The Being Human Podcast with Richard Atherton

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if your healing journey that took you years could have taken months and the tool to get there is growing in the Colombian jungle? In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton is joined by Sam Believ, marine engineer and founder of Lawayra, an ayahuasca healing retreat in the Colombian countryside. Born in the Soviet Union and raised in post-independence Latvia, Sam grew up in a household shaped by intergenerational trauma: alcoholic, abusive father, an emotionally unavailable mother, and a culture where emotions were a sign of weakness. He channelled everything into his engineering career, built the life he was supposed to want, and found himself empty. After quitting his job and travelling South America, Sam discovered ayahuasca in Colombia. Initially it was out of curiosity, he then rediscovered it in a crisis. When the lockdowns forced him to stop for the first time in his life, everything he had suppressed caught up with him. A ceremony gave him both his healing and his purpose. He never left. Today Sam has guided close to 3,000 people through ceremonies at LaWayra, where the mission is simple: connect, heal, grow. We discuss: Surviving Soviet childhood trauma and escaping intergenerational pain Why achieving the "right" life left him completely empty What actually happens inside an ayahuasca ceremony Therapy vs ayahuasca Addressing abuse by shamans Links: LaWayra Retreats Sam's Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if your body could tell you exactly where you're out of balance—before it shows up as illness or burnout? In this episode, Richard sits down with Daniel Zavrel, co-founder of ConsciouzScan, to explore a cutting-edge, powerful technology that claims to map your body and mind through your energy field. From his early career in consulting at Accenture, to his shift into spirituality and human performance, Daniel shares how this technology is being used with elite athletes, executives and individuals seeking deeper awareness. Daniel performs a full body scan on Richard to reveal how this technology works. Together, they explore: How one super simple 5-minute yoga technique transformed one CEO’s health How stress actually shows up in the body The link between focus, emotion and energy Why high performers often miss the real source of their exhaustion And what it means to “listen” to your body at a deeper level Whether you’re sceptical or curious, this conversation will challenge how you think about health, performance and consciousness. --- Receive15% discount on the ConsciouzScan online Body & Mind Scan session (1 hour). Book your session and claim your discount here: https://checkout.consciouz.com/checkout/bodymindscan Enter discount code: BEINGHUMAN Want to learn more about the ConsciouzScan method in general first? Then visit: https://checkout.consciouz.com/consciouz-body-mind-scan?revision=1 Interested in becoming a ConsciouzScan Coach? Sign up for the free Masterclass on April 8, 2026 about the coach training program: https://checkout.consciouz.com/masterclass-consciouz-coach

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if many chronic symptoms - pain, IBS, migraines, fatigue, insomnia - aren’t caused by damage in the body, but by patterns in the brain? In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton speaks with Nora Rodden, CEO and co-founder of the health app Nervana. After being hit by a car during university, Nora developed chronic back pain that persisted for five years despite countless treatments and no obvious lasting damage in her body. Later, severe digestive issues and insomnia followed. Everything changed when she joined a clinical trial exploring neuroplastic pain, the idea that the brain can learn and sustain physical symptoms long after an injury has healed. Through mind-body techniques including journaling, somatic awareness and visualisation, Nora eliminated her pain and restored her sleep. Her experience led her to build Nervana, an AI-guided program designed to help people retrain their brain-body response and recover from chronic symptoms. We discuss: Facing the triple whammy of chronic pain, GI symptoms and insomnia The "medical" trial that changed her life The drug-free approach that cured her symptoms in 3 months Her ground-breaking providing relief from pain Should Advil carry a warning? Links: Nervana App

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ Why do the same painful patterns keep repeating in our lives, in love, work, and relationships? In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton is joined by New York Times Best Selling Author Katherine Woodward Thomas. Katherine originated the concept of Conscious Uncoupling through her book of the same name. She’s the author of the huge hit Calling in The One and has just released What's True About You. Katherine shares how the stories we developed in childhood, which she calls “source fracture stories,” quietly shape our adult lives, relationships, and future possibilities. We think these are just “who we are,” but what if these are actually false stories developed way before we had the capacity to truly understand our lives? We discuss: The real point of manifestation (it's not the result) When visiting the past is valuable and when it's not Who is really the toxic one in your relationship? What therapy gets wrong The path forward for a merging of therapy and coaching Links: Katherine’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ Is hope naïve or is it the missing ingredient in modern leadership? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Jen Fisher, former Chief Wellbeing Officer at Deloitte and author of Hope Is the Strategy. After experiencing severe burnout herself, Jen discovered that hope isn’t wishful thinking — it’s a measurable, actionable skill grounded in research. We explore why burnout may actually be a symptom of hopelessness, how leaders unintentionally kill hope through language and behaviour, and why cultivating agency, multiple pathways, and honest truth-telling transforms culture. Jen shares practical tools, including hope audits, hope spotting, and the power of vulnerability in leadership. We discuss: Burnout as a crisis of hopelessness What real hope actually means Leadership language that builds or kills hope Practical tools to cultivate hopeful cultures Links: Jen’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What happens when trust breaks down in relationships, in leadership, in organisations? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Dennis and Michelle Reina, founders of the Reina Trust Building® Institute and authors of Trust & Betrayal in the Workplace. Drawing on decades of research and lived experience, they explain why trust is far more fragile than most leaders realise, and why rebuilding it requires courage, accountability, and choice. We explore the three dimensions of trust, how victimhood traps us in blame, and why trust repair is not about forgetting but about responding differently. This is a deeply human conversation about conflict, repair, and responsibility, relevant to leaders, partners, and anyone navigating broken expectations. We discuss: Growing up with an alcoholic father Why trust is fragile The anatomy of betrayal Victimhood vs responsibility Practical steps to rebuild trust Links: Reina Trust Building

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if creativity isn’t a talent for the few, but the defining quality of being human? In this episode of Being Human, I’m joined by Fredrik Haren, global creativity expert, speaker, and author of The World of Creativity. Fredrik has spent decades travelling the world studying where ideas come from and why modern organisations and education systems so often crush creative thinking. We explore why creativity has little to do with confidence, why having ideas brings profound joy, and how each of us carries an “inner theme”: a unique perspective the world needs. If you’re someone who sees yourself as ‘not creative’, or if you struggle to get your creativity flowing, this episode is a must-watch. We explore: How we don’t create for others Why creativity defines humanity How the get the ideas flowing The joy of having ideas Discovering your ‘inner theme’ Links: Fredrik’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What actually happens when the sense of “self” disappears — and does it make you wiser? In this episode of Being Human, I’m joined by Ken Wilber, one of the most influential philosophers of human development and the founder of Integral Theory, something which played a big role in my own intellectual development. Ken shares his early awakening experience, in which he experienced a complete dissolution of the separate self, and explains why spiritual awakening alone does not equal psychological maturity or ethical wisdom. We explore the crucial distinction between waking up and growing up. And why this explains how many spiritual gurus and their communities can become so toxic. Drawing on decades of scholarship, meditation, and systems thinking, Ken offers a comprehensive framework for understanding consciousness and development. This helps us to appreciate the multiple vectors and methods of human expansion. We explore: What happens when the self dissolves Waking up vs growing up Stages of human development Why maturity still matters Links: Ken’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if great leadership requires more than IQ and EQ? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Dr. Yosi Amram, psychologist, executive coach, and pioneer in developing our understanding of Spiritual Intelligence (SQ). Yosi offers a research-backed framework for translating spiritual values into practical action. Drawing on extensive empirical studies, Yosi shows how SQ predicts leadership effectiveness and personal well-being in ways traditional models miss. And Yosi is not speaking only as an academic. Yosi held the record for the fastest promotion to captain in the history of his regiment in the Israeli Air Force. He has taken two tech start-ups to IPO. He’s a man who knows how to lead. We explore how to make spirituality accessible without dogma, how SQ helps leaders navigate complexity and suffering, and why meaning, purpose, and inspiration are no longer optional in modern work. Yosi also shares principles from his clinical and executive coaching work on how to lead with integrity, compassion, and presence. We explore: What SQ actually is Spirit → action translation Leadership + meaning + purpose Beyond IQ and EQ His recommendations for developing SQ Links: Yosi’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ Is AI about to take over knowledge work? And what does that mean for the rest of us? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Alastair Moore, AI strategist and co-founder of ventures helping organisations navigate the machine intelligence revolution. Alastair argues that we’ve already crossed a threshold: AI isn’t just assisting knowledge workers — it’s now performing tasks at the frontier of research, science, and complex problem-solving. We explore how large models are reshaping entire categories of white-collar work, why organisations are unprepared for the acceleration curve, and what skills will matter in a world where cognition becomes a shared capability between humans and machines. This is a grounded, practical, and sometimes unsettling conversation about the next decade of work. We discuss: AI at the scientific frontier Automation of knowledge work Human–machine complementarities Skills for the post-GPT economy Links: DeepFlow - the company co-founded by Alastair

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ Can energy healing be measured? And if so, what does it mean for medicine? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Dr. Shamini Jain, founder of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI) and one of the leading scientific voices bridging mind-body medicine and biofield science. Drawing on controlled laboratory studies on cells, tumors, animals, and humans, Dr. Jain explains why the evidence for biofield mechanisms can no longer be dismissed as placebo or wishful thinking. We explore how ancient healing practices map onto modern physics, why the biomedical model struggles with subtle energy, and what a paradigm shift in healthcare could look like. This conversation sits at the frontier where science, spirit, and healing converge. We discuss: Evidence beyond placebo What “biofield” actually means Cancer and cell line studies Why medicine must evolve Links: Dr. Jain’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What if love isn’t just an emotion — but the deepest truth of reality itself? In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Dr. Stephen G. Post — bioethicist, medical humanities professor, and founder of the Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love. Drawing on decades of work in medicine, neuroscience, spirituality, and ethics, Stephen explores love as a lived practice, not a vague ideal. Stephen shares extraordinary stories from medicine, caregiving, near-death research, and neuroscience, including a striking insight: pure unlimited love may be the first thing we encounter when life ends. We explore why modern education and culture often strip meaning from life, how service transforms suffering, and what it means to live aligned with a deeper calling. A profound conversation about love, purpose, and what truly matters. We explore: Following your calling All are suffering Love tough vs the 'carefrontation' Addressing the Nature Deficit Disorder Pure unlimited love in the workplace Links: The Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love Stephen’s Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ Is modern education preparing us for the world we’re actually living in? Or is it accelerating our collapse? In this episode of Being Human, I’m joined by Jim Garrison, founder of Ubiquity University, to explore why today’s education system may be failing humanity at the deepest level. Jim argues that Western education prioritises left-brain development: memorisation, analysis and knowledge acquisition, while neglecting ethics, inner growth, and wisdom. Drawing on philosophy, systems thinking, and decades of institutional leadership, he explains how this imbalance fuels ecological destruction, political instability, and moral drift. We explore what a new educational paradigm could look like. It includes somatic, creative, and experiential learning, along with the development of our rationality. Ultimately, it focuses on pursuing the good, the beautiful and the true. We discuss: Why memorisation replaces wisdom Education’s role in global crises The loss of ethics and values What transformative learning requires Jim is a brilliant orator and true pioneer of a new educational paradigm. Links: Uniquity University

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/ What happens when a high-flying executive loses himself in the pursuit of success? Breaking down in a bar with his CEO became the turning point for rebuilding his entire leadership philosophy on compassion? In this episode, Nigel Kilpatrick shares his remarkable journey from burnout, toxicity, and emotional collapse to becoming a leading voice for compassionate leadership. Nigel reveals how confronting his own behaviour and facing multiple health crises reshaped his understanding of work, responsibility, and what people truly need from leaders today. He explains why compassion is not “soft,” but a strategic and measurable foundation for performance, culture, and wellbeing. He shares why organisations that ignore it risk losing both their people and their purpose. We dive into his book The Ten Traits of a Compassionate Leader, his creation of the Compassion Exchange, and his mission to transform workplace culture from fear-driven to human-centred. We cover: From toxic leadership to self-healing Compassion as a business strategy Why empathy alone isn’t enough Building cultures rooted in trust and honesty Links: The Ten Traits of a Compassionate Leader - The Book The Compassion Exchange