Know More Know Less

This was a scary one for me, but as more people kept asking and recommending I do a solo episode, I decided to give it a shot. I'm clearly winging it and rambling a bunch, but hopefully, something spilled from my mouth that was fun or helpful. In this solo episode I discuss: - what I've enjoyed about doing the podcast so far - some episodes that have stood out to me and why - some future episodes I have planned Then I get into two articles I've enjoyed recently, and I discuss my thoughts on their findings. Spiritual Narcissism: Self-enhancement through spiritual practices can fool some of us into thinking we're evolving and growing when all we're growing is our ego https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-of-spiritual-narcissism/# AND Is Mindfulness Bullshit? This article describes how mindfulness benefits are overstated, might be hurtful to some people, and should never be put above all the other activities we could do with our time. https://psychologybestpractice.substack.com/p/mindfulness-bullshit-part-ii Thanks for listening/watching! Please like and subscribe! --------- KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: For other platforms: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://youtu.be/QiN7Awijoq0

This was a surprisingly open and wide-ranging conversation about the horrors of picking the wrong romantic partner. Victoria McCooey is a Narcissist Divorce Coach, a Motivational Speaker, and the creator of The Reclaim Your Power System™. She works with those trapped in toxic, abusive marriages to stand up to their abuser and regain control of their lives. Having been in an abusive marriage to an emotionally abusive, narcissistic spouse, Victoria is passionate about helping others make the same remarkable transformation she did. Through her writing, speaking, coaching programs, and social media following, Victoria has helped thousands acquire the skills, mindset shifts and courage necessary to stand up and create a joyful new life for themselves and their children. Here are some of the ideas we covered in this engaging chat: the wreckage that can become of someone's life when involved with pathological liars, frauds, and master manipulators. the challenge of diagnosing someone with a personality disorder stories from Victoria's clients why most victims of narcissist abuse think they're the problem how to deal with a narcissist what stops victims from leaving or getting help tales from Victoria's experience and how she finally left and rebuilt her life If you think you need Victoria's guidance and support, you can find her here: https://www.victoriamccooey.com/ Victoria's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/VictoriaMcCooey -------------------------- KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: For other platforms: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

As expected from the title, this conversation was a lot of fun. Ironically, I could feel myself limiting how playful and silly I was getting, as it doesn't take much. Lucie and I chatted about all things play-related and how we try to make our worlds more enjoyable day after day even though sometimes aging and personal responsibilities can be a real f*@king bummer. Lucie Lincoln is an author, communicator and creative explorer. She's on a journey to discover what it means to grow up well in a world that celebrates youth. Her recent book is: Living a Creative Life: Everyday Play, and she hosts the Almost Grown...Up podcast Lucie spends most of her days working with fast growth businesses helping them to tell their stories with soul. When not doing that, she is writing for publications on travel, growing up, creativity and what it means to be human. KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

If I'm clear on anything in life, it's that I dislike being forced or coerced to do something I don't want to do. And after speaking with Therese Shechter about her new documentary My So-Called Selfish Life, I get the feeling many women likely feel the same about the pressure to be a mother. I had never considered how ubiquitous this societal pressure is and how connected it can be with feeling accepted or rejected by loved ones and the groups we belong to. My 2 favourite quotes from Therese's film were (paraphrased), 1) "I don't mind if people have children. I want everyone who wants kids to have them and live happily ever after. But I also want all women to know that they don't have to if they don't want to. It really is a choice" 2) "Often more thought goes into not having children than actually having them, and it should be the opposite." Therese Shechter is an award-winning filmmaker, public speaker, and the founder of the production company Trixie Films. Her work fuses humor, activism, and personal storytelling to explore and confront what's considered most sacred about womanhood. Therese began her two-decades-long film career at Robert DeNiro's production company Tribeca Productions. Since then, her work has been screened and streamed globally on TV and home video, at the Brooklyn Museum and the Kinsey Insitute, and at film festivals from Rio de Janeiro to Istanbul to Seoul. Therese's newest documentary, My So-Called Selfish Life is a paradigm-shifting journey through one of our society's greatest social taboos: choosing not to become a mother. Created with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, New York State Council of the Arts, and close to 800 individual donors, it premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2021 to critical acclaim. The film is currently screening at film festivals, colleges, conferences, non-profits, and global virtual streaming events. This topic has hit a nerve with her audience: the Facebook group she created for the film now has over 11,000 followers and a movement is growing. KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

As I've mentioned in previous episodes, my experience with psychedelics and reading the incredible novel, The Overstory expanded & deepened my appreciation for the natural world. I see trees and forests differently than I once did, and it seems like every day, I find a reason to appreciate the animal world more than the day before. In this episode, I was honoured to speak with Carl Safina, who has spent his entire life studying, appreciating, and sharing the secrets of the natural world with the rest of us. I hope I assisted Carl in spreading his message even further. Carl Safina is an American ecologist and acclaimed non-fiction writer. His books focusing on the human relationship with the living world have won a MacArthur "genius" prize; Pew, Guggenheim, and National Science Foundation fellowships; book awards from the National Academies, the Lannan Foundation, and Orion Magazine; and the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals Carl has written ten books in all, two of which have been New York Times Notable Books of the Year, including his most recent Becoming Wild, which explores animal cultures, how much wisdom and intelligence humans miss in animals and how we have a moral duty to preserve the natural world if we wish for any chance of preserving human dignity. Carl's recent book is truly beautiful and I highly recommend it: Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

I first saw Marisa Amechi on Instagram talking about working in a skin care clinic in Los Angeles. I realized all of my views on that industry, especially in LA, is "skin care clinics make people look weird." This is clearly false or there wouldn't be so many of them! So I've invited Marisa on the show to expand my knowledge and maybe save my aging face in the process! We also discuss: What is IPL What are some non-needle treatments that really help you level-up your skin care routine? What's the grossest thing you've seen in your industry? Is it just me or is the lip filler trend getting crazy in some cities? Why does Madonna look so weird? What does botox do and how often do people get it? Why would someone shoot Co2 into their eye skin? What is the recovery time for various treatments? What is a chemical peel and why do some people swear by them? I had a great time chatting with Marisa. Please check her out on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/nurse_marisa_/ KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

Dr. Padda and I cover addiction, the broken/corrupt US food system and the worsening opioid epidemic. We discuss the new drug Xylazine, why it's making its way into all street drugs, and skyrocketing overdoses. I also learned how a shoebox of fentanyl could kill 30 MILLION people and why there's no such thing as a trustworthy drug dealer. Dr. Gurpreet Padda is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Medical School. He is a board-certified Physician who specializes in Pain Management, Addiction and focuses on metabolic inflammation. KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

I love chatting with people who think deeply about where we came from and why homo sapiens and our planet are so unique in such an expansive universe. Richard Anderson is one of those people. Richard Anderson is an alumnus of San Jose State University with a master's degree in microbiology and a passion for galactic exploration. Before the pandemic, Richard spent his time researching what fascinated him during his university years. From that research, he discovered new information that became the subject matter for his book, The Evolution of Life: From Big Bang to Space Colonies. Richard is also in the process of writing a novel that explores the challenges of making humans a multi-planet species. KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: For other platforms: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

Several months ago I joined a virtual men's group to connect with other expats in my adopted city. Every other week we gather on Zoom to discuss relevant topics to our experience and share intimate parts of our lives for witnessing and feedback. I entered deeply skeptical but the value was quickly obvious. What I learned is many men are going through similar experiences regardless of what their lives look like. Always branching from the desire for deeper connection and a mismatch with the complex box of what manhood is. The internal struggle is how to identify, accept, and acknowledge that our feelings matter. In an attempt to shed light on even 1% of this topic, I invited 3 men from our group - Ryan, Aaron, and Chris - to a local podcast studio to discuss what manhood & masculinity is in 2023 and what our individual journeys look like. For the full-effect, please watch on YouTube! KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: For other platforms: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA

The most impactful portion of this conversation is Ylenia's core belief that all humans are creators, but because many of us don't build our identities or lives around creation we forget the potential we have to imagine and build our lives with personal intention. Born and raised in northern Italy, Ylenia is the Founder and Chief Light Bringer of North Star Vision Coaching, where she specializes in Vision Clarity and Performance elevation for Founders & Leaders. She's an expert in using language as a mindset enhancement tool as her life's work is dedicated to helping others recognize their brilliance and expand their identities for what they believe is possible. Ylenia also has a major golf obsession and lives on a golf course in…. Lake Como. Not a bad hangout. KNOW MORE KNOW LESS PODCAST: For other platforms: Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/know-more-know-less/id1652659219 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fxCXp5AlfajmcTgvSWSGl?si=87be920940534299 For full episodes and clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4wkMATGEXMTU4Xrw-YZTA