Elevating Consciousness

Layman Pascal is a prominent thinker in the Liminal, Metamodern, Game B, and Integral spaces. His work explores post-metaphysics, nonduality, metamodernism, integral metatheory, new shamanism, the future of religion, developmental philosophy, and meta-progressive politics. He is also the co-host of the mind-bending Integral Stage podcast. This episode was a live event recorded during Limicon 2024 and explored some of Layman's ideas from his two popular essays “The Metamodern Business Burea” & “Make Game A Pay for the Wall”. After our dialogue, we opened the floor for participants to ask questions and share reflections. We navigated a wide range of topics including transforming the money & meaning relationship on a personal and societal level, developing a more conscious approach to business, new economic experiments, starting liminal business crews, bridging left and right brain ways of knowing, our relationship to dopamine and so much more.

Darcia Narvaez is a professor of psychology whose work explores the neurobiology of moral development, evolved parenting practices, and small-band hunter-gatherer societies. In 2020, she was identified as one of the top 2 percent of scientists worldwide in a recent analysis of 8 million scientists around the world. She is the president of Kindred World a non-profit dedicated to creating a wisdom-based worldview and the founder of the Evolved Nest a Kindred World initiative that integrates findings across various fields that bear on child development, child raising, and adult behavior while promoting optimal health and wellbeing, cooperation and sociomoral intelligences. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality. In this episode, we speak about the optimal environment for early child development and how our modern culture falls short of this, navigating order & chaos in parenting, the surprising truth about nature & nurture, how the collaboration and competition dynamic is related to left & right brain views of the world, contrasting views of wisdom, and so much more.

Bruce Tift is a psychotherapist, author, and long-time meditation practitioner. As a therapist he's done his rounds – working in a psychiatric ward, social services, and maintaining a private practice since 1979. As a teacher, he taught at Naropa University for twenty-five years and lectured all throughout the world. He is also a Vajrayana Buddhism practitioner with over 40 years of practice under his belt. On his journey he has been fortunate enough to be a student of Chogyam Trunga Rinpoche and to meet a number of other realized teachers. He is the author of “Already Free” a fascinating book that explores the relationship between Psychotherapy and awakening. In this episode, we speak about the irresolvable paradox of relationship, what it means to be psychospiritually mature, stepping out of identification through immediate sensation, Individual vs couples therapy, nonduality & the Vajrayana view, and a healthier approach to awakening & liberation. 

Richard Bartlett is a community organizer, entrepreneur & coach who helps people grow high-trust communities & decentralized organizations. Back in 2011, he was a part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, a pivotal moment that set him on the path to becoming a key player in Enspiral - an organization that shares money, power & information to help its members do meaningful work. He went on to found Loomio, a software that helps companies seamlessly navigate the intricacies of decentralized organization. Later he founded the Hum, a non-hierarchical management consultancy that's rewriting the rules of how we work together. His latest venture is a community-building network and movement known as Microsolidarity. In this episode, we speak about essential modalities & practices for community builders, building trust and accelerating personal growth through community, navigating the polarity of autonomy and belonging, collective intelligence, how to integrate vulnerability into the workplace, creating decentralized organizations and so much more. 

North Burn is a meditation teacher and practitioner. For the past fifteen years, he has devoted himself full-time to practice, primarily in Insight Meditation and Soto Zen schools, as well as other immersive settings. Collectively, he has spent five years in monastic communities, two years in silent intensive retreats, and several years in solitude and self-directed study. Some of the teachers who have influenced him the most include Joseph Goldstein, Greg Scharf, Leslie James, and Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. In 2016, after the encouragement of his teachers, he began teaching meditation retreats. During the pandemic, he came up with the inspiration to start Boundless Refuge an annual 3-month silent retreat dedicated to transforming suffering into peace by practicing the middle way.  When not teaching or organizing retreats, he devotes substantial energy to meditation practice, engaging with spiritual mentors, and continuing his study of various spiritual modalities and traditions.In this episode, we speak about the benefits of long retreats & intensive meditation practice, Sutric vs Tantric perspectives on Dharma, the pros & cons of being open about spiritual attainments, integrating stories into spirituality, the relationship between psychedelics & meditation, and so much more.*Join the Elevating Consciousness list and get the latest interviews with emerging thinkers in the liminal space straight to your inbox -https://artemzen.ck.page/elevatingconsciousness*Join the "Top Insights" list and get insightful links, in-depth book summaries, and transformational frameworks delivered monthly to your inbox  -  https://artemzen.ck.page/topinsights*Subscribe on Youtube to watch the podcast - youtube.com/c/ArtemZen?sub_confirmation=1*Follow me on Twitter (x) - https://twitter.com/artemzen*Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/artem.zen*For Contact, questions or ideas email me at artem@artemzen.com

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in Sanbo Zen tradition. He began zen practice in 1971 and finished the formal koan curriculum in 1988. For many years he has taught as a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy. Although he has retired from academia he continues to lecture internationally focusing primarily on the intersection of Buddhism and modernity and what they can learn from each other.Unless he is traveling, every Friday morning he guides an online meditation followed by a brief dharma talk. He is the author of many books including Lack & Transcendence, Ecodharma, and Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond. In this episode, we speak about the fundamental problem of human existence through the lens of psychotherapy, existentialism & Buddhism, the limits of philosophy, integrating personal with collective transformation, addressing the meaning crisis, and so much more. *Join the Elevating Consciousness list and get the latest interviews with emerging thinkers in the liminal space straight to your inbox -https://artemzen.ck.page/elevatingconsciousness*Join the "Top Insights" list and get insightful links, in-depth book summaries, and transformational frameworks delivered monthly to your inbox  -  https://artemzen.ck.page/topinsights*Subscribe on Youtube to watch the podcast - youtube.com/c/ArtemZen?sub_confirmation=1*Follow me on Twitter (x) - https://twitter.com/artemzen*Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/artem.zen*For Contact, questions or ideas email me at artem@artemzen.com

Charlie Awbery is a meditation teacher and a longtime Vajrayana practitioner. In 2002 they were ordained in the non-monastic Aro gTer lineage. Informed mostly by traditional Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism their practice consisted of yidam, yogic song, chod, psycho-physical yogas, and solitary retreats. Aside from Buddhist practice they have trained in Gestalt psychotherapy and have worked in mental health services and international human rights organizations. After twenty-five years in traditional Vajrayana, they decided to co-found Evolving Ground - a community for contemporary Vajrayana practice. In this episode we speak about the difference between Sutric & Tantric view, the vehicles of Buddhism & their different endpoints, why the Sutric view can be problematic for householders, different perspectives on awakening, the Evolving Ground meditation community, integrating emptiness & form practices, and learning from transmission. 

River Kenna is a writer, inner work practitioner, and a mythodynamics researcher. He spent the first 24 years of his life dealing with an incessant mental chatter which he tried to address with various meditations. Most of them had little benefit and it was only when he came across Somatic meditation that was he able to dissolve his inner critic and find deep inner peace. Today his work explores somatic resonance, mythopoetic cognition, and experiments in graceful non-linear living. He teaches the Somatic Resonance course and conducts one-on-one sessions in somatic and imaginal practices. In this episode, we speak about somatic meditation, imaginal practice & dream work, mythopoetic cognition, systematic vs. spontaneous mode, and devotional productivity.  

Rosa Lewis is a spiritual teacher and inner work practitioner. During an intense journey of awakening and healing, she experienced long periods of altered states and even psychosis. Eventually, she was able to return to a functional state but her experience of reality was forever transformed. Her work is greatly influenced by Carl Jung and tantric Buddhism. Everything she teaches comes from direct insight and integrates Buddhist emptiness, shadow work, tantric embodiment, archetypal and imaginal work, mysticism, and heartfulness. She is currently working on a framework for whole being awakening that integrates theory and practice and helps humans develop in a way that is holistic, inspiring, alive, and in touch with the depths of being. In this episode, we speak about, Rosa's experience with spiritual psychosis, inclusive & exclusive perspectives on Awakening, the whole being awakening model, hierarchy & power dynamics in spiritual communities, embodying the brahma viharas and imaginal work.  

Jonas Atlas is a scholar of religions who writes and lectures on religion, politics, and mysticism. Although rooted in the Christian tradition, he has immersed himself in learning other traditions such as Hinduism and Islam. After his studies in philosophy, anthropology, and theology at different universities, he became active in various forms of local and international peace work, often with a focus on cultural and religious diversity. He currently teaches classes on ethics and spirituality at the KDG University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He is also the author of several books including Halal Monk, Re-visioning Sufism, and most recently Religion: Reality Behind the Myths. In this episode, we speak about why misunderstanding religion is a problem, the seven myths of religion, what religion really is, the false dichotomy of secular & religious, and the real reason people have a problem with religion.  

Stephen Faller is a chaplain, educator, and author. He currently serves as a Chaplain Educator at Overlook Medical Center where he runs the Clinical pastoral education program. He is also the director and Founder of The Institute of Spiritual Midwifery which is dedicated to the development of the theory, praxis, and pedagogy of spiritual midwifery in the ministry of individuals, families, and organizations. His work in chaplaincy and his experience with cerebral palsy offer a unique and powerful perspective on the intersections of disability and spiritual caregiving. Through speaking engagements, educational initiatives, and personal interactions he educates and inspires others to approach spiritual caregiving with a more inclusive and compassionate mindset. He is the author of several books including “The Art of Spiritual Mid-Wifery” and most recently “Christianity And the Art of Wheelchair Maintenance”. In this episode we speak about dialogue in spiritual midwifery, dialectic, paradox, parables, barriers to spiritual midwifery, tools of the spiritual midwife, and living with disability.

Guro Hansen Helskog is a professor, author & researcher. Her work explores the philosophy of education, wisdom research, and how philosophical dialogue can be integrated into all levels of education. She is the author of “Philosophising the Dialogo Way Towards Wisdom in Education” - an in-depth book that analyses different approaches to philosophical practices and shows how we can integrate them in a holistic manner in order to facilitate everything from critical thinking to spiritual contemplation. In this episode we speak about knowledge vs wisdom, dialogos as an integration of philosophizing approaches, uprooting atheistic beliefs, mystical experiences, the wisdom famine, why children should philosophize, and integrating God into humanity.  

Sean Wilkinson is a transformational coach and facilitator. He is also a co-founder of “Circling Europe” an organization that has helped spread the practice of circling to over 25 countries. Prior to being a circling leader, he was an elite tennis coach focusing on the psychology of performance. For the last 15 years, he has been deeply entrenched in relational practices, meditation, coaching, wisdom traditions as well as therapy and trauma work. Some of his latest offerings focus on navigating the darker dimensions of developmental trauma as well as exploring non-duality in the context of circling. In this episode, we speak about the middle way of emotions, integrating circling with meditation & therapy, navigating narcissistic and borderline patterns, and balancing empathy with boundaries. 

Tom Cheetham is an author, teacher, biologist, and poet. Throughout his life, he has navigated various fields from philosophy, to systematic entomology, complexity sciences, and eventually depth psychology. Today his work explores the ideas of Henry Corbin, Carl Jung, James Hillman, and creative imagination in human life and culture. He writes and lectures on these topics internationally. His books include Boundary Violations, All the World an Icon, and Imaginal Love among others. In this episode, we speak about Imagination in James Hillman, Carl Jung, & Henry Corbin, the pathology of literalism, distinguishing feelings from emotions, integrating the central insights from psychedelics, Buddhism & the Imaginal as well as aliveness, eros, and death. 

Loch Kelly is an award-winning author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the Effortless Mindfulness Institute. His teachings synthesize the best of ancient wisdom practices, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology. Using an all-inclusive style of dialogue and inquiry he helps people cut through suffering and awaken to their true nature. He has been sharing his teachings in retreats and workshops internationally for over 25 years and is the author of “Shift into Freedom” and “The Way of Effortless Mindfulness.” In this episode, we speak about the differences between deliberate & effortless mindfulness approaches, barriers to recognizing awakened awareness, why we don't need 10,000 hours of meditation to awaken, integrating psychotherapy & meditation, and a mature understanding of emptiness & nonduality. 

Kyle Kowalski is an ex-marketing executive turned solo-preneuer. After experiencing an existential crisis he left the corporate world and founded Sloww - a digital knowledge base and community which shares insights into the art of living for students of life. He is an interdisciplinary dot collector and synthesizer who creates in-depth book summaries, e-books, and a wisdom-packed weekly newsletter. His work integrates slow living with meaning, purpose, money mastery, transformational learning, and human development. The breadth, depth, and consistency of the content he produces are a rarity in today's 3-second world. In this episode, we explore the topics of intentional & slow living, happiness, purpose, the synthesizing mind, financial freedom, learning, reading, free will, and psychedelics all through a developmentally aware lens. 

Frank Yang is an artist, content creator, bodybuilder, and coach. He's built an impressive following on youtube by creating provocative, grotesque, and visually alluring videos. His eccentric and bizarre style is also reflected in a wide-ranging portfolio of artwork including drawings, sculptures, and photography. These creative abilities don't stop there as he is well-versed in playing the piano and violin. In recent years he has become most well-known for being open and outspoken about his spiritual attainments and his journey into awakening which he documents in mind-expansive videos and detailed writings. In this episode, we speak about Frank's creative journey into awakening, structure vs spontaneity in meditation, the impact of awakening on sexual desire, pros and cons of being open about spiritual attainments, psychedelics, bodybuilding, and integrating awakening through traveling & being in the world.

Andrew James Taggart is a practical philosopher and meditation teacher. After finishing his Ph.D he completed training with the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA) in philosophical counseling. Over the past ten years, he has helped countless individuals inquire into the most fundamental questions of life. His ideas have been featured in Quartz, The Guardian, Big Think, TEDx, and The Washington post. He partakes in a vigorous meditation practice of four hours each day, including a one-day meditation retreat each week, and a monthly 5-7 daylong meditation intensive. Using an approach of analytical rigor and compassionate openness he teaches meditation to individuals who have an earnest desire for awakening. In this episode, we speak about the pros and cons of different spiritual paths, why philosophy is important, how to choose which philosophers to read, the process of philosophizing together, the fundamental question of existence, and the end of suffering. 

Gregg Henriques is a clinical psychologist, professor, and theorist. He teaches courses on integrative/unified psychotherapy as well as personality, social, and cognitive psychology at James Madison University. He also regularly engages in pro bono clinical work and supervises doctoral students in their development. Most notably he has spent over twenty years developing an integrative framework of psychology which he outlined in his 2011 book “A New Unified Theory of Psychology”. His most recent book “A New Synthesis for Solving the Problem of Psychology” further builds on his work and introduces UTOK (Unified Theory of knowledge). In this episode, Gregg explains what the problem of psychology is, gives an overview of his Unified Theory of Psychology, diagnoses the meaning crisis, and grounds his theory in the real world. 

Brendan Graham Dempsey is a writer whose work focuses on the meaning crisis and the nature of spirituality in metamodernity. He earned his bachelors in religious studies from the University of Vermont and his masters in religion and the arts from Yale University. He is the host of the Metamodern Spirituality podcast where he interviews leading thinkers in the metamodernism, integral, synthesist, and Game B spaces about the topics of meaning-making and spirituality in today's world. He is also the author of a series of books including the most recent “Emergentism: A Religion of Complexity for the Metamodern world”. In this episode, we speak about the meaning crisis, the problem with spiritual but not religious, four levels of complexity, evolving our concept of God, and transcending nihilistic spirituality.

Adam Aronovich is a doctoral candidate at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain, focusing on Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry. He is an active member of the Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC-URV) and part of the Ayahuasca Community Committee at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Adam spent over four years conducting research and extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, where he also facilitated Ayahuasca workshops in the context of shamanic and medical tourism. He is the creator of Healing from Healing, a social media platform that casts a critical, skeptical, and humorous gaze at Healing Culture. Adam is currently the director of therapy and integration for Rē Precision Health, a wellness centre in the Pacific Coast of Mexico. He also facilitates preparation and integration processes in private practice, helping clients reframe “Healing” within relational and recreative frameworks using a secular, humanistic, grounded, open-ended interpretive, and epistemic orientation. In this episode, we speak about applying Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry to mental health, examining our culture's dominant metaphysical assumptions, the dark side of psychedelics, the illusion of radical independence, and pathology-free psychedelic integration. 

David Elliott is a psychotherapist, professor and expert on attachment. He received his PH.D. in Psychology from Harvard University and shortly after completed his post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital. He is the co-author of “Attachment Disturbance in Adults” one of the most comprehensive works that address attachment repair. He holds workshops teaching the methods detailed in his attachment book to mental health professionals internationally. In this episode, David masterfully unpacks what attachment is, how we can discover our attachment style, attachment insecurity's impact on mental health, and the five conditions that contribute to secure attachment.

Daniel Gortz is a political philosopher, sociologist, and metamodern thinker. He is one of the two direct contacts that we have with the mythical metamodern philosopher Hanzi Freinacht. Daniel is an expert on Hanzi's work which includes the listening society, Nordic Ideology, and his upcoming controversial book that challenges Jordan Peterson's best-seller “12 Rules for life” and offers a potentially more nuanced and comprehensive philosophy. In this episode, we discuss why hanzi's rules are much better than Jordan Petersons', denial of death and immortality projects, religion, wisdom, and finding the right therapy for you.   

Zak Stein is a writer, educator, and integral thinker. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College and then later educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. His works spans various fields from sensemaking, ethics, education, and integral meta-theory. He is also the author of “Social Justice and Educational Measurement” as well as” Education in a Time Between Worlds.” In this episode, we speak about Zak's model of human development, understanding intelligence & wisdom, bridging power and ethics, and integrating science with religion. 

John Thompson is a transformational coach and facilitator. He is also a co-founder of “Circling Europe” an organization that has helped spread the practice of circling to over 25 countries. Prior to working with circling he was an elite tennis coach specializing in psychology and pioneering new ways to help the sport become a vehicle for personal growth. Today he teaches the practice of circling to leaders and organizations worldwide. In this episode, we speak about the approach of surrendered leadership, integrating therapy & circling, collective shadows, psychedelics, embodiment, and so much more. 

Steve James is a meditation teacher, podcaster, somatic practitioner & artist. He has extensive experience in contemplative and spiritual disciplines, elite athletic performance, extreme outdoor survival, and human behavior. His vast array of abilities doesn't stop there as his original music was featured in several Netflix series. He is also the host of the Guru Viking podcast where he hunts down and hosts some of the most prolific spiritual teachers and practitioners from all over the world. In this episode, we speak about integrating western and eastern traditions, extreme outdoor survival, somatic practices, Steve's near-death experience, psychedelics, awakening, and more.  

David McRaney is a science journalist, & psychology nerd. In 2009 he started a blog called “You're not So smart” that went on to become an internationally best-selling book and is also the title of the popular podcast he hosts today. He is the author of several books including the most recent “How Minds Change” a fascinating exploration of the science of beliefs, opinions, and persuasion. In this episode, we speak about what beliefs are and how they are created, objective reality, intellectual humility, what not to do when trying to change someone's mind and why we need to argue.  

Stephen Jenkinson is a former palliative care worker, cultural activist,  and master storyteller. He is the author of countless books including “Reckoning”, “A Generation's worth”, and the award-winning “Die Wise”. He is also the co-founder of the “Nights of Grief and Mystery” a musical storytelling ceremony along with Canadian singer/songwriter Gregory Hoskins. What started as an improvisational collaboration has led to an international tour and the release of several records with the two most recent being “Dark Roads” & “Rough Gods”. In this episode, we explore the origins of Stephen's storytelling ability, how “Nights of Grief & Mystery” came to be, how authenticity transforms us, and how our way of living determines our way of dying. 

Steve March is the founder of Aletheia, a professional coach training school that trains coaches in a paradigm-shifting next-generation coaching approach. He has over 18 years of experience as a professional coach, 20+ years as a professional instructional designer and trainer, as well as 16 years of working in the field of software development and manager of organizational development. He specializes in helping leaders and teams thrive in complex situations by applying their innate resourcefulness and creativity to resolve the problems they face. In this episode, we speak about coaching vs therapy, depth in human experience, nonduality, and going beyond self-improvement. 

Saj Razvi is the director of education at the Psychedelic Somatic Institute. He is a psychotherapist and former clinical researcher in the MAPS phase 2 trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He is also one of the primary developers of Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) a groundbreaking therapeutic modality that addresses mental health issues at the root cause level. His primary work is in training clinicians to provide legal and effective psychedelic therapy in their private practices. In this episode, we speak about psychedelic psychotherapy, the importance of developing a strong somatic pathway, the healing potential of cannabis & ketamine, and the pitfalls psychedelic healers can fall into.

Emil Ejner Friis is a theory artist, wordsmith, and author. He has spent the last ten years trying to figure out how to create a listening society, a kinder and more developed society that deeply cares for the happiness and emotional needs of every citizen. He is also one half of the Hanzi Freinacht duo, an alias under which he has released “The Listening Society” and “Nordic Ideology” -  two groundbreaking books that unpack the metamodern philosophy. In this episode, we speak about what really matters in life, negative social emotions, making metamodernism pragmatic, and integrating intellect with art and music. 

Zak Stein is a writer, educator, and futurist working to bring a greater sense of sanity and justice to education. He studied religion and philosophy at Hampshire College and then later educational neuroscience, human development, and educational philosophy at Harvard. Zak is the co-founder of Lectica Inc - a non-for-profit dedicated to transforming standardized testing for K to 12, higher schooling, and business. He is also the author of  “Education in a time between Worlds” a powerful book that explores the future of schools, technology, and society. In this episode, we speak about the problem with today's dominant school system, the future of education, teacherly authority, and the measurement crisis. 

Forrest Landry is a philosopher, writer, researcher, scientist, and craftsman. His work spans many fields including social architecture, sensemaking, ethics & governance, and existential risk. His experience as a master woodworker led him to create the Magic Flight Launchbox, a beautifully crafted wooden portable vaporizer that many cannabis enthusiasts may be familiar with. He is also the author of several profound philosophical works including “An Immanent Metaphysics”, “Effective choice”, “The Tiny Book of essential wisdom”, and most recently “Western Core Tantra.” In this episode, we speak about how to better think about truth, ethics & morality, spirituality, religion, free will, and choice. 

Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center. He is the host of an award-winning podcast called “Science of Happiness” and the co-instructor of an online course of the same name. He is also the author of several books including “The Power Paradox” - which details how we gain and lose influence in our lives. In this episode, we speak about power, money, social class, cancel culture, race, & white privilege. 

Eric Wargo is the author of “Precognitive Dreamwork and the Long Self” a mind-expanding book that will challenge your ideas about dreams, time, and reality. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Emory University and works as a professional science writer. In his spare time, he writes about science fiction, consciousness, and the paranormal on his popular blog the Nightshirt. Eric Wargo welcome to the show.  In this episode, we speak about the science of precognition, how to do precognitive dreamwork, materialism, free will, and the fractal nature of dreams. 

Stephen Jenkinson is an all-around renaissance man. He plays many roles including author, poet, storyteller, cultural activist, and farmer. Stephen received a master's in theology from Harvard and a masters in social work from the University of Toronto. He is the subject of a film called “Griefwalker” which documents his experience as a palliative care worker. He has written a handful of books including the award-winning “Die Wise” which explores our culture's relationship to dying. In this episode, we speak about what people are really afraid of when it comes to death, what it means to carry the dead, why hope is hopeless & how to be with the dying. 

Guy Sengstock is the founder and creator of the circling method and circling institute. He has been facilitating transformation for individuals, groups, and corporations internationally for over 20 years. He holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from San Fransico Art institute and is the co-founder of the Arte Center for Excellence and the Bay Area Men's Circle. He plays many roles including artist, philosopher, bodyworker, poet, and visionary. In this episode, we speak about how the practice of circling emerged, barriers to deeper conversations, what listening truly is, and how to transform conflict and judgment. 

Steve McIntosh is a political philosopher, lawyer, entrepreneur, and leader in the Integral space. He is the author of 5 books including Evolutions Purpose, The Presence of the Infinite, and most recently Developmental Politics - a book that details how America can grow into a better version of itself.  He is the president and the co-founder of The Institute for Cultural evolution, a think tank that focuses on the cultural roots of America's challenges. In this episode, we speak about the culture war, resolving political conflict with values integration, evolution as a spiritual teaching, and the importance of transcendence.  

Daniel Gortz is a political philosopher, sociologist, and a leader of “the nordic school” of metamodernism. He received his PhD in sociology from the Lund University in Sweden. He is also one half of the Hanzi Frienacht duo, an alias under which he has released “The Listening Society” and “The Nordic Ideology” -  two groundbreaking books that unpack the metamodern philosophy. In this episode, we discuss the importance of developmental thinking, complexity, depth, and pathways towards a metamodern spirituality. 

Douglas Tataryn is a clinical psychologist and a long-time meditator. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1991 from the University of Arizona. Douglas is the founder of the Bio-Emotive framework - a powerful tool for understanding and processing emotions. He conducts seminars in integral theory, sports psychology, and the integration of psychology and spirituality as well as emotional clearing workshops all throughout North America. In this episode, we speak about cultural alexithymia, the difference between emotions and feelings, emotional repression and the role crying plays in emotional healing. 

Angelo Dilullo is an Anesthesiologist and author of “Awake: It's Your Turn” - a book that serves as a comprehensive yet simple guide in facilitating awakening. He experienced awakening at the age of 24 but didn't start teaching until many years later when he noticed that while having regular conversations with people they would start experiencing profound shifts in their experience to reality. In this episode, we talk about awakening, suffering, spiritual materialism, and the paradoxical nature of reality. 

Susanne Cook-Greuter is an internationally known expert in adult development and self-actualization.  She received her doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard. Her groundbreaking work with Ego development Theory looks at the relationship between self-story and meaning-making. She currently serves as the strategic advisor and research director of Vertical Development Academy, which facilitates leadership maturity in individuals, teams, and organizations. In this episode, we talk about why growth is overrated, the critical shift in human development, and the importance of honoring all stages.

Chris Niebauer is the author of “No Self No Problem” a book that details how neuropsychology is catching up to Buddhism. He earned his PhD in cognitive neuropsychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. He is currently a professor at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania where he teaches courses on consciousness, mindfulness, left and right brain differences, and artificial intelligence.  In this episode, we talk about how the left brain creates the ego, left and right brain differences, and how to rebalance the brain. 

Dr. Daniel Ingram is the author of  “Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha” - a book that strips away all the nonsense from the meditative path. He is a master meditator and unlike many other meditation practitioners and teachers, he is open about his attainments. He refers to himself as an Arhant which in the theravada Buddhist tradition is an enlightened being. In this episode, we dive into awakening, psychedelics, and how spiritual experiences can be integrated into the medical field.