The Business of Expansion with Hale Schneider

Michael Lovitch spent more than fifty years openly ridiculing astrology and pretty much anything that couldn't be measured in a lab. He's a serial entrepreneur, a former academic hypnosis researcher, and the co-founder of the Baby Bathwater Institute. Then a single astrology reading cracked his whole worldview open, and now he runs Zodiac FM, a company that turns your birth chart into personalized sound frequencies. In this conversation we trace the exact moment it happened, a bus ride to Red Rocks and a friend who finally called his bluff, and what it's like to build in a world you used to mock. Michael is refreshingly honest about the parts he still can't explain, including why he says he believes the weird stuff now but hasn't quite started living from it yet. If you're an entrepreneur caught in the gap between what you used to believe and what you're building next, this one's for you. 00:00  The skeptic who built an astrology company 01:40  50 years a materialist 05:40  The bus to Red Rocks: the bet that cracked everything 06:14  "Does she have my therapist notes?" 09:03  "A lot of it's probably true, and then what?" 11:00  Baby Bathwater: building the anti-mastermind 22:39  Paying Indian astrologers by the hour 25:28  A vibrational, conscious universe 29:50  Why sound (and how it differs from Brain.fm and Centerpointe) 32:24  The four frequencies: core, love, vitality, abundance 38:14  The 300-person beta test and its results 45:37  Pairing it with qigong and energy work 50:16  The crazy stories 53:17  Building in a world he used to ridicule 55:22  Charlatans: how to spot the fakes 01:01:26  Be okay with the dissonance 01:05:14  Startups are hard, even the fourth time 01:09:49  Turning the tables: Hale's own "batshit" beliefs 01:15:39  Hale's takeaways Join the Business of Expansion Community

At 22, Marcia Martin sat in a San Francisco room of 30 people when the Human Potential Movement was born. She became the first vice president of est, the training company that grew into Landmark, and the woman Werner Erhard called "the one who put est on the map." She was there for the founding of est, LifeSpring, the Hoffman Process, Tony Robbins' early years, the Transformational Leadership Council she built with Jack Canfield, and even the filming of The Secret. In this conversation she tells the real story of how the modern self-help industry was built, the good and the bad, drawn from her new memoir Sex, Power, and Transformation. We get into how genuine breakthroughs and outright manipulation lived side by side in the same room, why movements that change lives so often curdle into something cult-like, and the warning signs Marcia learned to spot after watching the same arc play out again and again. She shares the demonstration that made her go all in, the "gift" that came with a catch, and the one simple practice she says changes everything. If you build anything with people, or you've ever wondered how good movements go bad, this one stays with you. Chapters 00:00  Meet Marcia Martin 02:09  How the Human Potential Movement was born 04:26  Werner Erhard, Mind Dynamics, and the birth of est 11:16  When fame, power, and money corrupt a movement 14:35  Inside the training: "your levels" and the demonstration 21:56  What made est different: Scientology's influence 30:50  When community becomes hierarchy 37:51  Leading transformation without building a cult 43:46  Leaving est: the car, the gaslighting, the betrayal 47:15  After est: Hollywood, the media company, and the TLC 58:04  Marcia's new workshop and the architecture of leadership 1:06:23  Building with integrity: grow like nature, learn by doing 1:16:17  Closing wisdom: center before you act 1:19:19  Hale's takeaways   Links & Resources mentioned Book: Sex, Power, and Transformation by Marcia Martin Website: marciamartin.com Landmark Worldwide (the Landmark Forum, formerly est) Esalen Institute, co-founded by Michael Murphy The Silva Method, founded by José Silva The Hoffman Process Jack Canfield and the Transformational Leadership Council Tony Robbins Lynne Twist and the Pachamama Alliance   Connect Join the free Business of Expansion community Hale's Instagram  

What if the gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't a strategy problem — it's a frequency problem? That's the central question Sam Kukathas brings to this conversation, and his answer will likely challenge everything you think you know about growth, identity, and what it actually takes to collapse time between your current reality and your biggest vision. Sam's story is one of the most unusual you'll hear on this show: from academic philosopher studying David Hume, to discovering mid-psychedelic journey that he could channel other people's energy, to building a technology platform that recalibrates human consciousness at scale. We get into the moment a voice boomed through him loud enough to shut the windows, the 13 years it took to let go of a PhD he'd outgrown, and what it looks like when a $100M belief shift happens in under an hour. This is a conversation about the intersection of inner frequency and outer results — and why the most visionary leaders still get stuck.   What We Cover How Sam went from academic philosopher to energy healer to creator of Resonance OS The psychedelic journey that cracked everything open — and the "booming voice" that led him into energy work What "collapsing time" actually means and how it works in practice The $100M belief shift: how clearing one subconscious pattern expanded a client's vision from $4.5M to $100M in a single session The $20M deal that came through four hours after a group wealth frequency event How Sam cleared a client's 25-year gut issue and business blocks simultaneously in one session Why visionary leaders get stuck even when they have a great strategy The 13-year journey of letting go of his doctorate — and the moment Buddha and Yogananda told him it was done Resonance OS: the vision for creating the "overview effect" in everyday human experience The frequency of you — and why becoming a copy of your mentor is a waste of your gifts   Connect with Sam 1) Soul Purpose Leaders 2) Resonance OS 3) Sam's instagram 4) Sam's Linkedin   Links & Resources Join the Business of Expansion community (free): thebusinessofexpansion.com/join Connect with Hale on Instagram and LinkedIn Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer K. Hill — the "fairy godmother of human connection" — to explore her Golden Triangle of Connection framework and why self-connection is the foundation everything else is built on. We dive into heart-focused breathing, the neuroscience of why it works, and how to use it as a daily reset. Jennifer also shares her "death card year" — the sudden loss of her business partner, the collapse of a major acquisition, and the unexpected rebirth that followed — including the Jen Hill Tribe and how she's using AI to deepen human connection, not replace it. 00:00 Fairy Godmother Intro 01:09 Purpose Through Connection 03:30 Align App Gifts 05:15 Defining Consciousness 09:24 Don Hoffman Serendipity 12:57 Golden Triangle Framework 15:20 Inner Child Self Love 16:54 HeartMath Coherence Practice 29:07 Recovering Asshole Story 32:07 Rewiring Your Presence 33:27 Death Card Year Begins 36:11 Julian's Sudden Passing 37:01 Tribe Becomes Community 40:50 Mentors and Letting Go 43:17 AI and Human Connection 48:11 Is AI Conscious 51:03 The Field and Attention 56:11 Global Sadness and Self Hug 59:30 Where to Find Jen 01:01:00 Key Takeaways and Wrap Resources mentioned in the episode: 1) Align App 2) Heartmath Institute 3) Sedona Method 4) Transcendental Meditation 5) Zodiac.fm 6) The Anti-Asshole Prayer Books: 1)  The Case Against Reality 2)  Pure Human 3)  Secret of Secrets 4)  Waste Tide     @haleschneider ✨ Want to meet like-minded conscious entrepreneurs and leaders?  Join the Business of Expansion Community: www.thebusinessofexpansion.com/join

In this episode, I sit down with Ash Moraca, founder of Retreat and co-creator of the House of Consciousness at Davos, to explore what it looks like to bring consciousness, healing, and human flourishing into spaces shaping the future of business and society. We talk about regenerative business, conscious leadership, the tension of building in the startup world without losing your values, and why inner transformation has to be part of systems change. Ash also shares how her own healing journey informs the way she builds. This episode is for entrepreneurs and leaders who know business can be about more than growth alone. If you're interested in consciousness, entrepreneurship, and the future we're creating, this conversation is for you. Chapters 00:00 Consciousness Meets Davos 01:21 Why Create the House 02:30 Inside Davos Energy 04:22 Arc of the Day 06:27 What Comes Next 08:08 Synchronicities and Setup 10:38 Lessons and Collaboration 11:48 Funding Without Agenda 13:04 Healing Journey Origins 15:43 Modalities That Helped 18:19 Purpose and Calling 19:13 From Healing to Startup 21:27 Building the Retreat Platform 24:16 Blended Practices Live 25:59 Fundraising Sacred Work 27:57 Finding Human Flourishing Investors 29:37 Defining Human Flourishing 30:23 Founder Day to Day 30:37 Balancing Work and Life 31:59 Anti Hustle Guardrails 35:11 Business as Consciousness 36:49 Tuning Into Retreat Energy 41:59 Regenerative Business Design 44:23 Future Paradigms and AI 49:27 Consciousness as Trojan Horse 54:47 Where to Find Ash 56:04 Host Takeaways and Wrap LINKS: 1) Ash's personal website 2) Retreat App 3) House of Consciousness @haleschneider ✨ Want to meet like-minded conscious entrepreneurs and leaders?  Join the Business of Expansion Community: www.thebusinessofexpansion.com/join