Do you listen to Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, Russell Brand or maybe a bit of Lex Freidman? They are the biggest names in podcasting (and beyond) and they started out as progressive voices, robustly questioning the status quo and challenging dominant interests and often bringing alternative spiritual or psychological perspectives to the big debates. But a trend has emerged among this crew of “bro-casters”.

My guest in this episode, Australian psychology academic Matt Browne, argues that as their fame rises, many slide into taking on “guru” status. Matt is cohost of DECODING THE GURUS, a somewhat controversial podcast that does as it says on the packet, and I get him on to dissect this pop cultural phenomenon for us.

We talk: the intellectual dark web (IDW); “galaxy brain”; what’s the deal with their all-meat diets and love of MMA; why young men flock to these gurus; and what it all says about the world, specifically our need for good, humble leadership. It’s a bit of a “meta” chat this one, but wild and intriguing too. I challenge everyone to determine their own take as they listen to Matt and I dissect the topic (he and I don’t agree on it all, BTW).

Listen to Decoding the Gurus here

Follow Matt on twitter

Matt mentions two non “pseude psychological bullshit” podcasts to look out for: Very Bad Wizards and Two Psychologists Four Beers.

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