Effect’ of Quantum Field theory was discovered. He’s also had a rich career in technology where he founded the parallel processing company Silicon Hive which was acquired by Intel in 2011. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Essentia Foundation, an organization dedicated to presenting scientific and analytic evidence that challenges traditional materialism in an accurate yet accessible way. He is the author of over 10 books including “Why Materialism is Baloney”, “The Idea of the World” and the upcoming “Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell.” In this episode, we discuss why the brain does not generate the mind, how to avoid cognitive entrenchment, how idealism impacts meaning in life, suffering and happiness, psychedelics and self-deception If enlightenment is real, and so much more.

🔗[Links & Resources] 🔗

• Bernardo’s personal site
• Follow Bernardo on Twitter
• Analytic Idealism course (free)
• Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell by Bernardo Kastrup (pre-order)
• Why Materialism is Baloney by Bernardo Kastrup (In-depth book summary)
• Rupert Spira
• David Chalmers
• Christof Koch
• Giulio Tononi
• Integrated Information theory

​​

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:33 - Pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo
8:32 - From intellectual to experiential understanding
13:02 - Fear of death
15:54 - The simplest explanation of idealism
19:12 - A dream in the infinite mind or Dissociation
23:33 - The thinkers who most influenced Bernardo Kastrup
26:40 - Is there a way to test idealism scientifically?
33:13 - Why the mind is not generated by the brain
37:58 - You can never convince someone of something they don’t already know
39:56 - How does Idealism impact meaning in life
45:49 - Psychedelics, self-deception & symbolism
51:02 - How Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his ideas
1:00:10 - Intellectual pursuits, human connection and loneliness
1:08:46 - Capacities Bernardo wishes he innately had
1:12:14 - Suffering, happiness, responsibility, and contentment
1:32:22 - Bernardo’s conception of Enlightenment (The monk who set himself on fire)
1:37:13 - What makes Bernardo most angry about society
1:40:13 - What Bernardo is most worried about
1:45:52 - Crying tears of joy
1:53:29 - What makes Bernardo’s upcoming book “Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell” unique
1:56:35 - What Bernardo is writing about now
2:00:09 - What will never disappear

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James Baker is an inner work practitioner and founder of Intentional Society. After spending 15 years in software development he became disillusioned with the corporate world and decided to pursue his passions. He launched Intentional Society - an online transformational community centered on developmental and relational practices. After over 150 weekly gatherings the community has grown into a unique space for personal transformation and interpersonal exploration. In this episode, we speak about the role of relational practices in human development, playing with power dynamics, breaking through social conventions, navigating the relationship between safety and growth, becoming developmentally aware, and the paradoxical dance between being and becoming.

🔗 [Links & resources] 🔗

• Intentional Society (online transformational community)
• Follow James on Twitter
• Becoming Developmentally Aware by Artem Zen
• Already Free by Bruce Tift

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - From software development to human transformation
7:13 - What is Intentional Society and the premises it’s built on
10:21 - Interpersonal development and relational practices
13:09 - Major takeaways from over 150 weekly gatherings
18:48 - Moving from modern to post-modern to metamodern perspectives
21:24 - Playing with power dynamics
24:10 - Breaking through social conventions and stretching boundaries
29:55 - The Three Principles of Intentional Society
34:45 - Navigating the relationship between safety and growth (Meta-Safety)
43:18 - Transforming our relationship to judgmental thoughts
45:40 - What intentional society members have in common
49:52 - Becoming Developmentally Aware
53:39 - The paradoxical dance between being and becoming (unfolding)
1:02:55 - The future of transformational online communities
1:10:27 - Cultural evolution vs. individual development
1:13:25 - The increasing need for an ecology of practices
1:19:15 - A message of fundamental okayness

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*Follow me on Instagram

*For Contact, questions or ideas email me at artem@artemzen.com

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Layman Pascal is a prominent thinker in the Liminal, Metamodern, Game B, and Integral spaces. His work explores post-metaphysics, nonduality, metamodernism, integral metatheory, new shamanism, the future of religion, developmental philosophy, and meta-progressive politics. He is also the co-host of the mind-bending Integral Stage podcast. This episode was a live event recorded during Limicon 2024 and explored some of Layman’s ideas from his two popular essays “The Metamodern Business Burea” & “Make Game A Pay for the Wall”. After our dialogue, we opened the floor for participants to ask questions and share reflections. We navigated a wide range of topics including transforming the money & meaning relationship on a personal and societal level, developing a more conscious approach to business, new economic experiments, starting liminal business crews, bridging left and right brain ways of knowing, our relationship to dopamine and so much more.

🔗[Links & resources] 🔗

The Metamodern Business Burea by Layman Pascal - https://laymanpascal.substack.com/p/the-metamodern-business-bureau-mmbb
Make Game A pay for the Wall by Laman Pascal - https://laymanpascal.substack.com/p/make-game-a-pay-for-the-wall?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Layman’s substack - https://laymanpascal.substack.com/
Integral Stage podcast - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaA4zkLRnR3lGm8Y7c5Tvdw
Linchpin by Seth Godin - https://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:40 -Transforming the money & meaning relationship on a personal and societal level
5:52 - Making the Metamodern Business Burea come alive
10:39 - Early examples of liminal business crews and what’s missing
13:42 - Developing a more conscious approach to business and economics education
16:45 - New economic experiments
20:16 - Finding clients who can pay for your services
27:52 - Do we need to be more careful, or more courageous, in our sources of material wealth?
33:23 - How we can influence the wealthiest families in the world to distribute their money?
36:50 - Do liminal & metamodern thinkers go over people’s heads?
38:16 - Finding your role in the liminal ecosystem (simplifying and complexifying)
41:08 - Connecting people with complementary skill sets and starting businesses
44:25 - Nominating liminal business leaders, failing forward, and learning from elders
49:30 - Group reflections
49:52 - It doesn’t need to be perfect we just need to take action
52:31 - Finding the right words to connect the liminal/metamodern space to the conventional world
57:07 - Bridging left and right brain ways of knowing
1:00:00 - Finding the economic model hidden in the inspiration and locating people & spaces at the edge of Game A
1:03:27 - How to do better business, why do we need marketing, bullshit jobs & our relationship to dopamine
1:13:22 - Mapping coherence and navigating divergence
1:16:32 - What’s next?

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Darcia Narvaez is a professor of psychology whose work explores the neurobiology of moral development, evolved parenting practices, and small-band hunter-gatherer societies. In 2020, she was identified as one of the top 2 percent of scientists worldwide in a recent analysis of 8 million scientists around the world. She is the president of Kindred World a non-profit dedicated to creating a wisdom-based worldview and the founder of the Evolved Nest a Kindred World initiative that integrates findings across various fields that bear on child development, child raising, and adult behavior while promoting optimal health and wellbeing, cooperation and sociomoral intelligences. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality. In this episode, we speak about the optimal environment for early child development and how our modern culture falls short of this, navigating order & chaos in parenting, the surprising truth about nature & nurture, how the collaboration and competition dynamic is related to left & right brain views of the world, contrasting views of wisdom, and so much more.

🔗 [Links & resources] 🔗

Darcia’s personal site - https://darcianarvaez.com/
The Evolved Nest (site) - https://evolvednest.org/
Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality by Darcia Narvaez - https://www.amazon.com/Neurobiology-Development-Human-Morality-Interpersonal/dp/0393706559
Breaking the Cycle of Competitive Detachment (short film) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jATflgNvl-E
Reimagining Humanity (short film) - ​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_JR5fcrKkI&list=PLKSc66Q_SuJPviwCKee4mMaXyVm0TUFtM&index=21
The Evolved Nest (short film) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo54PdNnNPg&list=PLUh7caZTn4oAV5K6Pg8GLpK7GgMtxs_Tl&index=2&t=9s
( full list on YouTube page)

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:01 - An overview of Darcia’s work
5:22 - The role of safety in morality
7:29 - The optimal environment for early child development
15:42 - The importance of breastfeeding & co-sleeping
18:00 - How the modern world falls short of the evolved developmental niche
25:45 - Navigating Order & Chaos in Parenting
35:39 - What is the relationship between nature & nurture?
41:32 - How life for indigenous people was different than it is in the modern world
44:19 - Was war always a part of humanity?
54:18 - Relating the collaboration & competition dynamic to left and right brain views of the world
1:02:27 - Contrasting views of wisdom
1:07:58 - Resources & tools for creating a more wholesome life
1:14:07 - Learning to regulate our nervous systems through play
1:17:10 - Why returning to the evolved nest is critical for the world

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Bruce Tift is a psychotherapist, author, and long-time meditation practitioner. As a therapist he’s done his rounds – working in a psychiatric ward, social services, and maintaining a private practice since 1979. As a teacher, he taught at Naropa University for twenty-five years and lectured all throughout the world. He is also a Vajrayana Buddhism practitioner with over 40 years of practice under his belt. On his journey he has been fortunate enough to be a student of Chogyam Trunga Rinpoche and to meet a number of other realized teachers. He is the author of “Already Free” a fascinating book that explores the relationship between Psychotherapy and awakening. In this episode, we speak about the irresolvable paradox of relationship, what it means to be psychospiritually mature, stepping out of identification through immediate sensation, Individual vs couples therapy, nonduality & the Vajrayana view, and a healthier approach to awakening & liberation.

🔗 [Links & resources] 🔗

Bruce’s personal site - https://www.brucetift.com/
Already Free by Bruce Tift - https://www.amazon.com/Already-Free-Buddhism-Psychotherapy-Liberation/dp/1622034112
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki - https://www.artemzen.com/book/zen-mind-beginners-mind-by-shunryu-suzuki/
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%B6gyam_Trungpa
What is Circling? - https://www.artemzen.com/what-is-circling/

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:10 - The pivotal events that put Bruce on the path
6:32 - The relationship between psychotherapy (healing) and awakening
13:01 - Bruce pulls the chair out from beneath me
16:58 - The irresolvable paradox of relationship
18:10 - Is it possible to heal and develop psychologically without psychotherapy?
19:34 - What does it mean to be psychospiritually mature?
23:30 - Holding developmental models lightly
25:55 - Learning to experience story-free anxiety
35:23 - Stepping out identification through immediate sensation
42:30 - Why struggle is a way not to deal with our lives
53:43 - Individual vs Couples Therapy (navigating connection & separateness )
1:06:29 - Using Circling/Relatefulness practice to understand your emotions and develop intimacy
1:10:29 - Diving into non-duality and the Vajrayana view
1:18:08 - A healthier view of awakening & liberation
1:26:11 - The hard problem of consciousness

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Richard Bartlett is a community organizer, entrepreneur & coach who helps people grow high-trust communities & decentralized organizations. Back in 2011, he was a part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, a pivotal moment that set him on the path to becoming a key player in Enspiral - an organization that shares money, power & information to help its members do meaningful work.

He went on to found Loomio, a software that helps companies seamlessly navigate the intricacies of decentralized organization. Later he founded the Hum, a non-hierarchical management consultancy that’s rewriting the rules of how we work together. His latest venture is a community-building network and movement known as Microsolidarity.

In this episode, we speak about essential modalities & practices for community builders, building trust and accelerating personal growth through community, navigating the polarity of autonomy and belonging, collective intelligence, how to integrate vulnerability into the workplace, creating decentralized organizations and so much more.

🔗 [Links & resources] 🔗

Rich’s personal site - https://richdecibels.com/
Microsoldarity network and community building practice - https://www.microsolidarity.cc/
Rich’s Consultancy The Hum - https://www.thehum.org/

📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:32 - How Rich’s upbringing led to his work with community building & team organization
6:50 - The importance of integrating traditional values
8:44 - Creating a pluralistic community with a capacity to hold many perspectives
19:16 - What is Microsolidarity?
27:45 - How group size changes relational dynamics
30:35 - Essential modalities and practices for community builders
36:25 - Insights from Enspiral and working in community
44:33 - Building trust and accelerating personal growth through community
47:22 - The challenges of visionary leadership
54:51 - Navigating the polarity of autonomy and belonging
59:28 - Michael Levin, the superorganism, collective intelligence, and the illusion of being self-made
1:08:40 - How to integrate vulnerability into the workplace
1:17:20 - Creating decentralized organizations
1:26:40 - Additional resources for community builders

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North Burn is a meditation teacher and practitioner. For the past fifteen years, he has devoted himself full-time to practice, primarily in Insight Meditation and Soto Zen schools, as well as other immersive settings.

Collectively, he has spent five years in monastic communities, two years in silent intensive retreats, and several years in solitude and self-directed study. Some of the teachers who have influenced him the most include Joseph Goldstein, Greg Scharf, Leslie James, and Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi.

In 2016, after the encouragement of his teachers, he began teaching meditation retreats. During the pandemic, he came up with the inspiration to start Boundless Refuge an annual 3-month silent retreat dedicated to transforming suffering into peace by practicing the middle way. When not teaching or organizing retreats, he devotes substantial energy to meditation practice, engaging with spiritual mentors, and continuing his study of various spiritual modalities and traditions.

In this episode, we speak about the benefits of long retreats & intensive meditation practice, Sutric vs Tantric perspectives on Dharma, the pros & cons of being open about spiritual attainments, integrating stories into spirituality, the relationship between psychedelics & meditation, and so much more.

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David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in Sanbo Zen tradition. He began zen practice in 1971 and finished the formal koan curriculum in 1988. For many years he has taught as a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy. Although he has retired from academia he continues to lecture internationally focusing primarily on the intersection of Buddhism and modernity and what they can learn from each other.

Unless he is traveling, every Friday morning he guides an online meditation followed by a brief dharma talk. He is the author of many books including Lack & Transcendence, Ecodharma, and Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond.

In this episode, we speak about the fundamental problem of human existence through the lens of psychotherapy, existentialism & Buddhism, the limits of philosophy, integrating personal with collective transformation, addressing the meaning crisis, and so much more.

*Join the Elevating Consciousness list and get the latest interviews with emerging thinkers in the liminal space straight to your inbox -https://artemzen.ck.page/elevatingconsciousness

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Charlie Awbery is a meditation teacher and a longtime Vajrayana practitioner. In 2002 they were ordained in the non-monastic Aro gTer lineage. Informed mostly by traditional Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism their practice consisted of yidam, yogic song, chod, psycho-physical yogas, and solitary retreats. Aside from Buddhist practice they have trained in Gestalt psychotherapy and have worked in mental health services and international human rights organizations. After twenty-five years in traditional Vajrayana, they decided to co-found Evolving Ground - a community for contemporary Vajrayana practice. In this episode we speak about the difference between Sutric & Tantric view, the vehicles of Buddhism & their different endpoints, why the Sutric view can be problematic for householders, different perspectives on awakening, the Evolving Ground meditation community, integrating emptiness & form practices, and learning from transmission.

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River Kenna is a writer, inner work practitioner, and a mythodynamics researcher. He spent the first 24 years of his life dealing with an incessant mental chatter which he tried to address with various meditations. Most of them had little benefit and it was only when he came across Somatic meditation that was he able to dissolve his inner critic and find deep inner peace. Today his work explores somatic resonance, mythopoetic cognition, and experiments in graceful non-linear living. He teaches the Somatic Resonance course and conducts one-on-one sessions in somatic and imaginal practices. In this episode, we speak about somatic meditation, imaginal practice & dream work, mythopoetic cognition, systematic vs. spontaneous mode, and devotional productivity.  

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Rosa Lewis is a spiritual teacher and inner work practitioner. During an intense journey of awakening and healing, she experienced long periods of altered states and even psychosis. Eventually, she was able to return to a functional state but her experience of reality was forever transformed. Her work is greatly influenced by Carl Jung and tantric Buddhism. Everything she teaches comes from direct insight and integrates Buddhist emptiness, shadow work, tantric embodiment, archetypal and imaginal work, mysticism, and heartfulness. She is currently working on a framework for whole being awakening that integrates theory and practice and helps humans develop in a way that is holistic, inspiring, alive, and in touch with the depths of being. In this episode, we speak about, Rosa’s experience with spiritual psychosis, inclusive & exclusive perspectives on Awakening, the whole being awakening model, hierarchy & power dynamics in spiritual communities, embodying the brahma viharas and imaginal work.  

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Jonas Atlas is a scholar of religions who writes and lectures on religion, politics, and mysticism. Although rooted in the Christian tradition, he has immersed himself in learning other traditions such as Hinduism and Islam. After his studies in philosophy, anthropology, and theology at different universities, he became active in various forms of local and international peace work, often with a focus on cultural and religious diversity. He currently teaches classes on ethics and spirituality at the KDG University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He is also the author of several books including Halal Monk, Re-visioning Sufism, and most recently Religion: Reality Behind the Myths. In this episode, we speak about why misunderstanding religion is a problem, the seven myths of religion, what religion really is, the false dichotomy of secular & religious, and the real reason people have a problem with religion.

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Stephen Faller is a chaplain, educator, and author. He currently serves as a Chaplain Educator at Overlook Medical Center where he runs the Clinical pastoral education program. He is also the director and Founder of The Institute of Spiritual Midwifery which is dedicated to the development of the theory, praxis, and pedagogy of spiritual midwifery in the ministry of individuals, families, and organizations. His work in chaplaincy and his experience with cerebral palsy offer a unique and powerful perspective on the intersections of disability and spiritual caregiving. Through speaking engagements, educational initiatives, and personal interactions he educates and inspires others to approach spiritual caregiving with a more inclusive and compassionate mindset. He is the author of several books including “The Art of Spiritual Mid-Wifery” and most recently “Christianity And the Art of Wheelchair Maintenance”. In this episode we speak about dialogue in spiritual midwifery, dialectic, paradox, parables, barriers to spiritual midwifery, tools of the spiritual midwife, and living with disability.

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Guro Hansen Helskog is a professor, author & researcher. Her work explores the philosophy of education, wisdom research, and how philosophical dialogue can be integrated into all levels of education. She is the author of “Philosophising the Dialogo Way Towards Wisdom in Education” - an in-depth book that analyses different approaches to philosophical practices and shows how we can integrate them in a holistic manner in order to facilitate everything from critical thinking to spiritual contemplation. In this episode we speak about knowledge vs wisdom, dialogos as an integration of philosophizing approaches, uprooting atheistic beliefs, mystical experiences, the wisdom famine, why children should philosophize, and integrating God into humanity.  

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Sean Wilkinson is a transformational coach and facilitator. He is also a co-founder of “Circling Europe” an organization that has helped spread the practice of circling to over 25 countries. Prior to being a circling leader, he was an elite tennis coach focusing on the psychology of performance. For the last 15 years, he has been deeply entrenched in relational practices, meditation, coaching, wisdom traditions as well as therapy and trauma work. Some of his latest offerings focus on navigating the darker dimensions of developmental trauma as well as exploring non-duality in the context of circling. In this episode, we speak about the middle way of emotions, integrating circling with meditation & therapy, navigating narcissistic and borderline patterns, and balancing empathy with boundaries. 

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Tom Cheetham is an author, teacher, biologist, and poet. Throughout his life, he has navigated various fields from philosophy, to systematic entomology, complexity sciences, and eventually depth psychology. Today his work explores the ideas of Henry Corbin, Carl Jung, James Hillman, and creative imagination in human life and culture. He writes and lectures on these topics internationally. His books include Boundary Violations, All the World an Icon, and Imaginal Love among others. In this episode, we speak about Imagination in James Hillman, Carl Jung, & Henry Corbin, the pathology of literalism, distinguishing feelings from emotions, integrating the central insights from psychedelics, Buddhism & the Imaginal as well as aliveness, eros, and death. 

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Loch Kelly is an award-winning author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the Effortless Mindfulness Institute. His teachings synthesize the best of ancient wisdom practices, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology. Using an all-inclusive style of dialogue and inquiry he helps people cut through suffering and awaken to their true nature. He has been sharing his teachings in retreats and workshops internationally for over 25 years and is the author of “Shift into Freedom” and “The Way of Effortless Mindfulness.” In this episode, we speak about the differences between deliberate & effortless mindfulness approaches, barriers to recognizing awakened awareness, why we don’t need 10,000 hours of meditation to awaken, integrating psychotherapy & meditation, and a mature understanding of emptiness & nonduality. 

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Kyle Kowalski is an ex-marketing executive turned solo-preneuer. After experiencing an existential crisis he left the corporate world and founded Sloww - a digital knowledge base and community which shares insights into the art of living for students of life. He is an interdisciplinary dot collector and synthesizer who creates in-depth book summaries, e-books, and a wisdom-packed weekly newsletter. His work integrates slow living with meaning, purpose, money mastery, transformational learning, and human development. The breadth, depth, and consistency of the content he produces are a rarity in today’s 3-second world. In this episode, we explore the topics of intentional & slow living, happiness, purpose, the synthesizing mind, financial freedom, learning, reading, free will, and psychedelics all through a developmentally aware lens. 

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Frank Yang is an artist, content creator, bodybuilder, and coach. He’s built an impressive following on youtube by creating provocative, grotesque, and visually alluring videos. His eccentric and bizarre style is also reflected in a wide-ranging portfolio of artwork including drawings, sculptures, and photography. These creative abilities don’t stop there as he is well-versed in playing the piano and violin. In recent years he has become most well-known for being open and outspoken about his spiritual attainments and his journey into awakening which he documents in mind-expansive videos and detailed writings. In this episode, we speak about Frank’s creative journey into awakening, structure vs spontaneity in meditation, the impact of awakening on sexual desire, pros and cons of being open about spiritual attaintments, psychedelics, bodybuilding, and integrating awakening through traveling & being in the world.

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Andrew James Taggart is a practical philosopher and meditation teacher. After finishing his Ph.D he completed training with the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA) in philosophical counseling. Over the past ten years, he has helped countless individuals inquire into the most fundamental questions of life. His ideas have been featured in Quartz, The Guardian, Big Think, TEDx, and The Washington post. He partakes in a vigorous meditation practice of four hours each day, including a one-day meditation retreat each week, and a monthly 5-7 daylong meditation intensive. Using an approach of analytical rigor and compassionate openness he teaches meditation to individuals who have an earnest desire for awakening. In this episode, we speak about the pros and cons of different spiritual paths, why philosophy is important, how to choose which philosophers to read, the process of philosophizing together, the fundamental question of existence, and the end of suffering. 

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Gregg Henriques is a clinical psychologist, professor, and theorist. He teaches courses on integrative/unified psychotherapy as well as personality, social, and cognitive psychology at James Madison University. He also regularly engages in pro bono clinical work and supervises doctoral students in their development. Most notably he has spent over twenty years developing an integrative framework of psychology which he outlined in his 2011 book “A New Unified Theory of Psychology”. His most recent book “A New Synthesis for Solving the Problem of Psychology” further builds on his work and introduces UTOK (Unified Theory of knowledge). In this episode, Gregg explains what the problem of psychology is, gives an overview of his Unified Theory of Psychology, diagnoses the meaning crisis, and grounds his theory in the real world. 

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Brendan Graham Dempsey is a writer whose work focuses on the meaning crisis and the nature of spirituality in metamodernity. He earned his bachelors in religious studies from the University of Vermont and his masters in religion and the arts from Yale University. He is the host of the Metamodern Spirituality podcast where he interviews leading thinkers in the metamodernism, integral, synthesist, and Game B spaces about the topics of meaning-making and spirituality in today's world. He is also the author of a series of books including the most recent “Emergentism: A Religion of Complexity for the Metamodern world”. In this episode, we speak about the meaning crisis, the problem with spiritual but not religious, four levels of complexity, evolving our concept of God, and transcending nihilistic spirituality.

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Adam Aronovich is a doctoral candidate at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain, focusing on Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry. He is an active member of the Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC-URV) and part of the Ayahuasca Community Committee at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Adam spent over four years conducting research and extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, where he also facilitated Ayahuasca workshops in the context of shamanic and medical tourism. He is the creator of Healing from Healing, a social media platform that casts a critical, skeptical, and humorous gaze at Healing Culture. Adam is currently the director of therapy and integration for Rē Precision Health, a wellness centre in the Pacific Coast of Mexico. He also facilitates preparation and integration processes in private practice, helping clients reframe “Healing” within relational and recreative frameworks using a secular, humanistic, grounded, open-ended interpretive, and epistemic orientation. In this episode, we speak about applying Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry to mental health, examining our culture’s dominant metaphysical assumptions, the dark side of psychedelics, the illusion of radical independence, and pathology-free psychedelic integration. 

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David Elliott is a psychotherapist, professor and expert on attachment. He received his PH.D. in Psychology from Harvard University and shortly after completed his post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital. He is the co-author of “Attachment Disturbance in Adults” one of the most comprehensive works that address attachment repair. He holds workshops teaching the methods detailed in his attachment book to mental health professionals internationally. In this episode, David masterfully unpacks what attachment is, how we can discover our attachment style, attachment insecurity’s impact on mental health, and the five conditions that contribute to secure attachment.

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Daniel Gortz is a political philosopher, sociologist, and metamodern thinker. He is one of the two direct contacts that we have with the mythical metamodern philosopher Hanzi Freinacht. Daniel is an expert on Hanzi’s work which includes the listening society, Nordic Ideology, and his upcoming controversial book that challenges Jordan Peterson’s best-seller “12 Rules for life” and offers a potentially more nuanced and comprehensive philosophy. In this episode, we discuss why hanzi’s rules are much better than Jordan Petersons', denial of death and immortality projects, religion, wisdom, and finding the right therapy for you. 

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Zak Stein is a writer, educator, and integral thinker. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College and then later educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. His works spans various fields from sensemaking, ethics, education, and integral meta-theory. He is also the author of “Social Justice and Educational Measurement” as well as” Education in a Time Between Worlds.” In this episode, we speak about Zak’s model of human development, understanding intelligence & wisdom, bridging power and ethics, and integrating science with religion. 

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John Thompson is a transformational coach and facilitator. He is also a co-founder of “Circling Europe” an organization that has helped spread the practice of circling to over 25 countries. Prior to working with circling he was an elite tennis coach specializing in psychology and pioneering new ways to help the sport become a vehicle for personal growth. Today he teaches the practice of circling to leaders and organizations worldwide. In this episode, we speak about the approach of surrendered leadership, integrating therapy & circling, collective shadows, psychedelics, embodiment, and so much more. 

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Steve James is a meditation teacher, podcaster, somatic practitioner & artist. He has extensive experience in contemplative and spiritual disciplines, elite athletic performance, extreme outdoor survival, and human behavior. His vast array of abilities doesn’t stop there as his original music was featured in several Netflix series. He is also the host of the Guru Viking podcast where he hunts down and hosts some of the most prolific spiritual teachers and practitioners from all over the world. In this episode, we speak about integrating western and eastern traditions, extreme outdoor survival, somatic practices, Steve’s near-death experience, psychedelics, awakening, and more.  

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David McRaney is a science journalist, & psychology nerd. In 2009 he started a blog called “You’re not So smart” that went on to become an internationally best-selling book and is also the title of the popular podcast he hosts today. He is the author of several books including the most recent “How Minds Change” a fascinating exploration of the science of beliefs, opinions, and persuasion. In this episode, we speak about what beliefs are and how they are created, objective reality, intellectual humility, what not to do when trying to change someone’s mind and why we need to argue.  

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Stephen Jenkinson is a former palliative care worker, cultural activist,  and master storyteller. He is the author of countless books including “Reckoning”, “A Generation's worth”, and the award-winning “Die Wise”. He is also the co-founder of the “Nights of Grief and Mystery” a musical storytelling ceremony along with Canadian singer/songwriter Gregory Hoskins. What started as an improvisational collaboration has led to an international tour and the release of several records with the two most recent being “Dark Roads” & “Rough Gods”. In this episode, we explore the origins of Stephen’s storytelling ability, how “Nights of Grief & Mystery” came to be, how authenticity transforms us, and how our way of living determines our way of dying. 

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Steve March is the founder of Aletheia, a professional coach training school that trains coaches in a paradigm-shifting next-generation coaching approach. He has over 18 years of experience as a professional coach, 20+ years as a professional instructional designer and trainer, as well as 16 years of working in the field of software development and manager of organizational development. He specializes in helping leaders and teams thrive in complex situations by applying their innate resourcefulness and creativity to resolve the problems they face. In this episode, we speak about coaching vs therapy, depth in human experience, nonduality, and going beyond self-improvement. 

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Saj Razvi is the director of education at the Psychedelic Somatic Institute. He is a psychotherapist and former clinical researcher in the MAPS phase 2 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He is also one of the primary developers of Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) a groundbreaking therapeutic modality that addresses mental health issues at the root cause level. His primary work is in training clinicians to provide legal and effective psychedelic therapy in their private practices. In this episode, we speak about psychedelic psychotherapy, the importance of developing a strong somatic pathway, the healing potential of cannabis & ketamine, and the pitfalls psychedelic healers can fall into.

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Emil Ejner Friis is a theory artist, wordsmith, and author. He has spent the last ten years trying to figure out how to create a listening society, a kinder and more developed society that deeply cares for the happiness and emotional needs of every citizen. He is also one half of the Hanzi Freinacht duo, an alias under which he has released “The Listening Society” and “Nordic Ideology” -  two groundbreaking books that unpack the metamodern philosophy. In this episode, we speak about what really matters in life, negative social emotions, making metamodernism pragmatic, and integrating intellect with art and music. 

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Zak Stein is a writer, educator, and futurist working to bring a greater sense of sanity and justice to education. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College and then later educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. Zak is the co-founder of Lectica Inc - a non-for-profit dedicated to transforming standardized testing for K to 12, higher schooling, and business. He is also the author of  “Education in a time between Worlds” a powerful book that explores the future of schools, technology, and society. In this episode, we speak about the problem with today’s dominant school system, the future of education, teacherly authority, and the measurement crisis.

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Forrest Landry is a philosopher, writer, researcher, scientist, and craftsman. His work spans many fields including social architecture, sensemaking, ethics & governance, and existential risk. His experience as a master woodworker led him to create the Magic Flight Launchbox, a beautifully crafted wooden portable vaporizer that many cannabis enthusiasts may be familiar with. He is also the author of several profound philosophical works including “An Immanent Metaphysics”, “Effective choice”, “The Tiny Book of essential wisdom”, and most recently “Western Core Tantra.” In this episode, we speak about how to better think about truth, ethics & morality, spirituality, religion, free will, and choice. 

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Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center. He is the host of an award-winning podcast called “Science of Happiness” and the co-instructor of an online course of the same name. He is also the author of several books including “The Power Paradox” - which details how we gain and lose influence in our lives. In this episode, we speak about power, money, social class, cancel culture, race, & white privilege. 

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Eric Wargo is the author of “Precognitive Dreamwork and the Long Self” a mind-expanding book that will challenge your ideas about dreams, time, and reality. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Emory University and works as a professional science writer. In his spare time, he writes about science fiction, consciousness, and the paranormal on his popular blog the Nightshirt. Eric Wargo welcome to the show.  In this episode, we speak about the science of precognition, how to do precognitive dreamwork, materialism, free will, and the fractal nature of dreams. 

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Stephen Jenkinson is an all-around renaissance man. He plays many roles including author, poet, storyteller, cultural activist, and farmer. Stephen received a master's in theology from Harvard and a masters in social work from the University of Toronto. He is the subject of a film called “Griefwalker” which documents his experience as a palliative care worker. He has written a handful of books including the award-winning “Die Wise” which explores our culture’s relationship to dying. In this episode, we speak about what people are really afraid of when it comes to death, what it means to carry the dead, why hope is hopeless & how to be with the dying. 

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Guy Sengstock is the founder and creator of the circling method and circling institute. He has been facilitating transformation for individuals, groups, and corporations internationally for over 20 years. He holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from San Fransico Art institute and is the co-founder of the Arte Center for Excellence and the Bay Area Men’s Circle. He plays many roles including artist, philosopher, bodyworker, poet, and visionary. In this episode, we speak about how the practice of circling emerged, barriers to deeper conversations, what listening truly is, and how to transform conflict and judgment. 

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Steve McIntosh is a political philosopher, lawyer, entrepreneur, and leader in the Integral space. He is the author of 5 books including Evolutions Purpose, The Presence of the Infinite, and most recently Developmental Politics - a book that details how America can grow into a better version of itself.  He is the president and the co-founder of The Institute for Cultural evolution, a think tank that focuses on the cultural roots of America’s challenges. In this episode, we speak about the culture war, resolving political conflict with values integration, evolution as a spiritual teaching, and the importance of transcendence.  

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Daniel Gortz is a political philosopher, sociologist, and a leader of “the nordic school” of metamodernism. He received his PhD in sociology from the Lund University in Sweden. He is also one half of the Hanzi Frienacht duo, an alias under which he has released “The Listening Society” and “The Nordic Ideology” -  two groundbreaking books that unpack the metamodern philosophy. In this episode, we discuss the importance of developmental thinking, complexity, depth, and pathways towards a metamodern spirituality. 

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Douglas Tataryn is a clinical psychologist and a long-time meditator. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1991 from the University of Arizona. Douglas is the founder of the Bio-Emotive framework - a powerful tool for understanding and processing emotions. He conducts seminars in integral theory, sports psychology, and the integration of psychology and spirituality as well as emotional clearing workshops all throughout North America. In this episode, we speak about cultural alexithymia, the difference between emotions and feelings, emotional repression and the role crying plays in emotional healing. 

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Angelo Dilullo is an Anesthesiologist and author of “Awake: It’s Your Turn” - a book that serves as a comprehensive yet simple guide in facilitating awakening. He experienced awakening at the age of 24 but didn’t start teaching until many years later when he noticed that while having regular conversations with people they would start experiencing profound shifts in their experience to reality. In this episode, we talk about awakening, suffering, spiritual materialism, and the paradoxical nature of reality. 

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Susanne Cook-Greuter is an internationally known expert in adult development and self-actualization.  She received her doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard. Her groundbreaking work with Ego development Theory looks at the relationship between self-story and meaning-making. She currently serves as the strategic advisor and research director of Vertical Development Academy, which facilitates leadership maturity in individuals, teams, and organizations. In this episode, we talk about why growth is overrated, the critical shift in human development, and the importance of honoring all stages.

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Chris Niebauer is the author of “No Self No Problem” a book that details how neuropsychology is catching up to Buddhism. He earned his PhD in cognitive neuropsychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. He is currently a professor at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania where he teaches courses on consciousness, mindfulness, left and right brain differences, and artificial intelligence.  In this episode, we talk about how the left brain creates the ego, left and right brain differences, and how to rebalance the brain. 

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Dr. Daniel Ingram is the author of  “Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha” - a book that strips away all the nonsense from the meditative path. He is a master meditator and unlike many other meditation practitioners and teachers, he is open about his attainments. He refers to himself as an Arhant which in the theravada Buddhist tradition is an enlightened being. In this episode, we dive into awakening, psychedelics, and how spiritual experiences can be integrated into the medical field.