Join leadership guru Alan Watkins, a physician and neuroscientist known for his work on human performance, alongside psychotherapist Durwin Foster, a student of Ken Wilber and mindfulness expert. They tackle the crisis of trust in today’s leadership, debunk the seven dark arts of deception, and discuss how to spot dark triad personalities in various spheres of life. The conversation dives into the ethics surrounding truth, the impact of misinformation, and the importance of integrating diverse perspectives to foster genuine understanding and healing in a complex world.
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insights INSIGHT
Types of Truth
There are three types of truth: subjective, shared, and objective.
Confusing "my truth" with "the truth" is problematic.
insights INSIGHT
Ethical Lying
The ethical aspect of lying hinges on its harmful impact on others.
Cultural context influences what's considered acceptable lying.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Narcissist's Prayer
Alan Watkins shares Dana Craig's Narcissist's Prayer.
The prayer highlights narcissistic tendencies like deflecting blame.
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In this conclusion to the Age of Madness trilogy, Joe Abercrombie depicts a world in the midst of the Great Change, where the Breakers and Burners have seized power, and the old order is being torn down. The story follows characters like Citizen Brock, Citizeness Savine, King Orso, and Rikke as they navigate the chaos, destruction, and political upheaval. The book explores themes of governance, survival, and the complexities of human behavior during times of revolution and societal collapse. Known for his vivid characterizations, dark humor, and intense action sequences, Abercrombie delivers a morally complex and gripping conclusion to the trilogy.
Marriage of Sense and Soul
Marriage of Sense and Soul
Ken Wilber
Merchants of doubt
Naomi Oreskes
In 'Merchants of Doubt', historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway expose how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. The book highlights how the same individuals repeatedly denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole, all while promoting an ideology of free market fundamentalism aided by a compliant media.
The wisdom of psychopaths
What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success
Kevin Dutton
In 'The Wisdom of Psychopaths', Kevin Dutton argues that there are 'functional psychopaths' who use their detached, unflinching, and charismatic personalities to succeed in mainstream society. Dutton uses original scientific research, including brain scanning and neuroscience, to demonstrate that psychopathic traits such as fearlessness, confidence, charm, ruthlessness, and focus can be advantageous in certain professions. He interviews various individuals, including con artists, surgeons, and spies, and even undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to experience a psychopathic mindset firsthand. The book suggests that society is becoming more psychopathic and that these traits, in the right doses, can be beneficial for individual and societal success.
Faith to Doubt
Faith to Doubt
Stephen Batchelor
Lie-Ability
How Leaders Build and Break Trust
Alan Watkins
Simon Jones
In this special episode, Layman is joined by leadership expert, Alan Watkins, and psychotherapist, Durwin Foster, to explore themes from Alan's new book, Lie-Ability: How Leaders Build and Break Trust. What are the seven dark arts of deception? From integral leadership and psychotherapeutic perspectives, how are we to address breakdowns in sensemaking and coherence in a culture where deceit has become common, and will soon be even more powerfully amplified by AI and other emerging technologies? How can we better recognize, and respond to, the tactics of dark triad personalities in our political cultures, workplaces, and spiritual communities?
A physician and neuroscientist, and the CEO of Complete, Dr. Alan Watkins is recognised as an international expert on leadership and human performance. Over the years he has coached thousands of individuals to greater levels of performance, transformed organisational cultures and helped leaders discover new ways to succeed. Alan has become a confidant to many of the world’s top leaders over the past 22 years. Alan believes we can create a world with enlightened leaders in all walks of life, but this requires leaders to ‘wake up’, ‘grow up’ and make better decisions. His optimism for the potential of human beings never wavers. He is also the author of many books, including Crowdocracy: The End of Politics and Wicked and Wise: How to Solve the World’s Toughest Problems.
Durwin Foster, MA, CCC, has learned the science of effective therapy through rigorous academic training. Completing a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia, Durwin is certified at the national level through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Durwin completed all required doctoral level coursework and trained in supervision, while performing research on the benefits of mindfulness training. A close student of Ken Wilber, Durwin has recently trained in Full-Spectrum Mindfulness, an approach that combines mindfulness with developmental psychology to help us wake up from our dreams of separation, while also growing into our greatest potentials.
The Integral Stage 
