MetaLearn Podcast

Kevin Kelly is the co-founder of Wired magazine and author of sveral books including his latest, Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier. In this episode we discuss: The nature of good advice and who is really worth listening to Why your goal should be to become the "only" not the best in what you do What it means to live in perpetual disequilibrium and why that fuels growth W...

Steven Pressfield is the bestselling author of The War of Art , Gates of Fire , and The Legend of Bagger Vance . In this episode we discuss: How shame, honour, and resistance shape the creative life The ancient idea of the "daimon" and its role in artistic destiny Lessons from decades of rejection, hard work, and his eventual breakthrough We also talk about Steve's unconventional path to success w...

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: closing the gap between knowing & doing, the challenge of living your values and the path to human progress.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to ask great questions, the role of curiosity in progress and the impact of modern media and technology on expertise, sensemaking and democracy.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: the importance of creativity for individuals and society, the process of discovering your genius and the difference between the gift and market economies.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to understand your emotions, the patterns driving human behaviour and why mental health culture isn't improving mental health. 

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to focus in a world full of distractions, the challenges of ADHD and how to deal with it and why myths about attention are harming you.

Andrea Domenichini is a media producer and podcaster who runs his own show Voices in the Dark, and has been helping me with the latest episodes of the MetaLearn podcast. In this episode we discuss: - How to apply Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power in practice - Avoiding manipulation and how to defend against people using power plays - The true nature of power and how we misunderstand it in modern so...

Raoul Pal is the CEO of Real Vision, a cutting edge financial media company and also runs his own macro research business, Global Macro Investor. In this episode we discuss: - Raoul's 3 scenarios for how the war between Russia & Ukraine plays out - The outlook for different asset classes including stock & bonds, commodities & crypto - Why the tokenisation of culture through communities like Bored...

Visakan 'Visa' Veerasamy is a creator, marketer and the author of two books, Friendly Ambitious Nerd and Introspect. In this episode we discuss: - How to navigate the hero's journey of developing self awareness - Confronting your inner tyrant so you can do the work you were built for - Becoming friends with yourself and earning your own self-respect and admiration This was a special conversation t...

Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist and author of The Master and His Emissary and The Matter with Things. In the episode we discuss: - The differences between the left and right brain hemispheres and how they shape your perspective - The 4 pathways to understanding - science, reason, intuition & imagination - How the big problems we face including the assault on Nature, destruction of Culture are a...

Andrew Warner is an entrepreneur, author and the founder of Mixergy, a platform for interviewing the world's top founders. In this episode we discuss: - Andrew's techniques for learning anything from anyone, based on 2000+ interviews - How to interrupt someone, ask tough questions and rescue bad conversations - Strategies for building a thriving content business around interviews We also discuss h...

Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur, financial analyst and the host of the Hidden Forces Podcast. In this episode we discuss: - The key events that shaped the modern world including 9/11 and the 2008 Financial Crisis - The rise of 'financial nihilism' and how it's playing out in asset markets including crypto - How to build a profitable media business with integrity in a post truth world We al...

Oliver Burkeman is a journalist and author of the book 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. In this episode we discuss: - The time management myths that are holding you back - Practical strategies that help you focus on what matters most - The true cost of convenience culture and what you lose We also talk about how writing the book changed Oliver's relationship to time, the path to producing...

Armand D'Angour is a professor of classics at the University of Oxford and the author of several books including Socrates in Love and his latest, How To Innovate. In this episode we discuss: - The 3 different types of innovation and how to use them to your advantage - How the Greeks thought about change and what we can learn from them - The relationship between innovation and ethics We also cover...

Larry Grobel is a writer and interviewer who has interviewed every big name in Hollywood from Robert de Niro to Nicole Kidman, Al Pacino to Angelina Jolie. In this episode we discuss: - The art of a great interview informed by Larry' work with the world's biggest stars - Techniques for building rapport fast to make people feel comfortable and open up - Larry's principles for great storytelling tha...

Gary Lachman is a writer and philosopher, whose work focuses on human imagination and the history of occult ideas. In this episode we discuss: - Moving between the rational and the imaginative modes of consciousness - The rise of meme magic in politics and how Trump, Putin others have used it - How to make sense of a world dominated by philosophies of nihilism We also discuss Gary's experience in...

Andrea Domenichini is a media producer and podcaster who runs his own show Voices in the Dark, and has been helping me with the latest episodes of the MetaLearn podcast. In this episode we discuss: - The role curiosity plays in learning and how to cultivate it in yourself and others - The nature of knowledge and the thread running between science and the arts - What Dungeons & Dragons has taught A...

James Hollis is Jungian analyst and author of 16 books, including his latest work Prisms and Living Between Worlds. In this episode we cover: - How to deal with competing desires and create the life you want to live - The meaning of Jung's big ideas like the shadow and what they mean for you - How James has written a book every two years for the last 3 decades This was a wide ranging, deep convers...

Sergey Young is the Founder of the Longevity Vision Fund and author of the book The Science and Technology of Growing Young. In this episode we discuss: - How using health data will eventually enable us to reverse aging - The current state of aging research and progress made in recent years - The simple things you can do to extend your lifes and stay healthy This episode will give you a broad over...

Tom Chatfield is a philosopher and author of the books Critical Thinking and How To Think. In this episode we discuss: - How to avoid common thinking mistakes and deal with your biases to be less wrong - The three characteristics of valuable information sources - How to understand statistics and form an accurate picture of reality in a data driven world  We also discuss Tom's experience writing a...

Visakan 'Visa' Veerasamy is a creator, marketer and the author of two books, Friendly Ambitious Nerd and Introspect. In this episode we discuss:  - How to reframe your ambition so you can succeed your way - How to create content that helps people, makes money and connects you to your tribe - How to market yourself and your work without selling out We also discuss Visa's experience growing up as a...

Michael Meade is a mythologist, storyteller and author best known for books like The Water of Life, Fate and Destiny and The Genius Myth. In this episode we discuss: - How to find and tap into your inner genius - How to tell transformative stories that move people - The most valuable life lessons from world mythology We also cover Michael's near fatal run-in with a gang aged 13 and his experience...

Luke Burgis is an entrepreneur and author of the book Wanting, The Power of Mimetic Desire and How to Want What You Need.  In this episode, we cover: - How to turn blind wanting that leaves you unfulfilled to intentional wanting that supports your values - The different kinds of role models and how they affect your desires and behaviour - How conflict often comes from similarities, not differences...

Rob Fitzpatrick is an author and entrepreneur, best known for his book The Mom Test. His latest offering is Write Useful Books. In this episode, we discuss: - Rob's 4-part system for writing useful books based on product testing principles - Common mistakes to avoid in getting feedback from readers - Business lessons Rob has learned from a decade and a half of entrepreneurial projects We also cove...