17 - John Robert Downs: Corporatism, DAOs, Flow & Feminine/Masculine Energies

In this episode, John and I discuss his transition from the world of finance and cannabis investing into his current role as a health and wellness coach.  We discuss how John’s early career spent in the subprime mortgage lending market led to his introduction to Peter Schiff, an early financial commentator on the impending 2008 Global Financial Crisis, and why people have a tendency to trust groupthink over fundamentals and personal truth. From there, we discuss fundamental flaws in the structure of capitalism and why this has led to corporatism. Next we talk about decentralized autonomous organizations (“DAOs”) and the history of the failed War on Drugs, which could be more accurately considered a War on People and a War on Consciousness. We then discuss the stigma associated with psychedelics in society today, the study of flow states, and the similarities in brain physiology associated with different modalities for experiencing holotropic states of consciousness. Next, we discuss John’s move from the corporate sector into wellness coaching, his experience studying at the Flow Research Collective, and how the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi helped him bridge the “mystical” elements of spiritual texts with a modern scientific understanding of psychology. We then discuss the importance of purpose in achieving flow states and the process of transforming the outward facing image you present to the world. We end the discussion on the idea of masculine and feminine energies and why toxic masculinity remains so pervasive within our culture. Please enjoy!

Music: Intro/Outro: Ben Fox - The Vibe; End credits: Young Rich Pixies - A Good Mood

Outro: Toxic Masculinity in a Toxic Society (starts at 1:24:24)

Interview: 02/22/22 Published: 03/07/22

Check out the resources referenced:

• John's Website: https://www.johnrobertdowns.com/


• Crash Proof: How to Survive the Coming Economic Collapse by Peter Schiff: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22127.Crash_Proof


• The Big Short by Michael Lewis: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26889576-the-big-short


• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66354.Flow


• The Flow Research Collective: https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/


• Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality without Religion by Sam Harris: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774981-waking-up


• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890486-breath


• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning


• Fit for Service: https://www.aubreymarcus.com/pages/fit-for-service-academy

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