Elevating Consciousness

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.