In this solo episode of The Alchemy Podcast, host Doug Cartwright shares the powerful insights behind his second spiritual awakening and introduces a tool he calls Inner Alchemy, a practical three-step process to increase your capacity to handle emotional discomfort.

Doug reflects on the three unavoidable realities of life-pain, uncertainty, and never-ending work and unpacks how our resistance to them often creates more suffering. Drawing on stories from his own spiritual journey, coaching practice, and even an ayahuasca ceremony, Doug teaches us how to lean into discomfort with grace, calm, and self-trust.

This episode is a must-listen if you're ready to move from emotional reactivity to personal mastery.

Timestamps of Key Moments:

0:00 – Intro: Doug sets the stage for this solo episode and shares how discomfort is the key trait of the most successful people he knows.

03:45 – Embracing Emotional Discomfort: Why chasing success to avoid unpleasant emotions is a losing game.

08:00 – The Illusion of Arrival: Doug explains the common trap of thinking external success will eliminate inner turmoil.

13:12 – Three Realities of Life: Pain, uncertainty, and never-ending work—and what happens when we stop resisting them.

19:58 – The Mountain Analogy: Doug recalls a pivotal moment when he realized that life is an ongoing climb, not a destination.

25:10 – Introducing Inner Alchemy: A practical tool to transmute discomfort rather than escape it.

28:30 – Understanding T.A.R.: Tension, Anxiety, and Resistance as signals for when to apply inner alchemy.

32:22 – Step One – Unclench: Releasing physical tension as the first step to navigating inner disturbance.

36:04 – Step Two – Welcome It, Don’t Touch It: Why resisting emotions only makes them grow, and how to sit with discomfort.

41:40 – The Dementor Metaphor: Doug shares an ayahuasca vision that changed how he relates to emotional pain.

46:35 – Step Three – I Can Handle This: The mantra that can shift your nervous system and increase your capacity.

51:05 – Living in Triple C: Calm in the body, confident in the self, and clear in the mind—Doug’s target state for handling life.

Follow Doug:

• IG: @doug_cartwright
• Join the Alchemy Accelerator: HERE
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: HERE