Crazy Wisdom

This is a special episode where I sit down with Henri Meijer, my business counselor, and we talk about how team-leads and managers can build better processes so that the company can flow more harmoniously and be more effective.

I sit down with Emily Webb the founder of Mission Fusion to talk about dance, martial arts (krav maga), emotions, pain, trauma, innovation in dance, how dance makes us healthier and a lot more. https://www.missionfusion.com/private-lessons

You will like this episode if you are interested in the philosophy behind Bitcoin, centralization, and decentralization, as well as some information about stress and identity politics. Check out more about Dan here: https://twitter.com/DHannum8

Mike drops some magical life wisdom about how to find what's real: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSlavin

I sit down with Mike Dudas to talk about the current state of Crypto. You will like this episode if you have an interest in crypto, the state of crypto in Asia, and how to build companies. Find more info on Mike here: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/ and here: https://twitter.com/mdudas

I sit down with Mark and we talk about his powerful meditation experience which happened only a few weeks before we started recording and he hasn't talked to anyone about since it happened. We also talk about rationality, awareness, business, identity politics, the future state of the US and a lot more. Find Mark on Twitter @WilliamsonMark

We talk about the mathematics of pain and pleasure. Lots here if you want to understand the science of bliss without the dogma that comes from the traditional understanding of pleasure and pain. Wireheading Done Right: https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_right/ The Neuroscience of Meditation: https://opentheory.net/2018/12/the-neuroscience-of-meditation/ Glossary: https://qualiacomputing.com/2019/08/21/glossary-of-qualia-research-institute-terms/

I go back to my family roots and talk to Nathaniel about the current state of geopolitics and how technology interacts with it. Nathaniel is an expert in this subject and lectures at the Yale Jackson Institute of Global Affairs.

I sit down with JT and talk about bodyweight strength and how to get stronger in all realms of life using stress.

I interview my uncle Joe about his over 30 years taking a company from idea to IPO. There is a lot of valuable wisdom here if you are seriously starting a company or have already done so.

Third episode I've done with Kapil. This one is hard to publish and I've kept all silences. Subscribe if you like it.

I talk to Shuang about many things including her experience with Beatsaber, conciousness, VR and much more!

He's a neurobiologist from Stanford that I found at Family Fish camp! He studies fish brains and has a lot of insight into the human condition.

I interview Shar about her business Bohoing and much more including dance, consciousness, and how to live a good life.

I go deep into David's theory of Modia and Mundia and how they relate to each other and explain social behavior.

Steve Schlafman (@schlaf), based in NYC, is a seed-stage investor and leadership Coach at Primary Ventures. Here, he shares his experience of chronic pain, how it prevented him from starting his own podcast, and the ways in which he explores creativity in his life. Check out Steve's blog at https://www.schlaf.me/ In today's episode, we mention: Chronic pain + the science behind it Industries, and their ecosystems Meditation, Yoga, and Chakra NYC, and the fly-wheel effect 10-Day Vipassana Retreat Mind-body techniques Surgery, and stress Inner Resources Hypnotherapy Psychedelics Breathwork Coaching Creativity Anxiety Focus Timeline of our conversation: (04:24) Steve's experience with chronic pain (08:05) Different types of pain reception (09:23) What did Steve learn with a 10-Day Vipassana retreat? (14:30) Dealing with stress: Steve's (serious) cycling accident (23:12) The untapped potential of ancient mind-body techniques (32:38) Struggles and Lessons that Steve's gone through with stress (39:56) Steve, on Creativity: what is he most excited about creating? (45:54) NYC: Startup Ecosystem, and Culture (51:29) Steve's timeless one piece of advice Please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating + review on Apple Podcasts. You can also help spread the word by sharing this episode with your friends and family!

Maia Bittner (@maiab), co-founder @Pinch and @Rocksbox, is a startup advisor and investor, as well as an alumna at Olin College of Engineering. Currently based in San Francisco, she likes "drinking dirty chais, making web sites, and climbing rocks". In this episode, you'll hear us talk about: How to Negotiate Your Rent (yes, you heard that right!) Entrepreneurship: from kid to adult Social Media, and Vulnerability Self-worth and Independence Business, and Hustle Culture Uncertainty and Risk-taking Death and Decision-making Asymmetric Opportunities Traveling, and Adaptation Ambition, and hard-work Remote, office, or both? NYC, and its culture Imposter Syndrome Start-up loneliness Community in SF Planning Timeline: (02:31) How is the community of SF changing? Ambition and incentives. (05:18) Seizing opportunities: how did Maia learn business? (08:32) Traveling, Negotiation, and Sales (13:46) What challenge is Maia currently struggling with? (15:59) Death or Future Self: two methods for better decision-making (19:03) Scheduling: to plan or not to plan (22:06) Work virtually, Live personally (27:35) Maia's social life: how do you live anonymously? (38:22) What sets the Olin College of Engineering apart from others? (41:25) What was the greatest challenge about starting two companies? (45:36) The biggest lesson that Maia has recently learned (48:12) Social skills, and social media; Closing thoughts Please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating + review on Apple Podcasts. You can also help spread the word by sharing this episode with friends and family!

I sit down with Georg Baunach of Hatch Ventures to talk more about how to invest in ocean technologies.

In today's episode I invite two of my best friends, Eric Levin (@ericrius1) and Eric Fisher, for a laid-back and entertaining conversation. Having previously worked at Facebook, Fisher is currently a character coach and social designer at MiNDFUL iMPROV. Levin is a VR developer who experiments with art, meditation, and yoga in his work. In this episode, we discuss: VR, AR, and Technology Meditation, and Yoga Creativity and Business Job automation, and AI Skepticism, and Beliefs Freedom in Tech, Science and Truth Globalization The Age of Acceleration Limitations of language Psychedelics, Spirituality and Therapy Consciousness, Awareness and Attention Being vs. Becoming, and Flow Socialization and Improv Society and Culture Timeline: (02:43) Who is Eric Levin? (04:17) Keeping Creative integrity in business (06:58) Job automation, and creativity: will AI replace humanity? (10:03) Designing digital spaces within a capitalist society (13:17) Spirituality: Skepticism to Belief (17:54) Creating Tech that serves Freedom, not Capitalism (21:29) Are we entering the Age of Acceleration? (29:05) Can work be a place of therapy? (33:02) Ayahuasca, and other flow-inducing plants (38:28) Flow: Being, or Becoming (42:30) What is Improv: closing thoughts Please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating + review on Apple Podcasts. You can also help spread the word by sharing this episode with friends and family!

Having previously developed Postmark as well as Beanstalk, entrepreneur Natalie Nagele (@natalienagele) joins me for a light-hearted, honest and open conversation about the process of building Wildbit, a fully self-funded, hybrid software company. In this episode, we mention: Deep work Leadership in business Loneliness in remote work Hard work vs. Smart work Fundraising and profitability Meditation and mental clarity Building a meaningful business Remote work, in the early days Values, and their constant evolution Productivity software that can do more harm than good Timeline: (04:57) What is Wildbit? How did it start off? (09:32) Pioneering remote work: Pros and Cons (17:24) Slack, and anxiety: the effects of micro-managing expectations (22:58) Remote work: how big of an issue is loneliness? (26:17) Which should you do: work hard or smart? (32:13) Fundraising, VC control, and Profits (37:01) Meditation: Natalie's practice, and company culture (43:50) How is writing therapeutic? (46:47) How procrastination obstructs your mental space (50:11) 'Trillion Dolar Coach', and the lost secret of leadership (55:50) Technological innovation: what is next? Please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating + review on Apple Podcasts. You can also help spread the word by sharing this episode with friends and family!

After the last two episodes of setting up the exact problems we are facing with our oceans, I interview Bren Smith of Green Wave about his insightful company and what they are doing in order to provide protein to the world with low environmental impact.

Andreas Klinger (@andreasklinger), currently Head of Remote at AngelList, is a product-centric startup founder. Previous to AngelList, Andreas was founding team member and CTO at ProductHunt, as well as VP of Engineering at CoinList. In this episode, we discuss: Remote-work! Benefits of traveling while working The phenomenon of globalization Product ideas for remote teams Uploading our consciousness Andreas' meaning for life Innovation and sci-fi The spirituality trap Job automation Timeline: (04:35) What is Andreas' notion of spirituality? (10:30) Andreas' meaning for life (14:40) Globalization, and decentralized cultures (19:40) The inevitability of remote work (23:15) Consciousness, computers and the 'Bobiverse' (29:15) Technological evolution: are we living in a sci-fi scenario? (30:10) Remote work: from hype to banal (38:15) Market solutions for the upcoming demands of remote work (43:50) Slow travel: how you can make the most of remote work (50:45) Striking a balance between in-person and remote work (54:00) The trap that Silicon Valley has fallen for (01:00:03) Jet-lag: how do you deal with it? If you've made it all the way down here, please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating + review on Apple Podcasts. You can also help spread the word by sharing this episode with friends, family or just about anyone who'd find it interesting. Thank you.

Norland Téllez is an Artist, teacher, and mythologist with a background in film animation. Grounding himself in classical painting and drawing, his core artistic and intellectual life centers around the study of the Popol-Vuh, a classic of Mayan mythology. In this episode, Norland shares what it means to be a visual artist whose work centers around the Popol-Vuh, the Mayan epic of creation and perennial wisdom. Having this cultural masterpiece as our guiding thread, we explore different facets of life such as: Language and other artistic forms of human expression The intersection between psychology and mythology Happiness, Pleasure, and Hedonism Creativity and self-destruction The quest for the unknown The meaning of dreams Non-linearity of time (un)Consciousness The Hero's journey Find out more about Norland and his work at norlandtellez.com Timeline: (00:04:01) What is the Popol-Vuh? (00:04:57) What contribution did the Mayans make to the world? (00:10:35) How does Mayan wisdom approach our biases? (00:17:14) Jumping into the unknown, spirituality and psychology (00:20:14) Language, artistic expression, and the layers of human experience (00:28:27) How can we bridge the gap between the conscious and the unconscious? (00:32:52) In what way has the study of Mayan wisdom influenced Norland's life? (00:40:46) Myth or Ideology: what is the line that separates them? (00:45:59) What's the Mayan story of human creation? (00:52:26) Jouissance, Creativity & Death-drive (01:07:00) The Hero's Journey: from selfhood to self-divestment If you made it all the way down here, don't forget to subscribe and please take the time to leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

I sat down with Daniela to talk about Ocean Health and her organization: The Sustainable Ocean Alliance (@SOAalliance). We talked a lot about plastics in the oceans, in the fish, and in our freshwater supply. If you are interested in solutions to solve some of the major problems we are facing with our oceans then check out this episode or her organization.

Gregory Wendt is a veteran wealth advisor, CFP and economist who works at the forefront of sustainable and responsible investing. As a social entrepreneur, Greg has founded several non-profit community organizations by applying a multi-disciplinary approach to financial innovation. Greg is by all means a natural conversationalist and will not disappoint even the most demanding of listeners. In this episode, we cover two main topics - the universe and the world of economics - with a hint of science, spirituality as well as philosophy. Check out the preview of this talk below. Visit Greg at https://www.gregwendt.com/ Timeline: (00:03:27) Business and Hippiedom: Greg's story (00:08:37) The collision of Spirituality with Science (00:13:05) Capital markets and the concept of cosmos (00:14:28) Natural laws vs. Social Dynamics - how groups can destroy your innate potential (00:17:30) Epigenetics: how does the environment affect your genes and your worldview? (00:23:55) What's the point of predicting the future? (00:27:19) Technological paradigm vs. Biomimicry (00:31:13) The specialization epidemic (00:33:39) What are the limitations of (economic) theories? (00:35:24) Social Darwinism vs. Cooperation (00:38:03) Win-Win games in the economic context (00:41:02) Earthlings: our human and cultural evolution (00:48:40) Bioregions and how Greg is working to make this concept a reality (00:53:47) Building resilient, smart cities across the world (00:58:03) How Greg is moving capital away from destructive industries into Bioregions (01:05:49) Venture Capital funding, alternatives, and creating systemic solutions to connect the dots Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Lawrence Wang works as a software engineer at MakerDAO, a decentralized project that operates within the Ethereum blockchain. This interview was special. Lawrence has a way of putting things so clearly and concisely that you'll be left speechless. From spiritual surrender to cryptocurrencies, this one's all about learning to navigate the turbulent waters of modern society with wisdom and clarity. More on MakerDAO at https://makerdao.com Timeline: (03:20) - What is MakerDAO? (04:20) - How does Lawrence work with stress? (07:16) - How can we adapt to the increasingly large networks of people in our lives? (10:26) - Signal vs. noise (13:20) - What's recently changed Lawrence's life in a meaningful way? (14:36) - The sweet spot between optimism and pessimism (16:00) - How is ignorance a form of freedom? (18:02)- What's the impact of technology on principles? (20:25) - What is actually going to save us (the world)? (23:39) - Co-dependence vs. Interdependence (25:38) - Anti-fragility, and the spiritual equivalent of "FU-money" (29:09) - Establishing (energetic) boundaries (32:12) - Lawrence on Meditation and the role of Technique (39:00) - What are Stablecoins? (44:42) - Cryptocurrencies' biggest promise (48:20) - Remote-work: the future of human connection? Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

I did a special interview series about humanity's largest creative asset: the ocean, and how we are putting huge stresses on it and what we can do to fix it.

Kirill Zubovsky is the founder of SmashNotes, a website that curates highlights from millions of podcasts in the form of Q&As. Be it science, business, startups, education, news, or anything in between, they've got you covered. He also hosts his own podcast called Rad Dad. In this episode, Kirill shares the insider knowledge he's collected both as a founder in the growing podcast industry and also as a YCombinator alumnus. From life lessons to startup culture, you will leave this one feeling a little wiser and more well-informed about the way our world operates. Timeline: (02:38) - What is SmashNotes? (05:25) - Why podcasting has blown up (07:07) - Kiril's podcast experience as a host (10:56) - Is it counter-productive to share show notes? (12:55) - Out of thousands of podcasts, which is Kiril's favorite? (14:24) - Short-term future of AI (18:13) - Biggest life lesson that Kiril has learned from working in YCombinator (22:38) - What recent piece of information got Kiril excited? (25:15) - Crazy Wisdom's evolution and expected trajectory (29:56) - Where does the name 'Crazy Wisdom' come from? (35:13) - Seeking advice selectively (38:41) - How can you monetize your podcast? (43:09) - Remote-work and the upcoming worldwide decentralized networks Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.

Hiten Shah (@hnshah) is a startup investor and the co-founder of FYI, a company that has developed research-based software to help people find their documents as quickly as possible. In this talk, we explore the connection that is gradually flourishing between two seemingly distinct worlds: Technology and Spirituality. Hiten has a lot of insights to share and is keen to delve into the many different ways in which computers, the human condition, and business intertwine with each other. If you're interested in either of these topics, you can't miss this one. Follow along: (04:33) - Is the human experience necessarily a spiritual one? (08:20) - Hiten's personal experience with the internet (12:06) - What is Hiten's view on the relationship between technology and spirituality? (16:57) - Shadow work: what is it? (22:45) - Samskara, energy body and the essence of observation (29:18) - Judgment vs. Discernment (33:07) - What is Hiten most excited about right now? (37:05) - Start, Grow, Scale - the changing nature of a business (42:22) - How relevant is memorization in the face of unlimited digital storage? (48:27) - What does Hiten think about predicting the future impact of technology? (51:42) - What projects is Hiten currently working on? (54:17) - Hiten's relationship with stress and creativity Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.

If you are interested in applying for an online course I'm running with Anders Jones on how to raise money for a distributed team check out this 15 minute episode. We go over the crazy amount of value we are offering in this course including: How to raise money How to build a distributed team How to build a hypergrowth business How to establish creative constraints which make employees more effective

Such a great, candid interview with down-to-earth Ryan Caldbeck, CEO of CircleUp, on some of the rarely-discussed, yet crucial aspects of entrepreneurship, its effects on mental health and how leaders can improve their lifestyle to boost their company's performance. Ryan was very open and receptive towards sharing some of the most intimate issues that he's faced on his journey as a founder. Check out Ryan's tweetstorm here: https://bit.ly/2O7vhmY Timeline of the conversation: (3:18) - What is the #1 lesson that building CircleUp has taught Ryan? (6:26) - What is the job of a CEO? (8:35) - Ryan's spiritual backdrop (11:43) - Ryan's advice for inexperienced entrepreneurs (15:49) - Distinguishing between what is Important, what is Urgent, or what is both (23:30) - Business context: Work vs. Non-work (26:20) - Why you should be wary of going to conferences (28:15) - Ryan's experience with series-C investment (34:22) - The role of authenticity in the grand scheme of business (48:44) - Related reading and closing thoughts Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.

I am joined by entrepreneur and angel investor John Ramey, founder of The Prepared, to discuss the bizarrely unconventional subject of prepping. In this episode we get to dig deep into the lost art of survival, how modern prepping is bringing it back, the stigma surrounding it and where his company fits in all of this. Find out more about John at @jpramey Timeline of the conversation: (04:13) - What's ThePrepared all about? (05:55) - What's the story behind John's company (08:56) - What type of people is interested in prepping? (11:10) - Specialism and the untapped potential in our genes (13:05) - Human agency and the desire for control (16:41) - Communities as a by-product of our survival instinct (20:40) - The dark side of primal human nature (24:14) - Investing your time in learning survival skills (29:00) - The media narrative and Ramey's prediction for foreseeable future (31:53) - What steps should you take to prepare for an emergency? (40:19) - Best places in the U.S. for preppers to live in (42:25) - Climate evolution and life on Earth Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.

Coinmine founder Farbood Nivi shares his understanding of the basics of crypto mining as well as the historical implications, where it's headed and how his company is aiming to simplify the whole process. Miner or not, I highly recommend you listen to this episode. If you enjoyed this episode you can find out more about Nivi and his venture at @farbood Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.

If you want to understand how to write clearly and get your thoughts out on paper watch this episode. Check out Andy at @SparksZilla if you like this episode.

This one was really fun and I got to go deep into Tiago's understanding of the impact of technology on our ability to learn. Its a huge passion for me as well so we got some interesting stuff out there.

This was so much fun. If you like this episode I highly recommend following Jim on Twitter at @jposhaughnessy

Really interesting interview with Russell about his company Drop which is building the next virtual computing operating system for when we make the switch to computing through VR.

I sit down with David Weekly who has a long history of operating experience in Silicon Valley and his new startup Medcorder is very interesting. I think you will like this episode!

We talk about our thoughts on a book called Exhalation by Ted Chiang which goes into the influence of technology on our lives. I highly recommend this episode, the book, and finding out more about Shippo if you need help shipping.

This is a special dual interview that I did with Allen Saakyan, the host of the Simulation Series which you can find on Youtube.

Safi is the author of a book I highly recommend you check out which talks about innovations in organizations. Usually, I don't interview authors with newly released books because that's a podcast trap, but making the exception with Safi because this book is a must-read.

I sat down with Charlie Pinto and have a conversation about how to become a whole person not the fractured selves we often find ourselves thinking we are.

Really enjoyed sitting down with Yoni, the founder of podcast notes and getting his wisdom about the world of podcasting and how he started it. So interesting!

I talked with Peter McCormack about the stress of running his popular "What Bitcoin Did" podcast.

I really enjoyed this interview with Brett Fox because he is an operator through and through and speaks the truth from his decades of experience building business from the ground up and being a fixer who comes in and fixes businesses that need fixing.

I sit down with Marc Bitanga, the host of the Growing Pains podcast, and talk to him about the first principles of marketing and how he views the relationship between stress and creativity.

Sahil is really sharp and definitely has his head on straight. He has a lot of wisdom to share here about painting, life, and startups.

Really loved digging deep into Jude's philosophy on life and work as well as how Golden is going to organize the world's information like no one has done before.

I sit down with Ryan Delk after both of us read Creativity Inc By Ed Catmull. This is part of a series I'm doing where I ask someone what they are reading, we read it, and then have a conversation about it. Creativity Inc truly inspired me. It is like a guidebook for how to be creative when other people are involved. So many gems.

The guys at Podcast Notes take notes on the best podcasts on the planet as a business and I thought it would be interesting to interview them about all the things they have learned. Check it out for a good synthesis of the best knowledge being produced at the moment.