Through intimate, long-form interviews, Life is a Festival unlocks the wisdom of cultural pioneers to help listeners integrate transformational experiences and create more joy and adventure in their daily lives.
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What does it feel like to climb every mountain and arrive at the top feeling... nothing? Chris Stakich knows. Chris is the new CEO of Summit, the 18-year-old community behind Summit at Sea. On today's show we talk about following the script until it breaks, the specific loneliness of high performers, what really happened with Powder Mountain, and what Chris is promising the community now that…
Today on Life is a Festival, Ian MacKenzie and I unpack “Inside the Manosphere:” the performance, the status games, the Lamborghinis that need to be witnessed to exist. We trace it back to father absence, the failure of the nuclear family, and generations of uninitiated men. We explore the distinction between grief and grievance, asking why male pain so readily converts into domination rather than…
After seven years and more than 180 episodes, this is the final episode of Life Is a Festival in its current form. It felt right to close this chapter with a conversation with my friend Jenna Ansell, cofounder of Medicine Festival about what festivals have promised, what they’ve delivered, and what still matters. In this conversation, we explore why the utopian promise of festival culture feels…
At Burning Man 2025 inside the Playa Alchemist Pyramid, I sat down with legendary mycologist Paul Stamets to explore mushrooms, mycelium, and the cosmos. Through scratchy playa dust voices, we connected fungal intelligence with Burning Man culture, random acts of kindness, and the future of psychedelic medicine. Our conversation ranged from Stamets’ new book Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural…
There’s no greater mythic mind in modern podcasting than Josh Schrei, the voice and vision behind The Emerald . If you, like me, are already a fan of his deeply poetic and perspective-shifting show, then you’ll understand why I’ve wanted to have him on Life is a Festival since the moment I heard his episode on festivals. In this conversation, Josh and I explore the revival of myth in our modern…
I recently revisited Iboga — the psychedelic root bark from Equatorial West Africa — six years after first experiencing it in a traditional Bwiti ceremony in Gabon. This time, I received Ibogaine treatment at Beond in Cancún. (Full disclosure: I produce their podcast, Ibogaine Uncovered. ) To my surprise, my mentor Benjamin also spends time at Beond, quietly supporting others through their…
In the aftermath of the 2024 election, as half the country celebrates and the other half mourns, Alex Ebert and I find ourselves doing what grown men often do to process complex emotions—we make a podcast about it. It's our fourth time using this particular hack for male friendship, but something feels different, more urgent this time. The exit polls reveal young men swinging dramatically…
On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, we’re exploring the theme of participation, a principle central to both Burning Man culture and our role as citizens. In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Miller, former Director of Communications for Burning Man, to talk about how civic responsibility and active engagement can help us navigate this complex cultural moment. I’ve also included a clip…
Atish last joined us four or five years ago for a powerful conversation about authenticity, anxiety, and life as an artist. Now, as he takes a break from touring to prioritize mental health, I knew it was time to have him back for an inspiring and candid conversation. In this episode, Atish and I discuss the challenges of touring, redefining success as a DJ, and Atish’s unexpected desire for a…
How does Burning Man stay relevant for a new generation and beyond the Black Rock Desert? The dust has settled from Burning Man, and the photo dumps have all been dumped but today we're diving into a deeper conversation about the relevance of the event itself. My guest, Will Chase was Burning Man’s Minister of Propaganda until 2016. He’s done more than most to bring the open-hearted play of…
