In this episode, you'll discover:

• Whether mystical states are just neurons firing or something science can't explain yet
• Why human morality keeps evolving and what that means for the stories we call truth
• How to use technology to train your focus without losing the magic of transcendence

Have you ever noticed how the though ts that torture you most aren't even yours?

They're hand-me-downs. Scripts you inherited from parents who inherited them from their parents. Cultural programming that told you productivity equals worth. That rest is laziness. That your value comes from how much you can do for everyone else. You've been running on these thoughts for so long you forgot they're just thoughts. Not truth. Just noise.

Most people think meditation is about becoming calm. It's not. It's about seeing the machinery. The way your brain spins the same stories on repeat. The way it reaches for distraction the second discomfort shows up. The way it convinces you that scrolling Instagram or buying another thing or staying busy will make you feel better when really you're just running from yourself.

I spent years doing that. Chasing experiences. MDMA, plant medicine, skydiving. Anything to feel something other than the hollow ache of not knowing who I was underneath all the performance. Those experiences cracked me open. But they didn't teach me how to stay open. That's what meditation did. It taught me that the version of me chasing dopamine hits wasn't broken. She was just afraid to sit still long enough to meet herself.

Today our guest is Ariel Garten, neuroscientist, psychotherapist, and founder of Muse, the brain-sensing meditation headband. She's lived with undiagnosed ADD her whole life and used meditation and neuroscience to literally rewire her brain.

Links from the episode:

• Show Notes: mindlove.com/423
• Join the Mind Love Collective
• Sign up for The Morning Mind Love for short daily notes to wake up inspired
• Support Mind Love Sponsors

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your body rebels when you're living someone else's script
• The third option between toxic masculinity and invisible masculinity
• How real masculine power actually improves intimate relationships

What if the price of being the "good guy" is losing yourself completely?

I'm so tired of hearing women complain about where all the good men are. You know what I think? They're out there. They're just so busy trying not to be toxic that they've made themselves invisible. We've swung from one extreme to another. Now instead of dealing with assholes, we're dating ghosts.

You've got two terrible options in the dating world. Door number one: the obvious red flags who think emotions are for weaklings and leadership means being the loudest jackass in the room. Door number two: guys who are so terrified of taking up space that there's nothing actually there. Sure, they're nice. Sure, they're safe. But they're also the type to suggest going Dutch on the first date because making any kind of move feels too risky.

Men are killing themselves at three times the rate of women, but they won't ask for help. And honestly? I get it. The message they're getting is confusing as hell. Be vulnerable but not weak. Be strong but not aggressive. Lead but don't be controlling. No wonder they're paralyzed.

The thing is, we're all paying for this mess. When the men in our lives are walking around dead inside, our relationships suffer. Our kids learn that strength means shutting down. Everyone loses when half the population is too scared to show up authentically.

Carl Jung wrote about the wounded healer. The person whose deepest pain becomes their greatest gift. A lot of men have learned to be incredibly sensitive to everyone else's feelings because they've completely numbed their own. They'll bend over backwards to make you happy while slowly suffocating inside.

Today our guest is Isaac Wathen, a men's coach who helps guys move from people-pleasing to actual leadership. After his own health crisis forced him to face how disconnected he'd become, Isaac figured out how to reclaim masculine power without becoming a total dick about it.

Links from the episode:

• Show Notes: mindlove.com/422
• Join the Mind Love Collective
• Sign up for The Morning Mind Love for short daily notes to wake up inspired
• Support Mind Love Sponsors

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your brain rewards comparison and what to do about it
• How ancient mammal wiring drives modern addiction patterns and self-sabotage
• The real reason happiness chemicals fade and how to retrain your response

Ever notice how you can't stop comparing yourself to other people, even when you know it makes you miserable?

There's a reason for that. And it has nothing to do with social media, your childhood trauma, or some defect in your personality.

It's because your brain works exactly like a goat’s.

I know that sounds strange. But stay with me. Because understanding this one piece of mammal brain science explains why you scroll Instagram feeling inadequate, why you can't stop reaching for that thing you swore you'd quit, why happiness never seems to stick around as long as you want it to.

We spend so much energy trying to fix ourselves. Trying to stop comparing. Trying to feel content. Trying to be happy all the damn time. But what if the problem isn't you? What if your brain is just doing exactly what it evolved to do?

Today our guest is Loretta Breuning, founder of the Inner Mammal Institute and author who spent decades studying how mammal brain chemistry shapes human behavior. After observing goat social dynamics at a farm, she uncovered patterns that completely changed how she understood human conflict, competition, and happiness.

Links from the episode:

• Show Notes: mindlove.com/421
• Join the Mind Love Collective
• Sign up for The Morning Mind Love for short daily notes to wake up inspired
• Support Mind Love Sponsors

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.