Strangely Earnest Podcast

My favorite corner of the internet is strangely earnest twitter. People talk about their interests earnestly, without the negativity or posturing so typically associated with social media. On this podcast I chat with new friends I've met in this strange part of the internet. We talk online courses, self understanding, knowledge work, strategy, play, and more! Video versions on YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/UberStuber

Existential Productivity with Khe Hy

Today's guest is Khe Hy, owner of radreads.co and creator of the excellent Notion Course, Supercharge Your Productivity. In our chat we skip right past the talk about notion dashboards or productivity hacks and dive right into some deeper existential questions. We discuss introspection techniques, telic vs atelic activities, the core reasons for our behaviors, and much much more. I really enjoyed this chat with Khe, and I think you will to. Subscribe to Khe's newsletter: https://radreads.co/ Follow Khe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/khemaridh Subscribe to Khe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColNfZXzL946wNgxPGWst1A Sign up for one of Khe's excellent courses: https://10k.radreads.co/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://jamesstuber.com/join TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Teaser - On fiction books 00:46 Introduction 01:43 What Khe would have done differently if he started all over 06:02 Authentic Networking and Duty 11:28 On Introspection and Reactivity 15:30 Why bring existential questions into a productivity class? 23:14 The existential producitivty crew 25:31 Telic vs Atelic activities (Meditating to focus better at work) 31:38 The core reasons for our behaviors 31:20 How to vet a life coach 41:15 Finding new friends on twitter 42:28 What is Khe truly scared of? 44:49 Khe's favorite fiction book 46:24 Where to find Khe online GEAR - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T MUSIC - Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/0tdpyy/

04-02
47:13

Meditation Misconceptions - Tasshin Fogleman Interview

In this episode of the Strangely Earnest Podcast, we chat with Tasshin Fogleman. Tasshin has been meditating for over a decade, and has trained and taught extensively at the Monastic Academy. We talk about: - different types of meditation you might not have heard of - common meditation misconceptions - recommendations for beginners - and much more. Subscribe to Tasshin's newsletter: - https://tasshin.com/join/ Follow Tasshin on twitter: - https://twitter.com/tasshinfogleman Meditation tips from Tasshin: - https://tasshin.com/blog/meditation-tips-for-a-lifetime-of-practice/ On Loving-Kindness (Metta) meditation: - https://tasshin.com/blog/practicing-love/ Subscribe to my newsletter: - https://jamesstuber.com/join TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 00:57 Introducing Tasshin Fogleman    01:19 How Tasshin started meditating    03:44 Why join a monastery?    07:18 Vocabulary for describing different meditation practices    12:08 Style of meditation at the Monastic Academy    12:47 Common misconceptions about meditation    15:23 How would you approach meditation if you had to do it all over again    18:36 You don't have to sit still to meditate    20:55 On Loving Kindness (Metta) meditation   28:31 For beginners, Consistency matters more than technique    30:32 On standing or moving meditation    34:26 Why is most of the focus on sitting first?    36:49 Hatha yoga was prep work for sitting meditation    37:40 100 days of solitary retreat    44:19 The role of exercise in Tasshin's meditation training    46:42 On Non-Doing meditation   51:57 Final thoughts    52:21 Where to find Tasshin online GEAR - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T MUSIC - Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/0tdpyy/

03-12
52:53

Impostor Syndrome is a sign that you CARE - Marie Poulin interview

In this episode of the Strangely Earnest Podcast, we chat with the one and only Marie Poulin. We talk permaculture, the creator economy, sharing revenue numbers in public, impostor complex, and more. Marie helps business owners level up their digital systems, workflow, and product ecoystems, so they can spend more time on what matters. Marie's Website: https://mariepoulin.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariepoulin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/marieisanerd Notion Mastery: https://notionmastery.com/ Marie's Imposter Complex coach: http://tanyageisler.com/ 00:00 Preview 00:27 Introduction   01:14 Marie's Tower Garden   01:59 How does permaculture influence Marie's thinking?  08:56 Doubling down on notion   11:02 What if notion went out of business tomorrow?   14:21 The Creator Economy   18:02 Talking about money in public   26:09 How to grow an online course   30:28 Stacking functions   31:47 What it's like to become "well known" 33:45 The impostor syndrome is because you care   36:53 You can teach by being one step ahead   38:06 Beta test your course   41:02 The price tells a story   43:30 Next steps for Marie   45:31 Improving at YouTube    48:33 100 Ways to say the same thing 51:19 Where to find Marie online Subscribe to my newsletter: - https://jamesstuber.com/join GEAR - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T MUSIC - Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/0tdpyy/

01-19
51:57

Vulnerability as Leadership with Kyle Bowe

A fantastic chat on public speaking, learning by doing, and vulnerability with Kyle Bowe (@kylebowe4) Follow Kyle Bowe: - https://twitter.com/kylebowe4 - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6AQMAfs-T24uKwHbldgo6Q Subscribe to my newsletter: - https://jamesstuber.com/join Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:13 creativity requires letting go 03:29 Podcasting requires active listening 04:13 How to pick a niche 06:36 Put content out there and see what lands 07:44 How can you trust that a niche will emerge from doing? 09:11 First and foremost, create what you want 10:17 Learning in public requires psychological safety 11:35 Learning in public helps the hive mind 12:03 How to find uplifting communities 15:19 What would you tell a student who’s not participating? 16:26 Kyle’s Journey from the back of the classroom to the front 17:33 How Kyle takes online courses 22:04 Blacking out during a presentation 23:14 Become a leader by being vulnerable 24:02 How Kyle became a professor 27:13 Teaching isn’t about you, it’s about the discussion you generate 28:56 Get comfortable being uncomfortable 30:42 Shifting from teaching in person to teaching online 34:55 How to avoid the gear trap 36:09 Learning must be fun 37:46 You cannot design the perfect system up front 40:13 Time spent researching gear is better spent doing 43:11 Why we fixate on gear instead of creating 45:57 Watching a journey is more interesting than a perfectly polished ideal 47:35 Make friends by looking foolish in public 52:24 Where to find Kyle online GEAR - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T

12-30
52:47

Learn to Play, Play to Learn with Reddy

A fun playful chat with Reddy aka @reddy2go Timestamps below. Follow Reddy: - https://twitter.com/reddy2go - https://reddy2go.substack.com/ Subscribe to my newsletter: - http://jamesstuber.com/join Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 01:27 What does play mean to you?   04:34 Can we play and be serious at the same time?   04:44 You never say you're 'playing' towards your goals   06:24 Children and animals are the true experts at play   08:36 Why do we lose the ability to play?   11:51 Play is the beginning of our lives and play is the end of our lives   12:09 Learning the drums through play   13:32 Play helps with adherence   14:46 Play - Serious - Play Circle   17:34 How to play for people who are too serious     19:41 Meditate on your death   20:30 Rewind to your childhood   22:39 Play with the constraints around you   23:14 The moment you do something silly or irreverent, you're playing   26:39 3 Pillars of Play   28:17 Why does play involve a rulebook?   28:30 The Rules of Play   32:07 An Artist is someone who cares   35:02 If you love something, let the creator know!   37:42 Remixing Austin Kleon's 'Keep Going'    40:37 Play and emotion   42:44 The moment a child can fake a smile, they're an adult   45:00 Find Reddy online  Gear: - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T

12-04
45:18

Childhood strengths, better social media use, and illegible metrics with Alysson Costa

A fantastic chat with Alysson Costa from the University of Melbourne. Timestamps below. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgrnlGt7v8Y& Follow Alysson: - https://twitter.com/alycosta - https://scholar.google.com/citations?... Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:23 Alysson's Background  04:16 Childhood traits stick with you 06:09 Clifton's Strengths 07:51 Knowing what makes you happy is like another level of happiness 10:09 Pandemic has accelerated Alysson's understanding of himself 13:07 Working and resting based on mood, not time of day 16:03 Pomodoro technique feels too artificial 18:27 It's part of the deal to get bored 19:45 If you realize you don't want to do a masters before you do a masters, you already did a masters 20:11 The need for context when giving advice 23:44 Taking Building a Second Brain again, not about the apps, but how someone with the same tools as you can do something completely different 25:14 Sharing workflows online 26:11 Building an amazing twitter experience 28:09 You're the sum of 500 people you follow https://gregfrontiero.com/2020/11/20/... 28:46 Possible solution to algorithms: make them transparent? 31:28 "Everybody needs to quit social media" is not a good solution 32:50 Over-focus on measurable metrics 33:38 Student's obsession with marks/grades is systemic 39:06 The one thing marks/grades don't measure 41:47 Looking for lost keys under the lamppost 43:13 Questioning whether or not to stay in academia 44:33 The spirit of engineering 45:40 Using multiple metrics rather than one 47:11 Where to find Alysson online Subscribe to my newsletter: - http://jamesstuber.com/join Gear: - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T

11-24
48:07

Navigating complexity with military strategy - Ben Ford

We talk with Ben Ford about the his course, Communicate to Operate. Timestamps below: Apologies for the audio quality on my end. Follow Ben: - https://twitter.com/commandodev - https://commando.dev - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh2u... Timestamps: 00:27 Ben's Commando Background   02:43 3 Principles of Communicate to Operate    04:02 OODA loop is a hierarchy, not a loop  04:22 Full OODA loop diagram   05:59 How can companies stay in touch with reality?   06:35 Getting inside the ooda loop is more than just going faster    08:45 Why a course? 10:14 3 fundamental concepts  10:37 Challenges when building this course?   12:21 More participation in online courses   13:31 Company inflection points   15:39 OODA Loop as a meta-process  15:50 Shifts in military and industry thinking 17:04 Team of Teams  20:49 In a complex world you need to use emergent behavior   20:59 Applying these principles as a 'low level' developer   21:18 There's always a locus of control   22:51 Agile vs Shape Up   23:06 Context and Boundaries   24:20 Ben's newest thinking on dev/biz separation   27:07 Can you skip the siloing stage?   29:55 Avoid siloing with a clear roadmap   31:13 Mission Command   31:34 Three building blocks of blitzkrieg   31:41 Don Vandergriff    33:59 3 aspects of Mission Command   34:58 The Doctrine of Empowerment   35:28 Group flow as a security team   37:16 Can't get to emergence by only thinking about individuals   39:16 Psychological safety   41:21 Where to find Ben   41:44 Twitter serendipity  Subscribe to my newsletter: - http://jamesstuber.com/join Gear: - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6

11-15
42:52

Fundamentals of Alexander Technique with Michael Ashcroft

We talk with Michael Ashcroft about the development of his course, Fundamentals of Alexander Technique. Timestamps below: Watch this chat on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n09tGb6mJKI Follow Michael: - https://twitter.com/m_ashcroft - https://expandingawareness.substack.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdgbX... Timestamps: 0:25 What is Alexander Technique? 3:22 Shifting in-person teaching to online courses 5:18 Michael's Energy Sector background 8:46 Where are the double-blind studies?? 9:45 Michael's iterative approach to course building 13:37 First lesson anxiety and getting buy-in 16:52 The structure of Michael's AT course 19:04 What do you wish you would have known before making the course? 22:40 What's coming in the next iteration? 24:18 Building slower, peaceful learning communities 25:13 No deadlines for students? 27:05 How building this course transformed Michael 29:32 Meta-skills gained from course building 30:41 Figure out who you are, then make a course 34:38 The creation of the Digital Productivity Course 37:33 Scene building and filling the gaps in the eco-system 39:06 Becoming an on-ramp and breaking into new markets 40:22 Using twitter to make friends 46:17 Coercion 49:16 Music Recommendations: https://open.spotify.com/album/7pmQoB... 50:23 Where to find Michael Subscribe to my newsletter: - http://jamesstuber.com/join Gear: - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T

11-05
51:29

Resolving Internal Conflict with D&D - Wendell Britt

We chat with Wendell Britt about his course, Mastering the Game of Allyship. Timestamps below. Watch this chat on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II3yaF-0XSw Follow Wendell: - https://www.instagram.com/wendell_britt - https://twitter.com/wendell_britt Check out Mastering the Game of Allyship: - https://integralemergence.xperiencify... Timestamps: 0:30 Michael Ashcroft's Alexander Technique Course 4:08 Wendell's Allyship Course 6:53 Embodying a desire to learn 8:12 Pokemon card packs and personal development 10:26 Make it fun 11:33 It's okay to take shortcuts 14:19 Convincing students that it doesn't need to be difficult 18:59 Too much self-consciousness at once can lead to self-sabotage 23:38 Give students easy quests 25:11 People who need allyship need to be good allies to their allies 26:29 Taking world-building to the realm of personal development 27:31 Pivoting to larger organizations 29:40 On course pricing 30:21 Students need to feel a buy-in cost 32:54 Can gain buy-in from students with low-cost info or products 33:58 Marketing is Education 37:20 Marketing as the final boss 38:03 Using Worldbuilding in an online course 39:52 For inner work to be effective, your inner world needs to feel like a real place 42:02 What style of game did you enjoy as a child? Hide & Seek? Tag? 42:39 Figuring out your core games frames your progress 44:48 Figuring out your superpower 45:51 Building your team of allies 49:57 Internal resistance to change 50:58 Courses as a peer creation engine 52:48 Everyone should build a course as a learning experience 56:52 Allyship "gym leaders" 59:34 What kind of course is James going to make? 1:01:50 Sharing your own personal shifts 1:03:49 How can we scale deep personal change? Subscribe to my newsletter: - http://jamesstuber.com/join Gear - Camera: https://amzn.to/2H6zlB6 - Microphone: https://amzn.to/37dWz2T

11-02
01:07:16

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