Deep dive conversations that celebrate self-experimentation, share evidence-backed tools for learning about your nervous system, and explore how to create more flourishing in your life.
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What happens when the habits that made you successful stop making you feel alive? Scott Britton spent years trying to architect the perfect life through achievement. Meditation, an ayahuasca experience and a growing sense that the old strategy had stopped working pulled him toward a different question: can ambition itself become a path of inner development? In this conversation, we explore the…
In this conversation with designer, mindfulness teacher, and friend Jay Vidyarthi — we explore how to reclaim agency in the age of the attention economy without rejecting the magic of technology. We discuss why mainstream narratives about digital distraction often leave out empowerment, how to build healthier relationships with technology, the nuanced role of AI, the sacred responsibility of…
Nir Eyal is a New York Times bestselling author and behavioral design expert. We had a wide-ranging conversation on curiosity, identity, and the unexpected ways that beliefs that shape our lives. Nir shared why curiosity is a superpower for self-improvement, the role of community in mental well-being, why “pills don’t teach skills” when it comes to mental health, why testing and rewiring our…
This is a special one-off episode in which the tables are turned — Ocean Kiani interviews Jonny and leadership coach Ben Ward. We discuss how the training has evolved over time, including some of the teaching philosophies and experimental mindset that underpin everything we do, as well as explore the profound impact that nervous system work has had on our lives. ~~ Explore More from Jonny 👋…
This conversation is with men’s fertility expert Josh Paigen — whose path took him from a childhood fascination with the natural world to helping men and couples prepare for healthy conception. We explore the alarming global decline in sperm count, why preconception health is about far more than simply being able to conceive, and Josh’s five pillars of male fertility: sustenance, purity, exercise,…
Dylan is the founder of the ketamine-assisted therapy startup “ Mindbloom ” — He also shares what they’ve learned so far from running nearly 700 thousand guided ketamine sessions, his idea that "There’s no magic pill, but there is a magic program". and how he’s been dealing with a recent Wall Street Journal hit piece attempting to discredit his company. I also shared some of my own recent…
Joe Hudson is an executive coach for tech CEOs like Sam Altman, and is a cofounder of the Art of Accomplishment. In this in-person interview, we sat down to talk about what I like to think of as the first principles of inner work as well as some of the common pitfalls that often get us stuck along the way. Time-stamps 00:04 Why does my wife trust Joe more after seeing how little tension he has in…
Franzi is someone whose work sits at the powerful intersection of nervous system health, emotional resilience, and embodied leadership. What I admire most about her is the way she weaves personal integrity, deep inquiry, and relational intelligence into every facet of her life — from parenting her three sons to working with founders navigating burnout and stuck emotions. We explore what it truly…
In this episode, I’m speaking with a friend, author, entrepreneur & prolific writer Nat Eliason. The timing of this conversation was interesting as we recorded it shortly before the US elections, after which the crypto markets shot back into the mainstream. You’ll hear about the intense emotional rollercoaster he went through, losing millions of dollars in a very short period of time — how it felt…
In this episode, I'm speaking with Dan Shipper — Dan is a friend, the founder of Every, and someone who I consider to be a philosopher founder. This conversation didn’t go the direction that I thought it would, I had prepared questions exploring the future of AI and technology, but I’m glad we listened to the thread that was most alive — which ended up being exploring Dan’s personal journey with…
In this episode, I'm speaking with Marc Champagne — who after building a journaling app that reached nearly 90 million users and then having to shut it down, emerged with profound insights about the power of transformative question s and the Socratic Method. In this conversation, we explored: ❓ What it means to ask better quality questions, some of the specific questions that have altered the…
In this episode, I'm speaking with Tom Morgan — who after 15 years on Wall Street and experiencing what he describes as a " hellish midlife transition " (which is putting it mildly) has emerged with profound insights about human development and — especially relevant for this podcast – the nature of curiosity itself. In this conversation, we explored: 🧠 How we might navigate the delicate balance…
I’m speaking with theoretical neuroscientist Michael Edward Johnson — who, after spending seven years researching consciousness and writing the book Principia Qualia, has developed a revolutionary theory that could fundamentally change how we understand trauma, meditation, and human wellbeing. Mike’s theory of ‘latches’ — what he calls vasocumputation — may provide a testable and concrete…
I’ve been following River’s substack essays for a few years now and I feel a real kinship with his irreverent and genuinely unique perspectives — as well as his talent for self-experimentation and weaving together esoteric yet incredibly practical concepts which he uses for self-exploration. In this conversation, you can expect to learn: 💬 How River was able to use somatic-based practices to go…
In this conversation, I’m speaking with my good friend and cofounder of Ultraspeaking Tristan de Montebello. Tristan has an incredible story of training to become a finalist in the World Championship of Public Speaking in just seven months. In this conversation, you can expect to learn: 📣 Tristan's radical approach of focusing on impromptu speaking rather than scripted speeches 💬 Unlocking…
A few years back Ali decided to quit his job as a junior doctor in the UK to become a full time YouTuber. Since then his career and life has skyrocketed — he’s built a channel with over 5.5 million youtube subscribers and recently published a New York Times Bestselling book called ‘Feel Good Productivity’ In this conversation Ali shares: 😨 His experience with imposter syndrome whilst writing his…
I’m speaking with co-founder of Reboot Jerry Colonna. Jerry is one of the most infamous executive coaches in the world — with a reputation for making CEOs cry and asking devastatingly poignant self-reflection questions. In this conversation, we explore: 🕷️ Jerry's inner journey discovering his mythopoetic identity and how that has informed the coaching work he is so known for 🙇♂️ The idea that…
Ben is the author of the phenomenal new book: The Way Home: Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness at Midlife. I was really excited to talk to Ben because the hero’s journey has been a framework that I still use myself as a way of orienting and meaning making. Ben shares how his own life has been a series of spiraling journeys, embodying the hero’s path. In this conversation, you can expect…
Marcela Ot’alora worked as the lead co-therapist and principal investigator for all of the MAPS — which stands for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies — MDMA-assisted psychotherapy studies. She has also been designing curriculum and training therapists associated with MAPS. In this conversation, which we recorded together in our home here in Boulder Colorado, we explored how she…
I'm choosing to republish this episode that I had with David Whyte four years ago, because I had found myself revisiting his timeless book Consolations ’ and rediscovering wisdom that felt appropriate for these times — which has remained within an arm's reach of my bedside ever since I first discovered it. It ratcheted open my mind to a new perspective on the definitions of words like Ambition,…
In this episode, I am speaking with Steve March — who is, although maybe lesser known in the public sphere, what he has created with Aletheia , which we will get into — is, to my mind, a revolutionary innovation in the realm of human development and how we orient to personal growth. Expect to have your paradigm of personal growth turned upside down as we cover: ⚖️ Self-development vs.…
Khe Hy is a dear friend, creator and philosopher in residence at Rad Reads, which is a business he started after leaving a 7-figure salary on Wall Street. He is a dedicated Father, host of the superb Examined Life podcast and makes time to get in the ocean and surf every single day. In this conversation, you can expect to hear: - How Khe has worked through his feelings of self-doubt - Exploring…
Ryan Duey is an entrepreneur, podcaster, the founder + CEO of Plunge.com and as you'll hear in this episode, a remarkably self-aware and courageous human. Over a decade ago, Ryan had what he calls his “greatest gift” — a head-on motorcycle accident in Thailand. This near-death experience catapulted Ryan into a journey of self-inquiry, leading him to the jungles of the Amazon, the inside of a float…
Brooks Barron is an experienced leadership coach specializing in nature-based initiations and rites of passage — to help the leaders he works with explore their vulnerability, find their inner wisdom, and surrender to the flow of what wants to come through them. In this conversation, you can expect to learn: - Brooks' definition of wholeness as a human being - The difference between the desire to…
Show Notes Matt Maruca is the founder of RaOptics , who make, I think it's fair to say objectively, the world's best blue-blocking glasses — but more importantly, he is in my view a radical citizen scientist, self-experimenter, and articulate communicator — and what's more he's only 24 years old. Which, given his depth of knowledge and wisdom, is somewhat mind-blowing for someone of his age. This…
Dr Michael Yang is an integrative medicine specialist based in Los Angeles who specializes in Ketamine treatment. I had an absolute blast with Michael and honestly feel a renewed sense of optimism for the medical system knowing that there are doctors like him treating patients. In this conversation, you can expect to learn: 💊 Ketamine's clinical use and its role as a psychedelic in his clinical…
Jim Dethmer is co-author of the bestselling book 'The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership' and is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in the world. It was an honor to speak with Jim, and I had the sense that I was sitting in the presence of someone who really had spent a lifetime embodying and living what he teaches. In this wide-ranging conversation, you can expect to learn: 🙋♂️…
When I first started this podcast, I had Derek Sivers in mind as the archetypal curious human — and to this day, I think of him as one of the most interesting and provocative philosophers of life. His career path involved joining the circus as a ringleader, then becoming a professional musician and touring, building a company and selling it for $22 million dollars, then giving most of the money…
Show Notes A large part of my personal motivation for creating this podcast — is the privilege of speaking with those who I consider to be elders, those who have lived their lives to the absolute fullest and have stories and insights to share with younger generations about what it means to truly live well. And this conversation with Kevin Kelly turned out to be exactly that. You'll probably want…
Today I'm speaking with Kyle Kowalski — who might be one of the most well-read humans and certainly most relentlessly curious humans that I've ever met — in fact as he shares in this episode, he believes that his purpose or Ikigai in life is to synthesize lifelong learning that catalyzes human development. As the title of this episode suggests, we nerded out on so many fascinating topics — we…
This is my second conversation with Anne Laure — I reached back out after I read a powerful account of her transformative experience drinking Ayahuasca 9 months ago and how following this experience, in her words, she is ' not depressed anymore, I quit drinking… And, for the first time ever and truly happy to be alive'. So we do a deep dive into her plant medicine experience she had, her…
This is a powerful conversation with executive coach Brett Kistler — entrepreneur and executive coach who spent much of his life traveling the world full-time as an extreme sports athlete while building a remote software company. Brett also co-hosts the Art of Accomplishment podcast with Joe Hudson , who was a previous guest on this podcast. We unpack many things, including how BASE jumping acted…
This is a special episode with Daniel Thorson — who I initially came across through his super podcast called ' Emerge ' and later learned that he was living as a full-time monastic at the Monastic Academy in Vermont — where after a series of conversations, he persuaded me to come and sit for a 10-day retreat — which I just returned from myself recently. I found this was an immensely rich…
Dr. John Churchill spent 15 years training and teaching “ Great Seal” meditation in an Indo-Tibetan lineage and is a founding member of the Integral Institute led by the well-known philosopher, Ken Wilber. Over the last 25 years, John has developed his style of practice — an integrated Fourth Turning path — that weaves together somatically based contemplative practices that integrate psychodynamic…
This is a slightly different type of episode — in which my friend Christofer interviewed me for his superb DO EXPLAIN Podcast . I enjoyed the conversation so much that I decided it was worth releasing here as well. This is one of the deepest dives I've done on all things related to emotional fluidity, and various modalities for working with somatics and finding wholeness. Christofer was such a…
My brother Alex Olshonsky ~ aka. "Olo" ~ is a dear friend. We've spent time together in Guatemala, and he is fast becoming one of the most prominent voices on addiction and the psychedelic renaissance. We dive into Olo's personal story of breaking free from his proclivity to taking a cocktail of narcotics whilst working in high-growth tech startups ~ and his powerful journey navigating his…
Today's guest is Daniel—who goes by the name of 'Grimhood' on Twitter. I've been a subscriber to his Patreon account for a while and was so impressed with his immensely well-researched and in-depth that blended his knowledge of pharmacology with indigenous systems of medicine. In this conversation, we unpack a handful of these protocols that he shares, including a deep dive on all things…
Today's guest is Erwan Le Corre. Erwan is many things, including the founder of MovNat ~ which is a synthesis of his passion for physical competency with his love of movement in nature. More recently, Erwan also became a US national static breath hold record holder. In this conversation, we talk about what he describes as the challenges of 'Hamster fitness' & movement poverty predicament and some…
Chris Sparks is a one-of-a-kind human; he's a retired professional poker pro who was once ranked one of the top 20 players in the world. But in recent years, he has applied himself to coaching and running workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and peak performance. And as you'll hear in this conversation, he is not only brilliant but also wise. Before we hit record, I said to Chris let's…
Aaron is a pioneering manual therapist and movement coach, founder and creator of the Align Method. I'm currently looking at Aaron's book (The Align Method) & it's one of the books that has most impacted my relationship with not just fitness and movement, but a new philosophy of seeing the world as a playground and the fact that I'm recording this whilst squatting ~ is in part thanks to the wisdom…
It's always fun to have conversations with friends and this one, in particular, has been several years in the making. If you're interested in meditation, breathwork or getting more done with more joy then this episode is a must-listen. Some of the themes we unpack include: what it means to ' expand your awareness' , exploring the space and freedom between stimulus + response, what it means…
In this episode, Edward Dangerfield and I do a deep dive on a new modality of breathwork, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Facilitated Breath Repatterning ~ or FBR for short ~ will be globally recognised in 4-5 years' time and that the research that is beginning here in Bali will go on to make some significant discoveries about the connection between breathing patterns + patterns of…
🎙️ Episode Overview You might have come across Eric through his award-winning podcast ‘ The One You Feed ’ where he has interviewed hundreds of the wisest and most inspiring humans on the planet. He's also a father, serial entrepreneur, behaviour coach, and author on a quest to understand how we might live more intentional lives. And we get into the impact that these conversations has had on his…
Paul and I first met 3 years ago at an event in Portland—he had recently left his job in corporate consulting and we bonded over how lost we'd both felt at times. Later that week I gave him a copy of ' The Three Marriages ' a book by David Whyte where he talks about the Pathless Path that is required for anyone looking to do or create something original. Fast-forward to today and Paul has just…
🎙️ Episode Overview I'm thrilled to bring you this conversation with philosopher, writer & activist Charles Eisenstein. For those of you who aren't familiar with Charles' work—it's no exaggeration to say that his ideas contained in his books and writing have shaped my personal worldview more than any other author I can think of. What I appreciated about this conversation was his deep presence and…
This is a really unique episode—Michael King has been a mentor of mine and dear friend for nearly four years now. If it weren't for some of our conversations I'm not sure that The Inner Frontier would even exist, at least not in the form that it does today. I find some of his perspectives and approaches to meditation and life so refreshing and my goal for this conversation was really to tease out…
I'm really thrilled to be bringing you this philosophical deep dive with truly I think one of the most radical and thoughtful thinkers of our generation. Dr. Zachary Stein is a co-founder of The Consilience Project—which publishes novel research and explores questions surrounding global risk mitigation and existential threats facing humanity. He is the Academic Director Center for Integral Wisdom…
Joe Hudson is many things — he's a Venture Capitalist and renowned executive coach, but beyond that, he is a rare example of someone who in my perspective has accessed some profound truths about the human experience and is putting himself out there into the world helping others to find greater joy and ease in their lives. *** ❓ We begin with his perspective on wonder and explore what makes for the…
In this episode, I speak with my good Twitter friend Malcolm Ocean. Malcolm is many many things, but first and foremost I consider him to be not only relentlessly curious but also prolific in sharing his practical philosophy mostly through the medium of thoughtful Twitter threads. I predicted that the experience of listening to this conversation might be a little like the feeling of being trapped…
Kelly Wilde is an artist, podcaster, performer, meditation mentor and poet who has been exploring the intersections of soul explorations, creative work and rewilding. She also happens to be my wife, and this episode fell on our 18-month anniversary — it’s a particularly juicy conversation and easily the most personal conversation that I've aired to date. In this conversation, we dance around a…
