The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

In this rant I go off about conspiracism, Ivermectin, Joe Rogan, anti-vaxxers, elk meat diets and more.  This is from an Instagram Live session I did with Dr Hanan Bushkin (@drhananbushkin) - Dr Bushkin is a psychologist so he really knew how to wind me up and set me loose!

Jeff Shaw runs Bellingham BJJ and despite coming to jiu-jitsu late in life fell in love with competition and eventually competed 8 divisions in a single tournament with pretty good results. I particularly love his pre-match psych up routine which you'll learn all about in this episode! 00:55 - 5 Minute Covid Checkin at Bellingham BJJ 13:53 - Starting competitive jiu-jitsu at age 35 17:34 - Should newcomers spar on day one? 23:17 - Competition strategies and their applicability to self defense 40:31 - The value of competing under different rulesets 49:06 - What's a featherweight doing in the absolute division? 54:23 - Training for jiu-jitsu 58:05 - Jeff's pre-competition psych up 1:00:55 - How to contact Jeff and Bellingham BJJ  

Julian Walker has researched, written, and podcasted about cults and gurus, spiritual bypass and quantum woo in New Age circles extensively.  He is also a cohost of the (amazing) Conspirituality Podcast. Today's episode is really important, and we discuss why certain groups (like BJJ, MMA and Yoga circles) are more into conspiracy theories (starting roughly at 4:46), the tendency for some people to make connections and see patterns where none exist (17:59), end of the world prophecies in conspiracy theories (48:08), and more. If you enjoyed this episode then please check out episode 291 with Derek Beres (https://www.grapplearts.com/cults-conspiracies-yoga-wellness-bjj-communities/), 297 with Mathew Remski (https://www.grapplearts.com/cults-prophecies-and-deprogramming-your-friend-with-matthew-remski/), and 325 with Ami Palmer (https://www.grapplearts.com/trust-propaganda-consipiracies/) And, as always, a review of this podcast on iTunes or Spotify would be SUPER appreciated Thanks Stephan Kesting

In episode 335 of The Strenuous Life Podcast Stephan Kesting talks to cult expert, cult survivor and cult deprogrammer Joeseph Szimhart. We go into depth about QAnon, New Age cults, Theosophy, cult recruitment tactics, and people escape them. I think this is a fascinating and very topical conversation. Find out more about Joe at https://www.jszimhart.com/ And if you enjoyed this episode then please, a rating or review within the podcast platform of your choice would be super appreciated! Thank you, Stephan Kesting

Dr Dr Chris Kavanagh is an Oxford trained evolutionary & cognitive anthropologist who co-hosts the 'Decoding the Gurus' podcast with Mathew Browne. Together they tackle the secular gurus propagating their ideas, grievances, and conspiracies on the internet. In today's episode we look at the 10 factors that go into their 'gurometer', a highly scientific measure that takes the signature characteristics of gurus and uses advanced mathematics (simple addition) to determine how high up the guru scale they actually are. From Jordan Peterson, Russell Brand, Tony Robbins, JP Sears, to Brett and Eric Weinstein, we give lots of examples and pull no punches.   Here are the 10 characteristics we discuss in considerable detail... 13:06 - Working definition of "guru" 18:48 - Gurometer factor 1, Galaxy-brainness 28:17 - Gurometer factor 2, Cultishness 35:38 - Gurometer factor 3, Antidisestablishmentarianism 53:03 - Gurometer factor 4, Grievance-mongering 1:00:07 - Gurometer factor 5, Narcissism and self-aggrandisement 1:31:07 - Gurometer factor 6, Cassandra-complex 1:38:10 - Gurometer factor 7, Revolutionary theories 1:43:31 - Gurometer factor 8 - Pseudo-profound bullshit 1:50:43 - Gurometer factor 9 - Conspiracy mongering  1:54:15 - Gurometer factor 10 - Grifting or profiteering

From the cheekiest triangle choke counter I've ever used to Khabib slamming the crap out of his opponents in the UFC, here's a short episode about the times you simply have to move the fight to a new location!  Hope you enjoy this, and if you do then a review or rating on the podcast platform of your choice would be super appreciated! Stephan

Walter Masterson trolls anti-vaxx and pro-conspiracy rallies. He's brave, funny and insightful, and I was honored to have him as a guest on episode 332 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. Follow Walter on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/waltermasterson On TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@waltermasterson On Twitter at https://twitter.com/waltermasterson On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/waltermasterson/ Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Jon Thomas, a BJJ master strategist, dives into the intricacies of the closed guard, revealing his expertise in grip connections and seamless attack transitions. He shares compelling anecdotes from his travels, including unexpected legal challenges, linking these experiences to the mechanics of jiu-jitsu. The discussion emphasizes the balance between structured techniques and instinctual tactics. Thomas also highlights the importance of adaptability, personal growth, and the practical applications of the closed guard in both competition and self-defense scenarios.

How to learn from instructionals, avoid bad seminars, improve BJJ training methods, the Australian MMA scene, trends in grappling, and much more with the eloquent Sonny Brown from the Sonny Brown Breakdown!   And check out the latest Grapplearts instructional on the Closed Guard at https://www.grapplearts.com/closedguard

Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport in Russian Sambo, and has translated his skills on the mat into a busy career as a stuntman appearing in the John Wick movies, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, The Punisher and more.  In this conversation we go into depth about what doing stuntwork is really like, how fight scenes get choreographed, and Steve's best advice for people wanting to step into the industry. Check out Steve's school - NY Sambo - at ussambo.com and/or follow him on Instagram @sambosteve.   Also check out The Strenuous Life Podcast episode 328 to find out more about training Sambo.   Finally, a rating or a review in the podcast platform of your choice is always SUPER appreciated, so thank you if you've already done this!   Cheers, Stephan Kesting