Know Thyself

Alle afleveringen

217 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud

  1. E217 - David Whyte: The Conversational Nature of Reality

    20 oktober 2026 · 2 uur 10 min

    Afspelen
    David Whyte trained as a marine zoologist, spent two years as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos, and went on to become one of the most beloved poets of our time. In this conversation we begin with words themselves: how they first arrive in our bodies as children, how they drift into abstraction, and how poetry can return them to direct presence. David describes the stages of attention he discovered while sitting in silence with the animals of the Galapagos, and how each deeper level of attention changes who we are and what can meet us. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Watching a Galapagos hawk, David moved from self-absorption to noticing, then to being seen, then to sensing the relationship itself as what was most alive. The same progression is available at the kitchen table with a partner or child, if we are willing to let it look back at us.

    2. We often throw valuable things into grief, such as relationships, marriages, and plans, hoping we will not have to go down ourselves. David suggests that falling all the way to the bottom is how we find solid ground, and how the qualities we loved in someone lost begin to live in us.

    3. Before David found his path, he had to refuse work that looked close to what he wanted. A stranger’s story by a fireside turned him back toward his original longing. Saying no to the near miss can feel like a loss, but it keeps room open for what is actually calling.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

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    https://www.wakingup.com/knowthyself

    Anima Mundi: 20% off with code KNOWTHYSELF

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:59 Words as Doorways into Reality

    04:20 Living Inside Abstraction

    09:27 Attention and the Capacity for Conversation

    22:28 Zen and the Contemplative Path

    36:59 Speaking from Silence

    38:56 Overhearing What You Didn’t Know You Knew

    50:38 Grieving Joh…

  2. E216 - Janna Levin: An Astrophysicist's Guide to Black Holes, Higher Dimensions & the Nature of Reality

    13 oktober 2026 · 2 uur 22 min

    Afspelen
    In this episode, I sit down with Janna Levin, a theoretical astrophysicist at Barnard College of Columbia University, Guggenheim fellow, and author of Black Hole Survival Guide, Black Hole Blues, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, and How the Universe Got Its Spots. Janna started out as a philosophy major drawn to the biggest questions, then found in physics a way of answering them that felt true for everyone, everywhere. Preparing for this conversation blew my mind more than almost any other, and sitting with her only deepened that. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. When a massive star collapses into a black hole, the star itself keeps falling and leaves behind only curved, empty space. With no material features left to observe, every black hole looks alike, which is why physicists treat them like giant fundamental particles holding clues to quantum gravity.

    2. Einstein realized the purest experience of gravity is weightlessness, the feeling of falling freely with no chair, floor, or bed in the way. What we call heaviness is really something resisting our fall, while objects simply follow the natural curves of spacetime.

    3. Janna suggests technological species may face a bottleneck where the ingenuity that builds rockets also builds bombs. Surviving it could mean reaching a balance with nature so complete that a civilization becomes hard to detect, which may help explain why the cosmos looks so quiet.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:24 From Philosophy to Physics

    06:39 Made of Star Stuff

    12:13 The Ever Expanding Cosmos

    17:14 Before the Big Bang

    21:31 How Complexity Emerges

    24:42 The Nat…

  3. E215 - Elizabeth Gilbert: Love Addiction, Telling the Truth & Hearing Your Inner Voice

    6 oktober 2026 · 2 uur 14 min

    Afspelen
    Elizabeth Gilbert joins me for her first public conversation after a six month sabbatical, a stretch where she stopped writing, producing, and planning so she could simply be available to life. Liz is the author of "Eat, Pray, Love", "Big Magic", and her memoir "All the Way to the River". In this conversation she speaks openly about the daily practice of two-way prayer that guides her choices, her recovery from sex and love addiction, and the story of loving her partner Raya through terminal cancer and active drug addiction. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Liz describes feeling trapped many times in her life, most painfully while caring for Raya through cancer and active addiction. Each time, the only way out was the truth she least wanted to tell, and naming where she was lying, hiding, or manipulating is what finally set her free.

    2. Recovery taught Liz that no partner, payoff, or praise could fill her sense of scarcity around love. Sitting with the part of her that wailed for someone else at three in the morning, and promising to stay anyway, slowly built a secure attachment to herself that no other person could provide.

    3. Liz no longer believes everyone must create, but she believes everyone is invited. Success can never be promised, yet telling the story within you will change who you are by the end. As AI grows more capable, the lasting reason to make things may be the one our ancestors had: it is pleasing.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    Waking Up: Get your 14 day free trial!https://www.wakingup.com/knowthyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyselfUse code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewidehttps://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:30 The Call to Stop

    08:30 Listening for a Higher Voice

    19:25 How to Recognize the Ego

    26:05 The Public, Private, and Secret Self

    29:12 Writing From Healed Scars…

  4. E214 - Tom Bilyeu: Humanity Is Splitting into 4 Futures… Choose Wisely

    29 september 2026 · 2 uur 39 min

    Afspelen
    My guest today is Tom Bilyeu, the entrepreneur behind Quest Nutrition who went on to build Impact Theory into one of the most watched long form interview channels in the world. Tom is now building a procedurally generated video game called Kyzen, and in recent years his content has shifted away from personal development and toward economics, artificial intelligence, and the systems that quietly shape how we live. I wanted to sit with him inside that shift, to understand what pulled him away from the mindset conversation he had mastered and toward questions about money, power, and the trajectory of intelligence itself. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Tom credits his success to a simple loop: predict an outcome, run the experiment, and stay honest about what actually happened. He treats being wrong as useful data rather than a threat to his identity, which lets him adjust quickly instead of defending a position that clearly isn't working anymore.

    2. Tom argues that meaning isn't discovered but handed to us by evolution as an empty box we get to fill. For him that box holds his wife and his work, and he believes people struggle most when whatever filled the box, a job, a role, a relationship, disappears and nothing takes its place.

    3. Tom's core financial message is that not owning assets quietly erodes your purchasing power through inflation, whether you notice it or not. He believes the escape route is available to almost anyone, but most people never take the step of investing consistently over decades instead of waiting for certainty.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:50 The Evolution of the Show

    05:02 Between What Was and What's Next

    08:53 The Spark of Divinity and What Tom Is Building
    …

  5. E213 - Matthew Hussey: The Patterns Blocking You From Love (& What To Do)

    22 september 2026 · 2 uur 35 min

    Afspelen
    Matthew Hussey is back on the show, and this conversation picks up right where our last one left off, except he's grown a lot since then. Matthew built his early career on a simple idea: create more opportunity and you'll make better romantic choices. Over time he realized abundance alone doesn't fix anything. The real work lives underneath, in the unconscious patterns and emotional reflexes that decide who we choose and how we behave once we have them. That discovery pushed his focus toward emotional regulation, and it's the thread running through everything we talk about today. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Matthew built his early career on the idea that more romantic opportunity leads to better choices. He later realized abundance does not override the unconscious patterns formed by our earliest relationships. Real change comes from understanding those patterns, not expanding the pool of options.

    2. When someone does not text back for hours and a whole day unravels, the reaction is rarely about the message itself. Matthew describes triggers as reflexive states shaped by earlier wounds, not conscious choices. Curiosity and self-compassion, not shame, create room to respond differently.

    3. Matthew traces his readiness for commitment to a relationship built on certainty and standards at once: his wife made clear she was giving it an honest try and expected the same. That let him stop fearing the future and start showing up fully, since the decision no longer sat on him alone.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewide

    Waking Up: Get your 14 day free trial!

    https://www.wakingup.com/knowthyself

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:09 Why the Focus Shifted to Relationships

    09:26 How Perspective Shifts With Experience

    11:41 Relationship as a Path to Growth

    17:11 The Fear Beneath Commitment…

  6. E212 - Dr. Shefali: How To Raise Conscious Children (It Starts With You)

    15 september 2026 · 1 uur 57 min

    Afspelen
    I sat down with Dr. Shefali, clinical psychologist trained at Columbia and the voice behind the Conscious Parenting Movement for over two decades, to explore what it really means to parent from awareness instead of ego. We talk about the illusion of the perfect parent, why children are our greatest mirrors, and how the wounds we carry from our own childhoods get passed down unless we do the work to see them clearly. Dr. Shefali doesn't offer a script. She offers a practice of humility, one that asks us to look at ourselves before we look at our kids. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Dr. Shefali explains that most parenting struggles trace back to ego, the desire to control, to be right, to see your child as an extension of your own unmet dreams. Real conscious parenting means constantly questioning whether your actions come from your child's essence or your own unresolved story.

    2. Without rites of passage or male mentors, boys are left to figure out masculinity through porn and the manosphere. Dr. Shefali argues that testosterone, purpose, and physical challenge need healthy outlets, and that community, not isolation, is what turns raw masculine energy into something protective and grounded.

    3. Dr. Shefali describes how social media exploits children's developing brains, especially girls', feeding insecurity and manufacturing endless standards to chase. She calls it algorithmic abduction, a process that outsources parenting itself and leaves children disconnected from their own inner voice.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.wakingup.com/knowthyself

    https://www.im8health.com/knowthyself

    code KNOWTHYSELF for an exclusive offer

    https://www.buylarine.com/knowthyself

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:51 Defining Conscious Parenting

    03:35 Inviting Grace Into Parenting

    07:20 Children as the Ultimate Mirror

    10:25…

  7. E211 - John Wineland: Love, Safety & Desire - What Your Wounds Are Deciding for You

    8 september 2026 · 1 uur 54 min

    Afspelen
    John Wineland has spent nearly twenty years teaching people how to love more deeply, and in this conversation he lays out why intimacy has become one of the most demanding spiritual practices available to us. We talk about why relationships surface our oldest wounds, why the partner we choose so often mirrors the exact pattern we grew up in, and why that mirroring is not a mistake but an invitation to heal. John also opens up about his daughter Claire, who passed away eight years ago, and what her life and death taught him about grief, presence, and unconditional love. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. John explains that whatever part of you remains unhealed keeps transmitting into the world, and it draws a partner with the opposite wound so you can replay your childhood dynamic together. He frames this pattern as an opportunity rather than a flaw, since the relationship that triggers you most is often showing you exactly what needs attention.

    2. Years of unspoken fear shape how we stand, breathe, and hold tension, so real change requires more than insight alone. John describes training the nervous system through practices like breathwork and qigong so the body can stay open in moments that would normally trigger defense, attack, or withdrawal, which is where lasting change actually happens.

    3. Reflecting on his daughter Claire, John shares that there is no end to grief because there is no end to love. He describes honoring grief as an act of self love rather than something to rush past, and encourages anyone facing loss to give that grief real space instead of staying busy to avoid feeling it.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewide

    https://www.oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:48 The Historical Evolution of Love

    05:45 Wh…

  8. E210 - Dr. David Spiegel: #1 Hypnotism Expert, “Wake Up From The Trance of Your Life”

    1 september 2026 · 1 uur 30 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. David Spiegel is the Wilson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford, the co-founder of the hypnosis app Reveri, and one of the world's leading clinical researchers on hypnosis. He has worked with over 7,000 patients across 50 years, and in this conversation he opened with something I did not expect: he tested my hypnotizability live on camera. I scored a nine out of ten. What followed was one of the most genuinely surprising conversations about the mind I have had on this show. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. The self you walk around with is not a fixed structure. Dr. Spiegel calls it a convenient assumption, something the brain constructs to simplify experience. Hypnosis reveals this by demonstrating how quickly and completely a person can shift, often in a single session.

    2. Memories are not neutral recordings. They are laid down and retrieved from brain regions that manage affect, which means the emotion and the memory are inseparable. Working with a memory hypnotically allows you to enter it, update its emotional meaning, and change how it lives in you.

    3. The same capacity that lets a child survive abuse by mentally leaving their body can, in adulthood, become a habitual distance from experience. Understanding whether your detachment is a protective skill or an old survival pattern still running is one of the more honest questions this conversation surfaces.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack

    https://www.timeline.com/KNOWTHYSELF

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:52 What Hypnosis Actually Is

    05:34 The Malleability of Personality and Self

    07:01 How Trauma Gets Stored in the Body and Memory

    12:00 Hypnosis as the Oldest Western Psychotherapy

    15:13 What Happens in the Brain During Hypnosis

    18:36 The Default Mode Network and the "My Fa…

  9. E209 – Rizwan Virk: Are We Living in a Simulation? (It's Deeper Than You Think)

    25 augustus 2026 · 2 uur 35 min

    Afspelen
    Rizwan Virk is an MIT-trained computer scientist, video game pioneer, and bestselling author of The Simulation Hypothesis. His work sits at a rare intersection: quantum physics, Eastern mysticism, and the architecture of video games, all pointing toward the same unsettling and strangely liberating conclusion. In this conversation, we explore not the nihilistic version of simulation theory, but the one that actually gives life more meaning rather than less. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. The simulation Rizwan describes is not one where you are code running on a server. You are the soul outside the game, choosing an avatar and entering by choice. The body is the character. The player is something more.

    2. Synchronicities, hunches, recurring patterns, these are not coincidences. Rizwan frames them as messages from a deeper intelligence, perhaps a future self, a guide, or the part of you watching the game from outside. The practice is learning to read them rather than dismiss them.

    3. In a well-designed game, difficulty scales to keep you engaged and growing. Rizwan applies the same logic to life: the quests that keep returning are the ones not yet completed, and completing them is what the game is actually for.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.im8health.com/knowthyself

    code KNOWTHYSELF for an exclusive offer

    https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:46 NPC vs. RPG: Two Flavors of Simulation Theory

    07:44 The Universe as Information: It from Bit

    13:07 The Second Assertion: Information Rendered as Real

    18:06 Non-Locality, Quantum Entanglement, and the Speed of Light

    22:32 The Simulation Point: When VR Becomes Indistinguishable

    26:44 The Third Assertion: The World as Purposeful Illusion

    35:23 Awakening as Becoming Lucid in the Dream

    38:52 The Fourth Assertion: You Chose to Play the Game
    …

  10. E208 - Dr. Robert Lustig: What Modern Food Is Doing to Your Sense of Self

    18 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 51 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Robert Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, pediatrician, and bestselling author who has spent 45 years watching children get sicker despite his best efforts to stop it. His work connects the dots between ultra-processed food, mitochondrial dysfunction, dopamine hijacking, and the chronic stress epidemic in a way that is impossible to dismiss. In this conversation, we explore what he calls the hostage brain, what happens to a nervous system under sustained biochemical assault, and why so much of what we call personal failure is actually a systems problem. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. When chronic pain, emotional or physical, goes unresolved, the brain reaches for anything that spikes dopamine to quiet it. Over time, tolerance builds and neurons die. Lustig's point is that this is not a personal weakness. The food, the screens, and the stress have conspired to put nearly all of us in some version of this state.

    2. Dopamine drives wanting. Serotonin drives contentment. The loneliness epidemic is not simply a social problem but a neurochemical one. Cortisol reduces serotonin, dopamine antagonizes it, and ultra-processed food depletes the tryptophan needed to make it.

    3. Lustig draws a clear line between primary needs, love, sleep, real food, and secondary desires, status, power, accumulation. Meeting the basics first is both the simplest and most radical act available.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewide

    https://www.oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off OneSkin

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:02 What Is Hostage Brain?

    04:47 The Loss of Stress Resilience

    09:15 Dopamine, Tolerance, and the Addicted Brain

    11:26 The Five Causes of Hijacked Biology

    13:08 The Amygdala: Fear Center, Air Traffic Controller, Buckshot

    16:07 The Four Brakes on the Amygdala and Why T…

  11. E207 - Jim George: Stillness Expert: “How To Not Miss Your Life”

    11 augustus 2026 · 2 uur 11 min

    Afspelen
    Jim George is a stillness coach, former animator, and one of the first guests ever to appear on this podcast. He has spent nearly 50 years developing what he calls practical spirituality, a way of working with the mind that requires no doctrine, no dogma, and no special belief system. What it does require is the willingness to get quiet enough to see what is actually there. In this conversation, we return to the most essential territory: the cost of mental noise, the nature of the ego, and what it genuinely means to be present for your own life. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. The noise in the mind is not neutral. Every moment spent in a self-generated narrative about the past or future is a moment you were not actually there. At the end of a life of that, Jim says, there is a strange vacuum.

    2. The drive for status was not a character flaw. It was, quite literally, a matter of life and death for our ancestors. Understanding that gives you room to stop being run by it. When you see the mechanism clearly, competition can begin to evolve into something closer to cooperation, which Jim argues is the actual path forward for the species.

    3. Gratitude is not a feeling you perform. It is focused attention on what already is, and it shifts your neurochemistry from dopamine-driven wanting toward something more stable.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.im8health.com/knowthyself

    code KNOWTHYSELF for an exclusive offer

    https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:40 The Cost of Normalizing Internal Noise

    06:07 What the Noise Is Made Of: Limbic Survival and Chatter

    12:11 The Contrast Between Noise and Stillness

    14:52 Status as an Evolutionary Artifact

    24:16 Normalization and the Tiger in the Mind

    29:18 Pure Stillness vs. Stillishness

    32:37 The Ego Narrative and the Illusion of Separation

    40:14 Ever…

  12. E206 - Jahnavi Harrison: Living a Life of Devotion & Embracing Your Voice

    4 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 54 min

    Afspelen
    Jahnavi Harrison is a Grammy-nominated artist, musician, and practitioner of Bhakti Yoga who has spent her life exploring sound as a path to the divine. Raised at Bhaktivedanta Manor in England, she grew up inside one of the world's most dedicated devotional communities, and in this conversation we trace how that formation shaped her relationship with voice, identity, approval, and what it means to offer your life as a prayer. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Most of us were told at some point to be quiet, to sound better, or to wait until we were good enough. That conditioning runs deep. Reclaiming the voice, whether through kirtan, song, or simply speaking truthfully, is one of the most direct paths back to a self that stopped performing and started expressing.

    2. Bhakti is not a feeling you arrive at and maintain. It is a daily offering, something you return to moment by moment, especially when you have drifted. Jahnavi's framing is simple: make space for prayer in whatever form feels alive to you, and that space will become a source of nourishment that compounds over time.

    3. The desire to be accepted can masquerade as discernment, as wisdom, even as calling. Jahnavi traces how much of her own journey involved slowly distinguishing the voice of genuine inner knowing from the much louder voice that simply wanted to be liked. That distinction is not resolved once. It is worked on for life.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.timeline.com/KNOWTHYSELF

    Save 20% off your Mitopure® Gummies

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewide

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:36 What Devotional Music Actually Is

    03:12 Sound as a Direct Path to the Divine

    06:42 Sound as the First and Last Sense

    09:15 The Sensitivity of Sound and Its Transformative Power

    12:28 Why We Lose Our Voices: Fear, Shame, and the Voice Unsung

    16:22…

  13. E205 - Anil Seth: Your Perception of Reality & Self Is a Hallucination

    28 juli 2026 · 2 uur 12 min

    Afspelen
    Anil Seth is a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex and one of the world's leading researchers on consciousness. His central claim is both unsettling and liberating: we do not passively receive reality, we actively generate it. The world that appears when you open your eyes is not a transparent window onto what is actually out there. It is the brain's best guess, a controlled hallucination, built from the inside out. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Your brain is not reading out the world like a camera. It is making constant predictions about what is out there and updating them with sensory signals. What you perceive is much more a product of those internal predictions than of the raw sensory data coming in. In that sense, all perception is a form of hallucination, just one that happens to be grounded in reality.

    2. Just as the brain generates a model of the external world, it generates a model of the self. The feeling of being a continuous, stable "I" is another best guess, not a fixed essence waiting to be discovered. This is both humbling and freeing, because a constructed self can be examined and updated in ways a fixed one cannot.

    3. As AI systems grow more sophisticated, they will increasingly appear to have inner lives. Anil draws a sharp line between intelligence and consciousness, arguing that current AI lacks the biological, embodied, self-regulating properties that we believe underlie genuine experience. Confusing performance for presence is not just a philosophical error. It shapes regulation, design, and how we treat these systems.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.im8health.com/knowthyself

    code KNOWTHYSELF for an exclusive offer

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

    code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 43% off sitewide

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:47 We Don't Perceive the World — We Generate It

    04:…

  14. E204 – Dr. William Li: The Body's 5 Health Defense Systems, Cancer, Microplastics & Healing From the Inside Out

    21 juli 2026 · 2 uur 3 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. William Li is a Harvard-trained physician, co-founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation, and New York Times bestselling author whose work centers on one quietly radical premise: the power to stay healthy lives inside you. In this conversation, we explore the five hardwired defense systems the body runs continuously, angiogenesis, stem cells, the gut microbiome, immunity, and DNA protection, and what it looks like to actually support them through food, sleep, and daily choices. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. You are not just one organism. You carry 39 trillion bacteria inside you, many of which send signals up through the vagus nerve directly to the brain, shaping mood, social behavior, and stress levels.

    2. Your body was born with 70 million extra stem cells stored in bone marrow, ready to mobilize and repair damage whenever called. Sleep, food, and metabolic health directly influence how effectively they do their job.

    3. The environment is full of things we cannot fully control, microplastics, toxins, pollution. What we can control is whether our internal defense systems are strong enough to handle the load. Chronic stress degrades those systems faster than most environmental exposures.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyself

    Try LMNT & get a free sample pack

    https://oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF

    Code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:42 Health Is Not the Absence of Disease

    05:24 The Five Health Defense Systems

    07:14 Defense 1: Angiogenesis and Blood Vessel Health

    09:07 Defense 2: Stem Cells and the Body's Repair System

    14:01 Defense 3: The Gut Microbiome and the Holobiont

    21:38 Defense 4: The Immune System as Inner Army

    31:44 Defense 5: DNA Repair and the Iron Dome Within

    36:48 Cancer Is Growing in All of Us Right Now

    43:07 The Rising Cancer Rates and Why They're Skewing Younger

    47:40 Microplastics: Whe…

  15. E203 - Dr. Justin Sledge: The Occult, Witch Trials & the Forbidden Teachings of Gnosticism

    14 juli 2026 · 3 uur 23 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Justin Sledge is a scholar of philosophy and Western esotericism, and the voice behind the YouTube channel Esoterica, which has grown to over a million subscribers. He has spent his career studying the traditions that history tried to erase: Gnosticism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, witchcraft, and alchemy. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Classical skepticism is not about debunking or disbelief. It is about bracketing your personal investment long enough to let the material speak for itself.

    2. Newton wrote more on alchemy and the occult than on calculus. Descartes arrived at his famous method through a mystical dream. Stripping these facts from the story of modernity has cost us access to some of the most important spiritual technologies ever developed.

    3. Every other starting point, certainty, comfort, doctrine, conclusions, has a gutter waiting at the end of it. Awe keeps the garden of curiosity alive.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:57 What Skepticism Actually Means

    06:21 How to Enter Mystical Inquiry Without Collapsing Into Belief

    08:03 Religion, Mysticism, and the Margins

    11:24 Gnosticism: The World as Prison, Christ as Liberator

    14:21 The Nag Hammadi Discovery and the Many Christianities

    17:00 William James and the Four Qualities of Mystical Experience

    21:50 Perennial Wisdom vs. High-Resolution Differences

    26:44 The Limits of Propositional Truth

    31:32 Irrational vs. Non-Rational: Why the Distinction Matters

    37:10 The Danger of Universalizing Mystical Experience

    44:34 The World Is Stranger Than We Assume

    51:01 How the Myth of Rational Modernity Was Curated

    59:35 Recovering the Suppressed Voices of Western History

    1:00:45 Mary Magdalene: Not a Prostitute

    1:14:22 T…

  16. E202 - Donald Robertson: 2,400-Year-Old Stoic Wisdom To Conquer Your Ego & Live a Virtuous Life

    7 juli 2026 · 4 uur 22 min

    Afspelen
    Donald Robertson is a cognitive behavioral psychotherapist, author of over nine books, and one of the founding voices in the modern Stoicism movement. He has spent over 30 years studying how ancient Greek and Roman philosophy intersects with contemporary psychology, and in this conversation we start where it all begins: the maxim carved into the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Know thyself. We explore what it actually meant, who said it, and why it still matters more than most self-help advice written in the last century. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. The Stoics drew a sharp line between what actually happens and the value judgments we add on top of it. To say something "is awful" treats our emotional reaction as a fact about the world.

    2. Of all the emotions that derail a life, anger gets the least attention in therapy, self-help, and honest self-reflection.

    3. In the ancient world, wisdom was not something you consumed or memorized. It was something you practiced daily. Collecting insights without changing your behavior is closer to what the Sophists sold than to what Socrates taught.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:53 Know Thyself: The Three Sayings at Delphi

    07:44 What Philosophy Actually Means

    11:17 Socrates vs. the Sophists: Wisdom vs. Appearance

    18:05 The Stoic U-Turn: Reorienting What We Value

    23:59 Self-Knowledge as a Mirror for the Soul

    26:59 Values Clarification and the Eulogy Exercise

    35:02 Ad: LMNT

    36:03 Eudaimonia: Flourishing, Not Just Happiness

    39:40 Hardship as Opportunity for Character

    45:31 A Brief History of Stoicism

    53:22 Ad: Timeline Mitopure

    54:33 The Stoics Were Way Ahead of Their Time

    59:30 Stoicism, India, and Alexander the Great

    1:06:31 Early Christ…

  17. E201 - Dandapani: A Monk's Warning "Distraction Is Costing You Your Life"

    30 juni 2026 · 2 uur 24 min

    Afspelen
    Dandapani is a Hindu priest who spent over ten years as a celibate monk before devoting his life to teaching the world how to master focus. His central claim is simple but unsettling: most of us are not distracted by accident, we have spent years actively practicing distraction, often more hours a day than most people practice anything else they care about. In this conversation, we unpack what it actually costs to live a physically present, mentally absent life, and why that cost compounds with every passing year. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Whatever you do for hours a day, every day, you get good at. Most people have unintentionally practiced distraction more than they have practiced anything else, which is why concentration feels so foreign and difficult by comparison.

    2. You cannot practice being present directly. Presence is simply the outcome of keeping your awareness fixed on one thing without it wandering. Trying to "be present" without training focus is chasing an effect while ignoring its cause.

    3. When your attention bounces between unfinished tasks, each unresolved jump adds a small charge of anxiety that accumulates over the day. Learning to hold awareness in one place, even briefly, interrupts that buildup before it becomes stress.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:29 What Distraction Costs Us

    07:29 The Law of Practice

    13:19 Life Is Finite, Not Short

    24:08 Money, Purpose, and the Path of the Householder

    28:08 Tasting the Super Conscious

    32:21 Awareness, Anxiety, and the Roots of Stress

    39:42 How to Train Focus: The Ball of Light

    50:11 Eliminating Fear by Controlling Awareness

    55:43 The Greatest Gift: Undivided Attention

    1:01:36 Becoming a Monk: The Search for a Real Teacher

    1:11:20 Choosing a Philosophy Before the Practice

    1:23:26 Signs of a …

  18. E200 - Ido Portal: The Body Knows What the Mind Can't

    23 juni 2026 · 3 uur 6 min

    Afspelen
    Ido Portal is one of the most original movement thinkers alive. He has spent decades studying the body across martial arts, acrobatics, yoga, dance, and ancient movement traditions, not to master any one of them, but to ask a deeper question: what does it actually mean to move well, and what does the body reveal when you finally start listening to it? In this conversation, we go long, covering ground that most movement conversations never reach. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1.Most of us treat the body like a car to maintain, something we service occasionally for performance or appearance. Ido's entire framework starts from the opposite premise: the body is not a tool you use, it is what you are. That shift alone changes what practice means.

    2.What we attend to grows. What we neglect crumbles. Ido applies this principle everywhere, from babies in hospitals to athletes on the field. Bringing undivided attention to even one part of your body for one minute, with no music, no phone, no audience, begins a transformation most people have never experienced.

    3.The most important moment in Ido's own journey was admitting he didn't have what he was looking for. Not as defeat, but as a beginning. The person who thinks they already have a connection to their body is the one most closed off to finding it. Not knowing, and staying there, is the actual practice.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:44 How Most People Relate to Their Body

    09:22 Movement vs. Practice vs. Exercise

    10:27 Life Is for Practicing, Not Just Living

    20:13 Attention as the Primary Tool

    23:49 Stop Practicing for Exposure

    28:12 How to Begin: Removing Leakage

    35:22 Diagnostic Play and the Art of Seeing

    37:30 The Ancie…

  19. E199 - Dr. Caroline Leaf: How to Stop Your Brain From Holding You Back

    16 juni 2026 · 1 uur 30 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist and bestselling author who has spent over 40 years studying the relationship between the mind and the brain. At a time when neuroplasticity was still emerging as a field, she was already building clinical tools to help patients recover from brain injuries, trauma, and conditions that conventional medicine had written off as permanent. In this conversation, we go deep into a distinction that changes everything: the mind is not the brain, and once you understand that, you stop being a victim of your own biology. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. The brain does not generate thoughts. It responds to the mind. Everything you think, feel, and choose originates in the mind and then gets coded into the brain and body.

    2. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health labels are not diseases you have. They are signals pointing to an underlying thought that needs to be found and restructured.

    3. You cannot change what happened, but you can change the impact it has on your present and future. Through a process of deconstructing and reconstructing toxic thought networks, the grip of the past loosens.

    Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.bioptimizers.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF to save 15% at checkout

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    03:11 The Difference Between Mind and Brain

    07:17 Why the Brain-Is-Boss Model Gets It Wrong

    12:25 Consciousness Beyond the Physical Body

    14:25 Quantum Physics, Microtubules, and the Mind

    21:24 Science and Spirituality Converging

    23:41 Early Research: Neuroplasticity and Traumatic Brain Injury

    28:50 Mind-Driven Change: Telomeres and Cellular Health

    31:56 Working in South Africa: Healing Through Mental Frameworks

    34:31 The Origin of the Neurocycle

    40:13 The Non-Conscious, Subconscious, and Conscious Mind

    49:35 How Thoughts and Memories Build Into the Brain and Body

    51:59 The Fi…

  20. E198 - Dr. Todd Rose: Why Your Desires Aren't Actually Yours (Here's Who Planted Them)

    9 juni 2026 · 1 uur 57 min

    Afspelen
    Join our online community ↓ Lees meer

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    Todd Rose is a Harvard-trained social scientist, former high school dropout with a 0.9 GPA, and co-founder of the think tank Populace. His research centers on the gap between what people privately believe and what they publicly say, and the profound consequences of that gap for individuals and for society. This is one of those conversations that reframes something you thought you understood and doesn't let you go back.

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Your brain estimates group consensus using a simple shortcut: the loudest voices repeated most often. On social media, that is 10% of users creating 80% of content.

    2. Belonging means being accepted for who you actually are. Fitting in means changing who you are to be accepted.

    3. Authenticity is not about being perfectly accurate about who you are. It is about making choices you genuinely believe align with who you are right now.

    ✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.mudwtr.com/knowthyself

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:27 What Are Collective Illusions?

    02:05 The Cost of Self-Silencing

    05:06 How We're Hardwired to Conform

    07:40 Why the Brain Is Easily Fooled About Group Consensus

    09:13 Social Media and the Amplification of Fringe Views

    13:20 What Americans Actually Want in Private

    21:01 Who Profits from Keeping Us Divided

    23:52 Foreign Manipulation and AI Bot Farms

    29:37 The Most Consequential Collective Illusions

    36:38 What Authenticity Actually Means

    41:15 The Coming Age of Courage

    42:14 Belonging vs. Fitting In

    49:44 René Girard and Mimetic Desire

    59:43 How Collective Illusions Can Shatter Overnight

    1:05:58 The Velvet Revolution and the Power of Authenticity

    1:12:09 How to Build the Muscle of Living in Truth

    1:20:25 Todd's Personal Collective Illusion: Faith and Identity

    1:24:34 Spiritual Exploration and Holding Belie…

  21. E197 - 9 Great Thinkers on the Inner Work That Frees You

    2 juni 2026 · 1 uur 22 min

    Afspelen
    Join our online community ↓ Lees meer

    https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com

    This is a compilation episode, and it draws from some of the most honest and clarifying moments across recent conversations on the show. Nine different voices, each approaching the same territory from a different angle: what it means to stop being ruled by the outside world, to understand the patterns we inherited, and to come back to something more real inside ourselves.

    What We Dive Into:

    ​ Thoughts arise whether you choose them or not. The shift is learning to observe them rather than be pulled by them.

    ​ The nervous system learns what safety feels like early, and it keeps returning to that baseline even when it no longer serves.

    ​ Your body, your beliefs, your identity, all of it was accumulated over time. Setting it aside, even briefly, creates the space to touch something underneath that is more stable.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    https://www.bioptimizers.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF to save 15% at checkout

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:12 Shi Heng Yi: Master Yourself, Not the World

    11:10 Dr. Sue Morter: The Hidden Truth Behind Your Triggers

    19:04 Emily McDonald: Living from Feeling States, Not Outcomes

    24:58 Joe Hudson: This is Your Sign To Be More Vulnerable

    31:53 Sadhguru: How To Make True Impact

    48:20 Henry Shukman: Tasting Awakening for Yourself

    1:00:29 Nicole LePera: Your Childhood Beliefs Might Be Holding You Back

    1:13:19 Lucy Hale: Remember To Accept Your Own Timeline

    1:17:23 Wim Hof: It's Time for Love

    ___________

    MORE FROM OUR SPEAKERS

    ✨Shi Heng Yi: https://youtu.be/Yg_vu7MelmU

    ✨Dr. Sue Morter: https://youtu.be/NAdU39m1Oxo

    ✨Emily McDonald: https://youtu.be/BS80CB3fgS8

    ✨Joe Hudson: https://youtu.be/vF4R9uDje0E

    ✨Sadhguru: https://youtu.be/FMoXXb-wKE8

    ✨Henry Shukman: https://youtu.be/ZMk3ztb66mc

    ✨Nicole LePera: https://youtu.be/BlpyzG5vV_o

    ✨Lucy Hale: https://youtu.be/Mk…

  22. E196 - Dr. Vasant Lad: The Doctor From India: The Forgotten 5,000-Year-Old Science of the Human Body (Ayurveda

    26 mei 2026 · 1 uur 31 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Vasant Lad is the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute and the man most responsible for bringing Ayurveda to the West. He has spent over 40 years teaching this 5,000-year-old science of life to practitioners across the world, and in this conversation, we sat down together at SoHum Mountain Healing Center in Asheville, North Carolina, where I had just completed a week-long Panchakarma. What unfolded was one of the most quietly profound conversations I have had on this show. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    ​ Why unprocessed emotions don’t simply pass — and how grief settles in the heart, anger in the liver, and fear in the kidneys until they’re physically released.

    ​ How your tongue, pulse, and face reveal what’s happening inside your body, often before any symptom appears.

    ​ Why your original constitution (prakruti) shapes everything from your digestion to your temperament — and how modern life pulls you away from it.

    ​ The gap between two breaths, and why Dr. Lad calls it an ocean of awareness available to anyone willing to sit in it.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

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    Code AndrePK2026 for $500 off your Panchakarma

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:58 What Ayurveda Actually Means

    02:40 The Five Elements, Three Doshas, and the Body

    06:18 Prakruti, Vikruti, and the Root of Disease

    08:00 The Sankhya Philosophy Behind Ayurveda

    13:33 The Goal of Ayurveda

    15:26 Dr. Lad's Path: Guru, Calling, and Coming West

    18:06 Where Western Medicine Falls Short

    22:05 Ama, Agni, and the Ayurvedic View of Disease

    25:56 Pulse, Tongue, and Face: The Art of Diagnosis

    34:29 Reading Psychological Nature Through the Pulse

    39:00 The Gap Between Breaths: Awareness and Mysticism

    44:37 How Repressed Emotions Crystallize in the Body

    47:39 Panchakarma: Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Cleansing

    51:52 Ojas, Tejas, and Prana: The Vital Essences

    56:18 Sexual Energy, Cel…

  23. E195 - Dr. Mei Rui: The Science of Sound & Music as Medicine

    19 mei 2026 · 1 uur 35 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Mei Rui is a Yale-trained molecular biophysicist, concert pianist, and clinical researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she runs trials on the measurable effects of music on the human body. In this conversation, we explore what actually happens in the brain the moment music enters it, why the auditory system is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to go when we die, and how something as accessible as a curated playlist can outperform FDA-approved pharmaceuticals in reducing cortisol. Lees meer

    What We Dive Into:

    1. Music is not a supplement to healing. In the right context, it is the intervention.

    2. The brain responds differently when you actually show up for the music.

    3. A longitudinal study in twins showed that three to four years of musical training reduced the risk of Alzheimer's and cognitive decline by 64%, an effect size found in no other single activity.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

    Oneskin — Code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off - Limited time only!

    https://oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF

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    https://www.basedbodyworks.com

    ___________

    00:00 Introduction: Dr. Mei Rui

    01:44 A Life Between Music and Science

    05:26 What Happens When Music Enters the Brain

    07:26 How the Brain Processes Sound and Music

    11:32 Why Minor Keys Feel Sad: The Science of Tonality

    14:37 Live Piano Demo: Matching Music to Mood

    19:06 Music in the Operating Room

    27:41 Music as Medicine: Clinical Applications

    29:10 The 32% Cortisol Study

    31:19 The 16 Compositional Elements of Healing Music

    35:11 Oxytocin, Familiarity, and the Parasympathetic Response

    36:18 Timbre and the Cello's Resemblance to a Mother's Voice

    42:31 Cymatics: Sound Made Visible

    45:16 The Ancient Roots of Music as Healing

    47:09 Listening vs. Playing an Instrument

    55:33 The Musician's Brain: Structural Differences

    57:46 Music Training and Protection Against Alzheimer's

    59:44 Music, Empathy, and Neural Synchrony

    1:01:36 The EEG Experimen…

  24. E194 - Arthur Brooks: How To Find The Meaning of Your Life

    12 mei 2026 · 1 uur 59 min

    Afspelen
    Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor, social scientist, and three-time New York Times bestselling author whose life's work centers on a single, urgent question: what actually makes a human life feel meaningful? In this conversation, we explore why depression and anxiety have surged since 2008, how technology has hijacked the part of the brain responsible for wonder and meaning, and what it looks like to live, as Arthur puts it, like his great-grandfather Leroy, present, bored at times, and genuinely alive. Lees meer

    What moved me most in this conversation is how Arthur bridges the ancient and the scientific without losing either. We get into the three components of meaning, coherence, purpose, and significance, as well as the dangers of extrinsic reward, the psychology of calling, and why the formula most of us are running on is just slightly off. His answer to the meaning crisis is not complicated. Use things, love people, worship the divine. But getting there requires honest self-examination, and this conversation is a strong beginning.

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    ___________

    00:00 Introduction: Arthur Brooks

    01:54 The Modern Meaning Crisis

    02:47 Coherence, Purpose, and Significance

    06:17 Why Meaning Collapsed After 2008

    14:19 The Doom Loop of Technology

    20:22 The Death of Boredom

    25:13 Ad: Mudwtr

    26:34 Living Like Leroy: The Case for Real Life

    30:05 Six Practices for the Right Hemisphere

    36:22 The Morning Routine and Brahma Mahurta

    43:35 Ad: LMNT

    44:39 Ad: BiOptimizers

    45:47 Breaking Free from Your Phone

    49:07 Romantic Love and the Paradox of Choice

    54:59 Finding Your Calling

    1:01:29 Progress, Arrival…

  25. E193 - Dr. Paul Conti: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Understanding Your Mind

    5 mei 2026 · 1 uur 45 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Paul Conti is a psychiatrist, trauma specialist, and author whose work centers on one deceptively simple idea: that understanding yourself is the most powerful thing you can do for your mental health. In this conversation, we explore how the unconscious mind quietly sets the boundaries for how we think, feel, and move through life, and how much of what we assume is just "who we are" was actually formed long before we had the words for it. Lees meer

    What struck me most in this conversation is Paul's insistence that looking inward doesn't have to be frightening. He introduces the concept of the generative drive, the part of us that moves toward creativity, altruism, and genuine contribution, and makes a compelling case that this is what separates a life that feels full from one that simply accumulates. We also get into the myths we build from isolated facts, why the traditional psychiatric model falls short, and what it actually means to bring compassionate curiosity to yourself.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:05 Assessing Mental Health Like Physical Health

    03:04 The Unconscious Mind and Its Hidden Influence

    06:30 How Identity Forms in Early Childhood

    08:23 Compassionate Curiosity as a Practice

    11:02 Empowerment, Agency, and the Healthy Self

    15:34 The Assertion, Pleasure, and Generative Drives

    24:26 What Humility Actually Means

    27:09 Ad: BiOptimizers

    28:18 Shame, Feelings, and the Lessons We Carry

    35:10 How Memories Build the Myth of Self

    42:32 Ad: LMNT

    43:41 Waking Up vs. Growing Up

    48:10 The Limits of Diagnosis-Driven Psychiatry

    51:07 What We're Really Striving For

    58:18 Self-Worth and External Achievement

    1:02:12 Anxiety as Adaptive and Maladaptive

    1:09:52 Defense Mechanisms and How …

  26. E192 - Emily McDonald: The Neuroscience of Transforming Yourself

    28 april 2026 · 1 uur 48 min

    Afspelen
    Emily McDonald holds two degrees in neuroscience and has become one of the fastest-growing science communicators on social media. In this conversation, we explore how the brain constructs reality from the inside out — not as a passive receiver of the world, but as a constant prediction machine shaped by memory, belief, emotion, and past experience. From color vision to the kitten experiment, Emily brings the science to life in a way that makes you ask: where am I the kitten in my own life? Lees meer

    What I love about this conversation is that it doesn't stop at the intellectual. Emily shares how understanding neuroplasticity moved her from skeptic to someone who radically rewired her relationship with identity, money, and what it means to pursue something with passion. We get into the difference between harmonious and obsessive passion, how identity sets a ceiling on what we're willing to receive, and why processing time — the unstructured silence we've largely lost — may be one of the most important things we can reclaim.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    02:14 How the Brain Constructs Reality

    13:50 Rewiring Beliefs Around Abundance

    20:12 The Brain as a Prediction Machine

    21:35 The Default Mode Network and Self-Concept

    24:15 Science and Spirituality as Complementary Lenses

    27:09 Ad: One Skin

    30:19 Identity Beyond the Thinking Mind

    41:44 Ad: BiOptimizers

    42:52 Identity as the Set Point of Your Life

    45:39 The Neuroscience of Habit Change

    47:39 Desire, Fear, and the Energy Behind Goals

    1:07:03 Living from Feeling States, Not Outcomes

    1:13:58 Purpose Beyond the Self

    1:24:21 Nervous System Regulation as a Foundation

    1:27:52 Discipline as Self-Trust

    1:33:51 The Three M's Morn…

  27. E191 - Roman Yampolskiy: The Man Who Proved We Can't Control AI (And What That Means for Humanity)

    21 april 2026 · 1 uur 49 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Roman Yampolskiy joins me to explore one of the most urgent and uncomfortable questions of our time: what happens when we create intelligence that surpasses our own? We unpack the difference between the AI tools we use today and the emergence of artificial general intelligence, and why the transition from narrow systems to self-improving intelligence may mark a point where human control is no longer possible. Roman shares why even the people building these systems do not fully understand how they work, and why that gap in understanding becomes exponentially more dangerous as capabilities increase. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore the limits of control, prediction, and safety in a world where intelligence can recursively improve itself beyond human comprehension. Roman lays out why the problem of AI alignment may be fundamentally unsolvable, what timelines experts are realistically considering, and why even a single mistake at that level could have irreversible consequences. This episode invites a deeper reflection on what we are creating, what we assume we can control, and whether humanity is prepared for the intelligence it is bringing into existence.

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:25 What Is AGI and Why Should We Be Scared?

    05:17 Roman's Journey: From Optimism to Impossibility

    09:07 The High Risk, Zero Reward Equation

    13:01 Why Superintelligence Is Uncontrollable, Unexplainable, and Unverifiable

    18:00 How Long Do We Have? The AGI Timeline

    21:24 How Superintelligence Could Actually Kill Us

    23:28 Are We Living in a Simulation?

    28:21 Can AI Become Conscious?

    31:28 Ad: BiOptimizers

    32:41 The Possible Timelines: Terminator, the Matrix, or the Zoo…

  28. E190 - Joe Hudson: Why The Emotions You Avoid Are Running Your Life (How To Break Free)

    14 april 2026 · 2 uur 4 min

    Afspelen
    Joe Hudson returns to explore a deeper layer of the inner work, and why peace alone is not the full picture of being human. We unpack the distinction between awakening in the mind and awakening in the heart, and how many people use meditation and awareness as a way to find calm, while still avoiding the emotional depth that brings real connection, intimacy, and joy. Joe shares how positive emotions can actually feel more threatening than negative ones, and why the capacity to feel love is directly tied to our willingness to feel everything else. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we walk through Joe’s personal journey from early childhood patterns of shame, emotional suppression, and disconnection into years of seeking awakening through meditation. He shares how peace became accessible, but something was still missing until he began to open emotionally and develop the capacity to feel fully. This episode is an invitation to move beyond detachment and into a more complete experience of being human, where joy, intimacy, and love emerge through welcoming every part of ourselves.

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:17 Peace vs. Joy: Two Different Awakenings

    06:42 Joe's Story: Rebellion, Wounds, and the Stories We Make

    11:34 The Meditation Obsession and the Awakening That Changed Everything

    20:00 From Peace to Fully Human: The Heart Journey Begins

    27:24 When Peace Becomes Bypassing: The Call to Feel

    28:27 Ad: Mud/Wtr

    29:46 The Smoke Signals of Emotional Suppression

    38:23 Overthinking, Fear, and the Emotions Behind Every Decision

    43:39 Commitment, the Self-Reliant Pattern, and Relationship Dynamics

    49:38 Ad: The Way App

    50:58 The Chasing and Being Chased Dyna…

  29. E189 - Wim Hof: Why Your Body Was Built to Heal Itself (And What Stopped It)

    7 april 2026 · 1 uur 39 min

    Afspelen
    Wim Hof joins me to explore the deeper story behind his work, from profound personal loss to discovering a direct path back into the body through breath and cold exposure. We unpack how modern life pulls us out of feeling and into constant mental noise, and how reconnecting with the breath can bring us back into a state of presence, strength, and clarity. Wim shares how a single moment stepping into freezing water at 17 opened something fundamental within him, quieting the mind and reconnecting him to his heart. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore the science behind his methods and what it means to consciously influence the nervous system and immune response. Wim explains how breathwork can reduce inflammation, strengthen the body, and restore balance, and why this ability is not unique to him but available to anyone willing to practice. This episode is an invitation to reclaim autonomy over your body and mind, and to remember a deeper connection to nature that modern life often pulls us away from.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:27 A Life Shaped by Purpose

    04:00 The Science of Breath and Inflammation

    09:20 Music, Cold, and the Opening of the Heart

    12:31 Becoming a Missionary for Human Healing

    22:10 Freedom, Autonomy, and the Power Within

    25:15 Trust as the True Superpower

    29:52 Ad: Function Health

    31:04 The Years of Searching, Love, and Loss

    37:16 Grief, Rage, and the Call to Change the World

    47:14 It’s Time for the Soul

    52:10 Returning to the Body Through Breath and Cold

    53:31 Ad: LMNT

    54:39 The Wim Hof Method in Practice

    1:07:17 What the Cold Really Teaches

    1:10:33 A Message for Humanity

    1:12:45 Choosing Stress Before Stress Chooses You

    1:19:11 The Forgotten Power of the Breath

    1:24:08 Consciousn…

  30. E188 - Emad Mostaque: AI Expert: “We Have 800 Days Left”

    31 maart 2026 · 2 uur 27 min

    Afspelen
    Emad Mostaque joins me to explore one of the most confronting questions of our time: what happens when human intelligence is no longer economically valuable? We unpack how rapidly advancing AI is moving toward a world where cognitive labor becomes obsolete, and why this shift may happen much sooner than most people expect. Emad shares how we’ve already built systems that can replicate human thinking, decision-making, and creativity, and how the next phase is not about new breakthroughs but simply scaling what already exists. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore what this means for identity, purpose, and the future of society. If so much of our sense of self is tied to what we do, what happens when that disappears? Emad lays out the possible paths forward, from centralized control of intelligence to more open and collaborative systems, and why the stories we choose to believe in now may determine whether we move toward collapse or abundance. This episode is an invitation to rethink work, meaning, and what it truly means to be human in a world where intelligence is no longer scarce.

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    ___________

    0:00 Intro

    01:17 The Last Economy

    02:03 The Race Toward AGI and Human Obsolescence

    07:50 Why AI Will Reshape Work Within 800 Days

    14:36 The Collapse of Work as Identity

    18:22 How Far Ahead Private AI Really Is

    21:24 The Three Futures of AI

    32:52 When the Economic Loop Breaks

    37:38 Ad: Based Body Works

    38:07 What AI Changes About Intelligence

    40:50 When AI Replaces Human Worth

    48:44 Ad: BON CHARGE

    48:46 Industrializing Self-Deception

    55:55 When AI Knows You Better Than You Do

    1:08:23 What Utopia Could Still Look Like

    1:20:20 How to Use AI Without Losing Yourself

    1:30:59 Can AI Become Conscious?

    1:46…

  31. E187 - Shi Heng Yi: Shaolin Master’s Guide to Self-Mastery & Inner Stability

    24 maart 2026 · 2 uur 18 min

    Afspelen
    Shi Heng Yi joins me to explore the path of self-mastery through the lens of the Shaolin tradition, and why, despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before, so many people still feel a deep sense of inner lack. We unpack the idea that external success, wealth, and achievement cannot replace a missing sense of inner stability, and how the constant search outside of ourselves often leads us further away from what we are truly looking for. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore the relationship between mind, body, and energy, and why true mastery begins with learning how to regulate and understand oneself rather than trying to control the external world. Shi Heng Yi shares how thoughts shape reality, why discipline and consistency are essential for growth, and what it means to become “transparent” by letting go of identity and the need to be someone. This episode is an invitation to shift from reacting to life toward consciously creating it from within.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    0:00 Intro

    1:11 The Root of Suffering: Becoming Someone

    1:50 Why Comfort Doesn’t Create Peace

    4:56 The Inner Void Beneath External Success

    9:16 The Path of Self-Mastery

    16:04 Mastering the Mind, Not the World

    21:07 Where Attention Goes, Energy Flows

    27:21 Ad: OneSkin

    28:43 The Essence of the Shaolin Spirit

    36:29 Living with Intention and Integrity

    44:14 Service Beyond the Self

    46:34 The Freedom of Being No One

    57:14 Ad: Mud/Wtr

    58:56 Trust, Discipline, and the Inner Path

    1:05:24 Strength Without Suppression

    1:10:20 The Middle Way of Emotion

    1:13:11 Structure as the Gateway to Freedom

    1:19:00 Returning to the Body

    1:35:36 The Body as a Tool for Awareness

    1:42:32 Breath as the Bridge to Presence

    1:46:38 Seeing …

  32. E186 - Nicole LePera: What Your Childhood Home Did to Your Nervous System

    17 maart 2026 · 1 uur 55 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Nicole LePera joins me to explore how our childhood experiences shape the nervous system, emotional patterns, and identities we carry into adulthood. We unpack how many of the reactions, habits, and relationship dynamics that feel automatic today were once adaptations we developed to maintain connection and safety early in life. Nicole explains how emotional attunement in childhood forms the internal “home base” we return to, often recreating familiar patterns even when they no longer serve us. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore attachment styles, people-pleasing, parentification, and the unconscious roles we adopt in order to belong. Nicole also introduces the practice of reparenting—learning how to meet our own emotional needs through awareness, nervous system regulation, and body-based practices. This episode offers a grounded path toward understanding where our patterns come from and how we can begin to create a deeper sense of safety and home within ourselves.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    03:30 Unearthing What We Buried to Survive

    09:12 The Childhood Roots of Our Coping Strategies

    15:59 The Importance of Emotional Attunement

    19:52 Understanding Attachment Styles

    28:33 Ad: LMNT

    30:35 From Seeking Love to Finding Home Within

    34:54 Meeting Needs With Compassion

    41:06 Ad: Mudwtr

    42:29 The Impact of Status-Oriented Parenting

    51:34 The Body as the Foundation of Healing

    1:04:19 Simple Practices for Nervous System Regulation

    1:12:07 Growing When Your Partner Isn't

    1:26:07 Vulnerability as the Path to Connection

    1:42:15 Healing the Need to Be Perfect

    1:50:55 The Power of Inner Child Awareness

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist

    https://theholisticpsychologist.co…

  33. E185 - Henry Shukman: A Zen Master With 40 Years of Practice on Who You Really Are

    10 maart 2026 · 2 uur 6 min

    Afspelen
    Zen teacher and author Henry Shukman offers a clear and grounded introduction to the heart of Zen practice. We explore how awakening is not an escape from life, but a deeper participation in it — a realization that dissolves the illusion of separation and reveals a boundless field of awareness and love. Lees meer

    Henry shares his own spontaneous awakening experience at 19, the profound insight that life is not divided between self and world, and the difficult healing journey that followed. From mindfulness and meditation to flow states, jhanas, koans, and the role of trauma in spiritual growth, this conversation maps out a path that integrates awakening with emotional healing.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:26 An Introduction to Zen

    13:10 The Premise of Original Love

    17:14 Training the Mind Like the Body

    20:54 Freedom From Identification With Thought

    27:50 What Are the Jhanas?

    32:50 Ad: Saily

    33:54 Tasting Awakening for Yourself

    45:17 Awakening vs Psychological Healing

    50:17 Awakening as an Ongoing Path

    54:54 The Distinct Path of Zen

    59:13 Koans as a Path to Insight

    1:13:53 The Enlightenment of the Mundane

    1:20:07 The Freedom of Emptiness

    1:26:16 The Necessity of Meditation Practice

    1:34:32 Sweeping the Yard (A Zen Poem)

    1:43:33 Beauty, Ethics, and Interconnection

    1:47:33 The Journey to a Whole Heart (A Poem on Heartbreak)

    2:02:58 Original Love in a Fragmented World

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/henryshukman/

    https://www.instagram.com/theway_app/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfp…

  34. E184 - Dr. Sue Morter: What Actually Causes Energetic Blocks (And How to Release Them)

    3 maart 2026 · 2 uur 31 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Sue Morter returns to explore what it truly means to awaken — not as a concept, but as a lived, embodied experience. Beneath our protective personality and performance-driven identity lies a deeper intelligence — an electromagnetic master system that governs healing, perception, and consciousness itself. Lees meer

    In this conversation, we explore how nervous system regulation opens the doorway to higher awareness, why triggers are invitations to reclaim lost parts of ourselves, and how building energetic circuitry transforms reactive patterns into creative power. From subtle anatomy and the Shoshumna channel to the relationship between consciousness and matter, this episode bridges science and spirituality in a grounded, practical way.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    5:48 The Illusion of Inherent Brokenness

    11:37 The Fuel Behind Achievement

    17:21 The Protective Personality

    31:21 Ad: LMNT

    32:46 The Return to Second Innocence

    47:04 Ad: BON CHARGE

    48:13 Expanding the Space Between Stimulus and Response

    1:04:06 The Science of Subtle Anatomy

    1:29:24 The Limits of Spiritual Language

    1:43:07 Embodiment of Expanded Awareness

    1:49:02 Moving From Joy Instead of Lack

    1:54:16 The Transformative Power of Immersive Experience

    2:15:22 Surrendering Fully Into Feeling

    2:25:42 A Message to the Heart of Humanity

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    Dr. Sue Morter's book: https://nt113.isrefer.com/go/HYHYL-Book/KnowThyself/

    https://www.instagram.com/drsuemorter

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

    Listen to the show:

    Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4bZMq9l

    Apple: https…

  35. E183 - Nir Eyal: How Your Beliefs Shape What You See (And Hold You Back)

    24 februari 2026 · 1 uur 40 min

    Afspelen
    Nir Eyal joins the podcast to explore one of the most foundational forces shaping our lives: belief. What if the way you see reality isn’t reality itself, but a simulation filtered through prior assumptions, expectations, and unconscious scripts? Lees meer

    In this conversation, we unpack the difference between fact, faith, and belief—and why most of our suffering stems from confusing the three. Nir shares powerful research on predictive processing, placebo and nocebo effects, learned helplessness, and how our expectations literally alter what we see, feel, and experience in our bodies.

    From secular prayer and gratitude practices to Byron Katie’s turnaround method, this episode is a deep dive into how to move from limiting beliefs to liberating ones. If beliefs are tools, then the real question becomes: are the ones you’re using serving you?

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    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:35 The Difference Between Fact, Faith, and Belief

    05:36 Illusions of Reality

    07:29 The Core of Our Perception

    15:52 Where to Start Enacting Change on Your Life

    19:53 Beliefs as Tools, Not Truths

    25:28 Ad: Nord VPN

    26:32 The Cosmic Slot Machine

    37:39 Spotting Your Limiting Beliefs

    46:39 The Prison of Our Own Making

    51:33 Why We Perceive Threats Everywhere

    1:00:18 Becoming Indistractable

    1:12:57 What Attention Means Today versus the Past

    1:26:44 The Motivation Triangle

    1:32:00 Closing Thoughts

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/neyal99

    https://nir.substack.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  36. E182 - Swami Sarvapriyananda: The Advaita Vedanta Explanation of Reality, the Self & Suffering

    17 februari 2026 · 2 uur 53 min

    Afspelen
    Swami Sarvapriyananda unpacks the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and its central claim: you are not the body, not the mind, not even your thoughts — you are pure consciousness itself. Through rigorous reasoning rather than blind belief, he guides us step by step into a direct inquiry of who we truly are. Lees meer

    We explore the limits of faith-based religion, the pitfalls of mystical experience, the distinction between intelligence and consciousness in the age of AI, and the profound implications of non-duality. This conversation is not about adopting a belief system — it is about dismantling false identities until only the undeniable remains.

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    [Code: KNOWTHYSELF]

    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:18 What Is Advaita Vedanta

    06:44 The Promise Freedom From Suffering

    10:16 Liberation While Living

    15:09 The Three Spiritual Paths

    23:38 The Path of Knowledge Jnana Yoga

    28:42 Discovering Our Ignorance

    29:49 Descartes and the Indubitable Self

    32:36 Ad: LMNT

    34:50 Deconstructing the Self

    37:18 Are You the Body

    42:09 From Body to Breath to Mind

    47:30 AI and the Difference Between Intelligence and Consciousness

    49:12 Consciousness in Deep Sleep

    52:23 If Not Body or Mind What Are You

    53:23 Pure Consciousness Explained

    55:04 Dualism vs Non Dualism

    57:42 The Dream Analogy

    59:17 Maya and the Appearance of the Universe

    01:00:28 Ocean and Wave Analogy

    01:01:13 Ad: BON CHARGE

    01:03:35 The Shift From Person to Awareness

    01:10:00 Awareness as the Ground of Reality

    01:18:00 The Root of Suffering

    01:26:00 Ego Attachment and Fear

    01:34:00 Living as Pure Awareness

    01:42:00 Practical Self Inquiry

    01:50:00 Free Will Karma and Responsibility

    02:02:00 The Illusion of Individuality

    02:14:00 Consciousness and Modern Science

    02:26…

  37. E181 - Joscha Bach: A Cognitive Scientist’s Guide to Consciousness & The Illusion of Reality

    3 februari 2026 · 1 uur 27 min

    Afspelen
    Joscha Bach explores the nature of consciousness, free will, and reality through the lens of computation, cognitive science, and philosophy. Rather than treating the mind as a mystical entity, Joscha frames consciousness as a constructed dream—a model generated by the brain to make sense of the world and coordinate behavior. Lees meer

    We examine why beliefs should remain provisional, how the self functions as a useful fiction, and why suffering emerges when internal learning signals misfire. Joscha explains why free will feels real even if decisions arise before awareness, how meaning exists beyond the individual ego, and why wisdom is not simply knowledge but the ability to orient oneself within larger systems of value.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro: Josha Bach

    04:24 Agnosticism, Evidence, and Logical Alternatives

    11:20 Reality as a Mental Simulation

    13:00 What Physicalism Actually Claims

    16:55 Telepathy, Rituals, and Distributed Minds

    19:45 Consciousness Does Not Make Decisions

    22:55 Free Will as a Post-Hoc Story

    24:00 Consciousness as a Trance State

    26:00 Meditation and the Illusion of Self

    29:10 Out-of-Body Experiences Explained

    31:07 Ad: BON CHARGE

    36:30 Why the Brain Fills in Missing Reality

    39:50 Dreams, Selves, and Narrative Identity

    43:20 Intelligence, Models, and World-Building

    47:10 Why Reality Feels Stable

    51:00 Meaning, Agency, and Mental Compression

    55:10 Why Consciousness Feels Central (But Isn’t)

    59:30 The Psychological World vs Physical Reality

    1:04:10 Intelligence Without Awareness

    1:08:45 The Cost of Believing the Self Is Real

    1:13:30 Waking Up From the Narrative

    1:18:40 What a Cognitive Science View Really Implies

    1:23:30 Final Thoughts: Living Inside the Dream

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.cimc.ai/

    https://www.instagram.com/andredu…

  38. E180 - David Ghiyam: The Universal Laws of Creating Prosperity & Wholeness in Life

    27 januari 2026 · 1 uur 35 min

    Afspelen
    In this conversation, David Ghiyam shares the spiritual framework that has guided his life for over 25 years—one rooted in the idea that reality operates according to universal spiritual laws, just as it does physical ones. Drawing from Kabbalistic wisdom and lived experience, David explains how the soul’s purpose is not comfort, but transformation, and how life’s challenges are designed to reconnect us with a deeper source of fulfillment. Lees meer

    We explore the concept of the “light of the Creator,” the idea of spiritual baggage carried across lifetimes, and why pain, relationships, and adversity act as mirrors for inner growth. David reflects on periods of profound darkness in his own life—financial collapse, loss, doubt—and how a shift from victimhood to responsibility opened the door to unexpected clarity, healing, and abundance.

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    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro - David Ghiyam

    04:57 The light of the Creator

    08:25 External teaching vs internal understanding

    12:36 Kabbalah in the life of David

    18:39 What is the source of consciousness?

    26:50 The trap of “needing” energy

    31:00 Ad: Mudwtr

    32:21 Does everything happen for a reason?

    39:43 The magnetic quality of being whole

    52:51 The role of business in our spiritual paths

    59:55 Protecting the seed

    1:09:08 How to practice trust in your intuition

    1:18:18 One spiritual law people violate daily

    1:29:26 Closing thoughts

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/davidghiyam

    https://www.davidghiyam.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  39. E179 - Reggie Watts: The Absurdity of Being a Human Being

    20 januari 2026 · 1 uur 33 min

    Afspelen
    In this conversation, Reggie Watts explores creativity not as a skill reserved for a few, but as the fundamental way human beings relate to reality itself. From comedy and music to improvisation, paradox, and play, Reggie reflects on how we’re constantly creating our experience of life—often without realizing it. Lees meer

    We talk about absurdity as a doorway to truth, humor as a form of instantaneous awakening, and why laughter momentarily dissolves identity, ideology, and certainty. Reggie shares how improvisation shapes his philosophy of living, why structure exists to be transcended, and how playfulness restores a sense of freedom in a world that often feels rigid and over-defined.

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    [Code: KNOWTHYSELF]

    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro - Reggie Watts

    04:54 The absurdity of being human

    07:21 The insight gained through self-reflection

    11:34 The philosophy of improv

    19:06 Realizing the artist in you

    24:27 Ad: BON CHARGE

    25:44 Reggie’s form of death meditation

    38:14 Altered states as a reference point

    46:09 Not all transpersonal experiences are equal

    52:43 Reframing anxiety after altered states

    1:03:25 It’s all an illusion

    1:12:44 Service to self vs service to others

    1:19:28 Building community

    1:23:15 Closing thoughts

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.reggie-watts.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/reggiewatts

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  40. E178 - Jesse Michels: What UFO Sightings Reveal About Power, Technology, and the Unknown

    13 januari 2026 · 2 uur 59 min

    Afspelen
    In this conversation, Jesse Michels joins me to explore a question that’s becoming harder to dismiss: what if the phenomenon we call UFOs points to something real—and we don’t yet know what it is? Rather than arguing for belief or disbelief, this episode is an invitation to curiosity, careful inquiry, and intellectual honesty about the limits of our current understanding. Lees meer

    We examine historical UFO encounters near nuclear sites, government secrecy, and the growing body of anomalies that don’t sit comfortably within a purely materialist worldview. This is a conversation about staying grounded while remaining open. About asking better questions. And about whether phenomena like UFOs, non-human intelligence, or something we haven’t yet named might be nudging us to expand how we think about reality, consciousness, and our place in the universe.

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    [Code: KNOWTHYSELF]

    André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    06:36 Questioning the Nature of Reality

    09:18 A Timeline of Non-Human Intelligence Evidence

    23:37 Why Nuclear Sites Attract Attention

    31:55 Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence

    40:29 Ad: Momentous

    41:51 Letting Go of Human-Centric Thinking

    47:49 Studying Claims Without Dismissing People

    58:58 Non-Human Biologics and Physical Evidence

    1:06:10 Ad: Boncharge

    1:07:25 What May Have Been Quietly Explored

    1:18:55 The Hidden Branch of Physics

    1:26:38 Reframing Aliens Through Consciousness

    1:33:33 Grays, Nordics, and Reptilians Explained

    1:40:10 Why We Don’t See Reality Directly

    1:53:58 Glimpses Outside Linear Time

    1:58:44 Why Aliens Look Strangely Human

    2:07:32 Shared Phenomena in Altered States

    2:15:32 Jesse’s Personal UFO Experiences

    2:23:35 The Monolith as a Metaphor

    2:29:07 The Problem Wi…

  41. E177 - Key Insights to Enter 2026 With Clarity, Focus, and Direction

    23 december 2025 · 1 uur 32 min

    Afspelen
    This final episode of the year is a special compilation reflecting on the lessons, reminders, and moments that shaped 2025. It’s a curated journey through insights from across the year—designed to help you slow down, take stock, and step into 2026 with greater clarity, presence, and intention. Lees meer

    This episode is less about doing more and more about listening—reflecting on the growth, challenges, relationships, and inner shifts that defined the past year. It’s an invitation to notice what wants to be released, what wants to be integrated, and what seeds you’re ready to water moving forward. Sometimes all it takes is a one-degree change in direction to alter the entire path ahead.

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    2025/2026 Reflections and Intentions: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/yearinreview

    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00:00 Intro

    00:01:37 Review 2025 Instead of Planning 2026 (E166 – Tim Ferriss)

    00:05:27 The Most Important Practice of 2026 (E152 – Mark Manson)

    00:10:11 There Is No Wealth Without Health (E128 – Mindy Pelz)

    00:12:26 The Importance of a Bedtime Routine (E143 – Michael Beckwith)

    00:17:59 How To Grasp The Opportunity of Life (E119 – Marianne Williamson)

    00:25:16 The Power of Entrainment (E145 – Dr. Theresa Bullard)

    00:31:01 Be Careful With What You Desire (E160 – Aaron Abke)

    00:35:18 Explore Your Relationship With Money (E140 – Lewis Howes)

    00:41:59 Ad – Momentous

    00:43:14 Happiness is an Inside Job (E149 – Dr. Thema Bryant)

    00:48:16 The Unique Opportunity of Our Times (E154 – Sadhguru)

    00:53:25 How To Discover Your Dharma (E155 – Dr. K)

    01:01:11 Living The Moment You're Meant To Live (E164 – Dr. John Demartini)

    01:07:53 The Problem With Manifestation (E118 – Aaron Doughty)

    01:13:29 Finding Stability in Surrender (E135 – Yung Pueblo)

    01:16:23 Relaxing Into Instability (E146 – Cory Muscara)

    01:20:42 Looking B…

  42. E176 - Dr. Mindy Pelz: Why Midlife Feels So Disorienting (And What It’s Trying to Teach You)

    16 december 2025 · 1 uur 56 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Mindy Pelz returns to explore the deeper meaning of aging, menopause, and the profound psychological and neurological transformations women undergo as they grow older. Drawing from neuroscience, anthropology, mythology, and personal experience, Mindy reframes menopause not as a decline—but as an initiation into wisdom, sovereignty, and inner authority. Lees meer

    We discuss the concept of the “second innocence,” the pruning and rewiring of the female brain across hormonal transitions, the grandmother hypothesis, and why modern culture fears aging women. Mindy shares how trauma, grief, solitude, and uncertainty can become gateways to resilience, neuroplasticity, and self-discovery—especially when women stop outsourcing their worth and begin listening inward.

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro - Dr. Mindy Pelz

    03:39 The return to the second innocence

    08:18 What’s the purpose of menopause?

    16:09 Where the shift begins

    23:04 Supporting others without abandoning yourself

    31:57 Being considerate vs owning others’ emotions

    34:14 Ad: Pique Life

    35:55 The power of solitude

    43:26 Letting go

    52:48 From power over to power within

    56:48 The brain architecture of wisdom

    1:02:24 Transformation: From a caterpillar to a butterfly

    1:19:58 Fasting during menopause

    1:26:35 Knowing when and how to detox

    1:32:31 Healing through breathwork, EMDR, psilocybin

    1:45:12 Lacking a support system

    1:49:07 Closing thoughts

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    Her new book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/age-like-a-girl-why-the-brain-changes-that-happen-after-40-set-you-up-for-your-best-life-yet-dr-mindy-pelz/1d7c0fe95ab52c4f?ean=9781401975562&next=t

    https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz

    https://www.drmindypelz.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    h…

  43. E175 - Dr. Will Bulsiewicz: How Stress, Trauma, and Modern Life Break Your Gut & How To Restore Balance

    9 december 2025 · 1 uur 33 min

    Afspelen
    In this episode, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz walks us through unseen forces shaping our health, energy, and emotional lives. From the chemicals in our food system to the hidden drivers of inflammation and burnout, we dive into why so many people today feel exhausted, misaligned, and disconnected from their true well-being. Lees meer

    We examine how modern culture normalizes habits and environments that work against our biology, and why healing requires more than symptom management — it demands addressing the root causes, rebuilding alignment, and taking ownership of what we allow into our bodies and minds.

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro: Will Bulsiewicz

    02:34 How much of our mood is controlled by our gut?

    09:40 Two diseases: individualism and materialism

    23:30 The intelligence that lives in our gut

    35:31 Ad: Pique Life

    36:46 What is immune intelligence?

    48:01 Detoxing from environmental toxins

    54:54 Why are chemical companies allowed to poison us?

    57:39 A short horror story

    1:02:45 Looking out for what to avoid

    1:05:27 The effects of factory farming on our bodies

    1:17:36 Humans are the microbes of the Earth

    1:26:23 Conclusion: Changing the world

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.amazon.com/Plant-Powered-Plus-Activate-Inflammation/dp/0593418794

    https://www.instagram.com/theguthealthmd/

    https://theguthealthmd.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  44. E174 - Lucy Hale: Sobriety, Self-Worth & Rebuilding From the Inside Out

    2 december 2025 · 1 uur 39 min

    Afspelen
    Lucy Hale joins me for a deeply honest conversation about sobriety, identity, childhood wounds, fame, intuition, and learning to finally feel at home within yourself. Known globally as a singer and actress, Lucy opens up about the parts of her journey most people never see: the fear beneath early success, the alcoholism that followed her from childhood, the spiritual intervention that changed her life, and the inner work she’s committed to since. Lees meer

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro: Lucy Hale

    03:27 What do you attribute your ambition to?

    04:49 Alcoholism

    14:23 Hitting rock bottom

    19:33 Finding meaning in yourself

    27:59 Old Lucy vs New Lucy

    33:30 Ad: Boncharge

    35:28 How has your connection with yourself revealed new insights?

    44:40 How do you navigate being in the public eye and staying true to yourself?

    47:26 What are you getting intuitively about the next chapter of your life?

    50:49 Ad: Mudwtr

    51:57 How do you handle rejection as an actor?

    54:34 From your young age, what called you to being in this line of work?

    57:12 Is there a moment that stood out to you that said "I made it"?

    59:51 Pretty Little Liars

    1:05:54 What would you say to past Lucy?

    1:08:01 Was taking responsibility of your life what shifted it all for you?

    1:12:37 How do you view your sense of spirituality?

    1:19:48 What is your relationship to boredom?

    1:23:00 How has the definition of beauty evolved for you?

    1:28:56 What does prayer look like to you?

    1:29:51 Being 36 and the biological clock

    1:34:46 Closing thoughts - Lucy's masculine vs feminine side

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/lucyhale/

    https://www.instagram.com/thelightdwellers/

    https://www.instagram.com/…

  45. E173 - Birthday Q&A: What I’m Unlearning About Spirituality and Who I’m Becoming

    26 november 2025 · 1 uur 10 min

    Afspelen
    In this solo Q&A episode, I’m answering the questions so many of you have asked me over the past few days—about ego, identity, relationships, breakups, shadow work, discipline, grounding, and what the spiritual path actually looks like in real life. Lees meer

    I share honestly about the subtle ego patterns I still face, how I navigate heartbreak with grace, what it means to “perform” spirituality versus actually live it, and the practices that keep me connected when I fall off center. I also speak about dating, celibacy, intimacy, and how I think about love at this stage of my life.

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:25 How do you feel about people using spirituality as an identity?

    04:34 What is a subtle form of ego that you still catch yourself falling into?

    06:22 Relationships ending

    08:30 I would like to hear about your struggles

    10:19 How do you stay & grow in a relationship when your partner doesn’t meet you in that growth?

    13:50 What are your top spiritual books?

    14:39 What’s the simplistic way you ground yourself when you feel an imbalance?

    15:50 Who is André underneath all the labels?

    17:35 Do you ever fall off your practices with meditation or music?

    19:26 Are you single?

    22:23 - Ad - BiOptimizers

    23:47 What do you use to know yourself deeply?

    25:27 What makes you most optimistic about the future of humanity?

    27:38 Which meditations do you practice?

    28:37 How did you believe so much in yourself to create something at this scale?

    30:31 What’s your vision for KT for the coming year?

    32:57 When did you start playing piano?

    33:40 What practices keep spiritual insight grounded and accountable?

    34:36 What illusion do you see most are still caught in without realizing it?

    37:55 What was your earliest experience that awakened you to God within?

    40:35 How do you know it’s your cal…

  46. E172 - Dr. Alan Goldhammer: The Science of Fasting: How to Heal the Body and Rewire the Mind

    18 november 2025 · 1 uur 26 min

    Afspelen
    Dr. Alan Goldhammer, co-founder of TrueNorth Health Center, joins us to reveal the science and psychology of water fasting, detoxification, and healing the body through nature’s intelligence. Drawing from 40 years of clinical experience with over 20,000 supervised fasts, he explains why many chronic illnesses—hypertension, autoimmune conditions, metabolic disease, and even depression—respond when the body is given a chance to reset. Lees meer

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    04:25 The Body’s Innate Ability to Heal

    08:45 TrueNorth: How Water Fasting Is Done Safely

    13:10 Dopamine, Pleasure, and Modern Addiction

    17:40 The Food Environment That Makes Us Sick

    22:00 The Problem With Hyper-Processed Eating

    25:47 Ad: Boncharge

    26:20 What Happens to the Body During a Fast

    30:55 Detoxification and the Healing Crisis

    35:10 Who Should and Shouldn’t Fast

    36:16 Ad: Mudwtr

    39:30 Refeeding: The Most Important Phase

    44:00 Case Studies: Reversing Chronic Disease

    48:25 Weight Loss vs. Health Restoration

    52:40 Why Most Diet Advice Fails

    56:55 The Discipline of “Nothing”

    1:01:15 The Psychology of Cravings

    1:05:40 How Environment Shapes Behavior

    1:10:05 Living in Alignment With Natural Law

    1:14:20 How Much Is “Enough” for a Healthy Life?

    1:18:40 The Simplicity of Whole Plant Foods

    1:22:00 Conclusion

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.healthpromoting.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/truenorthhealthfoundation/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  47. E171 - 18 Insights to Awaken Your Mind, Heal Your Heart, and Remember Your Soul (Compilation)

    11 november 2025 · 1 uur 45 min

    Afspelen
    In this special compilation episode, we explore the deeper dimensions of human consciousness. Featuring insights from Deepak Chopra, Tim Ferriss, Sadghuru, Dr. Lisa Miller, and others, this episode is a journey inward — from sensing what cannot be seen, to feeling what we’ve long avoided, to awakening to what we truly are beyond all stories. Through wisdom, science, and lived experience, we discover that the next evolution of humanity isn’t about becoming more — it’s about remembering the awareness that’s already here. Lees meer

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:12 Dr. Tara Swart - Beyond the 5 Senses: 34 Hidden Abilities

    09:36 Dr. K - Reality of Intuition and Cultivating It

    13:12 Deepak Chopra - Awakening to Your True Nature

    15:13 Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Paying Attention To Access The Realm Beyond

    21:25 Ad - Pique Life

    23:05 Dr. Sue Morter - Transcending and Integrating the 5 Senses

    26:13 Zach Bush - Remembering Our Innate Intelligence

    30:08 Dr. Lisa Miller - Becoming a Spiritual Parent

    39:29 Michael Beckwith - Divine Intelligence + The Power of Being Alone

    41:55 Ad - BiOptimizers

    43:17 Dr. Sue Morter - Healing the Emotional Body (And Feeling it Fully)

    48:10 Tim Ferriss - Shutting Down Sensitivity Because of Trauma

    56:03 Rainn Wilson - Purpose of Pain and Suffering on Our Path

    1:02:04 Dr. K - The Difference Between Safety and Comfort

    1:04:37 John Vervaeke - Self-Deception, Cultivating Wisdom and Find Meaning

    1:17:05 Pete Holmes - Balancing Being Spiritual and Being Human

    1:19:24 Dr. John Demartini - Setbacks Are Not in the Way… They’re ON the Way

    1:24:24 Yung Pueblo - Learning to Love Better: From Arguments to Allowing

    1:29:10 Joe Hudson - Best Way to Gain Emotional Awareness

    1:32:00 Peter Crone - Freedom …

  48. E170 - Dr. John Churchill: The 7 Stages of Awakening (and How Consciousness Evolves)

    4 november 2025 · 2 uur 21 min

    Afspelen
    Transpersonal psychologist and dharma teacher Dr. John Churchill joins us to explore how ancient wisdom and modern psychology unite in the path of conscious evolution. Drawing on decades of training in Tibetan Buddhism and developmental psychology, John reveals how the Bodhisattva path—awakening not just for oneself, but for the benefit of all beings—offers a map for our individual and collective transformation. Lees meer

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    Guided Meditation: https://youtu.be/i_5WApfC1pM

    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    01:38 Humanity’s Evolutionary Moment

    03:14 Planetary Perspective & Spiritual Transition

    04:15 AI as Symbol of Transformation

    05:06 End of Time & Psychological Judgment Day

    07:18 Destiny vs. Fate in a New Age

    09:06 Shift into Love as a Developmental Stage

    10:57 Individuation & Inner Sovereignty

    12:00 Seven Stages of the Heart-Mind

    13:32 What Is the Heart-Mind?

    14:02 Reincarnation & Consciousness Evolution

    16:02 Awakening in Animals & Soul Development

    17:00 Beauty, Goodness & Truth vs. Ego Development

    18:43 Ad – Momentous Creatine

    19:04 Cartesian Split & Blossoming Intelligence

    20:21 Stage 1 – Awakening the Heart Seed

    23:06 Stage 2 – Emotional Healing & Astral Awareness

    26:08 Stage 3 – Training the Mind & Sacred Sciences

    33:15 Stage 4 – Stabilizing Heart-Mind & Path of the Bodhisattva

    36:46 Pitfalls on the Spiritual Path

    42:00 Stage 5 – Integration & Service

    46:22 Ad - Pique Life

    48:30 Stage 6 – Transcendence & Non-Dual Awareness

    56:00 Stage 7 – Embodied Wisdom & Planetary Participation

    01:04:00 The Bodhisattva Path in Modern Times

    01:11:00 Navigating Glamour & Spiritual Ego

    01:18:00 The Role of Practice & Discipline

    01:25:00 Collective Awakening & Cultural Healing

    01:32:00 Mystical Science & Sacred Technology

    01:39:00 The Return of …

  49. E169 - Lisa Miller: The Science of Spiritual Awakening: How to Reconnect with Your Soul

    28 oktober 2025 · 1 uur 47 min

    Afspelen
    Clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Lisa Miller joins us to reveal the groundbreaking neuroscience that connects spirituality with mental health, purpose, and human flourishing. Drawing from decades of research at Columbia University, she shares how spiritual awareness literally changes the brain — rewiring us for resilience, compassion, and meaning. From the awakened brain to the power of awe, Lisa bridges empirical science with lived spirituality, showing how we are biologically built for connection with something greater than ourselves. Lees meer

    www.bioptimizers.com/knowthyself

    Use code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off!

    https://livemomentous.com and use code KNOWTHYSELF for up to 35% off the best creatine in the game

    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro03:40 What Is the Awakened Brain?07:10 How Spirituality Changes the Brain10:50 Depression as a Doorway to Awakening14:25 The Biology of Faith and Meaning18:05 The Parietal Lobe and the Sense of Oneness22:00 From Egoic Mind to Spiritual Awareness26:15 Dorsal vs. Ventral Attention Networks Explained30:10 How Prayer and Meditation Rewire the Brain34:00 The Neuroscience of Love and Connection38:25 What Happens in the Brain During Awe42:10 Synchronicity and the Science of Guidance46:00 Raising Spiritually Connected Children50:20 Addiction, Recovery, and the Search for Spirit54:35 The Brain as an Antenna for Consciousness59:15 Science Meets Mysticism: Where They Overlap1:03:30 The Future of Mental Health and Spirituality1:07:40 Reawakening the Innate Spiritual Brain1:12:00 Living with Awe, Service, and Gratitude1:16:10 Closing Reflections

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.lisamillerphd.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/dr.lisamiller/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

  50. E168 - Alua Arthur: The Conversation About Death That Will Change How You Live

    21 oktober 2025 · 1 uur 34 min

    Afspelen
    Death doula, attorney, and spiritual guide Alua Arthur joins us to explore how embracing mortality awakens us to life’s deepest meaning. Through her book Briefly Perfectly Human and her work helping people die with peace and purpose, Alua invites us to face what we fear most — not to prepare for dying, but to learn how to live fully. We explore the taboos around death, the regrets people hold at the end of life, and the powerful clarity that comes from asking what remains undone. Lees meer

    20% off Pique Life Tea:

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    Andrés Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

    ___________

    00:00 Intro

    04:20 What Is a Death Doula?

    08:10 How Facing Death Changes How We Live

    12:45 Why We Fear Death

    17:15 Imagining Your Own Death

    21:40 The Most Common Regrets of the Dying

    26:05 What Remains Undone in Your Life?

    28:18 Ad: Pique Life

    30:10 Facing Mortality as a Spiritual Practice

    34:50 The Art of Dying Well

    39:25 The Beauty of Grief and Letting Go

    43:10 How to Be Present With the Dying

    47:30 Conversations About Death With Loved Ones

    51:00 How Alua Found Her Calling

    55:40 What Dying People Teach About Living Fully

    1:00:15 Grief, Identity, and Rebirth

    1:05:30 How to Support Someone Who’s Grieving

    1:10:45 The Mystery of What Happens After Death

    1:15:00 The “Glitter Wave” Theory of Consciousness

    1:20:20 Reimagining Rituals Around Death

    1:25:40 Living Authentically Before It’s Too Late

    1:30:00 Conclusion

    ___________

    Episode Resources:

    https://www.instagram.com/alualoveslife/

    https://www.instagram.com/going_with_grace/

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSP6FVYR/

    https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

    https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

    https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

    https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com