Mere Mortals artwork

Mere Mortals

412 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratings

Deep conversations with a light-hearted touch. Stay tuned for dives into philosophy, meditation, fitness, mindset, fun hypotheticals and whatever captures our attention. 2 to 3 uploads every week!

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Episodes

BRENDAN JAYO | Zen Philosophy, Crazy Lefties & Outrageous People: Mere Mortals Conversation #41

February 22, 2021 18:45 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MB

Brendan is back again and this time we are talking all things Zen. We start off with a discussion on the general overview of the religion/philosophy and some of its core aspects of Zazen, the Koans & Satori. One of the things that Brendan (and I) enjoy about the Zen way of thinking is that there is relatively little dogma and that one can come into it from a Western perspective without needing to buy into a whole lot of other beliefs. The second half of the convo is a bit looser as we chat a...

A Sad Story Of Bad Parenting (Episode #154 - Musings)

February 20, 2021 18:45 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MB

Why is it so heart-breaking to see bullying parents in real life? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: what is the best amount of physical exercise per week to improve, how day trading promotes short term thinking in general, purposefully stopping to smell the roses, my story of seeing a Dad being an asshole to his kids, a podcast about a Brisbane woman in a terrible situation, empathy and connecting with people who are like yourself and whether Clubhouse will become a super popu...

Will Driving Ever Be Banned? (Episode #153 - Meanderings)

February 18, 2021 18:45 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MB

With the coming wave of AI and self-driving cars, will it ever be illegal for humans to manually take the wheel? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: Juan's plans to become a rapper, why driving and traffic suck balls, the ethics surrounding the use of self-driving cars and whether anyone actually enjoys driving, the slow grind of life and repeating the same things over and over again, how much effort day trading actually involves and if the returns actually outperform the ge...

How To Raise Your Testosterone Naturally (Episode #152 - Testosterone)

February 17, 2021 18:45 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MB

What actions does one need to take to get guns as big as Juan? In this episode on 'Testosterone' Juan and I discuss: what testosterone is and how it differs in men/women and with age, how it contributes to the sex drive of males and females, Kyrin's research on natural methods to raise your testosterone levels, the nutrition that is optimal to create the largest amount of free testosterone levels, what happens when using exogenous chemicals to boost your test and the characteristics of peopl...

MICHAEL FOX | Developing A Product, Plant-Based Meat & Fable Food Co: Mere Mortals Conversation #40

February 15, 2021 18:45 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MB

Michael is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fable Food Co, a company that develops and produces delicious meat alternatives based on mushrooms. He is also a mentor and investor in Startmate. Prior to Fable, Michael co-founded online retail businesses Shoes of Prey and Sneaking Duck and was a founding board member of the National Online Retail Association in Australia. He has also worked for Google and originally graduated with a degree in Law. In this conversation, Juan had the pleasure to take a ...

The Longest Time Without Sleep (Episode #151 - Sleeping)

February 12, 2021 06:45 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MB

What happened to the guy who went without sleep for 11 days? In this episode on 'Sleeping' Juan and I discuss: the anatomy of the brain and why sleep is crucial for neural plasticity, the actual reasons that animals sleep, the detrimental effects of too much and too little sleep, the amount of sleep that science recommends, the Uberman sleep schedule of only taking 20 minute naps during the day, stories of consultants and their insane work hours, some fun hypotheticals and our optimal night ...

The Happiest Man On Earth (Eddie Jaku) - Book Review

February 11, 2021 06:45 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MB

What circumstances would drive someone to voluntary smuggle themselves back into a concentration camp? 'The Happiest Man On Earth' by Eddie Jaku is the memoir of a man who endured tremendous suffering, managing to survive through the holocaust. The book starts with life before WWII, his subsequent experiences in the concentration camps before moving away from Belgium/Germany and emigrating to Australia. There are some intense and amazing stories from his time in the camps, including his dari...

Meditation Training & Jiddu Krishnamurti (Episode #150 - Musings)

February 10, 2021 06:45 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MB

Can meditation actually be great training for increasing your fortitude? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: not becoming discouraged and being able to start over again, vibrational science and how yelling at jars can make mould grow (apparently), using language correctly and judging people based on how they speak, signs that someone's ideas aren't worth listening to, Jiddu Krishnamurti and the Theosophical Society, figures from history that the Mere Mortals venerate and our gra...

The Coddling Of The American Mind (Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt) - Book Review

February 09, 2021 06:45 - 16 minutes - 17.4 MB

What are the reasons for the rise of safe spaces, microaggressions and extreme social justice on American college campuses? 'The Coddling Of The American Mind' by Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt attempts to explain the psychology and cognitive distortions of iGen (also known as Generation Z). Three Great Untruths have been adopted by these students which has led to the culture of 'safetyism' in which safety has become a sacred value that cannot be questioned. I summarised the book as follow...

Sleep When You're Dead? - 4M's #57

February 08, 2021 10:45 - 2.11 MB

I'll sleep when I'm dead might sound fancy, but you better believe it'll be a quicker trip underground if you pursue that mentality long term. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Themed Podcast, Conversations & Meanderings. Connect with Mere Mortals: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/

Gamestop Stonks & The Meme Economy (Episode #149 - Meanderings)

February 07, 2021 06:45 - 33 minutes - 23.1 MB

Can the individual win against the big banks in the battle of Gamestop stonks in the new meme economy? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: how one should behave when called out for getting something wrong, the hilarious situation of a reddit group fighting against the financial system, why the banks will probably end up winning the fight, understanding a book by only hearing its reviews, what heavy squatting actually feels like and a fun hypothetical of taking psychedelics w...

IAN PARKE | Diversified Assets, Learning How To Hire & CEO Founders: Mere Mortals Conversation #39

February 06, 2021 06:45 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MB

Ian is a signal fire for the next generations of entrepreneurs and modern business development. After kick-starting his career in assets management, Ian merged his financial prowess and cultivated his creative ambition, founding multiple successful ventures. He launched his first technology company in 2017, which handled corporate compliance and risk management around background screening for ASX listed companies. Disrupting the disruptors is Ian's approach - inspiring him to co-found FIN-P...

Running Even If You Hate It (Episode #148 - Running)

February 05, 2021 06:45 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MB

How do you push through the boredom and pain to be able to just keep on running? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Running'. Running can be considered to be moving the legs at many paces, but there are some things it is not. It is not powerwalking, racewalking, skipping or hopping. The ridiculous thing is that there are world records for doing marathons for these other methods that will easily best our finest marathon time (once we actually do it). In the rest of the e...

Mere Mortals Monthly Goals - February 2021

February 04, 2021 06:45 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MB

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first Thursday of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous month's goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why? Let us know in the comments, Mere Mort...

Misinformation Is A Neutral Entity (Episode #147 - Musings)

February 03, 2021 06:45 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MB

Are podcasts bad because they produce too much misinformation? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: why Juan enjoyed the latest JRE podcast with Lex Fridman, how I am starting to receive lots of benefits by taking a day off from tech with screens, will David Goggins be healthy in the long run, would Juan be able to resist technology for 24 hours, whether podcasts are unhelpful due to getting too many things wrong, why misinformation is neutral and that lying is the real problem, ...

In Evil Hour (Gabriel García Márquez) - Book Review

February 02, 2021 06:45 - 12 minutes - 13.9 MB

What is the strange attraction and repulsion that we have towards violence? 'In Evil Hour' by Gabriel García Márquez is a fictional story set in the same universe as his most famous work of '100 Years of Solitude' but without the magic realism he is famous for. The story starts and ends with a killing, depicting the start of the oppression and the escalation that is to follow. Violence (both overt and subtle) lingers throughout the interactions of the tyrannical mayor as he re-institutes a c...

Get Comfortable being Uncomfortable - 4M's #56

February 01, 2021 06:45 - 1 minute - 1.22 MB

How often do we find ourselves shying away from the prickly things in life, in being uncomfortable. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable can be a real super power. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Themed Podcast, Conversations & Meanderings. Connect with Mere Mortals: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/

Deep Conversations With A Light-Hearted Touch (Episode #146 - Meanderings)

January 31, 2021 06:45 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MB

What is the essence of having a profound conversation but simultaneously not taking yourself too seriously? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: our slight re-branding for the Mere Mortals brand, starting a new project for a bad reason and then transitioning out of it, how you could use your body issues as a catalyst for change, kids nowadays who have their entire childhood recorded, why extreme ownership might not be for everyone and how stressful it is to be anti-conformity...

TANYA HALL | Barefoot Running, Zone 2 Training & Living Rural: Mere Mortals Conversation #38

January 30, 2021 06:45 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MB

Tanya Hall is officially a repeat guest on the Mere Mortals Conversations. Tanya is an ultramarathoner, combined with being a foodie and lives rurally on a farm in the Brisbane outskirts. In this convo we discussed: how barefoot running sounds great but is hard to implement in reality, the difference between running on trails vs roads, the method of burning fat doing zone 2 training, some mental benefits she has seen from moving out to a farm and the fun that can be had from climbing tree an...

What Makes A Terrible Question? (Episode #145 - Questions)

January 29, 2021 06:45 - 39 minutes - 27 MB

What are the differences between terrible, bad, stupid and good questions? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Questions'. We start of with a definition and a little bit of history from Thomas Babington Macaulay before getting onto the topic of terrible questions. We mostly agreed that intent and context play a large part of the equation, rather than the actual words themselves. This can take the form of trolling, insincere, loaded and rhetorical questions, in which there...

Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut) - Book Review

January 28, 2021 06:45 - 14 minutes - 15.5 MB

Looking for a book full of truth that is actually full of shameless lies? 'Cat's Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut is a satirical novel of black humour that treats of a dangerous situation similar to the Cold War. It follows the writer John as he researches Felix Hoenikker; one of the fathers of the atomic bomb & the inventor of the insanely dangerous Ice-Nine. Along his journey he meets an enigmatic midget, the most beautiful girl in the world and the mysterious Bokonon. The underlying themes of the...

Letting Go Of The Things You Love (Episode #144 - Musings)

January 27, 2021 06:45 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MB

How do you know when you are holding onto something for too long? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: the unusual podcast format between Mr Ferriss and Dr Attia, the benefits of fasting, how difficult it is to actually translate text and books, not judging people too quickly, credit cards and the uselessness of Qantas points, my bizarre day dream involving plane crashes and heroic feats, signs that you are holding on too long to a relationship/hobby/passion and the ability to di...

Range (David Epstein) - Book Review

January 26, 2021 06:45 - 13 minutes - 14.4 MB

Is it better to generalise or specialise? 'Range' by David Epstein argues that generalists actually manage to do better in a specialised world. He previously wrote a book called 'The Sports Gene' and he himself said he put around 150% more effort into producing this book. Some arguments he makes are that hyper specialisation can be detrimental due to becoming cognitively entrenched in a field and that a thinker can become worse not better by the additional information they are provided. Jua...

Sharing Misinformation 😮 - 4M's #55

January 25, 2021 06:45 - 2 minutes - 1.56 MB

Misinformation can be the sharing of inaccurate information, REGARDLESS of an intention to deceive Mere Mortals! Juan talks through the thoughts on misinformation, inclusive of the podcast information we share. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Themed Podcast, Conversations & Meanderings. Connect with Mere Mortals: Instagram: https://www.instagr...

Anti-Agility: Becoming Worse At Sport The More You Play (Episode #143 - Meanderings)

January 24, 2021 06:45 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MB

Have you ever thought of Nassim Taleb's antifragility in the context of sport? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: our unfortunate friend Joey and how some people are not genetically suited to do the thing they love, millions of dollars locked in Bitcoin because people can't remember the password, Juan's mistaken belief that Elmo is not part of Sesame Street, the misogyny of Skeletor in his old cartoon, purposefully watching sport just to be able to socialise at work and blu...

TRENT MASON | Flying Planes, Becoming Agile & Calisthenics: Mere Mortals Conversation #37

January 23, 2021 06:45 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MB

Trent Mason is a certified executive coach and enterprise agilist, an individual who leverages systems thinking and strengths based approaches to foster a lean/agile culture, valuing people, relationships, collaboration and continuous improvement. In his own words: "My practice is best described as a humanistic approach to agile. I focus on coaching ‘the self’ and how we make conscious choices to create the right environment and conditions for performance. At a system level, it’s about agi...

Sex Work In Australia (Episode #142 - Prostitution)

January 22, 2021 06:45 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MB

Did you know that Australian prostitutes are more educated than the general population? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Prostitution'. We start off with the definition which is actually pretty broad and includes most kind of sex work, not just prostitution as the selling of sex for payment. There are some pretty interesting worldwide and local statistics as well as some funny points from history about the 'oldest profession in the world'. After the preliminaries we g...

Cool It (Bjørn Lomborg) - Book Review

January 21, 2021 06:45 - 14 minutes - 15.7 MB

Do you believe the global warming debate is full of hyperbole and needs calmer arguments? 'Cool It' by Bjørn Lomborg (a Danish statistician/political scientist) is the sequel to his wildly successful book 'The Skeptical Environmentalist'. In it he argues against dramatic climate change response due to the overhype & poor ROI of the proposed solutions. The book is also largely a rebuttal against Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' and focuses upon unemotional realism and deciding upon our prior...

Determination In Any Context (Episode #141 - Musings)

January 20, 2021 06:45 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MB

Is it possible to cultivate the skill of determination? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: the increasing ease to be unknowingly not-truthful, gamma waves from meditation, whether it is worth practicing determination to be able to use it whenever, Ross Edgley swimming around Great Britain, people who take it to the absolute extreme, when will the Mere Mortals be at the physical prime of their lives and learning the fundamentals to be able to do the cool tricks. As always, we h...

Sort Your Sh!t Out (Gary Waldon) - Book Review

January 19, 2021 06:45 - 12 minutes - 13.9 MB

Have you got your shit sorted? 'Sort Your Sh!t Out' by Gary Waldon is a guide to confronting your own mind and the self-talk that goes within. The book is a mix of mini-activities, deeply personal stories and an introduction to Bob (the negative persona inside your own head). The book is split into 4 sections: knowing, owning, dealing and maintaining your shit. Gary essentially induces the reader to take responsibility for their own problems and their own life. I summarised the book as foll...

Start Being Curious 🤔 - 4M's #54

January 18, 2021 06:45 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

The power to question is the basis of all human progress. Start being curious about the world around you, through conversations and about your own thinking. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Themed Podcast, Conversations & Meanderings. Connect with Mere Mortals: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mere_mortals_media/

The Hilarity Of Scots Wikipedia (Episode #140 - Meanderings)

January 17, 2021 06:45 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MB

How much damage can one eager American do in an obscure Wikipedia language? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: the recent lockdown in Brisbane, the story of the Scots Wikipedia scandal and why you can't reference Wikipedia, Kyrin's new Space Jam shirt, feeling comfortable in extravagant fashion, why there is no middle of fashion, spending extra money on something you love and being lied to as a kid. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! Timeline: 0:00 - The Bri...

GARY WALDON | Sorting Your Sh!t Out & Sharing Personal Experiences: Mere Mortals Conversation #36

January 16, 2021 06:45 - 1 hour - 43.8 MB

Gary Waldon is the author of the book 'Sort Your Sh!t Out' and a transformational change specialist. Coming across his CV I remarked to myself that he has been doing career hopping before it was cool. Some of his previous jobs include: topless waiter, gym instructor, bank teller, teacher, lecturer, consultant and all around entrepreneur. Quite the list of areas and he is full of wisdom from the experiences gained across them! In this conversation we start off with his book and some question...

Is It Possible To Enjoy Being Oppressed? (Episode #139 - Oppression)

January 15, 2021 06:45 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MB

Can a person/people be brainwashed into liking the cruel exercise of authority? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Oppression'. The convo begins with a tightening of the definition before discussing whether this topic has ever been a personal concern for ourselves. We then go over some examples from history and ask some hypotheticals related to the psychology of people under an oppressive regime. The second half of the podcast centres around how the word is used in a mo...

Superbugs (Matt McCarthy) - Book Review

January 14, 2021 06:45 - 16 minutes - 17.6 MB

Did you know that the world is running out of antibiotics? 'Superbugs' by Matt McCarthy explains how antimicrobial resistance is rising against our current batch of antibiotics, thus creating superbugs. The book is a mix of the author's clinical trial of Dalbavancin, the history of antibiotics (think Alexander Fleming), the relationship he has with his mentor Tom Walsh, the science of antibiotics and exactly how these superbugs are developing. I summarised the book as follows. "The book fol...

Eminent Human Being (Episode #138 - Musings)

January 13, 2021 06:45 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MB

How is Juan planning on becoming an eminent human being? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: the joys one can get from the process of setting and achieving goals, knowing when and where to communicate your goals to others, changing your value system, creating a daily tracking system for oneself, when measuring your own progress becomes detrimental, how to get better at storytelling and whether we would prepare if required to give a graduation speech. As always, we hope you enjo...

The Wim Hof Method (Wim Hof) - Book Review

January 12, 2021 06:45 - 14 minutes - 15.7 MB

Deep in, deep out. Breathe Mother Fuckers!!!!! 'The Wim Hof Method' is the layman's guide to the daily practice created by Wim Hof. The book teaches you the direct instructions but also contains a biography of the Iceman, testimonials of advocates and ends with his spiritual philosophy. The book explains how he came about his 3 Pillars (Breath/Mind/Cold) and the benefits to your health and performance that can be gained. I summarised the book as follows. "It's an overview of Wim Hof's metho...

Being Naive Enough to Start 🙉 - 4M's #53

January 11, 2021 06:45 - 2 minutes - 1.82 MB

Being Naive enough doesn't have to be a bad thing always, just enough that it lets you get started in a pursuit most others might not consider. As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Meanderings, Interviews & Themed Podcast. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalsmedia.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mere_mortals_media ...

Duct Tape For Shoes (Episode #137 - Meanderings)

January 10, 2021 06:45 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB

Maybe it is better to use duct tape for shoes instead of running barefoot? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: why a witches hat is the optimal shade protection, virtual reality so good that you wouldn't want to leave, people who are so optimistic that you can't stand being around them, the human characteristic of wanting to break something just to see what happens, why animals might actually be boring as all hell, the pointlessness of knowing lots of languages and the poten...

BRENDAN JAYO | Opinions Of The Wim Hof Method & Esoteric Practices: Mere Mortals Conversation #35

January 09, 2021 06:45 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MB

Three-peat guest Brendan Jayo is back for another conversation. The bulk of this conversation revolves around the Wim Hof Method and how both of us have fared with it. Our ultimate conclusion seems to be that it is potentially useful for those with health problems but both of us being young and healthy, we didn't see any big changes to our life. We also talk about: strange experiences while eye gazing, different branches of Buddhism & Buddhist meditation, going a day without any technology, ...

Some Men Want To Watch The World Burn (Episode #136 - Nihilism)

January 08, 2021 06:45 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MB

Why does a loss of meaning lead to despair and destructiveness? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Nihilism'. As usual we start off with our MMM's and a definition before talking a little bit about the history of the word. The Russians of course have the market cornered on all things despair related so it's no surprise that they made the word popular with Ivan Turgenev's book 'Fathers & Sons'. The rest of our discussion revolves around how nihilism plays out in real li...

Mere Mortals Monthly Goals - January 2021

January 07, 2021 06:45 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MB

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first Thursday of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous month's goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why? Let us know in the comments, Mere Mort...

Trying Too Hard To Impress People (Episode #135 - Musings)

January 06, 2021 06:45 - 40 minutes - 28.1 MB

Have you ever noticed yourself telling stories or taking unusual actions to try and impress someone? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: how to know when you are telling a story because it is interesting for the convo versus stoking your own ego, the paradox of conflicting truths and how to psychologically handle that, the insane work schedule of basketball players, getting anxious about trying to consume too much data, why 1984 is the best book ever, what makes a book a timeles...

Born To Run (Christopher McDougall) - Book Review

January 05, 2021 06:45 - 15 minutes - 16.1 MB

Have you ever tried running barefoot? In Christopher McDougall's best-selling book titled 'Born To Run' we dive into the world of ultramarathon running with a race that combines the modern with the old. The book is a mixture of biography, history, science and adventure; all wrapped up in a story of an ultramarathon held deep in the Mexican Copper Canyon. The principal themes of the book explore the lost art of endurance running and why a barefoot/minimalist shoe style might actually be benef...

Naikan Practice 🌿 - 4M's #51

January 04, 2021 06:45 - 2 minutes - 1.6 MB

Naikan is a structured method of self-reflection and on today's Mere Mortal Monday Movement Juan talks about how he hopes to bring this practice into everyday. You can check out the blog mentioned in this video here: https://www.meremortalsmedia.com/post/naikan-reflection-how-can-this-help-you As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out! About Mere Mortals: Striving for excellence through life's lessons. Daily uploads @ 5pm AEST. 4M's, Book Reviews, Musings, Bonus, Meanderings, Inter...

Congolese Fashion & Sapeur Culture (Episode #134 - Meanderings)

January 03, 2021 06:45 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MB

Have you heard of the Congolese Dandies and their expensive fashionable attire (suits) whilst living in ghettos/slums? In this episode of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: the difference between being highly focused vs getting into a flow state of non-thinking, gym etiquette and if it is permissible to use two machines for supersetting, wasting precious resources on random crap in Sapeur culture/potlatches, why you might be reading something created by artificial intelligence, Instagram mode...

JACQUES MASSIE | Insights & Learnings From A 7 Day Silent Retreat: Mere Mortals Conversation #34

January 02, 2021 06:45 - 1 hour - 56 MB

Jacques Massie is the host of the 'Couple A Lattes' Podcast, photographer and aspiring author. I first met Jacques when he reached out to Juan and I to be guests on his podcast to talk about meditation (and finance). I really enjoyed the convo I had with him and resolved to question him on the Mere Mortals channel after I heard him speak about his self-organised 7 day silent retreat. This conversation is split into roughly 3 parts: the practical, the subjective & the learnings. We begin wit...

10,000 Hours To Become A Master (Episode #133 - Mastery)

January 01, 2021 06:45 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MB

Is 10,000 hours actually enough time to become a master of your craft? In this themed episode Juan and I discuss the topic of 'Mastery'. As usual we start off with our MMM's and a definition before asking how to tell if somebody is a master? This led us onto the 10,000 hour rule popularised by Malcolm Gladwell and why you might need to broaden your skillset. Robert Greene has a fantastic book on the topic (called 'Mastery') where he outlines the three phases necessary to become a master and ...

Philosophising From 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' - George Orwell

December 31, 2020 06:45 - 31 minutes - 30.9 MB

"In the face of pain there are no heroes." This is a small quote from the book 1984 (usually fully spelt out but I'm lazy today) by George Orwell. In this bonus episode I philosophise about some of the intriguing concepts raised by the book, which include: the structural and grammatical components of Newspeak and how the language was aimed to diminish consciousness, why living in the present was discouraged and how negative emotions were used as an energy outlet, the psychological burden of ...

The Most Effective Way To Do Good (Episode #132 - Musings)

December 30, 2020 06:45 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MB

Is volunteering worth it or is it better to directly donate? In this episode of 'Musings' Juan and I discuss: using binary decision making to take away the stress from certain options, effective altruism and why volunteering may not be the best use of time, becoming overly rational and missing out on the human connection, intangibles that make a difference but can't be quantified, why being selfish in the long run may benefit humanity more, a list of some of the most effective charities to d...

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