Send us a textAmanda Catarzi is a speaker, strategist, MMA fighter, and sex trafficking survivor.After escaping her trafficker, Amanda dedicated 10 years to fighting sex trafficking. In her journey, she counseled the New Zealand Government, wrote federal legislation, and went undercover to expose trafficking rings.Currently, she is the owner of the copywriting agency Inkery Co, where she and her team are passionate about helping others find their voice and using it effectively to make a positive change in the world.Some of the topics we dive into are:The misconceptions about sex traffickingChildhood abuse within the family and churchGrowing up in a cultThe impact of trauma and PTSDTraumatic Brain InjuryGrief and postpartum depressionDomestic violencePost-traumatic growthAmanda’s experiences working with sexually abused and trafficked childrenEntrepreneurship and putting yourself out there as a content creatorAnd lots moreConnect with AmandaAmandaCatarzi.comInkeryCo.com@amandacatarzi on InstagramAmanda on LinkedInMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify.

Send us a textDr. Paulomi Campbell, Ph.D. is a holistic psychologist based in Charlotte, NC. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University at Buffalo in 2007.Since then, she’s served as a psychologist at Levine Cancer Institute and Columbia St. Mary's, as well as being an Assistant Professor at both Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Marquette University.Currently, she is the Founder of Inara Therapy + Wellness, where she has taken her experiences over the past 15 years in the healthcare field to offer a unique form of holistic psychotherapy which utilizes traditional and non-traditional therapies to help clients view themselves with compassion rather than judgment, and create a fuller integration between the body and mind.Some of the topics we dive into are:(0:00:00) Introduction(0:02:29) The Benefits of Podcasting for Entrepreneurs(0:05:44) The Importance of Mind-Body-Spirit Connection(0:13:35) The Impact of Isolation in a Family of Medical Professionals(0:15:09) Growing up in an Indian-American Family(0:18:09) The Impact of Scarcity Mindset on Parent-Child Relationships(0:25:43) The Impact of Family Expectations on Life Decisions and Mental Health(0:35:02) The Different Ways That People Process Emotions(0:36:48) The Benefits of Neuroplasticity in Emotional Healing(0:39:54) The Power of Being Seen and Heard(0:41:56) The Benefits of Psychotherapy and Seeking Help(0:55:02) Unhealthy Relationships and Mental Health(0:56:29) Emotional Unavailability in Relationships(1:02:01) Change and Fear in Relationships(1:08:08) The Power of Faith(1:12:04) Karma and the Purpose of Life(1:13:38) The Benefits of a Religious Perspective(1:15:47) Minimalist Lifestyle(1:18:37) The Benefits of Mindfulness(1:20:10) The Friction Points That Cause People Not to Follow Through(1:22:08) Consistency and Achieving Goals(1:23:41) The Future of Mental Health(1:25:33) Western Medicine and Mental Health(1:35:40) Over-Medicalization and the Threat to Alternative Medicine(1:37:46) Leaky Gut Syndrome(1:41:13) Holistic Therapy for Mental Health(1:43:16) Functional Medicine(1:49:17) The Impact of Family on Career Decisions(1:51:10) Insecurity, Sensitivity, and Busyness in a Relationship(1:55:00) How to Stay Emotionally Balanced as a Professional Therapist(1:59:24) Pessimistic Optimism, Empathy and the Future of HumanityConnect with Paulomi:InaraTherapy.comPaulomi on LinkedInMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify.

Send us a textRishi Rawat is the founder of Frictionless Commerce. As a world-class expert in buyer psychology and conversion optimization, Rishi has spent the past 13 years laser-focused on running marketing experiments that help eCommerce brands remove friction and massively increase sales.In our conversation we dive into:Self-awareness as a superpowerIntuition versus empirical dataDelegation and installing your operating system into a teamBusyness, laziness, and essentialismSpecialization and the pursuit of excellenceThe placebo effect, gossip, and evolutionary psychologyExternal and internal realitiesConsumerism and ethical marketingand much more...Connect with Rishi:Website: frictionless-commerce.comLinkedIn: @rawatrishiSubscribe to Rishi's channel on YouTube Music by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textJohn Heers is the Co-Founder and Director of the First Things Foundation, and the host of the podcast, Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?  The First Things Foundation is a non-profit organization that takes young people from the “new world” of the West to the “old world” of developing countries where they immerse, learn the language, and connect with local entrepreneurs and helps empower them to spur organic, ground-up development in their communities. They have active projects in Guatemala, Sierra Leone, the Georgia Republic, Ethiopia, and Appalachia near and dear to me here in the Rust Belt of the United States. John has a Master's Degree in History from Columbia University. Previous to First Things Foundation, John worked overseas serving the Peace Corps as a water resource manager in Mali, oversaw emergency relief in the Georgian Republic, and taught history for 9 years in South Bronx and Harlem in New York City and Haiti.  In our conversation we dive into:The global response to COVIDMetaphysics, spirituality, and secularismWealth inequalityCorruption in the non-profit worldPsychedelics and simulation theoryNihilism, and spiritual versus the material worldLoneliness and the opioid epidemicCommunity, and extreme povertyDemocracy and revolutionThe declining health of western cultureHow technology may make or break our future Connect with John:Website: First-Things.orgInstagram: @firstthingsfoundationPodcast: Why Are We Talking About Rabbits? Music by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textChris Giuseppini is a cinematographer, entrepreneur, and founder of Sondor Media. He's helped YouTube influencers reach over a million subscribers, and worked on videos that advertised for Sony, Canon, and Fujifilm. In our conversation we dive into:The day-to-day struggles of living with ADHD, personally and professionally.Approaching ADHD as a latency problem.Overcoming perfectionism and conflict avoidance.And much more...Connect with Chris:Website: SondorMedia.comLinkedIn: @ChrisGPresentsMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textChristopher Silvestri is a rock-star freelance conversion designer & copywriter. Over the past 15 years, he has honed his craft at the intersection of copywriting, UX design, and digital psychology to help SaaS and eCommerce companies convert more prospects into customers.In our conversation we dive into:Meditation, imposter syndrome, and freelancing.Lifestyle design and his travels to over 20 countries.Copywriting, user experience design, and psychology.Strategic approaches to learning.How to become an expert listener.The experience of having a twin.And much more.Connect with Chris:Website: ChristopherSilvestri.comLinkedIn: @SilvestriChrisMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textToday Josh speaks with Roy Steves about the chaotic life of the marketing and agency world.Some of the topics we dive into are:The emotional rollercoaster of starting and maintaining a marketing agency.The issues of incentives, scope creep, and managing expectations with clients.Advice for young people getting into marketing and the agency world.What Roy and I would do differently if we had to start again.Escapism, imposter syndrome, and the trappings of success.Existential threats, and the importance of therapy for entrepreneurs.AI, machine learning, and the unexpected implications of complex systems.Crypto, Brave, and BAT.The future disruptions in digital marketing, social media, and the attention economy.And lots more.Roy is an industry veteran, who over the last 20 years his career evolved from being a programmer to running several of his own businesses, being the VP of Digital Marketing and CMO of two prominent eCommerce brands, to ultimately co-founding StatBid in 2015.StatBid is a boutique paid search and SEO agency, where Roy and his team work with direct-to-consumer eCommerce brands to optimize and scale their digital marketing.Connect with Roy:Website: StatBid.comLinkedIn: @RoyStevesMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textToday Josh speaks with Sam McNerney on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Some of the topics we dive into are:The geopolitical reactions and support of Ukraine.Putin’s mental health and motivations behind the invasion.Russia's political and economic future.The prospects of WW3.How Russia and Ukraine are both using propaganda as part of information warfare.The differences between Russian and American oligarchs.And much more.Sam McNerney is an applied behavioral scientist, market researcher, and brand strategist based in Brooklyn, New York. He has worked with brands such as Walmart, Procter & Gamble, and CitiBank.As a writer, he has interviewed business and academic leaders including Arianna Huffington, Andrew Yang, Jonathan Haidt, and Charles Murray – and his essays have been featured in publications like The Washington Post, Psychology Today, and Scientific American.Connect with Sam:Website: SamMcNerney.comTwitter: @SamMcNerneyMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textToday, Josh talks with Oliver Seligman about the struggle of mental illness, mindfulness, and stability.Oliver is a monk, author, and inspirational speaker. He has spent twenty years traveling the world, helping people to find peace through meditation. In doing so, he has developed insight into the workings of the mind and what makes us happy or unhappy.Oliver has written three books, his first being “The Broker Who Broke Free,” about his life change from being a successful Sales Trader at Merrill Lynch to an Ishaya monk.His most recent book, “Befriending Bipolar,” covers his lifelong battle with bipolar disorder, suicidal depression, psychotic episodes, his complicated relationship with psychiatric medication, and how he ultimately learned to cope with it.Some of the topics we dive into are:Our shared experiences with bipolar disorder.Burnout, stress, and optimizing for happiness.Social media, propaganda, and psychedelics.Misconceptions about mindfulness and mental illness.Neuroplasticity, hallucinations, and psychotic episodes.Stoicism, wisdom, and reincarnation.The experience of living as a monk in the modern world.Ice baths, cold showers, and sauna for anxiety.The optimistic future ahead.And much more.Connect with Oliver:BefriendingBipolar.co.ukLinkedIn@befriending_bipolar on InstagramMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify

Send us a textToday Josh talks with Felix Velarde about the potential optimistic and pessimistic futures ahead and the compound interest of positive impact. Felix is a strategist, author, speaker, lecturer, and pioneer of the internet. He started one of the world’s first web design companies in 1994. He then had a high-profile, twenty-year career as a serial founder of several innovative digital creative and strategy agencies, including being chairman at pioneering CRM firm Underwired and CEO of The Conversation Group. He co-created “Head-Space”, which Forbes has described as one of the world’s ten most influential websites. He has been the subject of a BBC documentary and has won many of the world’s biggest creative and marketing awards.He taught on the MBA program as an adjunct professor at Hult International, one of the world’s top business schools. He was part of the organizing team and the UK lead of People-Centered Internet, a non-profit organization chaired by the Internet’s co-inventor and architect Vint Cerf.Currently, Felix is the CEO of 2Y3X, a two-year commercial growth accelerator program to help startups achieve long-term sustainable growth, and recently the author of the book, Scale at Speed.Some of the other topics we dive into are:Pessimistic optimism and the existential threats ahead.The decline of Western civilization.The fractionalization of the United States.Purpose, empathy, and nihilism.Life as an outsider of society.Venal politicians, special interests, and conspiracy theories.The stress and barriers to scaling a business.Overachievers and universal imposter syndrome.The compound interest of positive impact.The power and consequences of being a content creator.And lots more.Connect with Felix:Website: 2Y3X.comLinkedIn: @FelixVelardeBook: ScaleAtSpeed.comMusic by Kirby Johnston – check out his band Aldaraia on Spotify