Brooks Baron, an experienced leadership coach specializing in nature-based initiations and rites of passage, discusses the benefits of wilderness-based rites of passage and the shift from victim consciousness to personal responsibility. Topics also include the dynamics of being nice versus being kind, the importance of vulnerability and healing, and the exploration of the sacred wound for personal growth.

Matt Maruca, founder of RaOptics, discusses the effects of repressing anger, benefits of light therapy, belief in humans as beings of energy, and the power of surrendering to life. They explore topics like circadian rhythm, personal growth, and the important distinction between mechanistic and vitalistic perspectives.

Dr Michael Yang, an integrative medicine specialist, explores ketamine's clinical use and its role as a psychedelic. They discuss the benefits of inducing awe in patients, the struggle with global theory, and the future of AI. They also touch on suffering as a test for AI and the unique human experience.

Jim Dethmer, co-author of 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership' and sought-after executive coach, discusses topics such as emotional responsibility, vulnerability, effective communication, curiosity and personal growth, meditation, moving from victim to creator consciousness, embracing grief as a gateway to connection, clearing emotions, finding happiness within oneself, the power of questions, and living in the present moment.

Derek Sivers, a minimalist living in New Zealand, talks about topics including his unexpected love affair with Dubai, why nothing we believe is actually true, how he journals for sanity, negotiation skills, creating a 'Making Room', having too much freedom, and why he considers his son his best friend and soulmate.

Show NotesA large part of my personal motivation for creating this podcast — is the privilege of speaking with those who I consider to be elders, those who have lived their lives to the absolute fullest and have stories and insights to share with younger generations about what it means to truly live well.And this conversation with Kevin Kelly turned out to be exactly that. You'll probably want to have a pen and paper handy to take notes, and it was so rich with practical wisdom — in part because that was the subject of Kevin's new book — called 'Excellent Advice for Living'Some of the pieces that resonated most with me were:- How his curiosity and obsession with tinkering & making things paved the way for his later career - Why giving your time away is by far that's the most valuable thing that you can offer- The immense value in designing family rituals and rites of passage- Why he believes that AI will eventually want to have an identity and a name and will act as a forcing function to propel us forward — like children do, to be better than we would have been- Finally, why we should attend as many funerals as possible — and endeavor to become fully ourselves ⏳ Timestamps[00:05:07] Thoreau and the Whole Earth catalog were influential in shaping the interviewee's passion for inventing their own life and stripping down to the minimum to achieve contentment. Thoreau was a mentor and hero while Stuart Brand was a greater influence.[00:09:15] Deep listening means trying to hear what's unsaid, not just focusing on responding. It involves being affected by what's being said, not just hearing it like a recorder. Many people don't truly listen and miss out on understanding.[00:13:08] The worthiest projects take five years to complete, but prototyping is important too, and only one five-year project should be focused on at a time. Anything worthwhile should be accounted for as a five-year project.[00:17:14] Textual content is created as reminders of timeless wisdom from past philosophers and religions. Advice includes putting things back where they were found and deciding not to be outraged for a day. These reminders are short and condensed, meant to be easily remembered and applied.[00:20:50] Invest in a donor appointed fund that grows and can be given to high leverage charities, which teach people to fish rather than just giving a fish. Volunteering and donating time is the most precious thing to give.[00:25:19] Parents celebrate their kids' coming-of-age at 21 with a small ceremony where they cut a symbolic cord, give them their last check, and allow them to drink legally. The event sometimes includes wagers or promises, and kids add their own innovative participation. One child ate paper with advice written on it.[00:30:30] Create family rituals to provide stability, consistency, and a sense of anticipation for children, which will become part of the family identity and provide comfort in adulthood.[00:34:21] The author believes that technology has tendencies that are independent of humans, and that consciousness, sentience, and identity may be inevitable for technology. He thinks that technology may want a name.[00:40:36] The goal is to fully become yourself with the help of others, it's a long process involving constant self-challenge and it's the key to accomplishments. Attend funerals to hear about character over achievements. The question to ask is "who do I want to become?".[00:47:02] AI development will force us to question what we want the AI to be like, as they will carry biases and issues of average humans. It will lead to a discussion of how we can make ourselves better as well.Official Links📚  Order Kevin's book 'Excellent Advice for Living'👋  Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin2kelly🖥️  See Kevin's homepage and extensive bio — kk.orgConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryEpisode Sponsors🌬️  Othership Breathwork App — I've ​written at length about why breathwork is like the operating manual for your nervous system, and I have been highly impressed by the app that the Othership team has created. You can choose between guided daily practices that will up or downshift your state, as well as breathwork journeys that focus on embodiment for cultivating intimacy, athletic performance, or preparing for sleep. Exclusive to Curious Humans listeners, you can get a three-month subscription at zero cost to take it for a spin. ​Claim the three months​🩸 Inside Tracker — One of the things I've changed my mind on in the past year is the value of getting blood panels taken prophylactically — ideally every six months, according to Dr Peter Attia — not waiting until you have a health issue. They recently added hormone testing to their plan, which already includes important markers like ApoB, vitamin D, magnesium, cortisol, and a bunch more (47 biomarkers in fact!) I received some super actionable supplement changes and dietary shifts based on my results and I'm noticing the shifts already. ​Save 20% here​Further Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps📹  Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF

Today I'm speaking with Kyle Kowalski — who might be one of the most well-read humans and certainly most relentlessly curious humans that I've ever met — in fact as he shares in this episode, he believes that his purpose or Ikigai in life is to synthesize lifelong learning that catalyzes human development.As the title of this episode suggests, we nerded out on so many fascinating topics — we discuss how Kyle's crisis and burnout transformed him, discovering the Concept of Intentional Living, how he created Ikigai 2.0, Navigating the Four Stages of Ego Development Theory and how they act like filters of reality, the idea of the Birth Lottery and much much more.Official Time-stamps[00:05:57] "Finding Purpose: How a Crisis Transformed Me"[00:13:57] Exploring the Crisis that Transformed a Life[00:18:44] "Discovering the Concept of Intentional Living"[00:24:47] "Ekigai 2.0: The Evolution of a Viral Meme"[00:28:48] "Phased approach to evolving money mindset"[00:42:02] "Navigating the Four Stages of Personal Development"[00:45:56] "Warren Buffett's Thought Experiment Reveals Life's Lottery"[00:52:01] "The Illusion of Free Will: Liberating Realizations"[00:59:57] "Challenging Modern Myths of Cognition"[01:08:05] "Unlocking the Power of a Synthesizing Mind"Official Links👋  Say hi to Kyle on Twitter🖥️  Check out Kyle's Sloww community 📚  Explore his popular posts + epic book summariesConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryFurther Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps

This is my second conversation with Anne Laure — I reached back out after I read a powerful account of her transformative experience drinking Ayahuasca 9 months ago and how following this experience, in her words, she is 'not depressed anymore, I quit drinking… And, for the first time ever and truly happy to be alive'.So we do a deep dive into her plant medicine experience she had, her reflections since that experience — as well as why linear goals are inherently fragile as compared to what she calls growth loops, how her relationship to ambition shifted after Ayahuasca, her favourite mental model, liminal vs. liminoid spaces, the importance of metacognition and much more!Episode Timestamps[00:04:05] "The Hyper Focus of ADHD: Blessing or Curse?"[00:12:06] "Leaving Silicon Valley: Finding a New Path"[00:18:26] "Overcoming the Shame of Functional Depression"[00:25:04] "Experiencing Ayahuasca: Effects and Intention Setting"[00:38:45] "Psychedelics Increase Brain Rewiring: Emerging Evidence Shows"[00:47:00] "Mindful Recovery: Checklist vs Listening to Body"[00:49:56] Embracing the Liminal Space: Redefining Ambition.[00:54:19] "The Power of Letting Go of Fear"[00:59:08] "Mastering Growth: The Simple Process of Experimentation"[01:05:16] "Importance of Metacognition for Growth Group Success"Official Links👋  Follow Anne Laure on Twitter👪  Join the NessLabs community or read her top essaysConnect + Follow Jonny:🐦  Follow on Twitter @jonnym1ller💌  Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter🫁  Learn more about Nervous System MasteryFurther Ways to Support the Podcast:🎙️  I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations, it's so much better than zoom for podcasting🎧  I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.😎  RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!🤖  I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps

This is a powerful conversation with executive coach Brett Kistler — entrepreneur and executive coach who spent much of his life traveling the world full-time as an extreme sports athlete while building a remote software company. Brett also co-hosts the Art of Accomplishment podcast with Joe Hudson, who was a previous guest on this podcast. We unpack many things, including how BASE jumping acted as a hard reboot on his mind and how he uses his emotional inquiry practice to stay alive in extremely risky situations.~~🫁  Last Call for Nervous System Mastery ApplicationsThis episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation.Our third cohort will be running in Spring 2023 ~ and applications are currently open until April 1st. We've had over 400 students complete this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com~~🔗 Official Links 🎙️  Listen to Brett and Joe on the Art of Accomplishment podcast 👀   Watch Brett's superb Ignite Talk 🖥️  Check out Brett's offerings on his website 👋  Find Brett on Twitter @airkistler

This is a special episode with Daniel Thorson — who I initially came across through his super podcast called 'Emerge'  and later learned that he was living as a full-time monastic at the Monastic Academy in Vermont — where after a series of conversations, he persuaded me to come and sit for a 10-day retreat — which I just returned from myself recently.I found this was an immensely rich conversation, and I'm grateful to Daniel for opening up about some of the experiences he had recently during 73 days of solitude and silence (which he described as the most profound experience of his life) — during which he had some brushes with insanity but emerged (no pun intended) on the other side with some very hard-won insights to share.~~🫁  Apply for Nervous System Mastery 🫁This episode of Curious Humans is brought to by the one and only 'Nervous System Mastery' ~ which is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation.Our third cohort will be running in Spring, 2023 ~ and applications are currently open until April 1st. We've had over 400 students complete this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth ~ so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com🔗 Official Show Notes 🔗 💬  Find Daniel on Twitter @dthorson🏛  Learn more about the Monastic Academy🎙️  Listen to Daniel's powerful conversation with Soryu Forall on Emerge🎙️  Link to Buddhist Geeks podcast mentioned by Daniel