Curious Humans with Jonny Miller

Show NotesMatt Maruca is the founder of RaOptics, who make, I think it's fair to say objectively, the world's best blue-blocking glasses — but more importantly, he is in my view a radical citizen scientist, self-experimenter, and articulate communicator — and what's more he's only 24 years old. Which, given his depth of knowledge and wisdom, is somewhat mind-blowing for someone of his age.This conversation didn't go the way that I had expected. I'd been reading journal papers and studies on photobiology, mitochondrial health, and how to optimize our light environment...  but fairly quickly it became clear that this wasn't the direction that the conversation wanted to go. I think a former version of me would have wanted to stick to the script — but instead we veered off into a fascinating tangent into Matt's explorations into spirituality and what he describes as surrendering to life.In this conversation, you can expect to learn:👹  The effects of repressing anger on depression and health🔆  The benefits of light therapy and being in tune with your circadian rhythm⚡  Why Matt believes that humans are beings of energy and electromagnetism🌱  The important distinction between vitalistic and mechanistic perspectives for personal growth🙇‍♂️  The power of surrendering to life or how he stopped acting like he was a victim to life.Timestamps[00:01:36] Matt's curiosity about health and wellness led them to explore various aspects of their own well-being, including diet, nutrition, supplementation, and eventually light therapy. He discovered that cellular dysfunction, particularly in mitochondria, plays a significant role in disease and that environmental factors and lifestyle choices can impact health.[00:09:04] Challenges led to self-reflection and a shift in mindset. Learning from Dr. Joe Dispenza's teachings, joy is found by opening oneself and surrendering limited beliefs and emotions. Change starts from within.[00:20:28] Matt discusses their background in studying light and electromagnetic energy in relation to health. They criticize the mechanistic approach of Western medicine and promote the idea of tapping into the body's natural healing power. They express skepticism towards the carnivore diet's claims of healing and share personal experiences.[00:43:54] Matt discusses their journey towards understanding health, wellness, and spirituality, emphasizing the importance of changing one's perception to create a better external experience.[01:05:32] The idea of being greater than we think and considering limitless possibilities.[01:13:12] The writer's goal is twofold: personal growth and creating an ethical company. They want to awaken people to the importance of inner light and bridge the gap between their products and spirituality. They believe that cultivating inner light is crucial for human evolution.[01:18:33] Jesus is seen as a profound and humorous figure in personal spiritual development.Official Links😎 Ra Optics (affiliate link) — http://www.raoptics.com/nsmastery👋 Follow Matt on Instagram + Youtube —  @TheLightDiet 💡 Buy Warm Edison Bulbs on Amazon — https://a.co/d/aAV3tqbConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System Mastery🙋‍♂️  Join Five to Thrive — a zero-cost educational email series.Episode Sponsors🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically (ideally every six months, according to Dr. Peter Attia) rather than waiting until you have a health issue. Inside Tracker recently added hormone testing alongside a bunch of other important biomarkers that aren't included in traditional blood panels (ApoB, for example). Despite generally feeling great, my most recent set of results showed that I have some work to do to reduce levels of inflammation, and I'll be following some of their dietary + supplement recommendations to address this asap. So I highly recommend making this something you make time for at least once or twice yearly. ​Save 20% here🥶 The Cold Plunge — I reached out to the founder of the plunge, Ryan after hearing his powerful ​story on the Danny Miranda podcast. I've shared how getting in icy cold water every day helped me to move through intense grief, and taught me what it meant to surrender. These days I use their plunge every, single, day. It's like a high-stakes meditation—a mirror into my own internal state. The Plunge team have done a phenomenal job architecting what I consider as the world's best cold plunge (it doesn't get grimy like the converted chest freezers that I used to use). For optimal health benefits, I recommend deliberate cold exposure for 11 minutes per week total. Save $150 with the code CURIOUS. ​Learn more​.🫁 Nervous System Mastery — this is my flagship 5-week boot camp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation. Our fourth cohort will be running in September 2023 ~ and applications are currently open. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This curriculum represents my attempt to distill everything that I've learned in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing.  It's run in an intensive cohort-based way since this is, in my experience, the most efficient way to embody and practice the protocols. Previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tapped into deeper states of joy, clarity, and confidence in their lives. We've had over 500 students have completed this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth — so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com~~Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations (it's so much better than zoom for podcasting!)🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

Dr Michael Yang is an integrative medicine specialist based in Los Angeles who specializes in Ketamine treatment.  I had an absolute blast with Michael and honestly feel a renewed sense of optimism for the medical system knowing that there are doctors like him treating patients.In this conversation, you can expect to learn:💊 Ketamine's clinical use and its role as a psychedelic in his clinical practice🧠  How to increase the squishiness of your brain😬 Why suffering might make us uniquely human🤔 A primer on Aztec existentialist philosophy😲 The incredible benefits of inducing awe in patientsTimestamps[00:02:31] Categorically curious; downfalls, psychedelics, and intellect.[00:07:58] Passion for history and diverse experiences.[00:12:49] Moved from Bay Area to LA for MBA. Ended up running mother's clinic. Frustrated with pace of medical development.[00:19:11] Capitalism triggers, struggling with community, broad picture. Ketamine and psychedelics require personal experience.[00:21:32] Book titled "Scared and Horny" explores human experience.[00:32:26] Ketamine's varying capabilities as a drug.[00:37:22] Exploring psilocybin and ketamine experiences - transcendent.[00:42:24] "Awe-inspiring experiences fuel transformation and growth."[00:51:33] Exploring cultural practices and personal transformation.[01:01:31] Struggle with global theory and meaning crisis: Suffering as a test for AI. Psychedelics and future of AI.[01:06:36] Suffering is critical to our survival.[01:18:47] Outline program, contemplate, change, be present.Official Links✉️ Email Michael at: drmichaelyang@gmail.com 👨‍⚕️ Learn more about his ClinicConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System Mastery🙋‍♂️  Join Five to Thrive — a zero-cost educational email series.Episode Sponsors🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically (ideally every six months, according to Dr. Peter Attia) rather than waiting until you have a health issue. Inside Tracker recently added hormone testing alongside a bunch of other important biomarkers that aren't included in traditional blood panels (ApoB, for example). Despite generally feeling great, my most recent set of results showed that I have some work to do to reduce levels of inflammation, and I'll be following some of their dietary + supplement recommendations to address this asap. So I highly recommend making this something you make time for at least once or twice yearly. ​Save 20% here🥶 The Cold Plunge — I reached out to the founder of the plunge, Ryan after hearing his powerful ​story on the Danny Miranda podcast. I've shared how getting in icy cold water every day helped me to move through intense grief, and taught me what it meant to surrender. These days I use their plunge every, single, day. It's like a high-stakes meditation—a mirror into my own internal state. The Plunge team have done a phenomenal job architecting what I consider as the world's best cold plunge (it doesn't get grimy like the converted chest freezers that I used to use). For optimal health benefits, I recommend deliberate cold exposure for 11 minutes per week total. Save $150 with the code CURIOUS. ​Learn more​.🫁 Five to Thrive — this is a free email course that I've created to teach anyone how to build nervous system regulation in just five days. It contains hundreds of hours of my own research distilled into five days of practical knowledge. Enrolment is totally free. You can sign up here: fivetothrive.email~~Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations (it's so much better than zoom for podcasting!)🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

Jim Dethmer is co-author of the bestselling book 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership' and is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in the world. It was an honor to speak with Jim, and I had the sense that I was sitting in the presence of someone who really had spent a lifetime embodying and living what he teaches.In this wide-ranging conversation, you can expect to learn:🙋‍♂️  How to use the Sedona method for yourself👐  What it means to live an undefended life👊  How to take radical responsibility for your emotions💚  What it means to 'SAFE' yourself rather than be at the mercy of the external situation🗣️  Why leaning into difficult conversations and revealing your experience is key to aliveness🧰  Practical strategies for having clearing conversations and practicing radical honestyOfficial Links🔨  Free resources on The Four Pillars of Integrity, Emotional Intelligence, 📚 The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable SuccessConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System Mastery🙋‍♂️  Join Five to Thrive — a zero-cost educational email series.Episode Sponsors🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically (ideally every six months, according to Dr. Peter Attia) rather than waiting until you have a health issue. Inside Tracker recently added hormone testing alongside a bunch of other important biomarkers that aren't included in traditional blood panels (ApoB, for example). Despite generally feeling great, my most recent set of results showed that I have some work to do to reduce levels of inflammation, and I'll be following some of their dietary + supplement recommendations to address this asap. So I highly recommend making this something you make time for at least once or twice yearly. ​Save 20% here🥶 The Cold Plunge — I reached out to the founder of the plunge, Ryan after hearing his powerful ​story on the Danny Miranda podcast. I've shared how getting in icy cold water every day helped me to move through intense grief, and taught me what it meant to surrender. These days I use their plunge every, single, day. It's like a high-stakes meditation—a mirror into my own internal state. The Plunge team have done a phenomenal job architecting what I consider as the world's best cold plunge (it doesn't get grimy like the converted chest freezers that I used to use). For optimal health benefits, I recommend deliberate cold exposure for 11 minutes per week total. Save $150 with the code CURIOUS. ​Learn more​.🫁 Nervous System Mastery — this is my flagship 5-week boot camp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation. Our fourth cohort will be running in September 2023 ~ and applications are currently open. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This curriculum represents my attempt to distill everything that I've learned in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing.  It's run in an intensive cohort-based way since this is, in my experience, the most efficient way to embody and practice the protocols. Previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tapped into deeper states of joy, clarity, and confidence in their lives. We've had over 500 students have completed this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth — so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com~~Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations (it's so much better than zoom for podcasting!)🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

When I first started this podcast, I had Derek Sivers in mind as the archetypal curious human — and to this day, I think of him as one of the most interesting and provocative philosophers of life. His career path involved joining the circus as a ringleader, then becoming a professional musician and touring, building a company and selling it for $22 million dollars, then giving most of the money away to charity, then becoming a TED speaker and author... to now where he's a minimalist living in New Zealand as a full-time dad.In this conversation, you can expect to learn the following:🏙️  His unexpected love affair with Dubai🤔  Why nothing you believe is actually true📝  How he journals to find sanity for himself🤝  What he's learned about negotiation skills🛠️  Why he created a 'Making Room' in his house🗺️  How it's possible to have too much freedom in your life👨‍👦  Why he feels that his son is his best friend and soulmateTimestamps[00:08:56] Derek didn't have much curiosity until later in life.[00:12:20] Rebellious streak seeks balance in all situations.[00:18:55] Having total freedom can feel disorienting.[00:25:17] Choose independence, then commit for best results.[00:29:14] We don't really know why we do things.[00:35:00] Journaling: Derek's way to process thoughts and find clarity.[00:43:32] Brain awake, busy day of writing.[00:49:48] Sister's chaotic household convinced me: no kids.[00:54:45] Choosing mice for breeding: defying expectations.[00:57:08] Teach kids to talk confidently and be makers.[01:05:56] Money obsession feels like a mental disorder.[01:10:52] The Red Cross can't do much, donate wisely.[01:17:38] Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen is a book full of relatable stories that emphasize the idea that everything is negotiable. The author, a professional negotiator, shares his experiences and challenges the notion of non-negotiable things. It's a thought-provoking read that sticks with you.[01:21:05] Book: "You Can Negotiate Anything" - rating: 10/10. Talks about realizing power in any situation. Prisoner example shows hidden power. Violence comes from feeling powerless. Realize your power in any situation. Must-read.[01:27:15] Movies portrayed sex as something men want, women don't.[01:32:45] Dubai is a fascinating, diverse and foreigner-filled place.[01:38:45] Python: a newfound love, Dubai.[01:44:21] Aspiration: be read even after death.Official Links✉️ Email Derek personally here: derek@sivers.org📚 Derek's Book Reviews 🙋‍♂️ Derek's /now page📖 Buy his masterpiece How to Live (don't buy on Amazon!) Connect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System Mastery🙋‍♂️  Join Five to Thrive — a zero-cost educational email series. Episode Sponsors🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically (ideally every six months, according to Dr. Peter Attia) rather than waiting until you have a health issue. Inside Tracker recently added hormone testing alongside a bunch of other important biomarkers that aren't included in traditional blood panels (ApoB, for example). Despite generally feeling great, my most recent set of results showed that I have some work to do to reduce levels of inflammation, and I'll be following some of their dietary + supplement recommendations to address this asap. So I highly recommend making this something you make time for at least once or twice yearly. ​Save 20% here🥶 The Cold Plunge — I reached out to the founder of the plunge, Ryan after hearing his powerful ​story on the Danny Miranda podcast. I've shared how getting in icy cold water every day helped me to move through intense grief, and taught me what it meant to surrender. These days I use their plunge every, single, day. It's like a high-stakes meditation—a mirror into my own internal state. The Plunge team have done a phenomenal job architecting what I consider as the world's best cold plunge (it doesn't get grimy like the converted chest freezers that I used to use). For optimal health benefits, I recommend deliberate cold exposure for 11 minutes per week total. Save $150 with the code CURIOUS. ​Learn more​.🫁 Nervous System Mastery — this is my flagship 5-week boot camp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation. Our fourth cohort will be running in September 2023 ~ and applications are currently open. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This curriculum represents my attempt to distill everything that I've learned in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing.  It's run in an intensive cohort-based way since this is, in my experience, the most efficient way to embody and practice the protocols. Previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tapped into deeper states of joy, clarity, and confidence in their lives. We've had over 500 students have completed this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth — so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com ~~Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations (it's so much better than zoom for podcasting!)🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

Show NotesA large part of my personal motivation for creating this podcast — is the privilege of speaking with those who I consider to be elders, those who have lived their lives to the absolute fullest and have stories and insights to share with younger generations about what it means to truly live well.And this conversation with Kevin Kelly turned out to be exactly that. You'll probably want to have a pen and paper handy to take notes, and it was so rich with practical wisdom — in part because that was the subject of Kevin's new book — called 'Excellent Advice for Living'Some of the pieces that resonated most with me were:- How his curiosity and obsession with tinkering & making things paved the way for his later career - Why giving your time away is by far that's the most valuable thing that you can offer- The immense value in designing family rituals and rites of passage- Why he believes that AI will eventually want to have an identity and a name and will act as a forcing function to propel us forward — like children do, to be better than we would have been- Finally, why we should attend as many funerals as possible — and endeavor to become fully ourselves ⏳ Timestamps[00:05:07] Thoreau and the Whole Earth catalog were influential in shaping the interviewee's passion for inventing their own life and stripping down to the minimum to achieve contentment. Thoreau was a mentor and hero while Stuart Brand was a greater influence.[00:09:15] Deep listening means trying to hear what's unsaid, not just focusing on responding. It involves being affected by what's being said, not just hearing it like a recorder. Many people don't truly listen and miss out on understanding.[00:13:08] The worthiest projects take five years to complete, but prototyping is important too, and only one five-year project should be focused on at a time. Anything worthwhile should be accounted for as a five-year project.[00:17:14] Textual content is created as reminders of timeless wisdom from past philosophers and religions. Advice includes putting things back where they were found and deciding not to be outraged for a day. These reminders are short and condensed, meant to be easily remembered and applied.[00:20:50] Invest in a donor appointed fund that grows and can be given to high leverage charities, which teach people to fish rather than just giving a fish. Volunteering and donating time is the most precious thing to give.[00:25:19] Parents celebrate their kids' coming-of-age at 21 with a small ceremony where they cut a symbolic cord, give them their last check, and allow them to drink legally. The event sometimes includes wagers or promises, and kids add their own innovative participation. One child ate paper with advice written on it.[00:30:30] Create family rituals to provide stability, consistency, and a sense of anticipation for children, which will become part of the family identity and provide comfort in adulthood.[00:34:21] The author believes that technology has tendencies that are independent of humans, and that consciousness, sentience, and identity may be inevitable for technology. He thinks that technology may want a name.[00:40:36] The goal is to fully become yourself with the help of others, it's a long process involving constant self-challenge and it's the key to accomplishments. Attend funerals to hear about character over achievements. The question to ask is "who do I want to become?".[00:47:02] AI development will force us to question what we want the AI to be like, as they will carry biases and issues of average humans. It will lead to a discussion of how we can make ourselves better as well.Official Links📚  Order Kevin's book 'Excellent Advice for Living'👋  Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin2kelly🖥️  See Kevin's homepage and extensive bio — kk.orgConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryEpisode Sponsors🌬️  Othership Breathwork App — I've ​written at length about why breathwork is like the operating manual for your nervous system, and I have been highly impressed by the app that the Othership team has created. You can choose between guided daily practices that will up or downshift your state, as well as breathwork journeys that focus on embodiment for cultivating intimacy, athletic performance, or preparing for sleep. Exclusive to Curious Humans listeners, you can get a three-month subscription at zero cost to take it for a spin. ​Claim the three months​🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically — ideally every six months, according to Dr Peter Attia — not waiting until you have a health issue. They recently added hormone testing to their plan, which already includes important markers like ApoB, vitamin D, magnesium, cortisol, and a bunch more (47 biomarkers in fact!) I received some super actionable supplement changes and dietary shifts based on my results and I'm noticing the shifts already. ​Save 20% here​Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

Today I'm speaking with Kyle Kowalski — who might be one of the most well-read humans and certainly most relentlessly curious humans that I've ever met — in fact as he shares in this episode, he believes that his purpose or Ikigai in life is to synthesize lifelong learning that catalyzes human development.As the title of this episode suggests, we nerded out on so many fascinating topics — we discuss how Kyle's crisis and burnout transformed him, discovering the Concept of Intentional Living, how he created Ikigai 2.0, Navigating the Four Stages of Ego Development Theory and how they act like filters of reality, the idea of the Birth Lottery and much much more.Official Time-stamps[00:05:57] "Finding Purpose: How a Crisis Transformed Me"[00:13:57] Exploring the Crisis that Transformed a Life[00:18:44] "Discovering the Concept of Intentional Living"[00:24:47] "Ekigai 2.0: The Evolution of a Viral Meme"[00:28:48] "Phased approach to evolving money mindset"[00:42:02] "Navigating the Four Stages of Personal Development"[00:45:56] "Warren Buffett's Thought Experiment Reveals Life's Lottery"[00:52:01] "The Illusion of Free Will: Liberating Realizations"[00:59:57] "Challenging Modern Myths of Cognition"[01:08:05] "Unlocking the Power of a Synthesizing Mind"Official Links👋  Say hi to Kyle on Twitter🖥️  Check out Kyle's Sloww community 📚  Explore his popular posts + epic book summariesConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryFurther Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps

This is my second conversation with Anne Laure — I reached back out after I read a powerful account of her transformative experience drinking Ayahuasca 9 months ago and how following this experience, in her words, she is 'not depressed anymore, I quit drinking… And, for the first time ever and truly happy to be alive'.So we do a deep dive into her plant medicine experience she had, her reflections since that experience — as well as why linear goals are inherently fragile as compared to what she calls growth loops, how her relationship to ambition shifted after Ayahuasca, her favourite mental model, liminal vs. liminoid spaces, the importance of metacognition and much more!Episode Timestamps[00:04:05] "The Hyper Focus of ADHD: Blessing or Curse?"[00:12:06] "Leaving Silicon Valley: Finding a New Path"[00:18:26] "Overcoming the Shame of Functional Depression"[00:25:04] "Experiencing Ayahuasca: Effects and Intention Setting"[00:38:45] "Psychedelics Increase Brain Rewiring: Emerging Evidence Shows"[00:47:00] "Mindful Recovery: Checklist vs Listening to Body"[00:49:56] Embracing the Liminal Space: Redefining Ambition.[00:54:19] "The Power of Letting Go of Fear"[00:59:08] "Mastering Growth: The Simple Process of Experimentation"[01:05:16] "Importance of Metacognition for Growth Group Success"Official Links👋  Follow Anne Laure on Twitter👪  Join the NessLabs community or read her top essaysConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryFurther Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps

This is a powerful conversation with executive coach Brett Kistler — entrepreneur and executive coach who spent much of his life traveling the world full-time as an extreme sports athlete while building a remote software company. Brett also co-hosts the Art of Accomplishment podcast with Joe Hudson, who was a previous guest on this podcast. We unpack many things, including how BASE jumping acted as a hard reboot on his mind and how he uses his emotional inquiry practice to stay alive in extremely risky situations.~~🫁  Last Call for Nervous System Mastery ApplicationsThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation.Our third cohort will be running in Spring 2023 ~ and applications are currently open until April 1st. We've had over 400 students complete this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com~~🔗 Official Links 🎙️  Listen to Brett and Joe on the Art of Accomplishment podcast 👀   Watch Brett's superb Ignite Talk 🖥️  Check out Brett's offerings on his website 👋  Find Brett on Twitter @airkistler

This is a special episode with Daniel Thorson — who I initially came across through his super podcast called 'Emerge'  and later learned that he was living as a full-time monastic at the Monastic Academy in Vermont — where after a series of conversations, he persuaded me to come and sit for a 10-day retreat — which I just returned from myself recently.I found this was an immensely rich conversation, and I'm grateful to Daniel for opening up about some of the experiences he had recently during 73 days of solitude and silence (which he described as the most profound experience of his life) — during which he had some brushes with insanity but emerged (no pun intended) on the other side with some very hard-won insights to share.~~🫁  Apply for Nervous System Mastery 🫁This episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation.Our third cohort will be running in Spring, 2023 ~ and applications are currently open until April 1st. We've had over 400 students complete this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com🔗 Official Show Notes 🔗 💬  Find Daniel on Twitter @dthorson🏛  Learn more about the Monastic Academy🎙️  Listen to Daniel's powerful conversation with Soryu Forall on Emerge🎙️  Link to Buddhist Geeks podcast mentioned by Daniel

Dr. John Churchill spent 15 years training and teaching “Great Seal” meditation in an Indo-Tibetan lineage and is a founding member of the Integral Institute led by the well-known philosopher, Ken Wilber. Over the last 25 years, John has developed his style of practice — an integrated Fourth Turning path — that weaves together somatically based contemplative practices that integrate psychodynamic healing, adult development, and meditation.  This was an incredible conversation that touched on how 'trauma fuses our awareness to our attentional system', his views on how to integrate plant medicines and psychedelics into this work and what he calls the 'fundamental interior science breakthroughs'.🫁  Apply for Nervous System MasteryThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation. Our third cohort will be running in Spring, 2023 ~ and applications are currently open until April 1st. We've had over 400 students complete this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com🔗 Official Show Notes🧘  Learn more about John's 250hr Planetary Dharma meditation training via Samadhi Integral✨  Work with John and Nicole on their upcoming psychedelic dharma program

This is a slightly different type of episode — in which my friend Christofer interviewed me for his superb DO EXPLAIN Podcast. I enjoyed the conversation so much that I decided it was worth releasing here as well. This is one of the deepest dives I've done on all things related to emotional fluidity, and various modalities for working with somatics and finding wholeness. Christofer was such a superb conversational partner and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.🔗 Official Links🎙️  Subscribe to Christofer's awesome podcast Do Explain🫁  Learn more about Nervous System Mastery💬  Follow Christofer on Twitter

My brother Alex Olshonsky ~ aka. "Olo" ~ is a dear friend. We've spent time together in Guatemala, and he is fast becoming one of the most prominent voices on addiction and the psychedelic renaissance.  We dive into Olo's personal story of breaking free from his proclivity to taking a cocktail of narcotics whilst working in high-growth tech startups ~ and his powerful journey navigating his addiction.We discuss concerns, risks & hopes for the rise of entheogens ~ what he learned from spending time with the Shipibo indigenous lineages, how we both got a little 'messed up' from studying post-modernist philosophy, navigating the 'woke, anti-woke culture wars' his definition of false urgency + socially acceptable addictions, unpacking the modality of Hakomi ~ a lesser-known method of somatic psychology & much more.~~🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to you by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation.Our third cohort will be running in Spring, 2023 ~ and early bird applications are open. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort.This curriculum represents my attempt to distill everything that I've learned in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing & previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tap into deeper states of joy, clarity, and confidence in their lives.We've had over 400 students complete this training and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all you can find more details and apply to join the Spring cohort over at nsmastery.com.~~🔗 Official Links📝  Alex's Writing & Coaching ~ Deep Fix💬  Find Alex on Twitter 🍵  Natura Care Program ~ link

Today's guest is Daniel—who goes by the name of 'Grimhood' on Twitter. I've been a subscriber to his Patreon account for a while and was so impressed with his immensely well-researched and in-depth that blended his knowledge of pharmacology with indigenous systems of medicine.In this conversation, we unpack a handful of these protocols that he shares, including a deep dive on all things Magnesium, why so many of us are deficient in it, why you're almost certainly not getting enough and how to dose correctly. Then we dive into his protocol for dealing with OCD and anxiety, the importance of seeing sunrise and sunset daily to set the circadian rhythm and much more.Just a heads up that this episode does get into the weeds with a lot of detail, but if you'd like the summary of Daniel's protocols, I recommend finding his Patreon page linked in the show notes and finding his in-depth resources there.🔗 Links💊  Find Grimhood on Patreon💬  Follow Grimhood on Twitter @Grimhood🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week Bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed Protocols to Cultivate Greater Agency Over Your Physical, Mental & Emotional State. The 2023 cohort will be running in April. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort.This NSM curriculum represents my attempt to distil everything that I've learnt in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing & previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tap into deeper states of joy, clarity and confidence in their lives.We've already had over 300 alumni, and places will be limited ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join next year's cohort over at nsmastery.com

Today's guest is Erwan Le Corre. Erwan is many things, including the founder of MovNat ~ which is a synthesis of his passion for physical competency with his love of movement in nature. More recently, Erwan also became a US national static breath hold record holder.In this conversation, we talk about what he describes as the challenges of 'Hamster fitness' & movement poverty predicament and some of his ideas for what he describes quite brilliantly as Human Zoo counter-measures. We also dive into (pun not intended) some of the benefits of practising breath-holding, increasing your CO2 tolerance ~ and how he can hold his breath for over 8 minutes.🔗 Official Links🫁  Erwan's latest Breath hold work training program📸  Erwan on Instagram @erwanlecorre 🌳  Learn more about his MovNat training💬  Connect with Erwan on Twitter @erwanlecorre 🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed Protocols to Cultivate Greater Agency Over Your Physical, Mental & Emotional State. The 2022 cohort will be running this November ~ and applications are now officially open until midnight on October 29th. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort.We've already had over 250 applications, and places will be limited ~ so if you're intrigued at all you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com

Chris Sparks is a one-of-a-kind human; he's a retired professional poker pro who was once ranked one of the top 20 players in the world.But in recent years, he has applied himself to coaching and running workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and peak performance. And as you'll hear in this conversation, he is not only brilliant but also wise. Before we hit record, I said to Chris let's record a masterclass in mindset for staying calm and making good decisions in high-stress environments ~ and he didn't really disappoint.Our conversation ranged from talking about tools he used to stay calm or shift his state during high-stakes poker games and how he eliminated mental distractions in critical moments. He shared some meta-principles that he learnt through poker but applies to life more broadly—as well as how his approach and philosophy around productivity have shifted over the years.I deeply enjoyed this conversation with Chris, and I have a sense that you will too. I'll also mention that Chris has what he calls a 'performance assessment', which I've linked in the show notes ~ that provides a series of excellent questions to reflect on.🔗 LINKS📝 Take the Forcing Function Self-Assessment💬  Find Chris on Twitter @SparksRemarks🎙️  Listen to Chris' Podcast👨‍🎓  Signup for Chris' Feb 2023 course on 'Team Performance Training'🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week Bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed Protocols to Cultivate Greater Agency Over Your Physical, Mental & Emotional State. The 2022 cohort will be running this November ~ and applications are now officially open until midnight on October 28th. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort.This NSM curriculum represents my attempt to distil everything that I've learnt in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing & previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tap into deeper states of joy, clarity and confidence in their lives.We've already had over 250 applications, and places will be limited ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com

Aaron is a pioneering manual therapist and movement coach, founder and creator of the Align Method. I'm currently looking at Aaron's book (The Align Method) & it's one of the books that has most impacted my relationship with not just fitness and movement, but a new philosophy of seeing the world as a playground and the fact that I'm recording this whilst squatting ~ is in part thanks to the wisdom and research that he shares.This is one hell of a fun conversation packed with big ideas and super practical takeaways ~ we range from talking about the value of play and emotional fluidity ~ to post-ejaculatory experiences and a mini-masterclass in how to leverage your physiology & posture to change how you feel.“I believe the way to obtain true, optimal health is through aligning our mind, body, and movement. The fundamentals are simple and I’m here to help.” – Aaron Alexander~~~🔗  Resources & Links to Aaron's Work👋  Follow Aaron over on Instagram @alignpodcast🎙️  Listen to his phenomenal podcast 'Align Podcast'📚  Grab a copy of Aaron's book The Align Method👨‍🎓  Explore Aaron's upcoming 6-week course~~~🫁 Episode Sponsor // Nervous System MasteryThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to you by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed Protocols to Cultivate Greater Agency Over Your Physical, Mental & Emotional State. The 2022 cohort will be running this November ~, and my sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This NSM curriculum represents my attempt to distil everything that I've learnt in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing & previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tap into deeper states of joy, clarity and confidence in their lives.So, with all that said, I'm proud of the way this is coming together ~ and it's also by far the best way you can help to support this podcast ~ so if you're intrigued at all you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at >> nsmastery.com << “Nervous System Mastery is the most powerful thing I've ever done for personal growth. I had previously explored breathwork, meditation, therapy, and other approaches, but always felt like something was missing..." – Sam Sager, NSM Alumni~~~~~~

It's always fun to have conversations with friends and this one, in particular, has been several years in the making. If you're interested in meditation, breathwork or getting more done with more joy then this episode is a must-listen. Some of the themes we unpack include: what it means to 'expand your awareness', exploring the space and freedom between stimulus + response, what it means practically to 'escape grind mode' and what we both mean when we talk about increasing our sense of 'aliveness'.~~~~~~🔗  Resources & Links👋  Follow Michael over on Twitter @m_ashcroft👨‍🎓  Learn more about Michael's Course at expandingawareness.org✍️  Read Michael's Essays on Every~~~~~~🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to you by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed Protocols to Cultivate Greater Agency Over Your Physical, Mental & Emotional State.  The 2022 cohort will be running this November ~, and my sense is that if this conversation resonates with you then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This NSM curriculum represents my attempt to distil everything that I've learnt in recent years about how to create the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing & previous students have shared how partaking not only improved their sleep and quality of relationships but also tap into deeper states of joy, clarity and confidence in their lives.So, with all that said, I'm proud of the way this is coming together ~ and it's also by far the best way you can help to support this podcast ~ so if you're intrigued at all you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at >> nsmastery.com << “Nervous System Mastery is the most powerful thing I've ever done for personal growth. I had previously explored breathwork, meditation, therapy, and other approaches, but always felt like something was missing..." – Sam Sager, NSM Alumni

In this episode, Edward Dangerfield and I do a deep dive on a new modality of breathwork, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Facilitated Breath Repatterning ~ or FBR for short ~ will be globally recognised in 4-5 years' time and that the research that is beginning here in Bali will go on to make some significant discoveries about the connection between breathing patterns + patterns of behaviour.As you'll hear in this conversation, what I believe is truly unique about this mode of breathwork ~ is that it is both scientific in its approach, involving the practitioner 'reading the breath' of the client, and then making facilitations that often elicit profound shifts. I'll also add that my capacity to hold myself through intense experiences and feel comfortable expressing emotions has been transformed by this work. Since recording the initial conversation with Ed (link) I completed a 400hr training with him and the team here in Bali. But despite having literally hundreds of hours of conversations with him, I learnt so many new things myself from this conversation. ~~~~~~Some of the highlights were:🕵️‍♂️    Ed describes what I consider to be his superpower for paying attention to subtle cues that he's noticing and tracking in clients ~ like a real-life Sherlock Holmes ~ everything from their posture to their tone of voice and the words they choose ~ which then allows him to make generally highly accurate hypotheses about their breathing patterns and how this shows up in their lives.🫁 He walks us through an imaginary breath translation ~ so that you as a listener will get a sense for this art of reading and interpreting the language of breath. I also loved hearing him articulate the connection between capacity for dynamic breathing and dynamic thinking ~ the very tangible effects on health and lived experience of having Maladaptive breathing patterns.🚀  And finally some of his bold ideas for the broader impact that this emerging modality of FBR might have ~ running large-scale studies, working with leaders of organisations to move them from moving overachievers to high achievers & an idea to design a breathwork-specific wearable device that could enable self-guided journeys to be run safely.~~~~~~🫁 Episode Sponsor // NSMThis episode of Curious Humans is once again sponsored by Nervous System Mastery ~ and the second experimental cohort that I will be running later this year. If you are even curious enough about this work to begin listening to a podcast episode titled 'New Frontiers of Breathwork' ~ then my sense is that you would be a great fit for the upcoming cohort of Nervous System Mastery that I'll be running in the Autumn (or Fall as Americans like to say) later this year. This is where I'm pouring the majority of my creative energy these days and I'm proud of the way it's coming together.  You can find more details about the unique curriculum here >> nsmastery.com << “Nervous System Mastery is the most powerful thing I've ever done for personal growth. I had previously explored breathwork, meditation, therapy, and other approaches, but always felt like something was missing..." – Sam Sager, NSM Alumni~~~~~~🔗  Resources & Links 🎙️  Listen to my first conversation with Ed back in 2019 (link)📚  'Nurturing Resilience' by Kathy Kain (link)📸  Ed's Instagram: @edwarddangerfield🖥️  Breathwork Bali Website (link)🎙️  Related conversation on Functional Breathwork with Conni Biesalski (link)🌎  Recommended International Breathwork PractitionersSF/Bay Area – Jonny Miller (link)Bali – Multiple Practitioners (link)London – Jamie Clements (link)

🎙️  Episode OverviewYou might have come across Eric through his award-winning podcast ‘The One You Feed’ where he has interviewed hundreds of the wisest and most inspiring humans on the planet.He's also a father, serial entrepreneur, behaviour coach, and author on a quest to understand how we might live more intentional lives.And we get into the impact that these conversations has had on his life and perspective over the last decade, but we begin with the chapters of his life before the podcast — at age 24 Eric was living out the back of a van, spending $300 a day on his heroin addiction and up to 50 years in jail.We dive into this transformational journey of recovery—the gifts and challenges inherent in the AA program as well as his thoughts on what created the conditions for both his addiction and the sobriety that followed.It was interesting to see how Eric and I share a mutual fascination for questions around how to take insights and apply them to everyday life—and the parallels between the Spiritual Habits group program that Eric hosts with the work that I’ve been involved with around resilience and researching the nervous system.🫁  Episode Sponsor // Nervous System MasteryThis podcast has its first official sponsor — it’s a 5-week program called Nervous System Mastery designed and hosted by myself. The course is designed to share research-backed protocols to cultivate calm, agency + resilience in everyday life. We've had incredible feedback from the first version that ran in October last year, one previous student wrote to me and said: “Nervous system mastery was supportive, grounding, expansive, interesting, delivered with integrity and true passion. Science + practical evidence.”Building and teaching this course is now my primary obsession and the income that comes from this course, directly enables me to put my time & money into these episodes. If this sounds interesting at all, you can find more details here >> nsmastery.com << 🔗  Show Notes + Links🎙️   Subscribe to the 'One You Feed' podcast on Spotify👨‍🎓   Learn more about Eric's 8-week Spiritual Habits Program🖥️   Watch his superb TEDx talk on the battle of changing your behaviour

Paul and I first met 3 years ago at an event in Portland—he had recently left his job in corporate consulting and we bonded over how lost we'd both felt at times.Later that week I gave him a copy of 'The Three Marriages' a book by David Whyte where he talks about the Pathless Path that is required for anyone looking to do or create something original.Fast-forward to today and Paul has just published his first book — Called the Pathless Path — which is his roadmap of sorts for those of us who might have had the boldness to quit the default path & taking an experiment-based approach to figure out how to live well.Some of the themes we dive into are:🤔  How he has been exploring the magic of non-doing❓  Some of the most powerful questions he uses during curiosity conversations with others who are looking to take the leap.🎢  How to navigate the painful reality that family + friends might not understand his decisions to walk away from a successful career.📚  Some of the things he believes hold most people back from living more intentionally & the big breakthrough moment he experienced in the midst of writing his book.***This episode is also sponsored by Nervous System Mastery, a 5-week Bootcamp led by Jonny Miller—applications for the Spring Cohort will be opening up soon so if you're curious to nerd out on research-backed protocols for emotional self-regulation + resilience you can find more details at nsmastery.com***🔗   Links📚  Get your copy of The Pathless Path🖥️   Subscribe to Paul's excellent newsletter and listen to his podcast.🐦  Connect with Paul and say hi on Twitter