The DPO Project

This week Master Zi and Vindesh explore the challenges of being honest and why it ultimately leads to liberation.  We've all heard the phrase, "I just need to get this off my chest," well that's what it feels like when you can be honest in a situation.  It's tough and comes with liability for whatever consequences come after but it's also freeing.  We just need to make sure we're not burdening the...

This week Master Zi and Vindesh explore therapy and it’s role in your own personal growth.  If you don’t learn how your childhood trauma plays a role in your life, then your romantic relationships will.  Anytime you type in therapy or couples counseling, a slew of self proclaimed love guru’s flood the pages.  You want a high value man? You have to be a high value woman.  It gets pretty complicated...

This week Master Zi and Vindesh discuss the liberation and liability of being a free thinker.  When we look back in history, we often find that people who dared to invent and innovate, were often on the fringe of society.  Galileo was punished for believing the earth wasn't flat and set out to prove it.  He became an outcast.  We need to be challenged to evolve and Zi talks about the repercussions...

This week Master Zi and Vindesh discuss when it's time to "jump ship" and move on from something that no longer works for you.  Everything costs energy. When it comes to our health and well-being, sometimes what we put in is more detrimental to us than beneficial.  This podcast we ask Master Zi, how do we know its time to move on? When it's right for us and when it's not? 

This week Master Zi and Vindesh continue the conversation about relationship dynamics in the West.  Master Zi explains the difference between yin and yang and how the balance has been interrupted by misunderstanding.  Relationships take work and like a garden, must be nurtured to fruit. They discuss current trends in the cultural landscape and how the gender plurality movement is changing dynamics...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the "Standard American Relationship."  Just like the Standard American Diet, how we approach our relationships can be just as unsustainable.  An article by Justin McCurry for The Guardian on September 13th, 2022 inspired the guys to talk about the newest phenomenon in Japanese youth culture.  The article "Record Number of Younger People are Rejecting Marriage" indi...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore how traumatic events shape our physiology.  Stress is unavoidable, but we can manage it to improve our health rather then age us.  Zi discusses studies that show the presence of a loved one or a community helps offset bad stress.  One of the major predictors of good health is the presence of oxytocin.  A hug, snuggle, or an intimate meal  with a loved one is enough...

Who owns culture? This week Zi and Vindesh once again explore the cultural appropriation movement.  Dr. Rob Hoffman, an acupuncturist and professional musician joins us briefly this week.  They discuss how this movement may have started and why the boundaries are often blurry.  Zi explains why cultural blending is an important phenomenon and how it helps us grow.  Like bacteria in a dish, if we do...

This week Zi and Vindesh are back to discuss the correlation of diet and mental health.  A healthy diet doesn't just pertain to what we eat.  Zi shares his thoughts about current health trends and why we are already in crisis.  It's important now more than ever to source our food and we must also be mindful of the relationships we nurture.

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss why your external enviroment directly affects your internal "invironment."  We've all heard the age old saying, "you are what you eat," but there is way more to it.  This episode Zi shares what he means by invironment, and how we can cultivate a holistic environment.  As long as we can recognize when we are out of alignment, we can work on it.  Almost every religio...

This is the full episode here, please disregard the one we just uploaded. This week Zi and Vindesh ask themselves, why are we so angry?  Vindesh recently had an opportunity to unplug and go on vacation with his family.  What he noticed was the immense weight of city life stimulation lifted, and the stillness of being in nature was restorative.  They explore how this plays out in our current societ...

This week Zi and Vindesh welcome  Chopmaster J and his son, Chase, to the podcast.  We talk about the importance of art and the role it plays in society.  The creative process is a divinely orchestrated experience.  Music and art have their own vibration and when attuned to that frequency, the artist is able to manifest and shape their vision so we can also experience that phenomenon.  Chopmaster...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss codeswitching.  Vindesh recently started performing his spoken word project and received some great advice from a world renowned actor, Ben Vereen.  Zi shares his life stories and Vedic wisdom in hopes that Vindesh undstands that though codeswitching seems counterintuitive, being able to do so can lead to harmony and open you up to new experiences.

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the effects of polarization in our society.  Vindesh was asked to be apart of an article on how to heal America.  One of the topics that rose from that article was how divided our country is.  We have such an aggressive narrative when it comes to politics that it splits families, fuels petty wars, and undermines our general health.  This episode we discuss how to o...

This week Zi and Vindesh talk about being home.  Though it’s summer, a high travel time, people are experiencing more delays, lost luggage, and cancelations. Yet, they are still booking and now looking to the future for their dream vacations. Like they need to make up for lost time.  We are focused on what is next, but what about now? Zi and Vindesh explore this phenomenon and talk about why it’s...

This week Zi and Vindesh talk about soul and what leads to soul cultivation.  We are joined by Peace, Sleuth, and Jonta whom share their point of view of what shaped their souls.  This conversation was spawned by the recent mass shootings.  These shooters all of have certain things in common and people say the same thing, "they've got no soul."  What does that mean exactly?  Zi offers insight of t...

This week the Zi and Vindesh discuss how not to be the greater fool.  They discuss decentralized currency, the housing market, and obesity in America.  At some point in all of these industries, people were sold an idea or narrative that if they participate in this investment, they will still be bailed out by the government.  It's not that it is a bad thing to receive assistance, instead this episo...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the dark side of technology.  Zi invited Stan Shaw to the podcast to the conversation. Smart phones are great tools, but they are also robbing humans of certain experiences.  We now have an entire generation that never knew life without internet. In some ways, they no longer have to work hard to overcome obstacles since the answers are on "Google." We talk about th...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss PTSD and how it plays a role in society.  Zi approaches PTSD from a different perspective.  We tend to think that  something is wrong with us after we experience the traumatic event.  However, it’s a healthy response because only a sociopath would not feel anything after the loss of a loved one or etc.  If we can begin to change the narrative and how we talk about...

This week the guys welcome Sleuth to the podcast.  Sleuth is a long time friend of Zi's and they met while working in the music industry.  They talk about the days they use to work with Tupac and the Digital Underground and what it was like working with artists who were considered cutting edge for the way they talked and the music they wrote.  Society dictates what is acceptable to say and what is...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss what it means to be rooted in reality.   As an experiment, Zi spent the week reading different articles and studies just to see where humanity is at.  What he realized is we are further and further away from reality.  Using the example of the placebo effect, Zi shares that often times during those trials individuals who received the placebo still do better because...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss the difference between responding and reacting.  The hindrance to action is hesitancy.  If there is no clarity of movement, then the response will be delayed.  They discuss why this can work in your favor.  When there’s stillness, there is clarity.  They talk about how news outlets use this strategy to maintain a herd mentality.  The guys discuss why that’s detrime...

This week Zi and Vindesh welcome Kiazi to the podcast.  Kiazi is Zi's nephew and is a drummer in the family's music company.  They explore relationships and what makes one sustainable.  They discuss the role of couples therapy, self-discipline, and knowing your needs before committing to a life partner.  Communication is key but also it's your mindset.  Zi shares his insight and experiences of mai...

This week Zi and Vin discuss how life is constant while death is finite.  Zi shares his experience of being with people in their final moments in this physical plane.  The process is always the same.  "The physical body is just the stinky bag our souls live in,"  Zi says in reference to what Buddha once told his students.  While much remains a mystery in the afterlife, one thing that is certain is...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the current socioeconomic landscape and how it's missing courtesy.  Zi uses the example, "Happy Traveler" any why people who are courteous tend to be good travelers.  They suggest that our current society does not value courtesy, but instead greed.  We will continue living in these uncertain circumstances that lead to violent mass events until we begin to extend co...