The Competitive Edge

There are some people I just love listening to talk.Today's episode is one of those people.David Perell is an entrepreneur, writer, and creator of the renown online course Write of Passage which helps aspiring writers transform their lives by writing online.A lot of people know David on the internet because of his prolific writing and content creation, but what I was interested in learning about is how the shifts in David's personal and spiritual life fuel his creative endeavors.In this conversation we talk about David's journey with his faith and how it's empowered him to be a better leader and step even more deeply into his purpose. It feels like many people I talk to these days have difficulty feeling aligned with their purpose. A big part of my personal hypothesis is that uncovering this is a process that occurs naturally once you begin to do the inner work and remove the impediments that make it easy to embrace what you love.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/david-perell-on-

Today's guest is Stephen Zerfas, the Co-Founder and CEO of Jhourney.Five years ago Stephen found himself crying tears of joy after stumbling into a prolonged state of ecstatic bliss on a meditation retreat.Up until this point, most of the retreat was migraine-inducing so he wasn't sure how he had landed in this profound place. After the retreat, he was interested in how to recreate this experience whenever he wanted. Through many months of personal experimentation and research, he realized that these states are available to all humans on demand. In fact, you don't even need to be a long-time meditator!In this conversation, we discuss the Jhanas and how Jhourney is going about making them more accessible. Interesting ideas include:An overview of the Jhanas and why we should careHow meditation as far as what has been brought to the West is still largely unexploredThe history of why these experiences went from very popular to obscurity and are now emerging yet againThe different schools of insight including dry

Today's guest Sarah McCrum is the author of the book Love Money, Money Loves You. Sarah's background was that she studied energy with Chinese masters for 20 years eventually opening a Qigong center in London. In 2010, she experienced spontaneous contact with the energy of money and began to receive information about its essence and what it wanted to communicate to humans. She began to transcribe this information and eventually, it became the contents of her book.Although this may sound like an absurd idea to many people, channeling is responsible for many profoundly impactful books such as A Course In Miracles which we covered in an earlier podcast. The idea is that all things are made of energy, including beings and energies on higher planes, and if we can open to and connect with these energies we can begin to receive and transmit information. This is the same exact way a radio works.I've read Sarah's books and the ideas are pretty revolutionary. It really makes you question everything you thought you knew

Our society is obsessed with self-improvement. This was a major feature of how I related to reality for most of my life. As helpful as self-improvement can be, it also has a major shadow side that largely goes unexamined.Implicit in the pursuit of self-improvement is that there is a deficit; that whatever or however your being is in this moment is not whole or complete. This keeps you grasping in a seemingly endless treadmill without ever reaching an enduring sense of completion or fulfillment.Most people don't really even know there is an alternative to the self-improvement paradigm. This is one of the main topics of today's conversation with Steve March, the founder of Aletheia Coaching.Some of my other favorite ideas include:Why self-improvement on its own can be a trapStriking the balance between self-improvement and self-unfoldmentHow to practically embody a more unfoldment experienceUnderstanding how solutions and support often arise when we allow them vs. exert forceHow shifting our attunement and unfo

Imagine having access to a source of guidance that could tell you exactly what's needed at any moment for your highest good in all parts of your life. I honestly can't think of a more valuable resource!According to today's guest Laura Coe, this is a potential for all humans by accessing what's called the Akashic records. The Akashic records are like an energetic database that stores all the information from every thought, emotion, and experience we've had in all of our lives as a soul.In this conversation, we discuss:What are the Akashic records and how we can work with themThe potentiality for anyone to access this inner technologyThe relationship between intuition, soul, and the Akashic realmMoving from striving to accomplishment from flow and onenessThe difference between fulfillment and successFull episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/accessing-the-infinite-wisdom-of

One of those people early on in my startup journey was Leo Widrich, one of the founders of the social media company Buffer. At one point, Buffer was a darling in startup land with their great product, prolific blog and a culture of transparency that gained them lots of notoriety.I remember reading about their co-founder split and kind of never heard much about Leo again. I'm not exactly sure how, but somehow I found myself on his website 6 months ago and learned that he's been on a similar journey of inner discovery. After "making it in startup world" Leo went to live in a Buddhist monastery for a few years. In this conversation, we talk about his experience going from the frenetic world of startups to living a monastic lifestyle. He shares a lot about the experience of facing his unconscious inner material which I related to immensely. Post monastery life, he found himself coaching startup founders who were experiencing similar challenges and dissonance that he had gone through. This article on lessons learn

Ryan is an accomplished entrepreneur who spent 10 years building VNN, the largest, fastest-growing high school sports marketing and media network in the United States. He's since moved into the world of executive coaching starting his firm Inside-Out Leadership which is the only coaching firm that I know of completely comprised of exited founders who also integrate consciousness work.I find Ryan to be an incredibly thoughtful guy and compelling speaker which is why I was excited to have him on the show.In this conversation, we unpack how and why developing a more effective relationship with shame can be such a profound unlock for improving your life and leadership ability. This exploration bleeds into how to increasingly move towards emptiness so that you can meet life as spacious awareness.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/facing-shame-to-claim-freedom-and

Today's guest is a fascinating and inspiring example of expanding beyond an old identity to step into something deeper.Mona Sobhani was a hard-charging neuroscientist who at one point looked at spirituality as a coping mechanism for people who couldn't cut it in the real world.Through an unforeseen series of direct experiences and deep exploration of scientific evidence, she gradually transformed her worldview and began to embrace the ineffable mystery that is spiritual life. Her book Proof of Spiritual Phenomena shares her experience as well as the mountain of scientific evidence that substantiates what many ancient wisdom teachings have been saying all along.In this conversation, we talk a lot about the interplay of scientism and spirituality. Some interesting talking points for me include:Why much of the science community continue to overlook or turn away from the compelling evidence surrounding spiritual phenomena and their potential impact on the human experienceHow to skillfully navigate shifts in iden

I recently came across the work of author, illustrator, and creator of LifeExplained Hans Wilhelm.Hans does a fantastic job simplifying and distilling topics about how Earth is a school for the evolution of our consciousness and how reality is actually orchestrated for this purpose and many other interesting stuff on his YouTube channel and Website. He also has written over 200 children's books including a bunch that explain spiritual concepts.In this conversation, we dive deep into the big question that occupies many of our minds: why are we here? How do we make the most of this experience?To answer this question, Hans helps illuminate the laws of Karma and how they show up in our everyday lives. As I've talked about in the responsive reality, we come to see that there is an intelligence that brings us the perfect choreography of experiences needed to return us to our divine state. This process is a gradual realization vs. addition.In addition to this overarching concept, we also discuss:Lightworkers - what

Today's guests are Nicco Reggente and Leo Christov-Moore from The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies. The IACS is trying to make these life-altering experiences available to more people by better understanding what goes into meditative and entheogenic experiences so that we can find additional, more accessible entry points using modern technology. Through a better understanding of both the mechanics of what creates these states from how our brains change, to traditional components like the role of a facilitator and set and setting, they hope to make attaining positive behavior through these states accessible to the masses. Right now their research focus is on enhancing meditation, neuromodulation, and technodelics.This conversation is wide-ranging and builds upon past conversations I've had on the latest Neuroscience of Meditation. Some highlights include:Why their research lab is set up like a startup vs. typical academiaThe current state of using ultrasound to induce altered statesWhat Technodel

Today's conversation dives deep into the realm of the soul and the initiatory experience.Brooks Barron is a leadership coach and wilderness guide. One of the reasons I was excited to chat with Brooks is the formative role nature plays in his work helping people make contact with their soul and bring its expression into reality.In this conversation, we talk about the pan-cultural tradition of the initiatory process and why it can be so impactful in our growth journeys. We explore how multi-day fast vision quests in nature can create a container for soul initiation.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/navigating-the-mystery-of-soul-initiation

I first heard the term "cerebrospinal fluid" about four years ago during a Joe Dispenza course. I remember doing meditations that had me squeeze my perineum to try and move the fluid up my back into my brain.I encountered it again when I studied breathwork, and then my cranial sacral therapist would talk about it. It has continued to hover around my sphere for years, and finally, I decided I needed to go deeper and figure out what I needed to know about cerebrospinal fluid. I encountered the work of Dr. Mauro Zappaterra in this way.Mauro has spent the past 20 years studying the impact of cerebrospinal fluid on human functioning. He received his MD/PhD from Harvard, where he studied neuronal stem cells and the effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on brain development in adults. His work has been published in numerous scientific articles on CSF, and it was chosen as the cover image for the prestigious Neuron Journal. He is also the author of several children's books that make consciousness teachings accessible

This is a conversation with Humanity's Team co-founder Steve Farrell on his unconventional and inspiring journey from successful entrepreneur to uplifting human consciousness.In the 1990's, Steve Farrell had started two high flying Silicon Valley businesses respectfully doing $75 million in revenue when he recognized his call to serve humanity. By all traditional definitions he had "made it," but recognized that his soul's purpose for coming into this plane was more then just being a serial entrepreneur.He left Silicon Valley and started his non-profit Humanity's Team with Neale Donald Walsch, author of the seminal book series Conversations With God.Humanity's team's mission is to make conscious living pervasive by 2040 by helping educate people throughout the world to awaken to the interconnectedness and oneness of everything. Over the last 20 years, they have created the #1 non-profit in transformational education bringing together some of the biggest spiritual leaders, scientists, and educators in the worl

Is it possible to live life in a state of play, grow spiritually, and build the life of your dreams all at once?This is a question I have spent many years pondering.Our guest today, Victoria Song would answer this question with an emphatic YES! For a long time, I thought there was a polarity between these things, but this is something I no longer believe.This has to be one of my favorite conversations since starting the show. It was just one of those conversations where there was a strong vibe, and I left feeling electric.Victoria is someone I met back in the tech industry when she was working in Venture Capital. From here, she went on to become a leadership advisor and coach working with everyone from billionaires and high flying CEOs to creatives at the top of their field. She is also the author of the book Bending Reality which shares many of her most effective tactics she's field tested with her clients.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/how-to-bend-reality-with-victoria

"I think we're going to see a lot of people who are half professional, half shaman in the coming years."This was a soundbite from the recording of this week's episode with my guest Jake Housdon. As the expansion of consciousness becomes more popular, I agree with the idea that people are going to live a more integrated experience.Jake and I are kindred spirits in some ways in that we both spent a decade+ working in startups and are now seeking ways to blend consciousness evolution with being a modern professional.Jake has an inspiring and courageous story. He was a sales leader in the startup world for the past decade and left that life to buy a retreat center in Peru, embark on becoming a shaman, and create an ecosystem dedicated to serving the conscious professional.In this episode, we talk about his mystical story of how he ended up where he is today and the windy path it took to get there. We went deep on many of the polarities that one can encounter while trying to be an earnest seeker, yet also someone

What's Unique About The Mental Health of Entrepreneurs?Starting and running a company can be HARD.And when you look at the odds of success, you realize you gotta be a little crazy to do it. Many times during my own experience, I've reflected on how if I knew how hard it was, I'm not sure I would have done it. I'm finding the same thing can be said about embarking on the path of spiritual evolution btw! Apparently, I like hard shit.So what is it about entrepreneurs that make them do the things they do?Are they fundamentally different from the average bear? And what implications does this have for their mental health and well-being? This is the nature of my conversation with today's guest Dr. Michael Freeman. Dr. Freeman serves as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and as a Mentor in the Entrepreneurship Center at UCSF. With support from the Kauffman Foundation, Dr. Freeman has conducted extensive research into the mental health of entrepreneurs.

I love synchronicity. Not just because it's fun when it happens but because it serves as a clue to the fact that there is something more going on here than the story we've been told about reality.The answer to what causes synchronicity will vary depending on who you ask. I have my own ideas, but I wanted to see who out there has done extensive research on the topic. This is how I came across today's guest, Dr. Bernard Beitman. After studying at Yale and Stanford, Dr. Beitman went on to become the chair of the psychology and neuroscience program at The University of Missouri. He has also published multiple books, including Meaningful Coincidences, and started a non-profit called the Coincidence Project which seeks to better understand and educate the world on why and how coincidences occur.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/how-and-why-synchronicity-happen

Altered states of consciousness are going mainstream. This episode is a deep dive on the startup ecosystem with my friend Greg Kubin who an investor a Psymed Ventures. We recorded this conversation as a followup to a longer post covering the startup ecosystem related to expanding human consciousness.Startups will play a key role in enabling and expanding access to altered states of consciousness. The types of companies come in many flavors – hardware, software, and community. Technology could even result in accessing completely new states of consciousness.But first… how do we define consciousness?Most humans live in a state of normal waking consciousness – i.e. being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and physical surroundings. For most people, this is seemingly all there is to reality, maybe except for dreams. In contrast, altered (or "alternative") states of consciousness enable us to experience additional levels of awareness, perceptions, memories, thinking, emotions, sense of time, place, and self-control

Consciousness is subjective. This means, for the most part, we only know what it feels like inside our own inner space.So how do we move beyond our limitations if our only reference point is our subjective experience? Well, one way is to have a map of all the different potentialities available to humans and clear directives on how to experience them.This is the subject of today's episode with guest Trish Blain. Trish is the founder of Nonordinary and the author of The Four Forces book. She first got on my radar with her work helping previous podcast guest Alexander Beiner who she worked to navigate the extended state DMT trials.In this conversation, I think Trish stimulates some interesting ideas around how we can move beyond our limitations and then look to embody these ecstatic states in union with others. I think one thing that resonated with me is how even amidst many people doing their inner work, more expansive states of being are often investigated and understood in isolation. This presents a challenge

What is happening in the world of neuroscience and meditation?That is the subject of today's episode with Katie Devaney who is a researcher at University of California Center for Psychedelic Research and Co-founder of Berkeley Alembic.As an independent organization, Berkeley Alembic has more autonomy to perform research on experiences that highly experienced meditators have, yet might not match the immediate criteria of fighting disease.Full episode notes and links: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/the-neuroscience-of-meditation-what