The HighExistence Podcast

Do you feel the call to serve plant medicine?Or to become a coach, healer, or helper of human flourishing in any way?Navigating this path can be tricky terrain.For myself, it brings many questions up:Is this coming from my ego or my soul? What path should I follow? And who are my teachers?How often should I work with medicine?Do I have what it takes?I could think of no better person than Maestro Hamilton Souther to help me answer them.Hamilton is a Master Shaman currently working out of Peru, working primarily with Ayahuasca. He founded BlueMorpho Tours, one of the most reputable Ayahuasca centres in the world, and was one of the first westerners to be initiated into an indigenous lineage in the Amazon over 20 years ago. In This Episode:The incredible story of Hamilton’s callingHow to follow your life's callingNavigating ego along the wayWhat comes after healing on the path to become an Ayahuasquero?Space Holders vs ShamansBlue Morpho's at-home dieta experiences and what's currently exciting Hamilton most at the momentLinks:Hamilton's ProjectsBlue Morpho RetreatsHamilton's InstagramHighExistence Presents: Apotheosis - The Ultimate Spiritual-Psychedelic RetreatInformationTrailer

What does it take to become the best fighter on the planet? And then how do you go from there, to building a Bufo Alvarius (5-MeO-DMT) based NFT collection designed to bring attention to mental health awareness? This is the incredible journey that we cover in this episode. Rashad Evans is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion of The World, Hall of Famer, and current-day desk analyst. He recently co-founded Umbo, a company that supplies the world with high-quality functional mushrooms, and created MetaToads, a collection of 10,000 NFTs based on the psychedelic Sonoran Desert Toad.In this episode:Rashad’s internal shift that has occurred since his fighting daysThe role that plant medicines played in his transformationGenuine affirmations as the future speaking through youWhat it feels like to be the best fighter on the planetAdvice for someone who is trying to find their passionThe importance of sweet potatoesThe down low on all of Rashad’s projectsWhy letting go is the most important part of the process

“What if this life were the paradise we were promised, and we’re just squandering it?”-Naval RavikantBeing happy and rich are learnable skills, and our guest today, Eric Jorgenson, has learned from the very best. His compilation of wisdom and winning business strategies from legendary tech innovator Naval Ravikant took the internet by storm, and his unbelievably popular book, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, holds a prominent place on the bookshelves of rich and happy people all over the world.Even more impressively, though, he’s brought these ideas and timeless insights back into the real world again to create the foundations of a legendary career for himself as well. Eric Jorgenson consistently proves the truth and value of this wisdom via his own work and positive example. During our conversation, he holds nothing back and lets us inside two fascinating minds, both his and Naval’s.In this episode, we cover:- What it’s like working with Naval Ravikant- How to decide which book to read next- Why it’s more effective to focus on your trajectory than your current results- Why everything is getting better all the time- Using leverage to get to the point where you're only doing what you want to do- The importance of honing in on your specific knowledge- Allowing your path to unfold organically as the fast track to genuine expertiseOne of the greatest lessons you'll learn in this episode, though, is that where you start off doesn't have to be where you end up. If there's a skill you lack, you can learn it; if there's a big scary problem looming over you, you can overcome it; if you want more out of life, you can have it. About Our Guest:Eric Jorgenson is an entrepreneur, writer, and investor. He is on the founding team of Zaarly, and has been publishing online since 2014. His blog has educated and entertained over a million readers.Naval Ravikant (not present) is an Indian-American entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder, chairman, and former CEO of AngelList. He has invested early-stage in over 200 companies including Uber, FourSquare, Twitter, Wish.com, Poshmark, Postmates, Thumbtack, Notion, SnapLogic, Opendoor, Clubhouse, Stack Overflow, Bolt, OpenDNS, Yammer, and Clearview AI, with over 70 total exits and more than 10 Unicorn companies. He is also a podcaster who shares advice on pursuing health, wealth, and happiness.Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. You’ve gone Down The Rabbit Hole. Now it’s time to walk up The Stairway to Wisdom.Introducing a brand new weekly newsletter from the minds at HighExistence.Over the past year, we’ve been publishing the wonder-inducing weekly email known as “Down The Rabbit Hole,” and now we’re taking it a step further.We want our readers not only to feel a deep sense of enchantment towards the world around them but also to apply deep teachings to their daily life so they can experience the life-transforming benefits of wisdom-in-action.The Stairway to Wisdom is a premium weekly newsletter for those who are ready to dive deeper. We’ve partnered with independent researcher and knowledge connoisseur, Matt Karamazov, who has taken sharp, meticulous notes on over 1000 books so that he could share the most inspiring pearls of wisdom with the world.Learn more here

“It is integration that unlocks the next step, or the next stage, in that process, and if you’re not integrating, you’ll often find yourself looping”- Eric Brown, HEx Podcast #63If there’s anyone worth listening to on the topic of integration, it’s Eric Brown.Eric is the director of Apotheosis, our spiritual-psychedelic plant medicine retreat, as well as a content writer and program creator at Mindbloom, the largest provider of psychedelic medicine therapy in the world. He has designed, developed, and run thousands of people through the psychedelic integration process, in both therapeutic and shamanic settings. I have heard and read much on the topic of integration, but never before has it been presented to me so clearly and usefully as here, as if it were a chapter out of an ancient shamanic textbook, translated for modern times. “Making this new way of being so normalized that you don’t even have to think about the thing, it just happens. With this, over time, second nature becomes a way of being, and this is what I would consider a complete and thorough integration of whatever the lesson, experience, insight, or feeling is. It becomes effortless and natural, and it becomes a hallmark of who you are.”- Eric Brown, HEx Podcast #63If you have a psychedelic experience coming up, or you feel you may have some not-yet-fully resolved material from a previous one, this is the episode for you. In this episode:·      Eric’s experience in the psychedelic field·      What is integration?·      Why is it necessary?·      The shamanic stages of relationship with the plants·      The 7 step process of integration·      The PEMS energetics model·      The 3-day initiation model·      Integration timelines, and what usually occurs in each phase·      Can you integrate with another psychedelic experience?·      Why you might not be getting any new messages/insights·      How to know when you’re done integrating·      Where to find support for this processPlease leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. Interested in working with psychedelics in a safe, reliable setting? Check out Apotheosis, our one-of-a-kind plant medicine retreat.

⇨Anxiety Rewired is HERE ⇦I have tried many different approaches to overcoming my own anxiety.  But never before have I tried them all at once. Anxiety Rewired is the first course that, rather than prizing one particular method, introduces and interweaves them all into one anxiety-blasting supernova that aims to rewire your relationship with anxiety, so that it no longer holds you back, but rather propels you towards your dreams and your purpose. 🔆

Anxiety Rewired goes live on Sunday, August 21st. Get a text the moment it becomes available here: https://rewired.ju.mp"The aim of Anxiety Rewired is to reframe the pursuit of working on our anxiety as a path to mastery. As something that is epic and challenging and fun, and extremely fulfilling and rewarding. That's what it's been for me and that's what I would really like it to be for you too."In this final chapter of our 3 part series on overcoming anxiety, Jon and Mike dissect the remaining parts of Jon's history with anxiety, extracting massive amounts of wisdom, tools and techniques that allowed Jon to go from being crippled with multiple forms of anxiety, to hosting workshops for thousands of people on how to overcome them all.We also flesh out our course, Anxiety Rewired, in a way that leaves no stones unturned. By the end of this video, you will have a clear idea of what the next best step is for you on your journey to overcome whatever specific strain of anxiety you're struggling with at the moment.IN THIS EPISODE:00:00 Who is Anxiety Rewired Designed for?00:30 Welcome01:50 Jon shares his deepest experience of being stuck in an anxiety rut08:40 Other manifestations of anxiety in Jon’s life11:10 How to heal from panic attacks18:20 What doors opened up for Jon as he started to overcome his anxiety22:25 The story of how this course came to be25:55 What makes Anxiety Rewired unique?27:26 The 4 maps that we’ll use to overcome anxiety 33:06 The magic that happens when you combine practices with insights from the leading research36:00 What’s included in the course?43:39 A word from Jon for those sitting on the fencePlease leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. 

This episode is part 2 of a 3 part series, hosted by Mike Slavin and Jon Brooks Sign up here for the full 3-part training 💥--------------------------------------------------Overcoming anxiety is the adventure of a lifetime. On this adventure, you will become someone your previous self would never have been able to recognise. And perhaps it is this journey, and the one you become, rather than the endpoint, that matters most.That being said, what does this journey look like? Where do we even take the first step? What techniques have the highest hit rate for your particular type of anxiety? In this episode, Jon and Mike answer all of these questions and explain how to gamify the battle with your inner demons.In this episode:01:12 Welcome 02:45 How most people deal with anxiety04:30 The one size fits all STRATEGY to overcome anxiety06:00 The problem with the magic bullet approach08:26 Recap on the 3 traps that keep you stuck in anxiety13:15 Overcoming anxiety is the most epic adventure of your life17:16 The many beneficial side-effects that arise on the path to overcoming anxiety20:55 Anxiety is a dream killer25:42 How going through this journey has made Jon the parent he is today27:27 How healing our anxiety affects those around us and the space that we hold29:59 Why should you watch this next video?Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. 

The Anxiety Masterclass is HERE! 🎊In this episode, we present to you part 1 of the 3-part series hosted by Mike Slavin and Jon Brooks.Sign up here for the full 3-part training 💥These videos are for you if...- Anxiety paralyzes you, robbing you of your joy, curiosity, and vitality.- You’re losing your future by missing out on opportunities because of anxiety...- You struggle to be truly authentic with people and it stops you from building meaningful relationships- It prevents you from making more money and getting the freedom you want.- You’re fed up with the chokehold anxiety has on your life and emotions…- It blocks you from fully supporting your family & friends, and giving your love.- The fear of failure shuts off your productivity and creative expression.Here's what's included in this episode:00:00 Welcome02:11  What we are going to cover in this Masterclass02:38 What is anxiety?11:02 What is possible on the other side of anxiety?14:23  The pressure to say the "right" things16:30 The Personal Failing Trap: "Something's wrong with me."21:47 The Avoidance Trap: "Stay away from triggering situations."28:29 The Elimination Trap: "I just need to get my anxiety to stop."33:31 Can you really heal your anxiety?36:25 Overcome mind blank for effortless conversations44:16 What's coming in the next videoPlease leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. 

Order a copy of Verissimus hereIn our 3rd interview with Stoic author, philosopher and cognitive behavioural therapist, Donald Robertson, we discuss his brand new graphic novel, VERISSIMUS. This is the most epic philosophical project that I am aware of to date. If Ridley Scott's Gladiator had a baby with Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, you’d get Verissimus.As you’ll hear in this interview, this project was a massive undertaking, taking nearly 3 years to complete. Detailing the life, times, and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, the book acts as a historically accurate, action-packed entry point into the Stoic landscape.In this episode, we cover:The process of creating this bookWhy Donald decided to make a graphic novelWhy many Romans actually opposed Marcus AureliusMarcus’ mission to cultivate natural compassion towards all human beings, even his worst enemiesThe absurdity of Stoicism’s most popular criticism Stoicism’s deep influence on early ChristianityThe relationship between intuition and reasonJon’s single favourite chapter on StoicismLinks to Donald's Work: Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, by Donald Robertson How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, by Donald RobertsonDonald’s websiteModern Stoicism

Cris Beasley has become a profoundly influential force in my life.Her ability to go directly to the places where we are hiding, playing it small, and not owning the raw realities of our human experience is remarkable.Her path from the tech world to being CEO of an AI company, to psychedelic facilitator, medicine woman, and oracle creator is as vibrant and rich as her personality.Cris has several amazing achievements under her belt:Working with Mozilla to shape the open internet.The trials and tribulations of being a CEO.Creating the ‘Cult of Busyness’ immersive workshop experiencePsychedelic facilitation and retreat workCreating the Becoming Dragon oracle deckHer new microdosing experience+ much moreCris is as emotionally attuned as she is wise. As witty as she is serious. It’s been an incredible process to watch her grow, evolve, and continue to execute with a combination of quality, speed, vigour, and grace. Bridging the shamanic and the scientific, the emotional and the intellectual, Cris is a deeply strong, powerful, and loving voice in the space of emotional intelligence, personal healing, and experience design. You can find her at:Becoming DragonSubstackMicrodosing ExperienceEnjoy this episode of the HighExistence podcast with Cris Beasley!Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. DIVE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE and get 5+ mind-blowing ideas, tools, or quotes sent to you every Wednesday. 

“You can move past these obstacles. You probably relate to them as obstacles right now, but they’re actually a part of the path, right?”-Mike Slavin (HEx Podcast #61)In today’s solo cast, Mike leads us down a rabbit hole of discombobulate selves, where we find the true source of our procrastinative tendencies.He reminds us that we procrastinate, not because we are cursed, but because a part of ourselves doesn’t want us to go where we are trying to go. Resistance is not an external force, but rather a part of YOU that is not yet on board with the mission yet.Instead of slaying the procrastodragon, have you tried communicating with it? Listening to it, and harmonizing with it until it shrinks, or joins forces with you, so you can ride it into the ever-expanding horizon of your dreams 🌅If you feel like you are being pulled in two directions at the same time, not quite able to actually move in any of them, this one is for you. Enjoy 🙇🏻‍♂️Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. For more where this came from, take a dive Down The Rabbit Hole, where you'll find Mike and his magic being dispensed in the form of a weekly newsletter, filled with bite-sized chunks of wisdom and wonder, just like this episode. 🧙🏼‍♂️

“Here’s the funny thing: when I ask someone to tell me what his or her wildest dream is, they dilute it. Ten times out of ten, people sell themselves short”Steve Sims Our guest on the podcast today should never have been able to succeed in business or in life. Growing up as a bricklayer in London, England, all the odds were against him achieving the kind of outlandish success he’s been able to claim so far, but it’s clear that the universe didn’t expect someone with Steve Sims’ heart, ingenuity, and initiative to appear and to turn traditional forms of networking on their heads. I first came across Steve Sims in his absurdly motivating book, Bluefishing, which tells the story of his company that makes seemingly unreasonable requests come true. The company is called Bluefish, and they’re who you call if you want to sing on stage with Journey, eat dinner in front of Michelangelo’s David, or visit the undersea wreckage of the Titanic. He’s orchestrated all of these experiences for his clients and many more besides. Steve is just an absolute magician when it comes to making the impossible possible, so listen to today’s episode if you’re open to receiving a ton of inspiration to get out there and make big things happen. He teaches that there is a password for every door, a weak spot in every wall, and if we would only stop selling ourselves short and start taking massive action, we might just be able to make that wall come down. Especially important to understand, moreover, is that in today’s business environment, mean guys finish last. A new, longer-term, more generous form of networking is making the old, manipulative kind of networking obsolete, and Steve Sims is helping to lead the way. I hope that you finish this episode just brimming with inspiration and courage, and leave with the understanding that you can get pretty much anything you want in life, so long as you help enough other people get what they want.What We Cover: What makes an entrepreneur an entrepreneur?The most important skills for futureproofing yourselfHow to break away from the rest and make yourself memorableWhy being you is the most powerful marketing tactic there isCommunicating your message clearly, without dilutionThe importance of surrounding yourself with people who are further along than youPlease leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. You’ve gone Down The Rabbit Hole. Now it’s time to walk up The Stairway to Wisdom.Introducing a brand new weekly newsletter from the minds at HighExistence.Over the past year, we’ve been publishing the wonder-inducing weekly email known as “Down The Rabbit Hole,” and now we’re taking it a step further.We want our readers not only to feel a deep sense of enchantment towards the world around them but also to apply deep teachings to their daily life so they can experience the life-transforming benefits of wisdom-in-action.The Stairway to Wisdom is a premium weekly newsletter for those who are ready to dive deeper. We’ve partnered with independent researcher and knowledge connoisseur, Matt Karamazov, who has taken sharp, meticulous notes on over 1000 books so that he could share the most inspiring pearls of wisdom with the world.Learn more here

“Our True Desires are deeply sacred. As sacred as a river, or a volcano, or any other natural process. It’s something separate from egoic desire which is, ‘I want this because I saw it in a commercial', but the exploration of those egoic desires might actually help somebody go towards those things. And so I think our desires are sacred. I think it’s something to listen to as if it is the voice of God.”Jake Kobrin (HEx Podcast #59)Magick has always been a concept that I've brushed aside as another overly esoteric, new-age fad that I assumed would reveal itself to be built on faulty foundations if I ever actually decided to dig into it.After listening to this episode, I realize that those assumptions couldn't be further from the truth. Magick is thousands of years older than western psychology. Its' roots run deep and its implications far and wide.The most controversial magician of the 20th century, Aleister Crowley, defined it as “the science and art of causing change in conformity with our Will”. In other words, this is a long-standing tradition that has mastered the art of manifesting the life that is the fullest and most accurate expression of your innermost being (aka the True Will). As you’ll hear in this episode, there is an endless list of techniques that can aid and accelerate this process. ”If you follow, yeah you can call it whatever you want, some divine intelligence, some deep ancestral wisdom that’s just sown into your DNA, your life will be better than your dreams because man, it’s going to take you on a process. Some of it might be an initiation process, some of it might be really challenging. It might confront you with a lot, but the other side of it is… mind-boggling.”Eric Brown (HEx Podcast #59)And that's only one portion of this conversation...What We Cover: What it means to be a visionary artist Practical examples of how to use language to shape your realityAn introduction to MagickThe concepts of The True Will and The Great WorkCeremonial Magick as initiatory processesSigil MagickA run through the Magickal toolbox The sacredness of desiresThe refreshing sincerity of sex dungeonsCryptocurrency, NFT's and Virtual RealityDIVE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE and get 5+ mind-blowing ideas, tools, or quotes sent to you every Wednesday.Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. 

Psychedelics can cause harm. Don’t get me wrong, I love psychedelics. But I also acknowledge their potential to bring about profoundly unwanted changes in the psyche.Yet, with the ever-more abundant influx of news focussing on the life-changing benefits of these substances, the very real risks that pose are getting drowned out, leaving us with only one-half of the full picture.The way that our information channels are structured these days, if we don’t want to hear about something, we usually don’t. We also tend to be over-eager to find The Solution to all our problems. Psychedelics, for many, are taking on this projection. It’s not uncommon to hear people talking about the psychedelic renaissance as though it were the second coming. Ed Prideaux is on a mission to stop some of this psychedelic naivety in its tracks, by speaking up about his experience with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD). Remember those LSD horror stories that your mum told you, about that guy who took LSD and never stopped tripping? Well, this is sort of like that (although HPPD is not the same as ‘permatripping’, as you’ll hear Ed clarify) except this is no horror story. The week after Ed’s fourth LSD trip, he noticed that the carpets were sparkling and the walls were melting. These effects, along with a handful of others, have not totally left him, 6 years on.This phenomenon is far more common than you might think. A recent study of 2455 psychedelic users reported that a quarter of participants said that they experienced lingering perceptual changes days and weeks after a psychedelic experience and that 1 in 25 found these changes to be so distressing that they considered seeking clinical help.The conversation that Ed brings to the table goes far beyond just HPPD. It extends into an axiom-altering exploration of the narratives around ‘really bad trips’, the fundamental flaws of the current mental health framework, and the fluid nature of reality itself. What We Cover: What is HPPD?Ed’s personal experience with HPPDThe connection between anxiety and perceptionAdvice for someone who thinks they might have HPPDThe problem with overidentifying with a particular form of sufferingCan you use psychedelics again if you have HPPD?The gifts of neurodiversityStan Grof’s controversial treatment for HPPDHow to make a psychedelic experience as well-held as possibleThe fundamental skill to have in the psychedelic experienceThe intersection of this psychedelic moment with the metaversePsychedelic narcissism DIVE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE and get 5+ mind-blowing ideas, tools, or quotes sent to you every Wednesday.Please leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast. 

“Whenever you say ‘I can’t find ideas,’ what you’re really saying is, ‘the world is perfect and it needs nothing.’”-MJ DeMarco, HEx Podcast #57—There’s a lot of terrible advice out there. Maybe you’ve noticed this the last time you were outside. People will say things like, “Just follow your passion!” or, “Money doesn’t matter!” or, perhaps even worse, “Only 40 more years until retirement, and then you’ll be a millionaire!”Some of the people that proffer this advice actually do want the best for you, and they’re honestly trying to help. The problem is that they’ve never learned how money actually works, how wealth is actually created, and how entrepreneurs can solve the problems that are pervasive in society and reap a financial windfall by doing so. Our guest on the podcast today, author MJ DeMarco, has taken aim at all the bad advice out there and has consistently proven the truth of his principles in the process of building out his own businesses and helping tens of thousands of entrepreneurs achieve their financial goals - including me. He reveals the fallacy behind the idea that following your passion will pay your bills; he shows how, in some contexts, money can buy happiness, and how it can also remove some of the sources of unhappiness; and this whole thing about retirement? What people don’t tell you is that in 40 years, you’ll be 40 years older, and unable to enjoy your money to the degree that you would have been able to while you’re young. As he says, wheelchairs, don’t fit inside the trunks of Lamborghinis. But his wisdom goes deeper than that. Much deeper. Business can be an incredible source of personal fulfillment, and if you’re willing to put your heart and soul (and brain and hands) into something for 10 years, you can win the financial game. You can have it when you’re relatively young, and you’ll never have to wonder, “What would have happened if I really went for it?”—What We Cover:How the level of access to knowledge is unprecedented right now, and how tapping into it can change the trajectory of your lifeMJ’s “C-E-N-T-S” framework for coming up with high-velocity business ideas (featuring the Commandments of Control, Entry, Need, Time, and Scale)How to increase the magnitude of your contribution and accelerate your profitsThe timelessness of great books and podcastsNassim Taleb’s concept of “antifragility” and how it can help prepare you for any external event that could threaten your safety and securityThe Great Rat Race Escape, MJ’s newest book, a business book/novel hybrid that follows one couple’s personal journey from financial slavery to financial freedom”Value skews” and how you can develop them in order to walk over your competition”Superior Unexpected Customer Service” (SUCS) and why it’s so much easier today for your business to stand out”Expected Value” and why you should always aim for “Excellent” instead of just “Good”The latest redefinition of “financial freedom” and why it’s just financial slavery in a different formWhy investing in your health will improve your life in every other areaWhen you should begin your child’s financial education and how to avoid the mediocrity narrativePlease leave a review if you enjoy The HighExistence podcast.