American Alchemy with Jesse Michels

Parapsychology is a fringey field of physics that involves the study of mind over matter effects. Many elite universities had parapsychology departments in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. At American Alchemy, we think the field is worthy of further inquiry. On this episode, we explore two of parapsychology’s most mind blowing instantiations. The first is a government psychic spy program called Stargate....

This week’s American Alchemist is Ross Douthat: Ross is an American political analyst, blogger, author and New York Times columnist. He was a senior editor of The Atlantic. He has written on a variety of conservative topics, including the state of elite education and Christianity in America and "sustainable decadence" in contemporary society. On this episode, we talk about his battle with Lyme dis...

This week’s American Alchemist is Rob Rhinehart: Rob is the founder of Soylent, partner at Mars Bio, and author of the blog mostly harmless. He’s incredibly intelligent and incredibly eccentric. He lives on a secluded Malibu with goats and horses and eats homemade ice cream all day. He also dabbles in poetry. John Fiorentino, his neighbor, is the founder of gravity blanket (one of the most success...

This week’s American Alchemist is Brian Muraresku: Brian is the New York Times bestselling author of the book, The Immortality Key. It documents the Ancient Greek mystery rituals that many said held civilization together and that the fathers of western civilization (Plato, Aristotle etc.) all underwent. Many of these great thinkers claimed the rituals helped them encounter “their immortal soul”. I...

This week’s American Alchemist is Christian Angermayer: entrepreneur, investor, and head of Apeiron Investment Group, which manages 3.5 Billion Dollars. Born and bred in Germany, Christian is the first investor in Compass Pathways and founder of Atai Life Sciences, demarginalizing psychedelics and bringing them into the mainstream as FDA-approved treatments and therapies for ailments like depressi...

Eric Weinstein is a mathematician, cultural commentator and Managing Director of Thiel Capital. He has a theory in physics, called Geometric Unity, which attempts to reconcile quantum field theory and relativity. He's a walking anomaly and a complete polymath; genius doesn't do him justice. In this episode, we grab in n' out, talk about intergenerational theft, malaise among young people, artifici...

Today’s American Alchemist is Justin Mateen. Justin cofounded Tinder in 2012 and currently runs JAM Fund, a $400 million dollar fund that invests in high-growth tech startups. We discuss his deal flow, what he looks for in founders, pattern recognition, and even did some holotropic breathwork together. Justin also forced me to take shots hot sauce after losing to him in Corn Hole. I’ll get him bac...

Today’s American Alchemist is the one and only Jake Paul. Come explore the radical mind of one of the Internet’s most notorious personalities and get to know the man behind the name. From revitalizing the sport of boxing, to investing in tech, Jake is a true trailblazer... and he’s just getting started. *** AMERICAN ALCHEMY is an original series hosted by Jesse Michels that explores the frontier o...