The Competitive Edge

Charlie Morley is a lucid dreaming teacher and author who helps people wake up in their dreams & harness the power of sleep for psychological growth. Lucid dreaming is something I’ve done by accident a handful of times. I wanted to have Charlie on the show to understand how lucid dreams work and can be used to improve your everyday life and support spiritual development. I was also interested learning about dream yoga and other dream oriented spiritual practices. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast 00:00) Introduction and Interest in Lucid Dreaming (07:02) Early Experiences and Teenage Interest in Lucid Dreaming (13:20) Lucid Dreaming as a Natural Capacity and the Science Behind It (15:58) Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism: Dream Yoga (22:13) The Relationship Between Lucid Dreaming and Chi Energy (25:37) Remaining Conscious Throughout Sleep (30:45) The Clear Light of Sleep and Lucidity in Deep Sleep (33:37) The Relationship Between Lucid Dreaming and Feeling Refr

Boyd Varty is a lion tracker,  author, coach, and storyteller who brings forth ancient wisdom to help others find deep meaning and purpose in their life. His books A Lion Trackers Guide to Life and Cathedral of the Wild are awesome.  I was excited to have him on the show because I love the message of his books and just think he’s an awesome human.  In our conversation, Boyd shares how you can apply many of the same principles of tracking animals in the wild to discovering a path that’s uniquely you.  For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast (00:00) Connecting the Tracker Experience with the Consciousness Journey (02:56) The Power of Surrendering into Not Knowing (09:29) Developing Track Awareness: Paying Attention to Energizing Tracks (17:39) Questioning Limiting Beliefs and Finding Freedom in Acceptance (21:12) Following Inspiration and Expressing Creative Essence (28:40) Balancing Practicalities with Following Your Bliss (30:34) Questioning Scarcity and Cultural Norms (31:

I love experiencing magic and pushing the boundaries for what’s possible. It makes life more fun and interesting. One of the ways this shows up is noticing extraordinary phenomena. These can be everything from unexplained synchronicities to directly experiencing extra sensory perceptions (ESP). Most people write these off, chalking them up to random coincidence or flukes. But some people get curious.  They wonder if they can recreate that experience in some way. So they start experimenting and exploring new things. This gradually refines their understanding of what’s possible and results in new approaches to creating positive results in their life. Today’s guest Cyan Banister brings this type of curiosity and experimentation to exploring consciousness and human potential.  Cyan is one of the most prolific early stage investors of our time having invested in SpaceX, Uber, Postmates amongst many others. She was the first female partner at Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and now is a partner at Long Journey Ventures

Abundance is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but it seems like everyone has a different idea of what it means. For a lot of people, it means money. Money is seen as a proxy for other things like time, freedom, and contribution. I once held this view and now believe it’s a very incomplete perspective. I was excited to have my friend Sean Clayton to talk about abundance because he has one of the more unique perspectives I’ve come across. Sean is a serial entrepreneur. He is the founder of Myosin and Myosin XYZ, as well the Science of Abundance which teaches people how to integrate ancient wisdom and spirituality to create an abundant life.  Instead of money, Sean views abundance as the energy that creates all things. To live an abundant life, you can become aware of how this energy works and its fundamental laws. Through working with and aligning to these laws, you can create an abundant life. When you go  against them, you simply cycle through repeated patterns that don’t represent the natural way of th

A lot of people think consciousness work is just a way to feel better.  With this perspective, the connection between inner work and external results is tenuous. Maybe having a better temperament will make you a better leader or manager and more easily able to avoid burnout, but that’s about it.  This is an incredibly limited perspective that misses the big picture. Until you work on your consciousness, you’re mostly just operating life through a set of inherited patterns you didn’t choose. This would be fine if they were all helpful, but most people’s unconscious patterns are oriented around avoiding harm and using the external world to get love. So they perceive the world through the narrow lens of their patterns which direct all their activities.  This is why entrepreneurs raise money before they should, stay in businesses they don’t care about, and pursue opportunities that aren’t actually aligned with the needs of the business. I was thrilled to meet another entrepreneur who sees this clearly and recogni

Many of the guests I’ve had on the podcast have spoken about the benefits of going deep once you’ve found a spiritual path or tradition that resonates. The argument is that depth results in more profound transformation than breadth or spiritual window shopping. In my own experience, I have found this to be true. However, I know there are other people out there that have a different perspective and received a tremendous amount of benefit from a more broad exploration. Today’s guest is Kyle Kowalski, the founder of Sloww. Sloww is creating the web’s deepest guide to the world’s wisdom through an interdisciplinary study across diverse yet interconnected disciplines.  Kyle describes himself as a synthesizer. He has spent the last few years studying a tremendous amount of spiritual teachers and teachings with the goal of getting to the core essence of what they all point to. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

In software development there’s a popular idea that there are 10X engineers.  A 10x engineer is capable of producing the impact of 10 engineers. In my consciousness journey, I’ve realized there are 10X healers. These people are capable of facilitating exceptional transformation and healing. Although I believe we are always the ones doing the healing, it does seem like certain beings have an outsized capacity to help us. Today’s guest Michael Leberknight is someone I consider a 10x healer. He has helped create some profound shifts in my life and I wanted to have him on the show to discuss the healing arts. Michael’s healing journey began at what he calls a magic school. Traditionally, mystery (or magic) schools have been places dedicated to the study and practice of esoteric teachings that are often kept outside the public eye. They’ve existed throughout history across various cultures and typically emphasize the development of consciousness, spiritual awakening, and metaphysical concepts. For full show notes:

I love hosting a podcast. It’s an amazing way to explore interesting topics and learn from the wisdom of others. A lot of these conversations provide information about emerging topics like subtle energy, the nature of reality, or self healing. As interesting as these are, I’ll be the first to admit they can be a bit disconnected from the things that most people struggle with on a day to day basis. Challenges like changing habits, finding new friends, and being kind to yourself. Today’s conversation is an exploration of the REAL with my dear friend Alex Hardy.  Alex and I are kindred spirits. We both chased the tech entrepreneurship dream and fast living New York City lifestyle only to be underwhelmed by where it all led.  After selling his last startup to Docusign, Alex turned his attention inward to find deeper meaning and fulfillment. He’s spent the past few years exploring many facets of self discovery that have resulted in major transformations. With these inner shifts, his life has had to shift too which

Major shifts in consciousness can turn your life upside down. Once the veil has been lifted from your eyes, you can’t unsee something. Katie Deming was a leading radiation oncologist (cancer doctor) who for all intensive purposes was at the top of her field.  She studied at Duke, practiced for 16 years, and spent many years as leader in the broader healthcare system designing cancer programs in the Northwestern United States.  In 2020, her life shifted in a dramatic way when she had a shared death experience (SDE). I had never heard of an SDE until connecting with Katie, but apparently it can be more common for people in the healthcare field.  A shared death experience is a phenomenon where a person who is not dying reports experiencing some aspects of the death process along with a person who is actually dying. In our conversation, Katie shares what happened during this experience and how it changed her in ways she never anticipated. She realized that she could no longer practice western oncology (cancer tre

The conversation explores the backstory of ODYSSEY, the first legal psilocybin retreat center in the United States, and the personal journeys of Gabe and Aaron in entering the field of mental health and psychedelics. It delves into the legislative landscape, the challenges of state-by-state legalization, and the limitations and opportunities within the current framework. The discussion also addresses the role of conventional mental health practitioners in facilitating psychedelic experiences and the unique considerations involved. The conversation explores the intersection of Western therapeutic frameworks and psychedelic facilitation, highlighting the shift from directive to non-directive methods. It delves into the clash of paradigms between traditional medical training and psychedelic facilitation, emphasizing the importance of space, time, and integration in the psychedelic experience. The discussion also touches on the excitement and potential of the emerging psychedelic industry. For full show notes:

Let’s face it. There’ a lot of A.I. doom and gloom right now. This is especially the case in some spiritual circles.  On Youtube, I see all these people talk about how we are entering a man vs. machine war, or other types of metaphysical warfare.  I haven’t really spent much time looking into these things and I’m sure there’s degrees of truth to the concerns.  My immediate reaction when I see this type of rhetoric is that it reflects the pattern of polarized thinking. Polarizing thinking is when you look at things from a black vs. white, good vs. bad, or right vs. wrong perspective. This constrains your vision from seeing a more complete, big-picture perspective and keeps you in separation.  I am excited to learn about what A.I. is enabling that seems supportive for humanity, alongside the legitimate concerns that warrant action. I recently got a chance to sit down with Maverick Kuhn, one of the co-founders of Thyself.ai. Thyself.ai is an AI voice assistant that guides you through emotional work like internal

In the United States, it feels like most people associate shamanism and using plant medicine to access altered states of consciousness with indigenous cultures in central and south America. The more I learn, the more it seems like this practice has existed in ancient cultures all over the world. Recently I learned about the lost history of Iranian Mysticism from my friend Dr. Shauheen Etminan.  Before Zoroastrianism developed, there were groups of people in present day Iran called the Magi. The Magi were wise men known for their spiritual ministry and practices related to astronomy, astrology, and interpretation of dreams. Apparently, the Magi used a substance called Haoma to access the collective unconscious and bring back the information to Kings and patrons. I wanted to have Shauheen on the show to discuss what he’s learned about the Magi and their practices that can be applied to support us in modern times. Shauheen is the founder of Ancestral Magi and VCENNA, a drug discovery company. Through his own hea

It can be a very humbling experience to feel like you “did everything right” in your life, but you still don’t feel how you want to feel.  I know this feeling intimately. It can be quite disorienting and can cause a lot of anger.  Today’s guest is also familiar with this experience.  Brandon Evans is a serial entrepreneur and CEO, & Co-founder of 1Heart. 1Heart is considered the gold standard ayahuasca experience and community for heart centered leaders that are seeking more fulfilling and purpose driven lives. Before starting 1Heart, Brandon had built multiple successful tech startups. Despite checking many of the boxes that society told him would make him happy, he felt a void in his life. This sent him on a multi-year self discovery odyssey before eventually finding deeper meaning in starting 1Heart.  For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast  

Once you start to tune into how consciousness works, you realize that you process reality through the information and stories you’ve been exposed to. Stories about how the world works. Stories about right and wrong. Stories about what it means to be successful in our world. All of these things create a fundamental basis for how we perceive the world.  Now that we live in the information age, there’s more stories than ever.  So the question becomes, how can we discern which stories are supportive (and real)? I don’t think the way we’re going with A.I. is going to make this any easier… Today’s guest Josh Schrei is someone I’ve gotten to know through his epic podcast The Emerald. He’s a master storyteller and lifelong student of the mythologies of the world. He also is a teacher and writer. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

The idea that you could raise your consciousness really clicked for me the first time I encountered David Hawkin’s work. His map of consciousness was the first unified model of consciousness I had seen. It clearly articulated how all encompassing changes in subjective experience could occur. Our conception of self, life, God, and predominant emotional state could all shift simultaneously changing the lens through which we experienced reality. These models can be fun to look at, but eventually the more interesting question is how can we make these shifts? Today’s guest provides some fantastic insight into this question. Mickaela Grace is the Founder of the Graceline Institute and Bridge11 Productions. She has spent over 25 years traveling the world to train with master elders in over 32 traditions while also translating this wisdom with the latest discoveries in modern science. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

About 5 years ago, I was burnt out from my startup and not really sure how my budding interest in my consciousness evolution really jibed with my life setup. My co-founder had recommended the 15 Commitments of Consciousness Leadership and in my desperation, I decided to give it a whirl. From the minute I started reading the book, I couldn’t put it down. So many of the ideas and concepts were illuminating things in my experience that I didn’t really have the world to articulate. Since that point in time, I’ve become a huge advocate of Conscious Leadership and all the work that the creators of the book the Conscious Leadership Group does. Today I have the great honor of hosting Diana Chapman on the show. Diana is one of the founding Partner’s of CLG and authors of the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. I have admired Diana and her work for a long time. Whenever anyone asks me about the connecting consciousness and spirituality to the business world, my default answer is to point people to all the work of t

“The nervous system of the organization reflects the nervous system of the CEO or leader.” When today’s guest shared this quote with me, the truth behind it almost knocked me off my seat! At one point inner work seemed like some nebulous nice to have in the business world. Increasingly, cultivating attributes like emotional fluidity, somatic intelligence and awareness are becoming a competitive advantage.  If you want to perform at your best and amplify the work of the people around you, this type of work needs to be a priority. Today’s guest Franziska Gonder coaches higher performing founders, CEOs, and investors on how to become embodied leaders so they can reach their full potential.  The ways leaders have traditionally operated have gotten us thus far and I think we all can agree, we need to evolve the way we do things if we want to move towards a more prosperous and harmonious world. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

Once upon a time I was a biohacker. I measured my biomarkers every quarter, performed targeted nutrition protocols, tracked my HRV, sauna’d, plunged, and even sunned my balls in front of red light each morning to increase my testosterone. I guess I experienced some benefit from all these activities, but it all kind of became less interesting once I began understanding and focusing on my consciousness. I started to realize and experience first hand that the information in my consciousness is what created and drove the functioning of the body.  It’s not to say that the physical stuff wasn’t important, but it just felt less primary relative to the ways in which my emotions, beliefs, consciousness patterns, and the concepts I held around the way the body worked impacted my experience. The truth is both inputs matter.  It just feels like we live in a society that puts far more emphasis on the nutrition we feed ourselves a few times a day, relative to the information we’re constantly feeding ourselves.  Today’s gue

Will I lose all ambition if I really go all in on my self awareness and spiritual journey?  Is having ambition compatible with my continuous growth? If I really go all in on this inner work thing and I am going to be POOR AND UNSUCCESSFUL!? You’re essentially reading the monologue that replayed in my head in the early days of my consciousness journey. The short answer to these questions: no. Transformation can often be accompanied by polarized thinking. For example, maybe at one point in our lives we were incredibly ambitious thinking getting things outside ourselves was going to solve all our problems. Eventually, we get the things, feel a transient sense of well-being, and realize the inherent conditionality and hollowness to this approach. At this point, we may swing in the other direction becoming obsessed with inner work while believing that anything that resembles your previous paradigm like ambition is bad or incompatible.  This is just a misconception created by polarized thinking. How to find harmon

Some people get into the deep exploration of spirituality and gravitate towards a reclusive experience.  This never resonated with me. I was always interested in pursuing a deep inner exploration while simultaneously engaging life fully. This path leads you to life unfolding becoming the primary teacher.  I find myself attracted to people who have a similar disposition. Today’s guest Peter Corbett is one of those people. After selling his last business to the world’s largest publicly traded marketing services company, Peter Corbett decided it was time to go sit in a Zen monastery.  Since then he has taken on roles such as coach, meditation teacher, spiritual caregiver, and community builder to name a few. I wanted to have Peter on the show because he’s a unique combination of someone with tremendous business success that has also gone to profound depths on the spiritual path. I also don’t have a ton of direct experience studying Zen and thought it’d be fun to go there with Peter. In this conversation, we expl