Avsnitt
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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.
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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 Beliefs Lightly
1:32:23 Certainty and Knowledge Are Inversely Correlated
1:41:42 Fulfillment Over Achievement
1:50:31 Small Actions That Raise Collective Consciousness
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✨MORE FROM TODD
↳Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltoddrose/
↳Populace: https://populace.org
↳https://www.toddrose.com/
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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:
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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/MkNjs5vbG9M
✨Wim Hof: https://youtu.be/yjKoAXOFNqw
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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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.
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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___________
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, Celibacy, and the Cultivation of Ojas
1:00:07 Life as Meditation: The Unified Field
1:06:00 The Ayurvedic View of Death and Dying
1:14:56 Dinacharya: The Daily Routine as Spiritual Practice
1:18:48 The Doshic Clock and the Yugas
1:25:22 Relationship, Self-Knowledge, and the Closing Message
___________
MORE FROM DR. VASANT
✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvasantlad
🌐https://ayurveda.com/about-vasant-lad/
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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.
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.
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___________
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 Experiment: Reading André's Brain Live
1:18:21 What the EEG Data Revealed
1:22:26 Music, Flow State, and the Disappearance of Self
1:26:55 Music as Spiritual Medicine
1:30:23 How to Listen More Intentionally
___________
MORE FROM MEI
✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@meiruipiano
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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.
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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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list
___________
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 Fallacy, and Living Now
1:17:22 Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Meaning
1:19:36 The External Scoreboard and Love Is Not Earned
1:25:10 The Four Idols
1:29:49 Self-Transcendence and the Divine
1:37:40 Marriage, Adoption, and Walking to Heaven
1:45:03 Suffering, Beauty, and Meaning
1:53:59 Use Things, Love People, Worship the Divine
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.arthurbrooks.com/
https://www.instagram.com/arthurcbrooks/
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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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___________
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 They Shape Us
1:16:51 Tools for Self-Inquiry and Lasting Change
1:25:52 Repeated Patterns and Relational Wounds
1:29:45 Hard-Won Growth and Gratitude
1:32:12 Paul's Personal Story: Loss and the Path to Medicine
1:37:17 Presence, Suffering, and the Art of Helping
1:41:35 Closing Message: Your Mind Is Your Friend
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.drpaulconti.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-Right-Powerful-Optimizing/dp/1538776049
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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?
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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___________
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 Morning Routine
1:39:05 Environment, Association, and Chemo Signals
1:42:20 The Necessity of Processing Time
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/emonthebrain/
https://www.instagram.com/planetempodcast/
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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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___________
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
42:24 I-Risk, X-Risk, and S-Risk: Three Ways It Goes Wrong
46:31 The Human Meaning Crisis: Jobs, Purpose, and What's Left
49:02 Ad: Based Bodyworks
50:20 What Empowers Us as Individuals Right Now
59:37 The Race to Doom: Who's Building It and Why They Won't Stop
1:07:41 Can AI Be Conscious — and Does It Already Have Internal Experiences?
1:12:41 Hacking the Simulation: Quantum, DMT, and Escaping the Code
1:18:30 Simulation Theory, Religion, and the Same Ancient Map
1:29:34 The Deal Roman Would Offer Altman, Dario, and Elon
1:39:44 What Is Humor? A Computer Scientist's Theory
1:43:03 What Comes After: Singularity, Death, and Knowing Thyself
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.romanyampolskiy.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Unexplainable-Unpredictable-Uncontrollable-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/103257626X
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
Listen to the show:
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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.
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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___________
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 Dynamic in Love
1:00:35 Joy Is the Matriarch — and Anger Is a Child Too
1:03:18 Turning Toward the World as the Real Path of Growth
1:10:33 What Are We Really Searching For?
1:14:02 Living Your Calling: Purpose, Surrender, and Doing What You Love
1:25:03 AI, Societal Transformation, and the Edge of Wisdom
1:31:25 Vagal Authority and the Emotional Order of Operations
1:40:46 Joe Coaches André Live: Perfectionism, Self-Reliance, and Vulnerability
1:55:26 Dropping the Identity of Being Spiritual
1:59:11 We All Want to Be Seen
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/joehudson_aoa/
https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/about
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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.
Visit https://www.functionhealth.com/knowthyself
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___________
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 Consciousness, Soul, and the Search for Meaning
1:33:18 Becoming an Agent of Change
___________
For a free Wim Hof Method Mini Class:
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/free-mini-class
Episode Resources:
https://www.wimhofmethod.com
https://www.instagram.com/iceman_hof
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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?
1:46:29 What Makes Us Human?
1:57:08 Longevity, Transhumanism, and the Future of the Body
2:03:51 The Practical AI Tools to Start Using Now
2:14:43 The End of Human-Only Discovery
2:17:22 What Parents Should Teach Their Kids Now
2:23:39 Happiness, Agency, and the Final Message
___________
Episode Resources:
https://x.com/EMostaque
https://x.com/ii_posts
https://ii.inc/web
Emad's Book: http://thelasteconomy.com
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://apple.co/4iATICX
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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.
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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[Code: KNOWTHYSELF]
André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list
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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 Clearly: The End of Suffering
1:54:31 From Endless Seeking to Direct Experience
1:59:27 The Mind’s Five Obstacles
2:08:07 Turning Awareness Inward
2:11:20 Beyond the Illusion of Separation
2:14:25 Nothing to Gain, Nothing to Lose
2:15:30 Closing Thoughts
___________
Episode Resources:
https://www.shihengyi.online/
https://www.instagram.com/shihengyi.online
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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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[Code: KNOWTHYSELF]
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.com/
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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
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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.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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://apple.co/4iATICX
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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?
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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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list
___________
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
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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.
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
02:26:00 Death Rebirth and Liberation
02:38:00 What Enlightenment Really Means
02:50:00 Final Clarifications on Non Duality
02:55:00 Closing Reflections
___________
https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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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[Code: KNOWTHYSELF]
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/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com
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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.
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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[Code: KNOWTHYSELF]
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
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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.
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
- Visa fler
